Weihnachten (Christmas) 2011

Our first Weihnachten (aka Christmas) in Germany and it did not disappoint!  Christmas in Germany starts in mid-November when all the towns set up a Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market), outdoor markets that sell hand made crafts, lots of trinkets, and tons of food and drink!  Almost every major town has one and we were able to attend markets in Berlin, Rothenburg o.d. Tauber, Ladenburg, Köln (Cologne), Düsseldorf, and of course, Heidelberg.  It was great to be able to take part in this wonderful German tradition. 

Greg's mother (Ann) and brother (Joel) flew out to kick-off the Christmas holiday and arrived on December 15th.  Things got off to a rough start when there was some confusion over where Greg would pick up Ann and Joel.  Since the Frankfurt airport is so big and they were flying over on separate flights, Greg told Ann to meet Joel in the cafe of the hotel directly across from the airport terminal.  He could not remember for sure, since he had only been there once before, but thought that the hotel might be a Marriot or some other U.S. chain.  This message was relayed to Joel as "Greg will pick us up at the Marriot across from the terminal".  Unfortunately, the chain was Sheraton.  I think you can see where this is going...  Greg arrives at the Sheraton hotel across from the terminal.  Fortunately, Ann is waiting in the lobby.  Unfortunately, Joel is not.  Ann and Joel both have cell phones, but U.S. cell phones operate with different networks in Europe so neither work.  Greg did not give either one his cell number.  After two hours (yes, two hours!) of searching the Frankfurt airport inside and out, Greg decides to see if Joel actually went to the Marriot (wherever that may be).  He finds out that the nearest Marriot is in downtown Frankfurt, which is a 20 minute drive from the airport and in the opposite direction from our house.  He calls the Marriot and discovers that Joel is there!  After only being in Germany for 15 minutes, Joel managed to find out where the nearest Marriot was, make his way to the Straßenbahn (subway) station, and commute to downtown Frankfurt (including a change in trains!).  Meanwhile, I was glad to not be a part of that fiasco while enjoying a nice, child-free day of shopping at the Heidelberg Christmas Market with Silke.  I hate to say "I told you so" (well, actually I don't), but prior to Ann and Joel flying out, I mentioned to Greg that a lot of people over here mail those cheap, prepaid cellphones to their friends/family before they fly over.  Greg's reply was "why would I do that???".   After the dust had settled from their disastrous introduction to Germany, we managed to have some fun and enjoy some of the sights in Heidelberg.

Joel and Taryn on the Straßenbahn into downtown Heidelberg.

Joel and the girls in front of Schloss Heidelberg and the Heidelberg Weihnactsmarkt. 

Taryn and Greg ice skating in downtown Heidelberg.

Leena and Joel ice skating in downtown Heidelberg.

Not long after Ann and Joel's arrival, we got our first snowfall.  It was about 2 inches and was only on the ground for one day.  A few days later, much to my relief, temps were back near 50.  Hope it stays this way!!

View from our house.  Looks pretty, but I'd rather be on the beach!

A few days prior to Christmas, we loaded our guests in the car and took the longest journey yet on the autobahn.  We survived the 3 hour drive north to Düsseldorf which is where Greg's sister and her family live.  Along the way, Joel wanted to stop in Nürburg to see the famous Nürburgring.  Well, I say famous because apparently anyone who is interested in auto racing has heard of this place.  However, I am not an auto racing enthusiast, so it was all new to me.  For those of you as in the dark as I was, this race track is 17.5 miles long and surrounds the entire town of Nürburg.  It is widely considered one of the most demanding purpose-built racing circuits in the world.  For 24 Euros, you can even drive your own car around the track during certain times (as if the autobahn isn't fast enough!).  We were able to take a 1.5 hour backstage tour which turned out to be pretty interesting.  Considering the girls were a little bored on the tour, they behaved very well.  For them, the highlight of this stop was eating at Subway (a rarity over here) while waiting for the tour to begin.

The girls discuss how to solve the world's problems at the "kids table" in Subway.

Joel tries to corral the girls before the tour. 

Leena inside a small museum on the tour. 

Joel, Greg, and Ann in front of a map of the Nürburgring.  Inside the map are the names of all the race winners.

Greg and Joel in front of the start line.

The next stop on the drive to Düsseldorf was Köln (or Cologne).  I thought it would be a good opportunity to check out another Weihnachtsmarkt and see the Kölner Dom (aka Cologne Cathedral).  The Kölner Dom is the  largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second-tallest spire and largest facade of any church in the world.  It did not disappoint!!  Unfortunately, it was dark when we saw it so I am anxious to get back and actually go up in one of the spires.

Greg, Joel, Ann and the girls at the first of two Weihnachtsmarkts in  Köln.

This man was walking around playing Christmas carols on this strange looking instrument

The fam at the Weihnachtsmarkts Kölner Dom (me holding a cup of very popular Glühwein in a mug that I have added to my collection).

