My Christmas dinner

Do not disturb us we are eating

Yesterday we had a Christmas dinner in my little house.

1. A red Christmas soup

Take onion, beetroot and carrots with a little bit oil. Then the spices caraway.cumin,cinnemon,ginger, salt, pepper, vegetable soup and water. Make it as spicy as you like it. If you have a lot of time make stars and hearts from the carrots. Before you serve it give a little cream or coconut cream in the plate.

2. Bohemian rapsody

trout and potatoe salad

Trout: wash the trout and put a lot of caraway and a little bit salt in and on the trout. Put it in a baking foil and 30 min. with 180 degrees in the oven.

Bohemian potatoe salad:

Boil salat potatoes and let them cool down, till it is easy to hold them.

Cut gherkins,1 apple, capucines, onion. Mix it with mayo, salt, pepper and the vinegar of the gherkins. Then put the warm cut potatoes in , mix it and let it rest on a cold place 1 day. Do not put a metal spoon in it. It`s delicious!

3.Winter chocolate Surprise

1. Icecream- Here I found cinnamon icecream stars in a shop

2. Candy oranges: boil cinnamon and vanilla in a little bit water, then put a lot of sugar in it and very thin cut Bio Oranges. Because of the spices it tastes etter than orange jam

3.Grenadine seeds: Take a grenadine fruit, and roll it hard on the table till it is a lot softer. Prepare a big plasticsack. Now cut the grenadine in two halves an put it quickly in the sack ( the red juice makes a real mess). Now work only in the plastic sack. Take the juice and the seeds out of the fruit, throw away the white shells they are bitter.

4. Mousse au cholcolate ( must be made one day before the dinner). You will find a lot of good recepies in the internet. Its a lot of work but the result is great, you cannot compare it with any industrial product. Its worth to do it.

Some leaves of peppermint taste fine on the mousse

I wish you feel very hungry now.

With love from

Birgit

with a clean kitchen now

I wish you a Merry Cristmas and a Happy New Year

Von guten Mächten treu und still umgeben

behütet und getröstet wunderbar

so will ich dieser Tage mit Euch leben

und mit Euch gehen in ein neues Jahr
(Bonhoeffer)

I had a wonderful year. I met so many very special people all over the world. Wise, interesting, free and sensitive people. I am so grateful for everything I did see and learn. And now I have connections like a spidernet over many countries.

Thank you all for being so friendly and helpful.

I wish you all health and happiness, peace and wisdom in the year 2010.

In Serge Kahili King`s book " Der Stadtschamane" he wrote the first step is to be a seeker, the second you start to learn and be an apprentice, then you have to travel to become a master. I am much more a master than I was before my travels, but it is still a long way to go and learn. Now I am looking forward to all the adventures and challenges waiting for me, my country and the world. I am deeply convinced that I get only the challenges I can master.

Thank you that you are a part of my way through this life.

Birgit from a wonderful sunny bavarian winterday

goldfinger Birgit, gold gold

It needs a lot of preparations before the gold can be glued on wood. about 9 different layers are underneath.

I made a drawing of a Ginkoleave(? how do you spell leave. of a tree) Half of the leave is grey half is gold-pure gold

this is a small piece of wood, that looks like a flying bird

I have spent the last weekend in Neresheim a monastery with a great church, built by Balthasar Neumann. A famous Barock builder.

There I visited a workshop for putting pure gold on objects

greetings to all of you

goldfinger Birgit

Rainy Westcoast

I travelled in my autumn holidays to Bristol to meet Mick again.

He had so many great plans for this week.

Sometimes we got a little wet and cold

But as you see sometimes we had sunshine

Here in Devon in Lynmouth we spent some days.

What a pity that ist was raining so hard when this lovely man made a firework for me at the beach.

I will be back there in summer.

Der goldene Apfel

Welch ein Glueck wenn man fuer seine Freundin einen Preis gestalten darf und die andere Freundin die Laudatio liest.

My friend Uschi Kempin received the award " The golden apple" from die Kemptener women list Kempt'ner Frauenliste a political engaged group of woman also elected in the city parliament.

Uschi Kempin is since 25 years engaged in green politics, environment and protecting the natural resources . She was one of the founders of the Kempodium

A big hall full of people celebrated with us this event.

