Germany is a land organized around the seasons. We begin the year in deep winter—full of grey skies, snow and dead fields. But along with it comes Easter….a holy day that break the bounds of dreariness and allows for full blown celebration. And then, it seems as if the party never stops. Around us the fields are freshly tilled, bulbs are peaking out of the ground and villagers brave the still cold temps for a fest—any fest. Nuremburg hosted the Italia Fest this past weekend and we took the opportunity to travel by train to live la dolce vita. We met up at the train station with some friends, eager to discover what the city had to offer. We had high hopes for the fest with images of packed food tents serving up endless glasses of Prosecco and Chianti and large bowls of steaming pasta. Well, we were a bit disappointed. We spilled out of the train station and made our way to the marktplatz, the location of the huge Christmas market each year. Where we thought we’d find row upon row of Italian goods and foods, we stumbled on a measly handful of tents. And while the wine was fabulous and affordable, the non-food booths were stocked with the standard carnival masks and leather goods. Although disappointing, we did enjoy the “Teller”, a wooden plate stacked with sliced meats like Prosciutto and salami, olive bread and nice chunk of Parmesan cheese. Served with a glass of white wine, it was divine.
Later in the afternoon, we walked uphill to the castle and discovered a delightful manicured garden with tulips just waiting to open to the sun. Lauren and I walked slowly through the old stone arches and caught a bird pulling a worm out of the grass. Fascinating what you can see when you slow down and get quiet. All in all, not a bad way to spend a Sunday.