I received a huge box in today's mail and it was such a delight to open it and discover so many things about an area of Germany I didn't know much about! What's really funny is that I think I went through the region of Saarland when I was about 12, when my family flew to Luxembourg and drove from there to Switzerland. Some of the town names sounded familiar!

The fun started with a long letter telling me about the region and its history, and explaining what was in the box. There was a wide assortment of local fare, from canned "wurst" (not really sausage, I think... More like a pate in a tube!) that was a representative of the fresh "Lyoner Ring", which I think is like a Kielbasa.

There were two bottles of liquid seasoning: Maggi, which I am actually quite familiar with as it is a common staple in Dutch cooking; and "Melfor", which is a honey-laced vinegar that is absolutely delicious.

Also included were two bags of snacks: a bag of anise-flavored candy (yummy!), and a bag of "erdnusse" (literally, "earth nuts", or peanuts!!).

Rounding out the treasures was a postcard showing the Saarland flag, and a fabulous book of pictures showing the gorgeous architecture and beautiful environment of the region. It made me want to bump a Europe trip a bit higher on my bucket list!

A real fun treat was also smoothing out the newspaper that was used as packing material! My high school German is quite rusty but it was a hoot to read the local news.

Thanks so much, Santa, for bringing your hometown to Maryland!