3 Freundinnen von links Ingrid, Uschi und ich

Ingrid hielt die Laudatio, Uschi bekam den Preis verliehen und ich habe den Apfel gestaltet

Each year one woman of our city gets the golden apple for her charity, political, social engagement for the society.

The apple is each year created specially for the winning person.

Uschi likes the natur, rivers, moores and mountains of the Allgaeu.

So I created the sculpture with a big stone from our river Iller and ther I found this interesting piece of wood there too. They are connected with an iron stick. The golden apple lays in the bottom of the wood

I love creating sculptures with wood.Next weekend I will learn to fix gold on wood so I can create more exclusive pieces.

Birgit proud of her piece of art and much more proud to have so very special friends

I hug you all

My painting was at an auction!!!!

There is an organisation that collects money for charity to help people in our region that have sudden problems because of death, sickness....

The Allgaeu artists were asked to paint a picture - a heart for the Allgaeu. A painting with a heart.

Today was the auction in the Musicaltheatre in Fuessen.

You can not see it there is a little heart walked in the snow on the frozen lake. The hat - I won it at the lottery today.

Oh-- very important. someone payed 220 Euro for my painting.

Other 150 painting are at ebay herzliches allgaeu

They had apples with little hearts. I don't know the man, he stopped for the foto. The red lady is my friend Ursel.

Birgit- the lady whose paintings are worth more than 200 Euro

not lazy but very busy

I was not lazy, I worked a lot in the last weeks. My house is painted new, I work hard in school and spent a weekend in Italy.

The owner of this nice restaurant on a campingground gave us a lot of apples as a present.

9 years ago we founded a charity project in Kempten. It is a big house where you can use the craftsrooms for wood (carpenders), metal, cooking, pottery, children..., rent rooms, make parties. We have a big warehouse for used furniture and a lot of workshops. Look at

www.kempodium.de

Last weekend we were invited to visit an similar projekt in Bozen South Tirol in North Italy -Manu. It is only 250 km from here and we spent a wunderfol inspiring weekend.

On Sunday we visited a path through the forest high above the village Lana. There feltmakers made at a worldfeltcongress sculptures for the forest.

There I found the sculpture of my hungarian feltmaking teachers and friends Mari Nagy and Istvan Vidak.

This is our group with a sort of traditional Marterl from Mari made of felt. We enjoyed some more days of summer. But now I am back in the Bavarian autumn.

Here the view to Meran. The mountains are higher, it changed a little on this photo-- a miracle

At the 14.th September the school started again.

And I l o v e it. It is so much fun to work with the children. I have a lot of mathematic lessons this year and to hear that the children suddenly find maths cool is so great for me. Next week we will create a a game where the children jump the multiplication. I think teachers in Germany are blessed. We have new and modern schools, a lot of equipment and earn a good money, have a lot of holidays a n d can make a sabbatical.

The only thing I don't like is all the paperwork.

I got a letter from Silia the lovely teacher of the school for special education in Tonga.

She asked me for some money ( about 35 Euro). To create Christmas presents made of tapa with the children from a whole school. Tapa is a traditional and rather expensive sort of paper made of the skin of the mullberry tree.I hope the posted money reaches Silia.

By the way. If you know physiotherapists or teachers or doctors for disabled or blind children who want to make holidays in the South Pacific. This school needs help and advice for some blind children. Make contact with me b_kluegel@gmx.de.

Birgit a little coughing

Very bavarian

Sorry for the long time

I am happy that people from my travels visit me. Here we are in Neuschwanstein the  castle  Walt Disney loved to use.
This is the Breitachklamm a gorge. This gorge here is the biggest in whole Europe. We walked it yesterday


Remember the man??

The last time you saw him was in New Zealand. Now he is busy to become a real  allgaeu man.

That means : 

wearing Lederhosn

climbing on mountains 

and drinking the very good beer.

Wild Allgaeu

The most wild place my cat Kessy could find is in the midst of my flowers in front of my house. She is sure that nobody passing by is able to see her. Silly cat
Yesterday some of my friends visited me for a welcome breakfast. It does'nt look like a breakfast?? What do think happens when you have 10 women and a box full of silk and batic cotton from India. " Can we order this and this and this............. Mr Partas in Trivandrum be happy, we will buy much more
That looks a little lke a man from our mountains, but most of them have teeth
and then Africa in Kempten. Many people visited the 2. Africa festival in my favourite non profit organisation  www.kempodium.de
Beside visiting festivals did I find a lot of work. cleaning my house, visiting a lot of friends and Franken where my dad had his house.

