Merry Christmas!!!

Well, I suppose we're a little bit late here.  I know that it is more than slightly ridiculous to post something about Christmas more than 2 months after it has passed, but I can't help myself.  Christmas happened, after all, and it does need to be documented.  Actually, there are quite a few things I plan on blogging about in the next week or so.  And I really do mean to do it.  We've got a bunch of trips coming up and if I don't get caught up now, I never will.  So, Merry Christmas from Germany!

We had a very nice Christmas.  Ben's work schedule was pretty lame (he had to work both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve) so we kept it pretty low key.  We were invited to spend Christmas Eve with some friends from our ward, we had dinner with our next door neighbors on Christmas Day, and we visited my aunt and uncle in Schweinfurt the Saturday after Christmas.  We really appreciated having so many people reach out to us and make us feel welcome during the holiday season.  It is sometimes hard to be so far away.

We did, however, enjoy the chance to spend some quiet time with the kids.  We decorated gingerbread cookies (evidence to follow), we opened presents, we played together, we cooked our very first Christmas goose (traditional in Germany), and, right about New Year's Eve we got sick together.

                            

Note the finely decorated decorated cookies.  I know Ian did the gingerbread Santa, and I think that Naomi did the star, although I'm pretty sure she had some help.  Just a guess.  Those sprinkles look just a little too even...     

I think Santa enjoyed quite the treat, don't you?                    

                            

Excited kids on Christmas morning - we didn't actually open presents until about 8:00 in the morning.  Heaven. 

                              

And finally, our genuine, home cooked, day-after-Christmas German feast:

                                                  

                            

We had (as aforementioned) a lovely Christmas goose, complete with sauerkraut stuffing.  We had rotkohl (red pickled cabbage - kind of a sweeter version of sauerkraut), and potato dumplings.  (The peas were an afterthought - I just couldn't stand the thought of only having cabbage/sauerkraut as our only vegetable for the evening.)  For those of you who have never cooked a goose (hahaha) I'd recommend NOT buying one, or rather, not sending your husband to buy one at a European grocery store on Christmas Eve.  I think that by the time the goose was cooked (sorry, just can't get enough of that) and all the fat had melted off, and by the time we had our cooked goose (last time, I promise) carved, we had about 3 pounds of cooked meat.  I figure the cost was about $25/lb. of cooked meat.  I wish I could say that eating said goose was a gastronomical delight never to be duplicated (and worth every euro cent).  I can't.*  The experience we had researching and preparing our traditional meal, however, was.  We'll probably try another traditional German Christmas meal next year, but I think I'll substitute a turkey for the goose and focus our attention on some yummy Christmas desserts.  (This year it was store bought Lebkuchen.)  And there you have it.  Christmas in March.  I'm really not doing too well at keeping current, here, am I.  I resolve to to better!

*The goose was tender, and quite tasty.  I just didn't think it was fantastic enough to warrant the purchase price.  Maybe they're cheaper in the States.

25 Random Things

*Warning* This is a picture- free post...

25 random things about me….I have a hard time doing something like this because I can’t imagine someone actually reading it clear through to the end. I’m really not that interesting. But, I have been tagged approximately 25 times (okay, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration) so I guess I’ll give it a go.

