Maypole Day (Reblog)

The Thrifty Gypsy's Travels : Maypole Day: Time to don your best spring outfits and dance around the maypoles!  Chances are that...

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!  

Remember to give thanks and reflect on all the blessings in our lives - big, small, and in-between! 

Photo taken at Gettysburg National Battlefield this morning.

Veteran's Day

Today the United States commemorates and honors our military veterans with ceremonies, expressions of gratitude, and a plethora of discounts and free meals courtesy of retail stores and restaurants.  While I personally remember our veterans every day of the year (after all, I married one!), I'm glad we have a day specifically set aside to purposefully thank and honor them.  It's not about agreeing or disagreeing with the conflicts they're sent to or the wars they've fought; it's about their personal sacrifice.

My great-grandfather (right) with his beloved jeep
in Germany.

Both my family and my husband's have strong ties to the military.  My husband served in the Marines with two overseas tours.  His brother and sister are still in the military (Air Force Reserves and Army National Guard), sacrificing their time on a regular basis in service to us and our country.  Their paternal grandfather served in World War II in the Pacific theater and was on board the U.S.S. Houston when it sank.  Subsequently, he was a Japanese prisoner of war for several years.  His sacrifice and service will never be forgotten.

My family also has our share of veterans.  My grandfather served in the Air Force during the Korean War.  He and his five brothers served from World War II through Vietnam, including a brother who died in combat (all six pictured above).  My maternal grandfather was a jeep driver in WWII and carried shrapnel in his body until the day he died.  My paternal cousin still serves in the Navy Reserves and has seen his fair share of deployments overseas, while his wife and young daughter missed him for holidays and birthdays.  In a way, Veterans Day is about the military family as a whole, not just the loved ones in uniform.

No matter how "small" or "short" the service record, each one of these veterans in my family has done what many are unwilling to do: sacrifice their time, their family, their friends, their bodies, and sometimes their very lives in service to our country.  Today we remember their sacrifice, we recognize their valor, and we respect their service.  Thank you.  Semper Fi.

Anbar Province, Iraq

 

Are you a veteran or do you have veterans in your family?  Please remember to thank a veteran today!

A Capitol Fourth

The Capitol - July 4, 2013
(c) Thrifty Gypsy

Tomorrow is America's birthday - Independence Day!  On this date in 1776, the Founding Fathers presented the Declaration of Independence to the colonies as a clear statement of resolve to cut governmental ties with England.  Now 238 years later, we Americans celebrate in a variety of ways, from backyard barbeques to community firework parties to bedecking ourselves in red, white and blue to show our patriotic fervor (or corniness!)!

Washington Monument & Reflecting Pool
(c) Thrifty Gypsy

Independence Day is one of my more favorite holidays.  Usually we keep it low-key, playing lawn games, barbequing, laughing with family and friends, and capping off the day with some firecrackers!  However, last year we kicked it up a notch and traveled to D.C. for the Capitol Fourth festivities!

We arrived in DC shortly before noon and headed straight for Capitol Hill where we met up with two friends in town from Germany.  I found myself appreciating Independence Day in a unique way as I tried to "see" the festivities through the eyes of a European visitor.  We spent the next few hours meandering through the monuments, grabbing a burger at one of D.C.'s many restaurants, and finally ending up stretched out in the grass at the National Mall to talk away the hours until the fireworks show began!

WWII Monument
(c) Thrifty Gypsy

The "Capitol Fourth" specifically refers to a free concert given right in front of the Capitol building on July 4th.  To attend, all you need to do is show up early and grab a seat before they fill up.  (For more details, see their website.)  The audience's back is to the Capitol building, and the stage for the concert stands between the audience and the Mall.  Last year Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow played, but we skipped the concert because the staging unfortunately blocks good views of the fireworks.  And those fireworks - they don't disappoint!  It was a great show!

This is the first year I won't be in the U.S. for Independence Day, but I'm too excited about our long-anticipated vacation to be wistful.  Wherever you are, at home in the states, abroad on holiday or living as an expat, you can still celebrate America's birthday, and I intend to do so - from Pompeii, Italy!

Happy (early) Independence Day, y'all!  How are you spending your July 4th?

Memorial Day

Source.

The following piece is a guest post by my dear friend, Calah D.  Memorial Day falls on the third Monday of May here in the United States and is set aside to honor our war dead.  Governments, schools, and most businesses are closed so that people can spend the day with their loved ones as they ponder the significance of our servicemen and women's sacrifice.  However, in recent years many Americans have begun to view the day more as a barbequing holiday than as a commemoration of those who paid the ultimate price for their country.  This post serves as a reminder of what this day truly stands for and how we should observe it.

***

Source.

