Halloween - in Germany?!?!

Yes, we did celebrate Halloween here in Germany.  I guess one of the perks/disadvantages (depending on how you look at it) is that you get to/have to celebrate all the American holidays.  So, this year we got to celebrate Halloween.  I think it was a really good thing for the kids.  Ian, especially, is old enough to have expectations of what Halloween should be like, and I think it helped him feel less displaced to be able to carve pumpkins, dress up, and go trick-or-treating.  I was excited to tackle another costume project, and we were ALL happy to eat homemade doughnuts with friends at the end of the day.  There are a few tricky things about celebrating Halloween here, however.   For instance, coming up with costumes is a challenge - even if you make them yourself.  I was worried that this year Ian would request a costume that:

1 - I could not make or order in time, and/or

2 - would not fit into a scheme with Naomi's costume choice (princess, of course!). (Okay, this could have been a problem anywhere - I just like having their costumes fit some kind of theme.  It's just that finding a costume here is hard enough - let alone finding two that go together.)

Fortunately Ian's teacher requested that the kids dress up as story book characters rather than something scary.  That narrowed down our options considerably. As I listed a few, Ian settled on Robin Hood.  (It is possible that I may have steered him just a little bit in that direction.  After all, Maid Marian is a princess, right? That covered Naomi's costume request.   And I had patterns for both costumes - it was just too perfect!)  I was able to convince Naomi that she wanted to be Maid Marian the princess and we were set.  I loaded up my patterns and headed to the craft shop here on post, excited to get started on the costumes (this was around the first of October) only to find that they only sell quilting fabric.  Hmmm....no good.  So (and I really think that this is the most impressive part of the whole project) I looked up fabric shops in Heidelberg online, found the address, converted all my yardage requirements into meters and centimeters, drove to downtown Heidelberg and purchased the materials I needed.  I do have to admit (why must I be so honest?!) that there was a very kind lady there that spoke English, so I didn't have to try and communicate my needs with my very few German phrases and a bunch of numbers written down on a scrap of paper.  But had she not been there, I was prepared to try.  

And here are the results:

                                                           

                                                                          Robin Hood and Maid Marian

                                        

Robin Hood - isn't he dashing?  He was very, very disappointed that he didn't have a bow and arrows.  Unfortunately I just ran out of time.  I should have relegated the construction of a bow and arrows to Ben.  In fact, I meant to. Lesson learned.   Of course, next year, he'll want to be a Pokemon character, or Spider Man and rather than sewing I'll spend some quality time at  target.com.  And that is fine with me.  Naomi will just have to be something on her own.  I'm just not ready for her to be Mary Jane. 

                                       

Beautiful Maid Marian.  Naomi was ECSTATIC to be Maid Marian.  ECSTATIC.  We went to a Halloween festival here on post for most of our trick-or-treating.  (It was raining outside and the festival was inside - plus, there were games and non-candy prizes.  Definitely a win-win situation.)  Anyway, as we approached each booth, Naomi would run ahead yelling "I'M MAID MARIAN!!!  LOOK AT MY COSTUME!!!  I'M MAID MARIAN!!!"  We had a great time.  Oh, and when we returned from trick-or-treating, we walked in the door and saw this:

                                          

                                                   Doughnuts anyone?  The perfect end to a perfect day!

Back from Bavaria pt. II, or, the Madness of King Ludwig

I know that our Bavaria trip was awhile ago....let's just say that life has been crazy.  Really, when is it not?  I feel like I begin each week with a fresh outlook and a relatively clear schedule.  By mid-week I am embroiled in multiple projects and feeling overwhelmed by the number of things I need to accomplish before the weekend.  As I reach the end of the week I sink, exhausted, into bed wondering where the week went and how it is possible that I got so little done.  Time passes so quickly.  I am hoping that as I get into more of a routine here, and become more familiar with my surroundings, my life will begin to feel less frenetic and over-scheduled.  On the other hand, I am a compulsively busy person.  Maybe there's no hope! 

Anyway, the last two weeks were filled with birthdays, Halloween activities, and church responsibilities and blogging (out of sheer necessity) got shoved to the back burner.  I'm in a pre-Thanksgiving lull right now, though, so I'm planning on getting all caught up.  So, back to Bavaria. 

After our day on the Zugspitze we decided it was time to do some castle gazing.  In two days we visited 3 castles owned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The first, Hohenschwangau, was his parents' place. (Ludwig was born in Hohenschwangau, but decided (when he ascended the throne at the ripe old age of 18) that it was too old-fashioned for his taste moved out.) 

                            

                                          

I don't know - if I'd been born in a place like that I'd be looking to upgrade.  Wouldn't you?  Because the 20 minute walk to the top only took us 5 (with kids!!!) we arrived in plenty of time to walk around the courtyards and enjoy the views from each side of the castle, all of which were spectacular.  It is, after all, about location, location, location...

        

       

I have to insert here that visiting the Alps this fall was such a balm for my homesickness.  After living for 7 years in relatively flat places it is so wonderful to live near some real mountains.  If we hadn't encountered several crazy German motorists, and seen the pristine woodstacks on the pristine farms filled with immaculately groomed cattle, I almost would have believed myself to be back in Utah.  It was great to be in the mountains again.

The second castle we visited is the most famous of Ludwig's castles, and possibly the most famous castle in Europe - Neuschwanstein.  This is one of several newer, hipper place Ludwig built during his reign.  It never was finished.  Ludwig (by the time he was in his early 30's) had bankrupted the treasury and was found drowned in a pond next to the castle.  Very mysterious...

    

 

      

The third castle we visited was Linderhoff - Ludwig's mini-Versailles.  I swear the guy spent his life trying to escape it.  He had grottos, a Moorish Kiosk, the mini-Versailles, a Wagnerian hunting lodge.  Way too much money, way too much power.

                                                             

Our last stop (and this was the one that pushed the kids to their limits) was at a monastery in Ettal.  We'll have to go back.  But, we did run into someone who took a picture of the whole family together (we got 3 in one trip!!!) so at least we can document that we tried.

                                  

 

And that's it.  We had a really, really long drive home (taking the scenic route wasn't the best of ideas) and are now trying to decide what to do for our next 4 day weekend.  Trier perhaps?

Oh, and mom, I PROMISE the Halloween pictures are coming soon!