1. I am compulsively responsible. This guy I dated in college complained regularly that I wasn’t spontaneous (I retorted that I wasn’t STUPID) because I wouldn’t do things like take off in the middle of the night for Wendover with him. Who wants to go to Wendover, anyway?
2. I am a night owl. This started in college with post performance highs and has continued with child free hours post bedtime.
3. I am embarrassed that I am not speaking German yet.
4. I really, really, really want to learn to play the banjo.
5. Or maybe the mandolin.
6. One of the things that makes me happiest is watching my children really enjoy something and/or seeing wonder in their eyes when they discover something new.
7. I enjoy baking. Not cooking so much, but baking. I really love making fancy desserts – especially ones with a high chocolate content.
8. I started watching Stargate SG-1 with my husband and by Season 3 was hooked. (The first couple of seaons were lame.) We now own all 10 seasons.
9. Despite having been raised in a cold weather climate (UT) I don’t like cold weather. Or snow. I like skiing and sledding, but only for a day or so. I miss the weather in Georgia – humidity is a pain, but it keeps my hands from cracking and bleeding which is a definite bonus.
10. I am NOT athletic. People think that because I’m a musician I’m coordinated. Well, just because I can move my fingers does not mean that I have any gross motor skills. Let’s just say that PE ruined my 4.0 in high school. I think that they should have remedial PE for people like me.
11. I am looking forward to taking some tennis lessons this spring. There’s a tennis club here on post with clay courts, so that should be interesting. The difference between tennis and other sports is that I can be bad at it and enjoy it. I never enjoyed basketball.
12. I LOVE GERMAN YOGURT!
13. AND CHOCOLATE!
14. AND CHEESE!
15. I’m having to exercise more here as a result of numbers 12, 13 and 14 to keep the weight off, and it is totally worth it!
16. I don’t like to exercise.
17. The thing I hate most about Germany is my stupid, tiny, cramped apartment.
18. I feel like something’s not right with the world if I’m not in the middle of a good book. I always have a stack of books on my nightstand, and I can’t fall asleep unless I’ve read for a little while before bed.
19. I like numbers and statistics. Lately I’ve been addicted to the CNN Money page – the price of oil and the Euro/Dollar conversion rate are my latest favorites.
20. I truly believe that something worth doing is something worth doing well. So, when I do something, I go all out.
21. As a result of number 19, I sometimes get overambitious and overextend myself. Fortunately I have a fantastic husband who is willing to help me out of the fixes in which I so frequently find myself. I’ve dragged Ben into cooking projects, baking projects, MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC, sewing projects, Relief Society Projects…..poor guy.
22. I love period dramas. Pride and Prejudice, North and South (not the Civil War one), Bleak House, Emma, Martin Chuzzlewit, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion are among my favorites. I love to read the books, and I love to watch the movies.
23. The thing I miss most right now (aside from family and friends, which goes without saying) is my Symphony job and the performance opportunities I had in Augusta. I’m having a very hard time finding places to play here. (Refer to number 3.) Hopefully now that Naomi’s FINALLY in pre-school I can work more on my German and work harder on finding a group to play with.
24. I want to work on my singing. I get asked to sing in church a lot, and it would be nice to feel like I was better in control of what comes out of my mouth.
25. I have the greatest husband and kids on the planet. (And yes, I really believe that.)

So, there it is. More than you possibly ever wanted to know about me. If any of you made it through all 25 I should give you a prize. There’s always chocolate…..

I Heart London Part III, or, I Have Been Changed for Good

Well, it's still Sunday.  Ben and Ian are still at Stake Conference.  Naomi has made it through Tinkerbell the movie TWICE and is standing precariously on a ball while holding onto the table while telling me that "This is my talent mom."  I'm afraid that this will only end in tears. *Update* As I finished typing that last sentence, Naomi fell off the ball and whacked her chin on the table.  Fortunately she was more scared than hurt.  And, it did end in tears.

Anyway, the Motrin hasn't worn off yet, so on we go with the final installment of our London trip.  Hopefully I can get this done before sitting upright becomes unbearable again.

Our third (and last) full day in London we spent with our friends.  Our first destination was Buckingham Palace.  You can't go to London and not at least stop by, right?  We decided to walk from the train station, rather than take the Tube, which turned out to be a great idea.  Have you ever seen footage on TV of processions heading towards Buckingham Palace?  Well, there are these wide sidewalks lined by trees all the way to the palace.  The kids had a great time just running.  We walked past St. James Place (I can never hear those words without recalling Sir Lucas' offer to introduce the Darcys and the Bingleys at the court of St. James) and were fortunate enough to have group of soldiers on horses (cavalry?) pass right by us.

                                  

We had wanted to see some of the pomp and circumstance associated with the British royalty and there was no changing of the guard that day, so this was the best we could do.  It was good enough for me - I saw the changing of the guard when I was a teenager and don't remember thinking it was anything special.  The kids loved the horses and the soldiers with their bright red uniforms.  I must admit it was an impressive sight.

One big advantage to visiting London in December is that the crowds are minimal.  We had no wait to see the crown jewels when we visited the Tower of London, and there were no big crowds outside of Buckingham palace. 

