The Forest Floor
In my home country autumn is celebrated from September through November and encompasses two major American holidays - Halloween and Thanksgiving. Drinking a cup of hot apple cider or eating a slice of homemade pumpkin pie are regular delights of the season which I have missed since living in Germany. Each year it is important for me to carry on the American traditions I grew up with, such as carving pumpkins on Halloween and cooking a traditional dinner to celebrate Thanksgiving.
But even while missing some of my own traditions, I have developed an appreciation for the way autumn is observed in Germany. Until I lived here, I had never collected chestnuts under the golden tree foliage or tasted the deliciously peppery taste of Pfifferlinge. The more time I spend in Germany, the more evident it is to me how much I enjoy these subtle cultural differences.
Now I look forward to fall time in Germany when summer dwindles down and Bavarian culture is a little more present. As Octoberfest approaches, dirndls are in all the shop windows and motifs of mushrooms and hunting themes are everywhere.
The Siebengebirge is a five minute drive from where I now live, and exploring its beautiful forests has become a favorited Sunday afternoon activity. German forests have an abundant variety of mushrooms and fungus growing everywhere, and I enjoy photographing them and identifying what I found later on.
Since living in Germany I have been on the lookout for Fliegenpilze. Their vibrant red color makes them unique among all the other mushrooms I have encountered and I wanted to catch a glimpse of their beauty. I was told they grow in pine forests in the fall time, but after many disappointing searches I started to believe they were only a myth. I gave up on trying to find them until one day I unexpectedly stumbled upon a whole array of Fliegenpilze growing in a cemetery in Meerbusch. This sighting, so full of surprise and chance, felt like I was given the stroke of good luck they are known to bring.