Hours before the ceiling came crashing down on my head (The Roommate), I had a wonderful day strolling the streets of Sindlefingen with friends, food, dance & music. It was the yearly International Straßenfest in Sindlefingen. One of my absolute favorites because… food! Dance! Music!

I love street food.  It’s one of the first things we do whenever we go anywhere new: eat something new-to-us. This straßenfest is tailored to me! It brings all the food, from all the places (Europe to Africa to South America and more!), to one fabulous fest.

Our game plan is to buy something at each booth, or each booth we missed the year before, and share a treat. Then we move on to the next booth. In between food stalls are stages, or sometimes just random people on the street, performing song, dance or both! As the day turns into evening, and the many different alcoholic specialities have been imbided in copious amounts, the dancing, singing and playing all picks up in pace. The energy is fabulous.

My kids, especially Dane, love bopping along to the music. Actually, Dane always sings along… whether it’s in English, German, Spanish, Croatian or Greek. Not that he speaks all the languages. Or that he knows all the words. He just loves to sing along.

Tess pretends she doesn’t, but I can hear her yodeling the sounds as she dances next to me in the streets. I’m not sure she knows she’s dancing, not walking, but I won’t tell her. I love to see them both so happy. Even if it means caving and buying some sugary treats.

Besides eating, singing, dancing, we also make a game out of identifying each booth and where it came from. Usually the first thing we see is the flag. This year, for the first time, I got all the flags right except one. One was very hard & I could not get it. I was not alone. Dave, Jay, Laura, the kids… no one got this. Do you know it? I’ll post the answer at the very end of this post.

What flag am I?

I took way too many pictures, I’m going to stop babbling and let them finish my story of my perfect afternoon. I just wish I could share the smells & taste through a blog post!

Busy. Hot. Sunny. Where to start?

German Lebkuchen hearts… you wear them around your neck. Because. Tradition.

Smoking the smoked salmon. I could eat just this.

The candy booth. Of course it’s brightly lit & colorful! Try walking Dane past this promising delicious Paella instead ☺

Over in the Greek/Spanish/Croatia section… there was fun to be had! Dane dove right in. Of course.

How to sell booze, in this case Jägermeister… it’s the same worldwide… have pretty girls do it!

“Hey mom! Take a picture!” Can you spot Dane’s ‘trick’?

We high-tailed past the Swiss in double-time! Oh. My. That cheese is stinky.

Putting this here as a reminder… I must get to Transylvania! It’s really real!

Whole roasted pig. It’s not just Hawaiian. This one is Croatian-spiced. YUM!

Someone was uber-cooperative.

Besides the Greeks, the Croatians were the biggest party animals. Croatia? On the bucket list.

Life goal: Own a classic VW bus, turn it into a mobile bar.

The promised Paella! My absolute favorite of the day. This is pre-saffron.

I love the Flamenco dancers and music. Their grace. Those dresses!

I I can’t have a VW bus-bar; I must have a mini ice cream truck… and of course daddy is buying Tess a gelato. She’s got him wrapped around her finger.

International Streetfest. These guys were playing classic American rock. Nothing like strolling the street of small-town Germany and yodeling along with some Cat Stevens.

Loud music. Shopping. Ice cream. Foods from around the world = happy kids.

I need one of these dangling BBQ’s before we leave Germany. Need.

The music was hauntingly beautiful and authentically South American. The outfits? Um. A little gas-station Arizona circa 1980.

Tess’ favorite booth at all the fairs. The chocolate covered fruit. No photo’s of actual chocolate covered fruit. It’s not just Tess’ favorite. These booths are always crowded.

Happily, enthusiastically playing the accordion! Opa! (Greek: Ώπα)

Streets in Europe are not very wide… wide enough for traditional Greek dances. Not wide enough to get past. Must. Dance.

The answer: the flag is from Angola a country in South Africa just above Namibia.