  

  

I can guarantee that you can't get pictures this empty of other people in July! 

So after we'd taken a gander at the palace (you can't go inside) we headed onward to St. Paul's Cathedral.  St. Paul's is one of my very favorite cathedrals.  While the outside is nice, the inside is spectacular.  It is truly beautiful inside.  Unfortunately you I couldn't take pictures inside. (Somehow they've got to keep the gift shop in business!  And, it is a church after all.) The ceilings (keep in mind this is a cathedral so the ceilings are extremely high) are all vibrant, colorful mosaics with gold accents.  There are scenes from Genesis - most particularly the Garden of Eden - which include beautifully rendered depictions of plants and animals.  There are also stunning mosaics of scenes from the life of Christ.

Something else I noticed (that I hadn't noticed before as a teenager) was the American Memorial Chapel at the back of the Cathedral.  It is a section of the building that was rebuilt after WWII (the cathedral sustained some damage) which commemorates the American soldiers who gave their lives in defense of the British Isles during WWII.  There is a beautiful illuminated book listing the names of all 28,000 soldiers.  Visiting this chapel was a particularly poignant experience because my husband currently serves in the army.  It was good (and sobering) to be in a country that owes quite a lot to the sacrifices made by American soldiers and to see that those sacrifices are still remembered and appreciated.  St. Paul's was probably my favorite stop in London.

                           

                                              

Our final stop as a family (and with our friends) was the British museum.  Can I just say that saving the British museum until the very end was a BIG, BIG, BIG, HUGE, TREMENDOUS, HORRIBLE mistake?!!?!  The kids were exhausted.  Ian lay down (on the floor!) in nearly every room we entered.  Naomi wanted to be carried the ENTIRE time.  I was really hoping that the mummies and Egyptian stuff would perk them up but no dice.  They just wanted to go home.  So, no viewing of the Rosetta stone.  No viewing of the pilfered statues from the Acropolis.  No viewing of pieces of pyramids from Egypt.  We did get to see some really fascinating old coins which the kids got to hold (they thought that part was cool) and we did see the mummies.  We are definitely going to have to go back.  Maybe summer of 2010.  There is still Wimbledon to see after all!

Oh, and there are no pictures of us at the British museum.  I guess I was tired too.

Here's our final picture from London:

                                            

Granted, this is a horrible picture, but can you tell what it is?  (I know Nicole can.) It's the Emerald City!  Yes, that's right, Ben and I (on our anniversary no less) got to go see Wicked!  Our friends took all the kids (that's 6 kids including theirs - oh, and we had done the same for them two nights earlier) on the train back to the house we were all staying in together and Ben and I got to go on a date by ourselves to see Wicked in London.  It was amazing!  We loved it.  After anniversaries here in Europe, it's going to be hard to go back to dinner and a movie in the States.  We're definitely getting spoiled.  And yes, I did cry during "Changed for Good."  We miss you all!

I Heart London Part II, or, How to Get Kids to Have Fun at Museums

Hello again all!  I realize that my goal of writing multiple posts in a short amount of time in an attempt to bring us up to the present has been, sadly, unfulfilled.  All I can say is that we are experiencing what so many families with young children experience after a move - weeks and weeks of being sick.  I think we're slowly making our way through every German bug out there.  The worst part of it all is that we haven't been sick at the same time.  Nope, I have had a sick child, a sick husband, or been sick myself for at least six weeks.  Today it's my turn.  I woke up with a nasty fever, cough, body ache combo that had me flat on my back until the Motrin and Robitussen kicked in.  So, Ben is at Stake Conference with Ian, Naomi is lying on the couch watching the Tinkerbell movie for the second time today and I'm taking the opportunity of my drug induced state of well being to do some blogging.  I have a whole bunch of pictures from London to post, so I'm going to try and get through them all today.  Here goes!

