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If you have a beer lover on your gift list, then a wonderful basket that is full of the best German beers and foods will be a gift that is remembered for years. There are some wonderful items that you can include in your basket, but the most important are the choice of beer.

The beer lover will know some of the German brands, but you might be able to slip in some that will be a treat for this beer lover that they might not know or have had a chance to taste.

Krombacher Beer is one of the premiere beer companies in Germany. A visit to their website will show you the full product line and allow you to choose a couple of selections for your fabulous gift basket. There are even non alcoholic brews that every beer lover will enjoy.

Bitburger is a great full bodied beer that is also a light and refreshing taste that everyone who loves beer should try. It has a hoppy taste to the beer that is also nice and dry when you are in the mood for something a little more crisp.

Warsteiner has a great selection of beers that you can choose as well as some great products that the beer fan will just adore. Mugs and glassware for drinking the beer can be purchased with the Warsteiner label.

Beck’s is one of the most well known German beers on the market and your collection will not be complete without this brand.

Veltin’s is a great choice for an uncommon taste that not many beer lovers around the world have had a chance to sample. It is one of the German beers that will give your gift recipient a chance to taste something really unusual.

Jever offers a great variety in beers including a light and non alcoholic brew to include in your gift basket. This beer has been around since World War II and it still continues to produce fine quality beers. A dark beer can be added to your collection with this beer brand.

Erdinger is a fine quality wheat beer that should be included with your gift for an unusual taste for the beer fanatic. You will be including a great variety if you choose a couple of the selections of beer from this fine brewer.

Paulaner is another uncommon brand that you might be able to include that your beer lover might not have had a chance to try. This brewer has been around since 1634 using the very best ingredients in their fine quality beers. Starting from the best ingredients this beer will be a favorite among all beer lovers everywhere.

Lowenbrau is a well known brand of beer that most beer lovers will know well. No gift would be complete without the inclusion of this German Beer.

During your research of the fabulous beers of Germany, you will discover that some of the most unique flavors come from the small village breweries. Take a tasting tour of Germany through their outstanding beers.

This is the 26th month of our new life in Thailand. Each day is amazing and brings with it something new to marvel at. Today is no exception. For today is the day of the Bat.

Sitting outside as the sun goes down has become part of our daily routine. We often sit on the upstairs veranda watching the setting sun disappear into the Gulf of Siam away in the distance. Frequently the cloud formation is extravagant in the extreme, lit behind by the red ball of the setting sun, making it look as if some outrageous Modernist painter has attacked the sky canvas with a mile wide paintbrush and every conceivable hue of red, orange, pink and purple.

The water birds both large and small fly across our garden from the lake opposite and are beautiful to watch with such an amazing backdrop. Most days too, we are fortunate spectators to the flights of innumerable swifts and swallows as the air cools and the insects become active. They dive and weave at a staggering speed.

But this particular evening we sat in our garden at the back of the house, surrounded by the stillness of the countryside around. We spoke quietly as if in awe of the beauty. Suddenly something moved silently from the overhanging roof tile above my husbands head; I held my breath, not daring to believe my eyes or say anything.

As I watched in the next couple of minutes five more silent winged creatures flew off into the dusk in search of their supper across the farmland towards the mountains.

Bats, large bats are living in our roof space just feet from our kitchen door! I’m thrilled. No, I’m ecstatic! For as long as I could remember I’ve loved bats and often used to wondered why our various homes in England had not hosted the little creatures as we’d lived most of our lives in the countryside.

Now, here I am, some 8,000 miles away from my native England and sharing my home with these delightful animals. There are numerous species of bats in this tropical part of the world and it’s impossible with such a fleeting glimpse of them each dusk to distinguish the species. They’re beautiful and who cares what species they are? We have them here in our home and that’s what really matters. We have bats in the roof!

Now we’ve observed them for over four months so can safely say they aren’t just some migrants.

As we sit here this evening with all the birds in the garden building nests or raising young, we’re wondering just how many bats will be in our roof space by the end of Spring? Who knows?

Well if you are in Australia, you are probably suffering for some severe heat conditions, as our summer suddenly hits us hard.

And as a result of this burst of heat most families are finding themselves drawn to the beach to cool down. Regardless of whether your family are regulars at the beach or it is a new experience for the family there are some important steps in ensuring a successful visit to your local beach or beyond.

