Lebanese Nights, Villa Hugel, and the Eudenbach Festival

Lebanese Nights

Actually it was one night, but a great night to remember. Therese Jungbluth, Anke, Elke, and Walter make a cook club where they cook four times a year each time in a different place.

This time it was decided to be made in Therese's place on 13^the of November. She decided that we should do Lebanese food, since I always talk about it. Last time we made two times Tabbouli, and it tasted just great. Therese wanted to make three dishes and asked me what are the best things to do. I thought of simple and typical Lebanese food that one usually eat when at a Lebanese restaurant, or even at home. Hummus is a typical food found among Lebanese dishes, so no question about the Hummus thing. Secondly comes the Kebbeh, which is meat with Bulgur. In Lebanon, people usually eat it without cooking. But I know that many people are not so friendly with the idea of eating uncooked meat, so I suggested the fried version, which is so delicious. This left me with a third dish to choose. While I was showing Therese a table all set with Lebanese food during my picnic with my friends in Shbenieh on the internet, I saw the Batenjen dish just next to the Hummus. So I got the three dish recipe.

Now is the time to go with cooking. All the four members of the club gathered at Therese's house and started the cooking. I had already revised with Therese the recipe of the dishes days before, so basically all was ready. I was always asked about the food and if is was made right since I am the only one who actually ate that food before. But seriously, even though I ate a lot from that food before, I did not have any clue how to make it other that the hints I got from my father when I called him back in Lebanon on Skype.

All were busy doing their part of the job. A lot of work to them on a thing they did not know how it would taste, and I appreciate that. I and Walter took some pictures that day and I am placing them in the Photo Album. The table was set by Therese in a very glamorous fashion and with the food on, it all looked so attractive and delicious.

What else can I say, I had some womderful day where I felt that I was back in Lebanon for few moments, and it was a good feeling. I have to be honest, although the food didn’t taste the way my mother does it, but it tasted just great. Cheers to the cook club at Eudenbach.

Check the photos here.

Villa Hugel

Mr. Manfred Duerr had invited us some time ago to attend an exhibition of historic artifacts from the old Tibetian culture. Mr. and Mrs. Jungbluth and I have prepared for the day since then. I was so excited about it since Mr. Duerr have sent me a fax with an article of the event in the newspaper. I didn't, and couldn't, know how might an exhibition be interesting that much.

On the day of the event, on the 15^th of November, we all prepared ourselves to go. I had my suit which I don't wear so often. It was actually my second time that I wear it although I like it very much since it is of high quality and it comes with a pointy shoe. I had to rush to take a bath after a long day work in the factory. I had no time and the way to Essen was so long and we can barely make it on time. After my bath, I had to dress my entire suit and that usually takes me much time to do. After all the hassle I managed to finish after a couple shouts for me from Mr. and Mrs. Jungbluth. I didn't even have time to eat or just have something to quench my hunger with. So with all the hurry I was in I managed to make it to the kitchen and take a bag of flippies, which is a product from nuts, and ran to the front door to declare my readiness.

We drove long hours to Essen, and thank God I wasn’t driving. I started eating my junk food in the back seat while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the German nature. It took me no time to finish my flippies and suddenly felt sleepy. I don’t know what is happening to me lately, but when I don’t do anything for some while, I get so sleepy. Even if I am at the table with people all around, when the moment comes I start fighting with sleepiness and it always win. In case you were wondering, yes people always notice it and sweetly ask me if I am sleepy. Well, since I am not driving, then I took the liberty to have a nap, and it was just the right thing to do.

