The View from the Towers 塔からの眺め A web log by Nigel Ruddock of life in Germany as an expat, with excursions to Japan and the UK.

Month: September 2026

  • 🍙 Food 食べ物

    16th September 2029年9月16日

    🔸It’s been a long hot summer. The ground is parched,

    地面が干からびている

    The maize is poor……

    作柄が悪い

    and I need some Forest bathing…..しんりんよく森林浴.

    …a cool Frankfurt church provides some relief…..The Frauenfriedenskirche, Frankfurt Bockenheim…..

    フランクフルトにある素敵な教会で、暑さを少ししのぐことができます。

    …….where I hear my Irish friend Charles Marshall give a performance on the Japanese Biwa, along with his sister Triona, who played the Irish harp. Very special.

    日本の琵琶とアイリッシュ・ハープ

    🔸 A super concert in the Naxoshalle was also a welcome diversion.

    Ensemble Modern had invited groups of young musicians for a workshop on contemporary music – I was able to help the Ukraine group by providing a ‘cello – always a problem when travelling!

    Such an interesting venue…..

    とても興味深い会場ですね……フランクフルトのナクソス・ハレ。

    🔸At last a storm brings relief…….

    ついに嵐が安らぎをもたらす……

    ランゲン上空の稲妻

    🔸 Singing for your food.

    Now I sing in a Frankfurt choir called the Frankfurter Kantorei.https://www.frankfurterkantorei.de/

    Every respectable German choir must have a choir party, and mine is no exception. But as our conductor Mihály Zeke is Greek/Hungarian, a spicy goulash is the order of the day….

    合唱団のパーティーでのハンガリー風グヤーシュ

    Yummy. And it brings me to my theme this week. Food.

    🔸 Soon afterward this my friend from Japan arrives. She takes one look into my fridge and gets going with the onigiris…..

    日本人のお客さんが来ると、テーブルにおにぎりが並びます。

    Not only for my birthday……

    (we had some homemade music of course!)

    ガブリエル・フォーレ……

    but for my choir weekend rehearsal

    🔸 Which reminds me: …….We have a lovely concert on Sunday!

    日曜日の素敵なコンサートにぜひお越しください。

    You must come (there is free wine afterwards ) !

    Order a ticket quick. Its at the Haus der Chöre at Kaiser Sigmund Str. 47, Frankfurt….on Sunday…..Nearest Ubahn is Hauptfriedhof

    Time for a cycle along the Main….

    🔸But the scene soon changed to Formaggio and Prosciutto….

    Why? because my nephew had decided to marry an Italian, meaning that we all had to go off to Italy for the weekend for the wedding.

    甥がイタリアで結婚式を挙げます。さあ、出発です！

    No, I’m not complaining. It was wonderful. We ate and ate and ate….

    In the town of Bracciano………..

    ブラッチャーノ

    A romantic Italian town on a lake north of Rome…..

    ……suitable for lovers……

    🔸…………..The wedding itself took place in an old renovated horse stables in the middle of nowhere….

    which meant we all had to get in a coach to get there….

    ゲストの多くは、特別バスで結婚式場に向かいました。

    Oh honestly darling………what a to do!

    This was just one of the antipasti…

    So, admidst the scenic fields of Bracciano, Mike and Anna were married. And when in Italy…….bring on the music….

    🔸 It’s worth it here to include a few shots of Bracciano. Just swipe or slide the photos….

    So Amen to all that. Time to get back to life in Germany.

    As always, thank you for your interest, and if you know anyone who might be interested in this blog then do forward it on.

    Wie immer vielen Dank für euer Interesse. Wenn ihr jemanden kennt, der an diesem Blog interessiert sein könnte, schickt ihn gerne weiter.

    読んでくれてありがとう

    See you…….. matane!

    Nigel  💥

    nigelwruddock@gmail.com.

    THE END 

    終わり