The girls and I in front of the Kölner Dom and its Weihnachtsmarkt.  So pretty!!

After enjoying Köln, we finally made our way up to Düsseldorf where we enjoyed a nice couple of days with Greg's sister and her family.  Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and it limited our sight-seeing.  However, it was nice to spend time with family.  My nephews, ages 12 and 10, managed to convince my two girly-girls to play a shoot-em-up spy game.  And to my surprise, they loved it!!  It was a nice departure to see them running around and sweating with toy guns.  Quite different from playing with their Barbies at home!

The spy game in full force!!  Complete with a fallen victim (Leena) in the foreground!

During a break in the weather, the kids tear it up on a carousel at a Weihnachtsmarkt in Düsseldorf.

Family shot at a Weihnachtsmarkt in Düsseldorf.

We leave Joel and Ann in Düsseldorf for a few days and Greg, the girls, and myself head back down the hair-raising autobahn for the return trip to Heidelberg.  We miraculously survive.  The following day, we were invited to attend Christmas Eve lunch at my friend, Silke's house.  We enjoyed a fabulous lunch complete with German cuisine including gulasch, pork in a delicious cream sauce, red cabbage and croquetten to name a few.  We feel so fortunate to have made such wonderful friends over here.  The girls really enjoyed playing with Silke's kids.  What a memorable Christmas Eve!

The feast!  Delicious! 

Sarah and me! 

Leena gets a big hug from Tom! 

Greg, Silke, and me.  Silke holding a new birdhouse for her garden.

The BIG day finally arrives!  Leena is awake at 5:45 and cannot contain herself!  While we try to keep her in our room so that Taryn can sleep a bit longer, Leena says "Last night, I told Taryn to wake up early today because it is Christmas and I am NOT going to be able to hold my horses!".  Apparently, Taryn was not listening!  We were only able to keep Leena somewhat contained until 6:15.  We finally gave in and let her run in and wake up Taryn.  Christmas Day commences and is over about 10 minutes later!

Santa's loot!!  Let the fun begin! 

Taryn gets the crazy car she asked Santa for!

 

The girls play the Toy Story Mania game left by Santa.

Sally manages to find a peaceful spot.

Ladenburg, Germany

Greg's mother (Ann aka Nana) and brother (Joel) are currently in town visiting for the holidays. Today we got a late start and as a result, decided to do some sightseeing close to Heidelberg.  We handed a list of day-trips (obtained from the local USO office) to Ann and put her in charge of that day's activities.  She chose to see the town of Ladenburg which is located only about 25 minutes north of us. We left home at the leisurely hour of 12:30pm and arrived in Ladenburg a short time later.  We had no idea what to expect and were impressed with this sleepy little town.  Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating and it rained practically the entire time we were there, but that did not take away from the town's charm.  The town is comprised of old stone streets and colorful half-timbered buildings. The downtown is practically a maze, with lots of twists and turns among its very tight streets.  Filled with history that dates waaaaay back, this town is the site of a 1st century Roman settlement.  Germany seems to be filled with hidden gems such as this one!

The family in the Ladenburg square (where the Weihnachtsmarkt was being held).

The girls stumbled upon this "wishing well" and begged to have their picture made with it.

Nana and the girls try to stay warm and dry.

We went in search of a famous landmark in this town called the Witches Tower (Hexenturm).  Walking down the street, we thought that this tower could be the one we were looking for, so we stopped to take a picture.  After we walked through the gate, we asked some locals who confirmed that we should not be guiding ourselves.  This is, in fact, Martintor (St. Martin gate tower).  It is the only one of the fortified gatehouses that is still there. It was named after Saint Martin, whose image is depicted on the outward side above the gate.  Part of the wall that used to surround the city is still attached to this gate.  Further down, houses are actually built into the wall. 

In front of the gate of Martinstor.

After we walked through Martinstor and rounded the corner, we found what we were originally looking for and stopped for another picture.  The Witches Tower was built around 1200 as a watch tower, but was later used as a prison for "witches"or women who were thought to be witches.

Joel and the girls in front of the Witches Tower.

Joel and the girls try out this playground in front of the Witches Tower.

Turns out that Ladenburg is where Karl Benz (of Mercedes-Benz) lived.  There was a great museum there and we got to see some pretty cool cars!

The girls in the first car ever (and it's not a Ford!).  The 1886 Mercedes Benz.

 The girls run into a shady, barely put-together Santa at the Benz museum.  He had a sack of goodies, so all was good!

The girls next to a 1926 Mercedes-Benz!

Taryn in front of a 1893 Mercedes-Benz.

The running joke of the day came at Ann (Nana's) expense.  At lunch, she commented how she had not seen a single Mercedes since she had been to Germany (excluding the ones in the museum).  What???  How can this be!  We assured her that she was wrong and that there were a lot of Mercedes here.  She insisted that there wasn't.  So we left the restaurant and were able to quickly and easily spot no less than 7 Mercedes in a two block radius.  For the rest of the day, Nana had to hear "look Nana, a Mercedes!".  To her defense, the models are different than what we are used to seeing back home.  However, all the cabs are Mercedes as well as many commercial trucks.   How could she miss them??They stand out to her now!