Our second day in London we split up with our friends for the day (in order for them to do things we didn't want to and vice-versa).  We started out the day at Westminster Abbey.  I love Westminster Abbey.  I think it is a fascinating church and I think it's amazing how many statues and tombs they have crammed in, and continue to cram in.  Our original plan was to just walk through the church and see what we could until the kids had had it, however after Naomi took this picture:

                                                

the greeter/guard (who joked with her that he hadn't been ready and didn't have a good smile) told us about the children's path that we could follow.  Inside at the information desk we found clipboards with a "treasure hunt" for the kids to do.  It was great.  There were questions like "Westminster Abbey has the highest ceiling in Europe.  How high do you think it is?" and "Find the statue of Shakespeare.  What is he leaning on?"  and "Find the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I.  What year was she born?".  The kids(especially Ian) loved it.  And, at the end, we got to turn in our answers for a giant chocolate coin.  I wish that every museum/church had something similar for kids to do.  We got to see more, the kids had fun searching for answers and there was candy at the end.  What more could you want?!  Here are some more pictures of Westminster from the outside. 

                                  

                                         

                                                            

Note how beautifully blue the skies are.  We really lucked out with weather.  London in December was definitely a risk, and this time it paid off.  In fact, it was warmer in London that week than it was in Heidelberg!

After a wandering Westminster and a really bad lunch at Quiznos (Not so good in London, much to our dismay.  STAY AWAY!  And they didn't even have bathrooms!) we walked up to Trafalgar Square.  Our next stop was St. Martin in the Fields (a church).

                                           

The church itself is nothing spectacular (although there is a cool cafe in the crypt downstairs - if only we had waited to eat there!) but for those of you who aren't classical music nerds (like myself) this church is home to the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (one of the finer orchestras out there) conducted by Sir Neville Mariner.  Unfortunately they weren't playing that day, but I did get to see the church and hope that I'll be able to return for a concert someday.  And, the church is also the location of the London Brass rubbing center.  Our kid friendly activity of the day!  Coloring!  Here we are working on our masterpieces:

                                         

After we were done we let the kids run around Trafalgar Square for awhile. 

             

             

                                                             

Our final stop was the British National Gallery. 

                                              

I must say that our kids were troopers.  It did help that I made a bingo game for the museum - they spent their time searching paintings for things they could cross off on their bingo cards.  We had a wonderful day.  I really, really love London.

I Heart London (part 1 - there are way too many pictures for just one entry!)

I've been trying to figure out a way to write an informative yet amusing account of our trip to London. 

Nope, nothing's coming. 

In fact, I wrote a good amount last night, went to bed dissatisfied with it, and deleted it all this morning.  So, today you get a bunch of pictures with a little bit of description (London speaks for itself anyway!) and (hopefully) I'll get closer to catching my blogging life up with my real life.

As a quick introduction, we took a rather impromptu trip to London with our very good friends the Dawsons the week before Christmas.  We stayed in a house just south of the city and took commuter trains in every morning.  I love London.  I was a little worried about the cold, but it was actually warmer than Heidelberg was at the time, and, because it was the week before Christmas, there were no crowds.  I took way too many pictures.  Here are some from the first day...

                               

                 

                            

Above - us (I'm behind the camera) at the tower of London.  It took us a little longer to get there than we had hoped.  Our travel plan ran smoothly until we tried to make the transition to the tube.  Unfortunately there was an accident on the tracks, so the line we needed got closed right as we were about to board.  We walked.  We were just glad not to have been on the train, stuck in a tunnel, underground, with 6 young children.  In any case, we made it to the tower and loved it.  From my previous visit (when I was 14!) I only remembered the ravens, signs saying "Beware Ravens Bite," and the crown jewels.  All of those things were there, and they were still impressive, however, this time I was more impressed with the structure and the history of the place.  The kids enjoyed being outside and having open places to run.  They also enjoyed the white tower museum with the weapons - especially the part where they got to try out some of the weapons.  Ian was particularly surprised at how heavy a sword is. We spent the better part of the day at the tower - there is A LOT to see and do there, and I think we all had a great time.  I did, anyway.  I would love to go back and actually take the tour with a guide so that I can get a little more of the tower's historical background.  Maybe next time!