I started with felting and will paint the next days my first picture after my travel. I am very curious if my stile had changed. I will report you about the results of my work as artist.

AND today I ordered a new car- ok it is not new and it will take some years till it is payed but it ist RED

Greetings from the Allgaeu today is the first warm day

Birgit

Zukunft

                                                             My little house in Kempten
          Na, the sunset in Bavaria is as beautiful as the sunsets an all the other countries

1. I decided to continue writing my blog. 

I will be in Austria in 4 weeks with my weaving ladies and we will visit a big market for linnen weavers.

2. My back at home party will be a little later around the 10. July

Also der Bog wird weitergehen, denn das Schreiben macht mir wirklich Spass

und ich kann dann gleich von meiner naechsten Reise nach Oesterreich Haslach zum Leinenwebermarkt berichten.

Meine Wieder da Party ist wahrscheinlich am 11.7. Muss aber erst noch genau planen

Birgit mit kalten Fuessen( with freezing cold feet)

Meine Unterwasserfotos

Ich hab meine ersten Unterwasserfotos aus der Dom Rep endlich bekommen.

all die gefaehrlichen Seeungeheuer.

Das erste Foto ist mein liebstes. Die  Rochen verbuddeln sich so im Sand, dass man nur noch Augen und Mund sieht. Wenn er wegschwimmt rieselt eine Sandfahne von ihm herunter, schaut ein bisschen wie ein Brautschleier aus.

My last underwater fotos from Punta Cana. Did you recognise the ray?

Birgit in a terrible cold Germany

dahoam- back at home

First I took my bicycle and drove through the city to see what had changed. The coffee shop at the cityhall(here on the picture) has new servants, my favourite fitness club has been closed. And I hardly could believe how calm and clean everything is. No more Merengue and Bachata day and night. Where is my CD I need a little more noise? And what else?
I found back my favourite place in my little house, and as  you can see I am very busy.

Seit Mittwoch bin ich wieder in Bayern. Typisch fliegt um die halbe Welt, aber in Muenchen bin ich prompt in die falsche S-Bahn gehuepft. Also nochmal 1 Stunde laenger unterwegs. Kayo der Liebe hat mir in Unterfoehring meinen indischen Saree uebergeben.

Jetzt wurschtl ich mich gemuetlich durch die ganze Post, Kontoauszuege, und versuch meine Kleider in den gepackten Kartons zu finden.

I arrived Wednesday on the airport Munich and at once jumped into a train with a wrong destination.I had to drive back and lost one hour. Now back at home everything is so normal that I ask sometimes. Have I really been travelling 10 month???Was it only a wonderful dream?? But I have enough souvenirs that tell me:      " I DID IT".

Birgit

sehr gluecklich und dankbar dass mich so viele Menschen unterstuetzt haben, und dass ich so viele Menschen naeher kennenlernen durfte.

 very happy with thanks and greetings to all this wonderful people I met and that who stayed at home organized everything for me and kept the contact all the time.

Ursel, Lisa, Connie, Susanne,Simone,Inge, Reni, Anna, Traudl, Sabine, Moni und Burkhardt, Lutz, Hilde, Ilse Lilo, Hasan, Sufi, Christiane,Kayo, die Familie Jayaraj, Anne, Bob, Simon, Maren, Mick, (Pete from the naturist camp) James, Jerry, Nalani, Kalani, Julie, Kathy, Ricardo, Bruce and Leigh. ....................................and so many more helped me to make this unique experience become true.  Thank you

Da wo die Demokratie erfunden wurde?

Ich dachte immer Demokratie wurde in Griechenland erfunden so ca 600 vor Christus,

aber das war wohl doch nicht so sondern hier in Philadelphia, erzaehlen die Fremdenfuehrer.

Hier hab ich heute auch das erste Krankenhaus in der ganzen amerikanischen Welt gesehen, so ca von 1700. Vor 2 Tagen habe ich in Santo Domingo das erste Krankenhaus in ganz Amerika gesehen von ca 1550.

Sorry, I forgot the english. I always thought, that democracy  was evented in Greece about 600 before Christ.But it seems not really  true, it was here in Philadelphia, so say the tourist guides here.

Here I saw the first hospital in whole America today, built about 1700. Funny, two days ago I saw the firsthospital in whole  America  in Santo Domingo built in 1530.

