Nothing but a Fool in Love

One day on my walk I stumbled upon some chestnuts on the side of the road but had no clue what tree they belonged to. Sounds strange, I know, but on looking up, there were several different kinds of trees clumped together with nary a nut on any of them to help me out. So I just gave my "hmm" and carried on. There's this thing about chestnuts that goes all the way back to my childhood in Michigan. I don't remember where I found them but I recall the delicious, smooth fingering of them in my hands. Hearing about them "roasting on an open fire" always sounded so romantic.

Then wouldn't you know, when we were in Munich a few years back, there they were, being roasted on flat pans above kettled fires along the sides of the street. I don't care where we are (we found them in Rome and Paris, too), I'll buy them in their newspapered cones and eat them as a snack while we walk around. Like a new-found treasure, they delight me!

So the day after my "hmm" above, I just happened upon a grove of chestnut trees (top photo). No question this time about what tree they belonged to! I actually took a photo of their leaves (above left) because of getting my education about the edible and non-edible chestnuts to be found. Alas, alack, these happen to be the non-edible variety (the same kind I remember from childhood) and I know that for a fact: I once tried to eat them and had to "expunge" them from myself! Just for the halibut, here are good photos of both kinds, edible and non-edible, from the photoblogs I've found.

Still, I stuffed my pockets full of them, kid that I am, and while doing so, these two darlings came along and, gleefully, started to gather their own. At first, I thought they were collecting them for themselves. But no, they were collecting them for me! So very helpful. All the while, they were jabbering in German (of course) and looked at me quite askance when I said "Ich spreche nür ein bischen Deutsch" (I speak only a little German) like I didn't know what I was talking about. I did hear and understand at least one word when the boy handed me his collection: Vielen ("lots!")! (Can't you just see what their parents look like!)

Ruth, remember those chestnuts in Paris you tried to roast but they came out rock hard? I'm thinking they may have been the non-edible variety, so thank God!