       

     

Here we are (all of us this time - a definite perk of traveling with friends is that you can actually get a family picture without having to talk to strangers) in front of the London Bridge.  These pictures are taken from the Tower of London - in fact, the upper right hand picture is of both the tower and the bridge.  The kids loved seeing places they've heard about, sung about, and seen in movies.  In fact, much to the amusement (and delight, I hope) of morning commuters, the morning after having seen London Bridge they sang the song (you know - London Bridge is Falling Down) and played the accompanying game with the Dawson kids while we waited for our train.  In any case (delighted Londoners or no) it kept them happy and busy. 

Speaking of train travel, one thing that was very funny to us was how hard the ticket vendor at the West Wickham train station tried to get us on to the later (cheaper) trains.  If you travel after 9:30 a.m. you get a discount.  Well, we didn't want to travel later.  We wanted to get going and we definitely didn't want to spend any more time than necessary waiting on the platform.  I know that this kind man was just trying to help the dumb Americans who were obviously spending WAY too much on train travel, but really, it's worth the extra money to not have to wait around for a train with 6 children 10 and under (4 of whom were 3 and under).  Also, it gets dark SO early in London (here too for that matter) that you really need to get an earlier start if you want to have enough daylight to get to anything.  Eventually we did convince him that we wanted the earlier tickets - they were worth every penny.

                 

          

                                         

And finally, here we are again - this time in front of Big Ben and the Parliament buildings.  As you can tell the light was quickly fading.  I think it was around 4:00 in the afternoon.  (Looking at the time on Big Ben in the pictures - yup, I'm right.)  I can't believe how huge Parliament is.  HUGE!!!  Ian and Naomi especially loved seeing Big Ben - they recognized it from Peter Pan and Mary Poppins.  Anyway, we heard the famous bells ring, we took some pictures and we called it a day. 

And that's day one of London!  Stay tuned for day 2 - hopefully we'll have another few entries this week as I try to get caught up!

Lonely and Sad

Now before you are start calling me to check on me, let me just assure you right now that the title of this post has nothing to do with my emotional well-being.  Granted, there are days here that are lonely, however that is (maybe) a subject for another day.  This post is all about Naomi.....

My friend wrote this post on her blog a few months ago.  As I read it, several thoughts came to mind.  These included, and were not limited to: "Wow, I really can't imagine having a daughter that sensitive and, well, so dramatic -  at least not for a few years, anyway," and, "If cute kittens make her cry, what's she going to do when she finds out about things like ethnic cleansing and global warming?"  and finally, "Heaven help her mom when she hits puberty!"  My friends, never say never.  And never assume that you are immune from ANYTHING!! 

The Monday after Thanksgiving we went and bought a Christmas tree for family home evening.  We were going to decorate it that night, but by the time we had picked the tree, loaded it into the car, driven home, dragged the tree up the stairs and into our apartment and securely installed it in its tree stand, I was ready for the kids to go to bed.  I had the mistaken impression that if we waited until another night to decorate the tree (hopefully starting earlier in the evening) we'd have happier and more cooperative children.  HA!

Thursday night we started decorating.  I must insert here that I love decorating the Christmas tree.  I love having a real tree.  I love the smell of the pine sap.  I love pulling out each decoration and remembering who gave it to us, or who made it.  So, I was really excited to get started. 

We had a grand start.  The kids were happy.  They were getting along well and were actually able to hang some ornaments without help.  We had only dropped (and broken!) one ornament.  Then Ben made the fateful statement that `would (unbeknownst to us) change the course of the evening from one of music, smiles and laughter to one of uncontrollable sobbing, moaning, and dismay.  While helping Naomi hang an ornament on a branch that was out of her reach, she asked him why they had to hang the ornament on that particular branch.  He responded that the branch was lonely and sad, and we wouldn't want it to stay that way would we?  Seeming to accept that logic, they hung the ornament and moved on.  Or seemed to.  Just moments later Naomi burst into tears.  We're not talking a little sniffle here.  Not even a steady cry.  This was uncontrolled sobbing.  I (being the sensitive mother I am) rushed to her side and asked what was the matter.

"It's.....so...sobsobsobsob.....lonely....and......sobsobsob.......sa-a-a-a-a-a-d-d-d-d....."

"Naomi, are you lonely?  We're all right here...do you need some help putting on the ornament?"

