A Winter Romance - Three gifts for Cinderella

Winter, snow, christmas. This almost perfect triad needs only a small addition, which in my opinion is the classical fairytale movie "Three Wishes for Cinderella" (Tři oříšky pro Popelku), a czech-german co-production from 1973.

This edition of the Grimms brothers fairytale is so appealing to me not only because we almost the same age, but I adore its freshness and the vivid characters.
A Cinderella that doesnt need to wait for her prince to find her, but a Cinderella that rides on horseback and shoots with the crossbow like a devil, outsmarts her stepmother with wit and charms, and still remains so lovely and captivating.

So this year I indulged again in Cinderellas beautiful and enchanting images that do not need any special effects to create some magic so modest that it could happen everyday.
So do not ever give in when life plays pranks on you sometimes. Do not loose faith and believe. Magic is everywhere for those who have not forgotten to be innocent like a child.

Watch Cinderella on youtube - unfortunately I couldnt find a proper English version. Here is one with an English voiceover.

However if you are lucky enough to understand some German do not miss this fanpage: http://3hfa.jimdo.com/

Picture credits: here and here.

Weimar Refugee Women Group: And how to Cook a German Dinner

The idea had been in my head quite a long time but it was finally realized only a couple of weeks ago: We founded a Women Group in the refugees' hostel.
To be a refugee in Germany is hard. The government provides what is prescibed by the law: accomodation, medical assistance, food and scooling for the kids. This is a lot, right, especially compared to the circumstances that have driven people to leave their homelands, but an essential part is missing: a perspective for the future. Many persons, even whole families have to wait for years, even decades, until their residential status becomes clear. So they are forced to live a life inbetween, without knowing what will happen, if they are allowed to stay or if they will be expelled from one day to the other.
Especially for the women this is very hard. Mostly they come from societies where the family is the most important bond. Alone here in a foreign country the are forced to stay alone in their houses because the net is not there and they are not used to go out for cultural reasons, while their men usually make new acquaintances quite quickly. Mostly the hostels are placed far from the city without a good connection, sometimes even without a decent street lighting (e.g. here), so in winter it is even dangerous to leave home after 4 p.m.
So the idea was born to establish a network in the hostel itself and it is working out nicely, desipe of language barriers and a lot of kids to look after. Recently the first step out has been made: The women group of the "Inner Wheel" invited us to a typical German christmas dinner.

 

Cooking toghether was really fun! We had duck from the oven, red cabbage and potato dumplings as main course and baked apples for dessert.

 We discovered that the most beautiful "Knödel" (potato dumplings) were made from Afghan hands!

Below a snippet from the local newspaper the next day with myself ( not quite deservedly) in the centre.

 And finally we all enjoyed the yummy food with the husbands and the kids!

 

Snow: and a Praise of Slowness

I am not the patient kind of girl.

I have too many ideas.

I want too many things.

I want to write a book.

I want to translate Greek poems.

I want to learn Turkish.

I want to develop my dancing skills.

I want to spend more time making art.

I want to take care of my kids.

I want to do yoga.

And then I realize that I am so slow.

Very, very slow.

And I want to cry.

And then I look out of the window

And watch the snowflakes falling

dancing their way through the air

and finally landing on the ground, completely effortless.

Tiny tiny flakes.

Yet the following day everything is covered with a layer of thick, fluffy, candid snow.

And I try to take one action at a time.

Step by step.

And then the next.

This will be my New Year's resolution:

To learn from the snowflakes.

To concentrate on every single tiny step, until I have reached my goal.

Completely effortless.

And what is your New Year's resolution?

Please share your thoughts!

Impressions from My Life: What I Love in Winter

Frost flowers...

Funny bakery...


... and hot tea with christmas cookies!!

Enjoy the season!

One Last Winter Recipe: Sicilian Orange Salad

Everyone is talking about spring now, me too, but before we totally forget the passed season I wanted to share one of my favourite (end of) winter recipies: Sicilian Orange Salad.

A large part of my familiy used to live in Sicily before most of them moved north for studies or a better employment. But the memories of extraordinary holidays on this island literally between Italy and Africa are still very present in my mind and sometimes I celebrate them with special dishes.

For this unusual salad you should try to find blood oranges, either Moro or Tarocco, that are harvested in february. Unfortunately spanish Navel have taken over almost the whole market here in Germany and I have always trouble to snatch a few. Blood oranges are less sweet than Navels and their slightly bitter note matches best for this recipe, but you can use other oranges as well.

The basic ingredients are: 2-3 oranges, 1-2 cloves of garlic (yes!), olive oil "extra vergine", a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. My favorite variation which I used for the picture adds some thin slices of fennel and "Balsamico" vinegar from Modena, a sweet-sour vinegar riped in oak barrels.

But possibilities are endless! Try with some black "Kalamata" olives for a hearty dish, or add a sweet scent with a sour apple and walnuts. If you prefer a more traditional fruit salad for a dessert add sugar, orange blossom water and arabic mint (nana).

Buon appetito!

First Snow and Imperial Fashion

Yesterday we had the first snow of this year after a long, rainy fall. Time to curl

up on your sofa with woolen blanket and a cup of hot tea from the samowar and
to flip once again through the pictures of Karl Lagerfeld's last winter collection
"Paris-Moscou", daydreaming....
























Enjoy fantastic costumes in fur, brocade and gold, incredible head-dresses
and meticulously beaded ornaments and embroideries.
Watch pictures in full size here.

"Goodbye Winter...

... parting is painful, but with you departure my heart is smiling..."
says a german children's song


dramatic impressions from the last days of this winter in the Ilm Park, Weimar.