Visiting a medieval castle nearby with friends. I’d last been there as a kid.
All sorts of local craftspeople have set up shop there and we loved perusing the little shops and handmade items.
There was a brushmaker.
Handspun yarn. A falconer.
We saved the museum for another day.
I splurged on sock knitting needles made of rosewood. They were dear but I plan on using them a lot and with some special yarn that I ordered.
And lastly I had to have this local specialty crispbread with sugar which I loved as a kid.
little home by hand
little home by hand 
Sounds like a great time. Last weekend Hubby and I went to a holiday craft fair again this year at a monastery about an hour away. They had lots of local arts and crafts (but no brushes or beautiful knitting needles!) and we brought home the local favorite springerles. I thought about taking my new camera but wasn’t feeling 100% so was glad to be able to just feel like going. Thanks for sharing your adventure. Tell us more about this crispbread.
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That monastery sounds wonderful as well, Lynda! What’s springerles?
The crispbread is a specialty that from that area and can only be bought in a couple of towns. It’s basically double baked baguette (cut in half) which is coated with a special sugar-brittle paste (they have hazelnut flavor too but I got the brittle) and then baked again. It’s really sweet but soo good 🙂 I haven’t got a recipe unfortunately, though I tried googling it.
Hope you’re feeling better now! I was sick in bed with a cold the better part of the week too 😦
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Kristina, Springerles are German cookies flavored with anise and usually made with a mold or rolling pin mold. My grandma used to make them every Christmas and I really didn’t like them. Now I do and this year I’m going to try making them. Those cookies sound wonderful. I guess the cold has been spreading all over! I’m still not 100% but am feeling much better.
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That’s funny, I don’t think I know them. Must be from a different part of Germany 🙂 My boyfriend and I are starting the christmas baking this weekend as well.
Have fun making the Springerles and I hope you can shake off that cold soon 🙂
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Kristina, when I responded to your post I forgot about you being in Germany! My great grand parents were from Germany and this whole area in Southern Indiana where I live and grew up in, has a lot of people who’s grandparents or greats came from Germany. I just googled “springerle” and here is what I got as far as where they came from. “These cookies have been the traditional Christmas cookies in Bavaria and Austria for centuries.” Not sure what region of Germany you are in.
Hope you will do a post on your Christmas cookie baking! Lynda
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I know Springerle 🙂 we will try to do them. It’s known as a special kind of Spekulatius 🙂 in Germany
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Haha, I was ready to say they must be a specialty in the south of Germany then (I’m smack dab in the middle here) as each area here has their own traditions and dialects. But Dana knows them so I’ll just hold my tongue 😉
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Spekulatius? That sounds interesting.
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Dana and Kristina, I just looked up Spekulatius and they are what we call Dutch Windmill Cookies and they are all together different than springerles. I do love them but have never made them or seen them homemade – always packaged!
I made some springerles yesterday, will bake them today (you have to wait overnight before baking them) and then post. Can’t wait to see if they turn out.
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Can’t wait to see them! I did some cookie baking yesterday as well, but they turned out a little wonky, so I’ll wait for the next batch to show them off. Happy baking!
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