Firstly and foremost we need to consider our kids safety.

There are plenty of beaches that are manned by surf life saving clubs, and this is obviously the safest beach to swim on. You will also find that the surf life savers will encourage us to swim between the red and yellow flags enabling them to keep a good eye on us.

Further to this we need to ensure we protect our kids from the sun. This can be done by:

- Applying sunscreen to our children throughout the day
- Encouraging them to always wear a hat
- Supplying them with swimwear that covers majority of their body (e.g. rash vests)

Another important factor when visiting the beach is food and drink. Keep everyone’s fluid’s up, as your kid’s can become dehydrated easily when spending time in the direct sun.

When packing snacks, ensure they are not going to deteriorate in the weather and ensure they are well sealed.

Ice packs or cooler bags are great for assisting in maintaining the quality of food and beverages.

And finally when you are heading down the beach, you will find your kids will not only spend time in the water they will also lap up the opportunity to spend time playing in the sand.

Encourage them to use their imagination through play by providing them with tools such as buckets and spades. Or consider a family friendly game of cricket or beach volleyball.

On Christmas Eve hundreds of Christians, Jews and Moslems stream into Abu Gosh and fill the Church of the Resurrection to overflowing. Asked by the monks to respect the sanctity of the church (and to turn off their cellular phones), they sit waiting, expectantly, in a hushed and uncharacteristic silence. The images in the church’s brilliant frescoes, painted nearly a thousand years ago, seem to hold their breath in anticipation. Suddenly, the pungent fragrance of incense permeates the air. Splendid music echoes through the high and ancient ceilings as, dressed all in white, Benedictine monks and nuns proceed solemnly into the sanctuary. Midnight Mass has begun.

Less than a century ago there were no services in this church. In fact, when the first Benedictines reached the Moslem village of Abu Gosh they discovered unruly shrubs growing on the roof, the inner walls and interior covered with manifold layers of grime and calcium deposits and the whole structure on the verge of collapse.

Ownership of the church in Abu Gosh and the land on which it stood had been transferred from the Ottoman Turks to the French government in 1873. It had taken over 25 years to find a group of monks willing to take on the task of restoring the abandoned and neglected sanctuary, built during the Crusader era and located in the center of an Arab Moslem village outside of Jerusalem. Franciscans, White Fathers, Assumptionists - all had refused the offer.

But now the Benedictines had come. As soon as possible they erected a beautiful stone monastery against one of the deteriorating walls to act as its brace. They then began repairing the rest of the walls, which had remained standing only because they were unusually thick. When they finished they christened the sanctuary the Church of the Resurrection.

Half a century later the Benedictines left and were replaced by Lazarists who remained only until 1974. Now the French looked for more permanent caretakers. They found them at Le Bec-Hellouin Monastery in Normandy, France, an establishment whose abbots had always had strong feelings about Judaism and felt a deep-seated connection to the Jewish people.

Dom Grammont was abbot at Le Bec in the 1970’s. When he learned about Abu Gosh he felt a divine call to send some of his monks to the village. Three of them embarked on the journey, one of them the contemporary abbot - the warm and humorous Jean-Baptiste who is their spiritual father. A year later Brother Olivier, today the monastery’s Prior, joined the community in the Holy Land. Today there are 10 monks in the monastic compound, along with 13 Benedictine nuns. Except for special feasts and daily prayers, they lead completely separate lives.

Unlike other monks, Benedictines take a vow to remain in their chosen monastery their entire lives. Of course, living forever as a family and in such close quarters requires discipline, and Benedictines are governed by a set of regulations written over 1,500 years ago that detail every facet of communal life. The Rule of St. Benedict charges monks to worship 7 times a day, directs them to set aside hours and sometimes days for complete silence, and allows plenty of time for contemplation and meditation that help the monks to reach new spiritual heights.

Obedience and humility are highly regarded virtues in the Benedictine world. The Rule prohibits bitter or disgruntled behavior, as that would completely disrupt the sense of family. It also states that a guest is to be treated as if he were the Messiah!

Every morning after the second set of prayers the monastery’s monks meet in a corner of the vaulted crypt beneath the church and listen as the Father Superior reads a chapter from the Rule of St. Benedict. It is here, in this solitary place, that they also discuss major decisions.

