Wow, where did September go?  I didn’t mean for the entire month to slip by without a blog post, oops!

Kenne and I did a lot of exploring locally the past month.  Here are some highlights:

Wine Fests and Culinary Hikes:

On 13 September, we checked out the largest wine festival in the world in Bad Durkheim – the Wurstmarkt.  We met our friends Cornelius, Pia, and their son Fynn for lunch and also spent time with some co-workers who made the drive.  Feeling adventurous, Kenne and I decided to take a ride on the Hot Shot – a ball cage that catapults you into the air.  Yes, I was tall enough, and yes, it was a blast!

The Wurstmarkt was only the start to the season here. There is a wine or culinary walk every weekend in the fall!  Our village of Rodenbach hosted their culinary hike – the largest in the Westpfalz – on 19-20 September.  The hike was 6 kilometers and included nine stops with food specialities and local wines.  Remi was also along for the hike and, per usual, he was the center of attention.

The following weekend we explored the culinary hike in Freinsheim.  Freinsheim is one of several villages along the Deutsche Weinstrasse (German Wine Road).  Of course, we took Remi along for this hike too.  He met another Dane named Laurence and they were fast friends.

Oktoberfest:

In addition to all of the eating and wine drinking this time of year, it is also Oktoberfest season!  Kenne and I attended our first German Oktoberfest this weekend in Karlsruhe with Cornelius, Pia, and friends.  Note to self for next year:  buy lederhosen and a dirndl.  Everyone was wearing these traditional German outfits!  It didn’t take long before everyone was standing on the benches, hoisting a beer, and singing ‘Ein Prosit.’

I promised my new friend Dirk that I would share this tidbit too – although we were at Oktoberfest, we were NOT in Bavaria. The Munich Okotberfest is the most widely known, but the fact is that there are Oktoberfests throughout the country during this time of the year.  There is more than enough beer, food, and fun to be had at any of them!

Next Up:

If we haven’t been doing enough eating and drinking locally, we will have an opportunity to indulge even more very soon.  We are off to Italy!  Italy has been at the top of my list for a very long time, so to say that I’m excited doesn’t even come close.  To top it off, we get to see dear friends from the U.S. while we are there too!

We have even more to look forward to when we return!  At the end of October, we will be welcoming a new member to the Crocker clan.  Yes, a baby, but not of the human variety.  We will be bringing home Roxy, a blue Great Dane.  We are so thrilled and can’t wait for Remington to meet this little girl.

More to come very soon, I promise!  Prost!