On our way out of town, we found the Weihnachtsmarkt to be crowded and pretty lively.  So, we stopped in for some Glühwein and some bratwurst.  It was a good time (rain and all)!

 Enjoying the Weihnachtsmarkt in the town square.

The girls stay dry for a while by decorating Christmas cookies in the Kinderhaus.

Local Heidelberg celebs!

Our friend, Silke, came over this morning to show us what she stumbled across in the Heidelberg paper.  This picture was taken last weekend when we went into Heidelberg to do a little Christmas shopping.  The girls were going a bit crazy in one of the stores (begging for everything in sight!), so Greg decided to walk them down to the Christmas Market so that I could shop in peace for a few minutes.  So, I am in a store in the background and Greg and the girls are on their way to the Christmas Market.  It's official - they are local celebs!

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Some good friends of ours (who live in Stuttgart) contacted us a few weeks ago to see if we wanted to meet them in Rothenburg ob der Tauber and go to the Weihnactsmarkt (Christmas Market) which is supposed to be one of the best ones in Germany.  Weihnactsmarkts are very popular in Germany and almost all cities host one or more.  We eagerly agreed to meet in Rothenburg and we were very pleasantly surprised when we arrived.  Instantly, I felt as if I were on a Walt Disney set and fell in love with the town.  Rothenburg is a well-preserved medieval, walled city complete with cobblestone streets and gorgeous architecture (this city was the inspiration for the village in Pinocchio). 

Greg and the girls outside the wall of the city.

The girls pose on the street.  We instantly loved this place!

Another street shot.

If you want authentic Rothenburg ob der Tauber fare, then you should have a schneeballen (snow ball), which are strips of egg dough that are fried, crumpled into the shape of a ball, and sprinkled with just about anything that you can imagine.  There are about a million different varieties.  Leena was more than eager to give one a try! 

Leena shows off her chocolate covered schneeballen!

Of course, any good German Weihnactsmarkt will have plenty of varieties of wurst.  Greg decides to go with the 1/2 meter long feuerwurst!

And yes, he ate the whole thing!

 In front of the Weihnactsmarkt.

 With our friends Krissy, Chris and Sean.

The girls and I on the wall that surrounds the city.

 View from the top of the wall tower.

Taryn climbing the stairs to the wall tower.

Nikolaustag (St. Nicholas Day)

In Germany, children celebrate Nikolaustag (St. Nicholas Day) on December 6th.  This is a tradition that I had never heard of before moving over here.  The way it works is the kids put a boot outside their front door the night of the 5th.  During the night, Santa comes by and fills the boot with goodies and chocolate (some Germans also include fruit and nuts, but I knew this would not go over well with my kids!).  Greg proposed to the girls that we give this German tradition a try under one condition.... if Santa fills their boots, then he won't fill their stockings (because apparently, German kids do not do the stocking thing).  They agreed with this and I hope this doesn't come back to bite me on Christmas day. Anyway, we almost had to do it because it's a big deal over here and all the kids talk about it.  This could have really caused problems at Taryn's kindergarten.  So, the girls put their biggest boots outside and Taryn made the observation that "my boot is smaller than Leena's".  Smart girl!  I assured her that St. Nikolaus would make sure that she got as much as Leena.  Sure enough, the next morning, the girls ran to the door and discovered that St. Nikolaus had, in fact, stopped by.  They were thrilled!!

The girls wasted no time inspecting the loot!

Later that day, at Taryn's kindergarten, St. Nikolaus came by to visit with the kids.  Each child got to speak with St. Nick and then they all sang songs.  Later that day, I asked Taryn about her visit with St. Nikolaus and what did she tell him.  She said she didn't say anything because "he spoke German and he looked different".  I asked her what she meant by that and she said "he didn't look like the Santa that we saw at the Christmas party on base (which was the previous Friday night)".  I wasn't quite sure what she meant until I saw a Facebook post from one of the other mothers who actually went to the school while St. Nikolaus was there to get pictures.  This is what a German St. Nikolaus looks like:

So, now I see what Taryn means!  Not quite exactly what we're used to in the States.  Later, I confirmed with Silke (my German friend) that this is how Santa or St. Nikolaus always dresses over here.  I find myself having to jump through hoops with the girls trying to explain all of these differences.  Speaking of Santa, here is a pic of the girls with the more familiar Santa that we saw at the Christmas party on base last Friday night.  The girls had prepared a card for Santa complete with a small list of a couple of items that they would like to receive on Christmas.  It was nice that despite the looooong line (we waited in line for an hour to see him!), he took the time to read each girl's card.  As you can tell, they were thrilled!