Not far from the semi-circle of chairs in what the monks call the “chapter”, a spring flows underground. In the second century the tenth Roman Legion built a fort and an enormous cistern above this spring. Nearly a thousand years later the Crusaders identified Abu Gosh with the biblical Emmaus (Luke 24:13-36). Utilizing the vaulted reservoir as a crypt, they constructed a beautiful church just above it and decorated the walls with stunning frescos that were just recently restored. The experts who worked on them added only what they were sure had been there before, so what you see today are authentic Crusader-era paintings, rarely found in Israel.

When the current group of monks came to Abu Gosh in 1976, they felt quite lonely and isolated. Fortunately, Arab nuns living in the region made them feel welcome. “They were like mothers to us,” says one of the monks. “This opened our hearts to another world, and although we have never abandoned our primary and special relationship to the people of Israel we also have many connections to Palestinians in Bethlehem and Moslems from the village.”

Like the other monks, Brother Olivier passes his mornings in prayer and study. Most of his afternoons are spent with individuals and groups who are interested in Christianity and want to learn about life in a monastery from a “real” monk. “I tell them, one and all, that with mutual respect, good will and an open heart anyone can become friends.”

Looking for Spring Break safety tips? Here you will find information to keep you, your friends, or family members safe that may be traveling abroad this Spring Break.

Partying Abroad

Going to Cancun for Spring Break? If so, then I can almost guarantee that nightclubs will be on your itinerary. If so, be careful not to over indulge in alcohol. Oh please, right? No seriously, you have to be careful. Unfortunately, many intoxicated foreigners abroad become victims of sexual assaults and robberies after a night on the town.

Also, a trip to the hospital after alcohol poisoning could break your bank. Why? Because you health insurance probably not cover you in a foreign country. So this means that the hospital will require the money upfront. This is why having travel insurance is important before you travel abroad.

Remember that drinking and driving don’t mix, regardless of the country you are visiting. Taxis are cheap abroad so be sure to use them. However, be careful because public transportation in a foreign country may not be as safe as it is in your home country.

Be sure to keep a close eye on your drink while in bars. If not someone may be able to slip drugs like scopolamine into your drink, rendering you unconscious or unable to defend yourself.

After a long not of drinking some spring breakers tend to have run-ins with the police. Understand that getting arrested in a foreign country isn’t fun (neither is getting arrested at home). However, foreign jails are hideous, disgusting, and dangerous. The rights you may have in your home country don’t exist abroad. If you are arrested and placed in jail in places like Mexico, for example, you may just sit there longer than you both expect or want to. Also, try demanding a phone call from jail from a Mexican cop and see how far you get.

In the unfortunate event that you are arrested you should attempt to make contact with your home country’s embassy or consulate. Here’s a spring break safety tip: don’t demand to contact your embassy. Instead, kill em’ with kindness and ask or beg, if you have to, to have your government representative in the country contacted. So, I suggest searching the web right now for the embassy or consulate in the country you intend to visit this Spring Break, write the telephone number down, and be sure to keep it with you while abroad.

Hotel Security

Hotel security is extremely important when choosing a place to stay during Spring Break. Another Spring Break safety tip: don’t pick the cheapest hotel. Usually, these are unsafe and have very little or no security. Be sure to choose a room between the 3rd and 5th floors. These rooms are high enough to keep out burglars and low enough to make the room accessible to foreign fire departments, which usually aren’t equipped with high reaching ladders. Become familiar with fire exits and escapes in the event there is a fire. Lastly, be sure to secure your room both when you leave and when you are inside.

Female Spring Breakers

Women travelers should be even more careful than their male counterparts while traveling abroad for Spring Break. Many criminals see women as easier targets. Also, women are vulnerable to sexual assault in foreign countries. Many victims fail to report the incidents to police either because of embarrassment, fearing become victimized twice by the police and criminal justice system, feel that their behavior contributed to the crime, or think that nothing will happen to the perpetrator. You should immediately report any incidents both to the local police and to your embassy or consulate.

These are just a few Spring Break safety tips that you should be aware of if you plan to travel to a foreign country this year.

In closing, I hope you have a blast this Spring Break. Enjoy yourself but please be careful and I wish you safe travels.