Timothy G. Robinson

April 14, 1968-  "Remember when we were kids on Easter the girls would be all dressed up in new hats, pretty dresses... and us boys with new shoes and shirts and off to church we would go and after come home to look for our Easter baskets. What good times. I hope God will bring me back home so that I may marry the girl I love, which will be in March if things go OK. Then I can watch my kids get all dressed up and head for church and live that day over again. Holidays are no different than any other day. Every day is Monday in Vietnam."

Five days after writing this letter, Robinson caught his foot on a trip wire, setting off a mine that killed him instantly.

Today we observe Memorial Day, established in 1858 as Decoration Day. This day was set aside to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers.  In 1971, Memorial Day was established as a national holiday to honor all Americans who have died in our wars.

Many Americans, including myself, enjoy a day off work—the opportunity to spend some leisure time with family and friends, to (hopefully) enjoy spring weather, to BBQ, perhaps enjoy the beach or lake if we’re lucky enough to be near one, generally relax with a three day weekend. And there is absolutely nothing intrinsically wrong with that.  No one should feel guilty for enjoying a day to relax and eat and have fun with those they love. It’s a free country!

Fort Logan Nat'l Cemetery
(c) Calah D.

This is a free country because of those such as Timothy Robinson. He never came home to marry the girl he loved, to watch his kids get all dressed up and look for Easter baskets after church, to enjoy a holiday, to live a life where every day was not a Monday.  There were no more BBQs and swims in the lake or Memorial Day gatherings with family and friends for him.

Isn’t the least we can do to remember him…. and the thousands of others who have given everything for our country…. for us?

I realize that not everyone can easily attend a Memorial Day ceremony. Perhaps there isn’t one nearby; maybe the kids are a little too young to be patient throughout a long service....absolutely understandable. But I do think that the majority of Americans, including me, should make an effort to walk through a national cemetery (if there is one nearby) or attend a ceremony at the local VFW post. Taking one hour out of our day isn’t a significant sacrifice and it definitely is not a waste of time.

In the past, Decoration Day was an opportunity to lay flowers on the graves of our war dead….to show honor, respect, remembrance….it was not an obligation, it was a labor of love. It was not a unique or special or “pat on the back” type of service….it was something the community did together.  I think we are equal to that in 2014. I think it is our duty, as citizens, to be faithful to the dedication our ancestors had in honoring those who have died in our wars.

(c) Calah D.

Being an American citizen is a birthright to some, naturalization for others.  It is a gift to all and not something to consider lightly. Our responsibility as citizens is to honor and remember those who have died for our country, regardless of what our personal political opinions might be.  Memorial Day gives us this opportunity.

In 1884, Oliver Wendall Holmes, Jr, gave a speech replying to the question “Why do people still keep up Memorial Day.” This is what he said….

But as surely as this day comes round we are in the presence of the dead. For one hour, twice a year at least--at the regimental dinner, where the ghosts sit at table more numerous than the living, and on this day when we decorate their graves--the dead come back and live with us. 

Regardless of what you do on Monday....boat or swim or BBQ or work or hike…remember this.

Remember them.

(c) Calah D.

This is dedicated to my Mother, who faithfully took us

to Memorial and Veterans Day services every year.

She taught me the importance of honor, respect, and patriotism.

She and my Father have given me many gifts, including the opportunity to

be an American citizen.

I am proud of that.

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo has become a big deal in the United States, especially during the last decade or so, but there is a lot of ignorance surrounding the reason for celebrating.  If you were to ask the average American on the street the reason for celebrating Cinco de Mayo, the answers would invariably be either "It's Mexico's Independence Day" or that May fifth sounds cooler in Spanish so someone turned it into a holiday.  Cute, but not true!  Mexico's Independence Day is actually September 16th, and although Cinco de Mayo does sound catchy, the origin of the celebration is not as well known, at least to Americans.

The holiday actually originated as a celebration of an unlikely win by the Mexicans over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.  The French went on to trounce the Mexicans afterwards, but that battle became a point of Mexican pride, especially to those who live in the region near Puebla.

In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has become something of a big deal.  In a way, it's the Mexican equivalent of St. Paddy's Day in terms of the revelry and events of the day.  It's a celebration of ethnic roots and a culture that continues to have a considerable impact on the U.S., particularly in the southwestern states.  Over seventeen percent of the U.S. population claims Mexican heritage!

So while you're sipping your Dos Equis and stuffing your sombrero-capped face with delicious tacos, enchiladas, and burritos, reflect on the original reason for celebrating Cinco de Mayo!  And while you're at it, check out fellow travel-blogger and Mexican citizen Raphael's post "5 Myths and Facts to Marvel You" regarding the holiday.

Do you or have you celebrated Cinco de Mayo? 

Maypole Day

Maypole in Fischbachau, Germany - May 2014.  Source.

