Illustration of Flexibility in Travel

Okay - so we got to the train station to go on our first long-distance trip to Koblenz, at the crack of dawn (that is early morning light you see in the train station), got on our train, found excellent seats and then heard that due to technical problems, the train would not leave for an hour.  We decided to switch it up, which we could because of the kind of train tickets we had.  So - we decided to go to Cologne, first and then backtrack to Koblenz.  With these trips our strategy was to get to the train station, and then run around getting the "to go" goodies we all preferred - crepes, coffee, tea, pretzels, sweet pastries, and then we settled in to chat and watch the countryside.  Wanling, Gary and I enjoyed our return to Cologne because it was not pouring rain.  We actually walked along the Rhine, strolled by a "Bier Museum" (we all suspect it was a bar) and toured a Senf Museum (Mustard Museum).  This was VERY cool, and we all learned more about mustard than we ever knew there was to learn (did you know that very few mustards are made "cold pressed," as this was, and when mustard is made "hot pressed" the flavor goes out, so horseradish is added back in to give it zing?)

Carrie and me at the "Butter Market" - how appropriate.

The Mustard Museum.

These guys have been waiting well over a century to use the facilities.

Höchst, Again (can't get emough)

Quinn and some very bold swans.

This place is just beautiful, and right outside of Frankfurt.  We decided to ease into the tourist thing, by just riding the Strassenbahn #11 to Höchst, strolling around, looking a little closer at the castle and the beautiful architecture.

Boxing Day - the Second Day of Christmas

Germans celebrate Christmas in style - Christmas Eve is a very special evening - all the stores close and most of the restaurants.  Then they celebrate two days of Christmas - the 25th and 26th.  Luckily for our guests, everything does not shut down on Boxing Day.  So, we took the street car into town, hiked around in some very bitter weather, and saw a bit of the city.  Our first stop was the Goethehaus, which is the building where Goethe was born and lived until he was a young man.  The building has been beautifully preserved - Gary told us a fascinating story of how in the late 1930's the head of the Goethe Society anticipated the war and destruction that would soon follow and began having drawings made (by Art students - what an excellent cover!) of details in the house, and began moving furniture and artifacts into hiding places in the countryside.  You see the house, and Gary standing in Goethe's Library.

We then took a ride on the Ebbelwei Express (that is Hessen for Apfelwein) which toured us around the city center.  We each got a bottle of apple wine or juice and some "salted pastries," (I am holding a sample of each).  You can see I used a shot of the Ebbelwei Express from quite some time ago.) 

Wanling and Steve are illustrating their gift of always turning their heads or moving when I take a picture (I am beginning to think this is intentional).

We ended the evening at our friends' house, Jeremy and Petra's.  You can see Wanling with boxing gloves in one of the pictures.  Jeremy and she had a boxing round or two.  Then we had a lovely dinner of all our Christmas leftovers.

Christmas in Frankfurt

The Frankfurter Bakers have a full house - Kyle and Quinn, Steve and Carrie, and the three of us.  Kyle and Quinn returned from Paris with only a few train mishaps, at about 12:30 Christmas morning.  Steve and Carrie were working to turn around the jet lag as quickly as possible.  We started Christmas Day with a delicious German breakfast - good bread, cheeses, meats, fruit, good jams and lots of butter!!  Wanling exhibited AMAZING delayed gratification - she had to wait until everyone woke up and we all ate breakfast.  Then it was time to open presents.

Quinn did some awesome knitting - a hat for each of us.

Instead of cooking dinner in the teeny tiny kitchen with the barely-minimum number of pots and pans and ingredients we have in our kitchen, we opted for a restaurant.  We rode the street car to the little town of Oberrad and had a delicious dinner with beautiful atmosphere.  The restaurant was called "Zum Hirsch" and featured game.  Many opted for schnitzel, but goose liver, venison goulash and duck were also sampled.  We then took a long walk home, and considered the day a very lovely way to celebrate Christmas together.

Steve and Carrie Arrive

December 24th was a big day. Steve and Carrie (my brother and sister-in-law from Seattle) arrived in Frankfurt for a Christmas visit.  Gary and Wanling went out to the airport to fetch them - and because of weather were delayed (the trains were behind schedule).  They arrived in the (very huge) Frankfurt airport to emerge from the train to be greeted by Steve who was wandering the airport, thinking he might run into people he knew (and he did).  Meanwhile, Carrie was left to guard Steve's luggage.  She didn't have to guard her own because it stayed behind in Toronto.  The following pictures document their arrival day - with Carrie shopping at Woolworth's for necessities (she is slightly embarrassed and reluctant to be caught on camera).

Steve eating the first of (we anticipate) many bratwurst.

Wanling chomping a bratwurst (she and Steve are in competition) and Carrie sipping glühwein - the perfect antidote to jet lag.

We were down at the Römerplatz for the caroling of the bells - Christmas Eve, all the churches (approx. 50) in the area ring their bells - starting with one, and then gradually each church joins in with accompanying bell-ringing.  It was truly lovely, and truly freezing. 

Wanling playing Christmas carols for us all, back in the warmth of our apartment.

Wanling's Friends

Wanling has made lots of friends at the Erasmus Schule.  A couple special friends are:

Ella (hanging out on the playground):

Clara (baking Christmas cookies at Clara's house):

 And Marissa (hanging out in the school lobby):

Kassel, Sledding and a Juniata College Reunion

Yes, Kyle and Quinn arrived on Saturday, but the next day they hopped a train to Berlin to see Quinn's cousin.  Wanling, Gary and I headed to Kassel to see Uli, Dara, Eva, and Laura again (see Thanksgiving #2).  Uli and Dara and Gary are friends from Juniata College days.  We had a lovely lunch, and then we packed into the car and headed to the Wilhelmshöhe Park for some sledding and a nice, wintry walk in the beautiful gardens.  This park is known as the largest hillside park in Europe.  Work on the English style gardens with a collection of beautiful old trees was begun in 1696 and continued for the next 150 years.

Uli and Wanling are warming up for sledding; then we see them in action.

Eva and Wanling getting ready for another round.

The Schloss...

Far behind Dara and me you can see the "Herkules" - a monument and "Wasserspiel" (elaborate fountain).  In the summer, twice a week, the fountain runs its course.  The water is released at the top of the mountain, and it takes one hour to run through all the little channels and courses, until it explodes (50 feet high) in the (now frozen) pond, right behind us.  You also see the closeup of Herkules, in all his majesty.

The Löwenburg  - a castle built 1793-1806, complete with ruins.  It was very in vogue at the time to have ruins, so if one didn't come by them naturally, one built the structure to include ruins (part of the Romantic movement in architecture).

Gary and Dara having a chat

Uli and Gary, college roomies

Warming up with coffee, hot chocolate and Christmas sweets.