Christmas in Rothenburg ob der Tauber - Germany

Last year in 2013 on Christmas break (yes, I know how far behind I am in blogging) we traveled down to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, or the German travel Mecca (Mecca meaning everyone HAS to go there) as I call it. When people back home in America found out that we had lived here a year and a half and hadn't been down to Rothenburg, they basically freaked out. "Oh! You've just got to GO!" 

So we went because everyone said we had to. We couldn't continue to miss out on Rothenburg. Because everybody knows that each little German village is completely different from the next. I mean it's not like every German village has an old town wall, and an old church or cathedral, or half-timbered houses, or a fountain in the town square. Oh wait a minute...  They do. 

Don't get me wrong. Rothenburg is a very pleasant and cute town. I just didn't feel like I was going to die if I didn't get down to see it right away. 

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is very cute and very German. When traveling there, make sure you have the right Rothenburg because there are several in Germany and I don't think the other ones are as cute.

Rothenburg is down in Bavaria on the Tauber river. Things got really rough here in the 1600's after 40,000 troops from a neighboring city-state left the town with basically nothing. Then the Black Death did another sweep through and then the city was deserted. Left with no power or money the city was unable to grow or modernize. That is why it is so cute, because it has stayed frozen in time.

There are stores that you can sell your first born for a nutcracker or a tree ornament. Yep, they're that expensive. But oh so cute and quaintly German. Germany is where most of the traditions or decoration ideas we use as Americans come from. Decorated pine tree in the house? Check. Nutcracker? Check. Anything super cute? Check. It's all German.

Here I am getting a little Christmas warmth from my hubby on this cold, German winter's day.

This is the view across the little valley Rothenburg is built near. Even in the winter I think Germany has got to be one of the most beautiful places. I am absolutely in love with green rolling hills and streams and forests and little cottages nestled next to them. I feel really lucky to call Germany home.

My kids put our dog, Minkie, up on the city wall to look down in the valley. They then realized she might jump so they held on to her for dear life. Minkie enjoys a good German view too.

The view of the walled city of Rothenburg.

The Nazis loved Rothenburg. There's something I don't think you will hear this town boasting about. The Nazis thought that it was the quintessential German home town and was the most German of Germany. They would send Nazi soldiers here for a little R'n'R. That's rest and relaxation for you non-military folks out there. 

When the Americans came into Germany at the end of WWII, they recognized the significance of Rothenburg and tried to inflict minimal damage in the taking of the town. Here is the town's castle still intact on a hill in the city.

My husband's mother was born in Bavaria so my kids feel right at home here. And we just found out that we are moving a half-hour away from Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria so now we can come here all the time. If we want to come here all the time, that is.

It started getting darker and that always means colder so it was time to go. Auf Wiedersehen for now Bavaria. We'll be seeing you again, very, very soon!

We are moving near the town of Ansbach, Germany in January 2015. Stay tuned to hear about our fun move! Because moving is always super fun, right? RIGHT?! 

Cracking Through Kraków - Poland

After a difficult day at Auschwitz concentration camp, we decided to take some much needed time in the beautiful, old town of Kraków. 

Kraków started as a Stone Age settlement on Wawel Hill.  During the 15th and 16th centuries, Kraków had its Golden Age with many buildings and works of art created during this time.

Here is my teeny-tiny family (I zoomed out to show the scale of this thing) in front of the Kraków Barbican. What's a barbican? A barbican is a fortified outpost connected to the city walls. This one was built in 1498 and is one of only three left in Europe. This one is the best preserved. Obviously.

It even has a moat. It is pretty impressive. Obviously.

The old town of Kraków is still surrounded by intact city walls. I love old town city walls. Sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes they let you know that "everything you need to see is right in here, contained by these walls." Makes it kind of nice when you are traipsing around Europe on foot with four children and a dog.

The beautiful old town section of Kraków.

Somehow, every trip we go on through out Europe, includes a visit to McDonald's. Maybe it's because every time we see one we get begged for a hamburger and fries by the kids. 

This is St. Mary's Basilica, built in the 1300's. It is a Roman Catholic church, which brings me to an interesting point. Poland is the most Catholic, and most ethnically homogenous country within Europe. On the day we were in Kraków, the streets were bustling with Roman Catholic clergy walking the streets. Priests, nuns, and monks in robes with rosary beads clicking at their sides.