Here the famous Abraham Lincoln with the pen in the right hand--pardon, he was left handed.

Then we passed the Museum of Arts- what a pity, closed on Mondays. What do you think why it is here so famous?? Art? Sculptures? No of course not. On this stairs-you must remember- trained Sylvester Stallone in his Rocky movies. And I heared that he brought in Rocky 4 the democracy to Russia. I think I have to change all my view about history

1822 wurde hier das Penitentiary gebaut ein Gefaengins fuer 900 Gefangene, die alle in Einzelhaft mit Schweigepflicht waren. Dieses Gefaengnis war das Vorbild fuer 300 Gefaengnisse in der Welt, bis es 1971 wegen zu alter Bausubstanz geschlossen wurde.

Nach diesem Besuch musste ich erst mal shoppen gehen.

1822 this prison "Penitentiary" was built for 900 people, long years mixed, man and woman. It was closed 1971. It was the model for 300 jails in the world

After visiting this horrible place I had to go shopping, and wanted to find some nice summer shirts. Look at this stuff( big with dobble click). Who remembers? Everybody over 50. 

The patterns of the fabric are exact the same what my grandmother used as aprons. I will wait till next year when all the fasion changes, perhaps again to Rock and Roll Style with petticoats

I bought some nice children books

Birgit soon at home in her own waterbed

Domenican Republic nothing for Feminists

This beautiful, I think, Taina Indio woman is writing the name of Cristobal Colum (Christoph Columbus) on his memorial. It is in front of the first cathedral in the new world. 

What does this mean???

 Indio women could write, better than the woman now in the DOM Rep- because of the school system???

 Cristobal loved Indio woman and hoped all woman would walk naked?

Woman were lying down in front of the Spanish?

The catholic church could only be installed because of the naked women?
Round the corner on the other side of the Cathredral a small monument with the text of the enzyclica where the pope spoke against the pill, abortion...., (You all know it)
Here the whole monument with the entrance of the cathedral. I was happy to see that Cristobals head is now nothing more than the toilet for the pigeons.

When you know me a little bit you will  realize that I am really angry.

I payed a guide today for a sightseeing tour in this interesting Zona Colonial. It is the old part of the city where I could see the first buildings in the new world, like the palace of the son of Columbus the Vice gobernor of Hispaniola. This stupid man (guide)couldn't tell me much about the history but thought that I as a woman  want nothing as to go shopping. After the 3. jewelleryshop I became angry and he decided to do all his calls with the mobil. 

And I am so glad to leave this country tomorrow. Nobody will try to sell me ugly necklaces, horrible pictures or fake amber any more. 

Today this guide drove me to man who make sculptures. As material they cut down stalactites and stalacmites in the caves. This material need hundredthousends of years to grow and they destroy it for ugly stuff for tourists.

But I also met one nice guy here- read in my mext post

Birgit at home in 4 days juhu

Urlaub vom Urlaub oder Birgit geht auf die Palme

Also jetzt brauch ich erst mal Urlaub. Reisen ist ganz schoen anstrengend. Und fuer Urlaub hab ich jetzt den idealen Platz gefunden.

Die letzten 2 Wochen verbringe ich im Iberostar Punta Cana einem ***** Sterne Hotel. Ich lebe hier wie eine Prinzessin. Auf den Bildern seht ihr ein bisschen von der Landschaft. 

Aber erstmal musste ich hierher kommen. Da ein Taxi oder Bus ueber 10 Stunden gebraucht haette quer durch die ganze Insel, hab ich ein Ticket bei der lokalen Fluggesellschaft gebucht. 100 Dollar mit dieser Luxusmaschine. Das gute daran war, falls der Pilot Mist gebaut haette, haette ich weiterfliegen koennen so nah war das Steuer. Wir landeten gerade 30 Minuten vor dem Ausbruch eines 4 stuendigen Tropengewitters das hier alles ueberschwemmte undmit seiner Feuchtigkeit dafuer sorgte, dass alles feucht war und kein Badeanzug mehr trocknete.

Vor 3 Tagen bin ich mit Bus und Boot ganz in den Sueden gefahren um dort bei ein paar Trauminseln zu schorcheln. Als wir alle unsere Masken und Fins bereit hatten zogen gemuetlich direkt vor dem Boot 2 Haie vorbei. Unser Schorchelinstructor meinte die Haie hier sind harmlos und sprang ins Wasser. Die Haelfte von uns hinterher, der Rest bangte um unser Leben. Am Schluss war ich ganz enttaeuscht, dass die Haie nicht wieder aufgetaucht sind.