Time to don your best spring outfits and dance around the maypoles!  Chances are that unless you live in a Germanic, Scandinavian or British culture, the traditions and meaning behind the May Day rituals might be a bit hazy to you.  May Day originated in pre-Christian times, and the holiday was associated with the festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, as a rite of spring.  The most beautiful girl would be crowned the Queen of May and flirtatious dances around a maypole would ensue; it was generally a time for people to celebrate the end of a long winter and anticipate the bounties of the coming summer.

Some German towns take their May Day celebrations so seriously that they engage in friendly maypole-stealing "warfare" against their neighbors!

"Part of this whole tradition is that one village tries to steal the maypole from the neighbours. If they succeed the safe return of the maypole is up for negotiation with ransoms involving copious quantities of beer and food. Some "Burschenvereine" have specialised in stealing the maypoles that are most closely watched by the strongest security. Maypole stealing is governed by a pretty strict code of conduct: sawing or damaging the maypole in any way is absolutely frowned upon as is a non-payment of the ransom. The most spectacular theft occurred back in 2004 when cunning thieves stole the maypole from the top of the Zugspitze using a helicopter. Once the 20 m long maypole had been safely flown to an Alpine hut negotiations began to determine how much ransom would be paid for its return. Rumour has it that the there were copious quantities of food and the beer flowed freely all night." (From "1st May is maypole day in Bavaria" http://www.bavaria.by/maypole-day-in-bavaria-germany)

Sounds like my kind of party!  I have never been in Germany for May Day, but when we visited in September 2012, we observed that several towns still had their maypoles up.

Maypole in Treuchtlingen, Germany - Sept 2012

Maypole in Mindelheim, Germany - Sept 2012

Does your country celebrate May Day?  Have you ever visited a country for May Day?

National Beer Day!

April 7th is National Beer Day here in the United States.  The date commemorates the first day it was legal to buy beer in 1933 after prohibition laws had halted legal sales in the 1920s and '30s.  In honor of this unofficial holiday, I've been reminiscing on a few of my favorite brews and where I've enjoyed them.

(c) Thrifty Gypsy

Ahhh, das Dinkelsbühler Kinderzechbier!  This beer is only served from May until August in honor of the Kinderzeche festival in Dinkelsbühl, Germany, in July.  If my taste buds remember correctly, this beer is fairly "light" in flavor, considering it's a wheat beer, with a somewhat fruity aftertaste.  I'll have to refresh my memory this July when we return for the Kinderzeche festival!   (Photo taken July 2010 on our honeymoon in Germany.)

(c) Thrifty Gypsy

Yes, another wheat beer!  (Are you sensing a pattern yet?)  This Paulaner Weiβbier was enjoyed in Füssen, Germany, in 2010, paired with Nürnberger brats, sauerkraut, fried potatoes and schnitzel, pom fritz, and beets.  Yum!

Calah and I at the Coors Brewery in Golden, CO.
Photo courtesy of Calah D.

In this picture I am enjoying a Batch 19 American lager from Coors Brewing Company at their factory in Golden, Colorado, on my visit in November 2013.  It was a little too bitter for me to enjoy on a regular basis, but nothing can compare to how it tasted on my visit to the brewery!

And finally, it's not quite a beer, but I enjoyed it so much that I have to share it...

(c) Thrifty Gypsy

Rekorderlig Strawberry-Lime cider.  Heaven in a bottle.  I savored this Swedish cider while in London this past February and fell in love.  Unfortunately, it's only available in New York and Miami for the time being.  In my opinion it tastes more like a malt drink (Smirnoff Ice, etc) than a cider, but I'm no aficionado.  All I can say is that it was amazing, and I've been craving it ever since.

What are your favorite brews and where have you enjoyed them?

Happy National Beer Day!

~ Just a Thrifty Gypsy

Travel Fever & St. Patrick's Day

March comes in like a lion here in Virginia; one day you'll be sunning yourself on the back deck, and the next you're bundled up like an Eskimo with snow and sleet stinging your face. 

(c) Jossie Blount

It's a lessen in patience as you're waiting for the world to melt and wake up from its winter beauty rest!  This year has been no different, and thanks to temperatures reaching a high of 73° on Saturday, many of us have been struck down with that annual affliction known as spring fever.  But a less commonly known ailment, but no less capable of making you itch to flee your desk for the appeal of the outdoors, is travel fever. 

Today was St. Patrick's Day, and social media has exploded with pictures from "the old country," leprechauns, and bonnie lasses and lads.  Ireland is on my top five list of countries that I want to see in the next five years, and today did not help soothe my impatience to get there!

What places are on your Top Five Destinations to see in the next five years?

~ Just a Thrifty Gypsy