The Saints Peter and Paul Church in the old town. It is the first building built in the Baroque style in Poland. 

One of the things I love about exploring these old cities of Europe, is that you never know what you are going to get. Little treasures hide around every corner. Like this gate to a small courtyard beyond. Look closely at that top step. Look how worn down it is. How many people have stepped there and crossed through? What were their stories? I, too, stepped through the gate and added my story to theirs.

Like any self-respecting, old city in Europe, Kraków's skyline is dominated by a castle on a hill. Here is Wawel Castle.

Wawel Castle is a sprawling complex of buildings built around a center square on the Vistula River. It was built over different periods in the mid-1300's and 1400's. For centuries it housed the ruling kings of Poland. Now it is a museum. Sorry kings.

Here is a view of the steepled skyline of Kraków from Wawel Hill. Just beautiful.

By now our McDonald's fix was wearing off, when what should we happen upon when we turned a corner? A little outdoor celebration with booths of food. 

Here is our plate of pierogi. Pierogi are Polish dough dumplings stuffed with meat, or onions, or cheese, or all three, then boiled and then fried. They are pretty tasty. The locals running this festival welcomed us in and cleared a spot for us to sit down and eat. (And of course what is any European meal without sausage, as seen in the background of this picture.)

We enjoyed our Polish lunch of pierogi, sausage, kebabs, and vegetables, and we went on our way exploring more of Kraków with our bellies and hearts full.

Here is a section of the Main Square of Kraków. It is the largest medieval town square in Europe.

This is the Town Hall Tower. It was built in the 1200's and its cellars used to hold a medieval torture chamber. Spooky.

This building framed by the amazing blue sky is the old Cloth Hall. Built in the 1400's, it was center for trade and barter for goods like silk and spices from all over Europe and Asia. 

We spent two wonderful days in Poland. One day at Auschwitz reflecting on the atrocities of history, and another day in Kraków, celebrating the beauty that can survive centuries of war and occupation. 

We finished up our day in Kraków with a walk through a park in the old part of town. It was good day.

Do widzenia,

Kelly

Now We Live In Wiesbaden

Oder, Wir wohnen in Wiesbaden. Always working on that Deutsch.

Hello! I have missed you! You may have noticed I haven't been around for awhile. Yeah, about that. Let me explain. No, is too long. Let me sum up. (Extra points if you can tell me what movie that is from in the comments!)

We move to Wiesbaden. 

I spend 2-3 weeks learning the roads and autobahns of Wiesbaden and nearby Mainz and Frankfurt. (I refuse to ever be lost in Germany again!)

I am asked to help run a girls youth church group that organizes activities and spiritual lessons. 

I say yes. 

September starts, and with it the most beautiful fall that I have ever seen. (Seriously, perfect. Cool temps, bright blue skies, vineyards and forests bursting with color everywhere. Had to be explored!)

My parents, brother, and his wife come to visit. Then they leave.

My other brother and his wife and cute toddler visit.

We go on an eleven day cruise to the Western Mediterranean. (More on that soon.)

Come home and it's Christmas time.

Brother leaves.

January- husband and children have recurring flu, strep, and colds run through them for three months.

Computer gets nasty adware and malware that makes it practically impossible to blog without 30 popups a minute.

I get flu that lasts three weeks.

Finally buy new computer. A Mac, I might add. I feel so yuppie.

So, now everybody is healthy. I have no more popups. And I think I have learned to manage my time better. So what time is it? It's time to blog again, my friends.

I live in Wiesbaden now. Wiesbaden in the capital of our new state, Hessen. I must admit, I love Wiesbaden. Like, really, really love Wiesbaden. It is nestled between the Taunus Mountains and the meeting of the Rhein and Main rivers. The countryside and hills around us are covered with forests and vineyards. Twenty kilometers east is big, bad Frankfurt. And 20 kilometers west is the start of the beautiful section of the river called the Romantic Rhein. Castles, vineyards. It is truly lovely. 

Let me show you a picture of downtown.

This picture was taken on a late August morning during the farmer's market that takes place every Wednesday and Saturday.

How cute is that?

They sell flowers, fruit, vegetables, and baked goods. I'll take one of everything, please!