Dieses Hotel sind ein absoluter Reisetips, denn das Preis-Leistungs Verhaeltnis ist nicht zu toppen. Vor dem Hotel Palmen, feinster Sandstrand und ein schuetzendes Korallenriff. Ich glaub hier komm ich nochmal her, das lohnt sich auch fuer eine Woche.

Birgit noch ein paar Tage im Karibik Traum und mit ganz viel Sehnsucht nach Kempten und all den Menschen dort

Schulen in der Dominican Republic

Nilda in der Mitte vor ihrem Klassenzimmer
Langsam troedeln die Kinder in der Schule ein. Sie haben entweder am Morgen oder am Nachmittag 2 Stunden Schule

Die Schulen hier gelten als die schlechtesten in Mittelamerika. Die Analphabethenrate soll bei 40 % liegen. Zusaetzlich sollen hier in der Gegend 20% AIDS haben.

Die Maedels und Buben beginne schon frueh mit Prostitution. Bei den Jobs verdienen die Menschen grad das notwendige zum ueberleben und die Touristen verderben alle Preise. Problematisch sind hier die Freier aus Europa, die es immer juenger wollen und vor allem auch Kinder verlangen.Manche Maenner, aber auch Frauen reisen hierher nur um sichs mit so einem exotischen Geschoepf gut gehen zu lassen.  

Die einheimischen Lehrer haben 2 oder 3 Jobs um einigermassen als Mittelschicht ueber die Runden zu kommen.

Stundenlohn in den privaten Sprachschulen ist so ca 4 Euro vor Steuern.

Viele Kinder besuchen private Schulen, wenn die Eltern das leisten koennen. Andere die staatlichen oder gar keine. Vor allem die vielen haitanischen Fluechtlingskinder verbringen die Tage mit betteln.Vor ein paar Tagen hab ich einem ca. 7 jaehrigen Jungen einen Teil meines Essens gegeben, da hat er mir eine kleine Bluete geschenkt. Er wollte nicht ohne Gegengabe dastehen. Ich war nur fassungslos, an was so ein kleiner hungriger Junge denkt.

Vor ein paar Tagen habe ich mit Nilda ihre 2. Klasse an der staatlichen Grundschule besucht. 30 kleine Vulkane.Die Kinder brauchen Schuluniformen, die sie oft nicht haben. Nilda stellt oft die Stifte und meist die Schreibhefte.Sie haben nur am Nachmittag von 2-5 Unterricht. Buecher hab ich gar keine gesehen.

Am Nachmittag laeuft in Nildas Haus ein anderes Programm. 10 Maedchen von 12 -15 erhalten Hausaufgabenbetreuung, Englischunterricht und lernen lebenspraktisches wie Aufklaerung. So haben Sie grad einen Kurs Schneiderei. Zusaetzlich machen Sie Ausfluege- mal Reiten, Yoga. Nilda will damit den Maedels Perspektiven aufzeigen, dass sie nicht mit 13 schwanger werden und mit 14 Prostituierte. Sie hofft, dass einige Maedchen so zu einem Studium kommen und Lust haben aus ihrem Leben etwas anderes zu machen. Fuer die Betreuung ist eine Lehrerin eingestellt. Sie wird von Nilda und ueber Spenden einer Studentin der Sprachschule bezahlt.

Ich werde Nilda morgen 300 Euro von Eurem restlichen Geld geben.

Sie kann es fuer die Schulkinder und die Maedchengruppe einsetzen. Leider hab ich noch kein Programm fuer die Haitaner gefunden so werde ich sie einfach weiter fuettern.

Wenn  ihr einverstanden seid  geben ich die restlichen 200 Euro an einen Freund der nach Rumaenien und Bulgarien  in diese unsaeglich schrecklichen Waisenhaeuser und Behindertenheime faehrt und den Leuten dort warme Kleidung, Schuhe, Bettzeug, Essen kauft. In dem einen Heim sind Aidskranke Jugendliche mit geistigbehinderten Erwachsenen weggeschlossen. Ich bin sicher, dass beide Empfaenger, Peter mit seiner Hilfe in Rumaenien und Nilda hier sehr verantwortlich mit dem Geld umgehen