This book is filled with antidotes of Carol's experiences as an American transitioning into life in Germany. There are moments that will make you laugh and things that will make you shake your head in wonder. It is both an accurate and entertaining account of living as an expat in German culture.

Photo Credit: Amazon

Carol brings you along on her adventures as she travels from the Baltic Sea of Germany to Switzerland, through Norway, Sweden, and into the Artic Circle to experience the Northern Lights. She cruises the Mediterranean coast with friends and later journeys into the Muslim world, exploring Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia as a single woman in her fifties. Carol is adventurous and shows her readers that life after retirement can be filled with international escapes, life changing experiences and new friendships along the way.

Carol’s book Out of My Comfort Zone: Retired Teacher Experiences Living, Working, and Traveling Abroad ]]> http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/hammockinparadise/2011/08/12/out-of-my-comfort-zone-by-carol-coffey/feed/ 0 http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/hammockinparadise/2011/03/16/duetsch-brotchen-german-rolls/ http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/hammockinparadise/2011/03/16/duetsch-brotchen-german-rolls/#comments Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:05:31 +0000 Lisa Overman - Hammock in Paradise http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/blogs/hammockinparadise/?p=3364 Fresh German breakfast rolls are favorite of mine. I have tried to duplicate the crunchy exterior and the melt in your mouth soft center at home. They never taste quite like those I enjoyed in Germany. Germans buy them daily at a local bakery just in time for breakfast. There’s nothing like them. They are heavenly. Bakeries offer many options for Fruhstuck Brotchen, fresh rolls. You can get multigrain sunflower seed, sesame seed, pumpkin seed or simply plain white, or wheat. They are the first thing I want every time I return to Germany.

Photo Credit Reiner.Kraft

Potsdam offers a beautiful Dutch Quarter that is filled with shops, cafes and restaurants as well as a farmers market and festivals throughout the year. Here you will experience the flavor of Dutch culture. Visitors can taste Dutch food, experience dancers in traditional Dutch costumes and enjoy wandering through quaint shops and the Bassinplatz Farmers Market at their pace.

I’ve experienced the Hollandisches Viertel (Dutch Quarter) in all seasons. I particularly love the spring when daffodils and tulips are in bloom and the shop windows are thrown open to take advantage of the welcoming warmth and sunshine. With shop windows beautifully dressed for spring it makes for a pleasant and relaxing walk.