Here are my boys and our doggie, Minkie in front of the city square, or Schloßplatz. That impressive red building is the Marktkirche, or market church. It is the main Protestant church in Wiesbaden and was finished in 1862.

Here it is soaring over the Altstadt of Wiesbaden.

Here is one of my favorite buildings in Wiesbaden. Der Eimer, or the bucket. This is a little bar in downtown Wiesbaden. I'm not sure why it's crooked, but the story goes that when they built this little bar they forgot to put in toilets. To rectify the problem, they put a bucket (for you know what) in each corner. Hence the name, the bucket. Or more aptly named, the buckets. 

Here are die Kinder standing in front of what is left of the Roman fortification that was here between 121 AD and 486 AD. This wall is called the Heidenmauer, or heathen's wall. The Romans built it around to 364 to keep out all the Germanic tribes, or heathens for lack of a better word. Imagine it, heathens roaming freely around Europe. How exciting!

There are some Roman artifacts around the remnant of the Heidenmauer.

I think we are going to be very happy in this beautiful city.

After all, there is some of the best Spaghetti Eis we've ever had here. What is Spaghetti Eis? It is vanilla ice cream dispensed in long noodle shapes, toped by red, strawberry sauce, and finished off with grated white chocolate chips. All made to look like noodles topped with red spaghetti sauce and parmesan cheese. It is so good. Come to Wiesbaden and I'll buy you some!

Tchüss,

Kelly

PS - I am going to try really hard to keep my blog updated. I have so much to tell you! Castles, cruises, Africa, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Croatia, maybe more moves! Stay tuned! 

PPS - Feel free to email me (some of you did!) and call me out on my laziness in keeping my blog updated. It helped! 

Saarburg And Hangin' With The German Family - Germany

We recently traveled over to the little town of Saarburg, located near Trier in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany.

Did you know that Germany has states? We used to live in Baden-Württemburg, now we live in Hessen. The state names seem to be much more of a mouthful than the state names in America, though. I mean really, Rhineland-Palatinate? Baden-Württemburg? Or how about Nordrhein-Westfalen? Or my favorite, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern? Back in America, you couldn't even get people to call California by its full name, it is often shortened to Cali (which I hate). Imagine cramming the state names of Germany into a song like we sing in America about our states. I don't see it happening.

Anywho, we went to Saarburg for one, to see it, and for two, to visit Matt's German Cousin, German Cousin's Wife, German Cousin's Daughter, and German Cousin's Son. German Cousin was really the only one that could speak English. German Cousin's Wife, German Cousin's Daughter, and German Cousin's Son could speak "a little" English and since we can speak kleine Deutsch we had a hard time communicating. So we turned to the international language of Fußball and food to communicate.

My daughter, Ashlenne, and German Cousin's Daughter were reluctant to try to use their language skills. So they reverted to a language every teenage girl knows. iPod's and Google translate.

Matt and German Cousin may have grown up on separate continents, but they have always been close. They laughed the same and had the same mannerisms. They even wore matching shirts.

 

The actual meeting of German Cousin was a little awkward for me. It was the first time in Europe that I got the "Two Cheek Kiss Greeting." And I was not expecting it. I was better prepared when we left, offering my own "Two Cheek Kiss Goodbye." I felt so European.

After lunch we went exploring the town of Saarburg. We climbed the 1,050 year old castle tower (it has been reinforced since then).

Climbing the tower gave us great views of the town of Saarburg.

German Cousin told us that Saarburg is known as the "Venice of Germany" because of the canals that run through it. You tell me, does it look like Venice?

We stopped and got some Spaghetti Eis which is vanilla ice cream squeezed out to make it into long noodle shapes and then topped with strawberry sauce and shaved white chocolate. It is really good.

I tested German Cousin and tried out my sense of humor on him. Don't worry, he laughed. You were right blogosphere. There are some funny Germans out there.

We rode a chairlift to the top of a nearby hill. Our doggie, Minkie, even rode with us. And she didn't even try to jump off once.

We played and relaxed at the top of the hill. 

That beer is Minkie's, not Alexander's. See how tipsy she is?

Then we hiked back down the hill through the vineyards of Riesling grapes that cover the hillsides.

All in all, it was a pretty good day in Saarburg.

When we got home, I checked another little corner of Europe off my list.