After I woke up, we were already in Essen fetching out way to Villa Hugel. Mrs, Jungbluth had a map faxed by Mr. Duerr and Mr. Jungbluth had his GPS. With the help of both we managed to see a turn with a sign to the place. But the road was closed by a gate, so we turned back and started wondering. Both the map and the GPS led to this road. We tried to go ahead where we last took the turn, but the road seemed to go out of the city, so we went back to the turn and it was time to call Mr. Duerr and ask for directions. The only thing we knew is that we were next to a restaurant called Parkhaus hugel. And to our surprise, the closed road was the right one, so we went back to the gate just to find it opened this time with a neatly dress young lady standing as a gate keeper. I thought what is that place with a lady like that as a door keeper. She asked us some questions to help us go to our destination and then off we went.

It was dark then and the parking place was full near the place, so we parked somehow far. As we walked to the villa, I took the liberty to have a photo in the night of the place, but as usual it was so dark. At the gate, we found Mr. and Mrs. Duerr patiently waiting for us. We all waked in through a very big door into a reception area. All was about a fancy modern palace with all the astonishing feeling. The hall inside was just amazing and terrific, very big with the wood decorations and huge aristocratic like paintings on the wall. Each painting showed delicate detailed of the old owners of the villa and it stretched from the floor to the ceiling, which was in its turn so high and majestic. Mr. Duerr told us that the floor is also covered with the best quality wood under the carpet we waked on. He also explained that the villa was owned by an rich industrial man who’s company was so important in making ship parts. The villa was a museum by itself. After a short while, a woman came to us and explained that she is out guide in the tour around the exhibition. She was a doctor, in historic art it seems, and she explained with passion and humor everything in the exhibition room by room. Her performance was great as she explained things in a simple way knowing that the people coming most probably have no idea what she is talking about. The artifacts were taken from Tibetian temples and it is the first time that any of them was shown in any type of exhibition outside temples. The time period of the artifacts stretched thousands of years since a thousand year BC. It was really interesting to see all this wonderful history and Buddhist culture in one place.

After we finished from this wonderful tour, we went back to the main hall where Mr. Duerr brought us books about the exhibition. The book itself was like thousand big pages and it was a wonderful present after this lovely invitation. As if it was not enough, Mr. Duerr and his wife invited us to the Parkhause Hugel restaurant. It is a high class restaurant with only high class people customers. It was a great place to take a picture, which I placed in my photo album. The food was great and a chat with Mr. and Mrs. Duerr was both fun and informative as usual. Another wonder day to remember passed.

Check the photos here.

Eudenbach Festival

Each year in Germany a series of festivals start on the 11th of November, or on the 11th of 11. A big festival on that day in Cologne was equivalent to the announcement of the festival season.

Eudenbach has its share of festivals, the first of which was on 18th of November. The festival took place in the fire station, which was big enough for all the visitors. All the people we so ready to have fun and of course drinking beer was at the top of the menu. One can buy a card with 16 or 20 credit and drink as much. The celebration theme was selecting a new prince and princess of the year. So the first thing was a farewell for the old prince and princess with lots of music and fun. Then came the declaration of the young prince and princess. After that, the real prince and princess were declared and again music was played and speeches said.

When the declaration ended, all took a seat on the stage as real prince and princess would do and they should be entertained. Then the series of shows began, with dancing little, young, and grownup girls do their performance in dancing after long hours of training. My favorite was a funny dance of a 19th century army officers who were joyfully dancing and jumping and another show by three tenor mimicking persons hooked to the ground by balance weight and started waiving their bodies like piano timers. It was a great laugh for everybody with lots of fun to remember for days.

Check the photos here.

See also:

• Bonn Christmas Market / The Microscope 13 Dec 2006
• St. Martin at Eudenbach and the visit to Cologne Zoo 17 Nov 2006
• Halloween and the Lohengrin Opera in Cologne 03 Nov 2006
• Limburg old city DOM and Bad Ems Russian city 29 Oct 2006
• The Street Feast, Schwarzrheindorf church, and a Walk in the German nature 22 Oct 2006
• Koenigswinter / Unkel 16 Oct 2006
• Pictures from around Bocholt 04 Apr 2006
• From Beirut to Germany 25 Mar 2006
• Photo Gallery 19 Jan 2006
• [View All]