"Noooooooo.....the.....sobsobsob.....bra-a-a-a-a-a-anch.....lonely....sa-a-a-d...."

Good grief.

Are you kidding me?

Seeing my daughter in such distress, I did what any sensitive mother would do.  I ran and grabbed the camera.  And here's the evidence of our joyous evening:

                   

The sobbing lasted a full hour.  She cried while we finished decorating the tree.  (Fortunately we were almost done!) She cried while she used the potty.  She cried while she got her jammies on.  She cried while Ben brushed her teeth.  There was no stopping it.  I'm doomed.  So, when you're all in the throws of pre-pubescent drama and teen angst, give me a call.  We'll be there too. 

                                                

Nuremberg Weihnachtsmarkt - a.k.a. Black Friday German Style

I realize that it has been, well, awhile since I updated my blog.  I guess the reason is that I was busy enjoying my Christmas break rather than blogging about it.  From what I can tell most of you have been doing the same.  Suffice it to say, a lot has happened and if I ever want to catch up, I'm going to have to blog until I drop.  (Actually, the dropping part has already happened.  I'm home from church sick (Naomi is too) and I can only stand to lie in bed in a stupor for so long, so, here I am with the laptop, in bed, ready for a blogging marathon.  We'll see how much I get done.)  I'd like to try and keep my entries in chronological order, so I'm going to go back a ways to Thanksgiving....

Thanksgiving was great!  We had dinner at our house.  Ben once again baked a delicious turkey complete with stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy and I, in a fit of insanity, baked 6 pies.  I thought I could get six pies done in a day and I almost did.  Ben, like the truly fabulous husband he is, came to my rescue at around midnight (the night before Thanksgiving) and helped me out with the last pie.  We had Apple, Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Cranberry Pecan, Raspberry Chiffon and Chocolate Cream.  And why so many pies?  Truthfully, because I'm just a little bit crazy.  And, in my mind there are pies one cannot do without at Thanksgiving (Apple and Pumpkin).  When you've committed to make one pumpkin pie, you might as well make two (who wants half a can of leftover pumpkin pureé) so there are the first three pies.  Cranberry Pecan has become a must have for Thanksgiving Dinner at our house - Ben loves it (amazing for a man who once hated pecans!) so now we have four.  I personally need a touch of chocolate at any meal, so that brings us up to five.  The last pie is the traditional one.  I can see you now puzzling over how Raspberry Chiffon Pie is traditional for any Thanksgiving meal....well, it's not.  The tradition began when I was in high school.  My mom had my sisters and I each choose a pie to make for Thanksgiving one year (I think blueberry was my first).  Since then I have tried to bake a new pie each year.  Some have been total successes (for instance the aforementioned Cranberry Pecan Pie) while others...let's just say....haven't.  (The Cranberry Chiffon Pie just WASN'T worth the effort!)  Anyway, the meal was great as was the company.  We had two families over that we knew in GA (our good friends the Dawsons and the Chis) as well as our next door neighbors. It was a lovely day.  (Unfortunately by the time the pie making was done, I was exhausted.  I don't think I took any pictures that day.  Or, if I did, I can't find them.)

Now - back to the title of this post.  Black Friday.  The Germans (as far as I can tell) don't really do black Friday.  No huge lines of people waiting to get into stores at ungodly hours of the morning.  No marathon shopping sprees.  No fantastically terrific unbelievable deals.  No people getting trampled to death while trying to get to the electronics section of Wal-Mart in order to get that mini DVD player for only $14.99.  Nope.  None of that.  Honestly, I'm fine with missing black Friday.  I have many good friends who avidly search the inserts in their papers in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and find unbelievable deals.  They get to the stores early and walk away with a good portion of their Christmas shopping done.  I have only tried the black Friday thing once. It wasn't for me.  I don't have the patience to locate the deals in advance, I don't like to get up before seven, and I can't stand waiting in line.  The one time I tried to shop on Black Friday, I went to Kohl's, found a few things, saw the line, dumped my few things and walked out of the store. 

I will, however, get up early to go to a German Christmas market!  German Christmas markets (Weinachtsmarkts) have been around for hundreds of years.  Almost every town in German has one.  Most of them open the weekend that Advent begins. (Advent includes the 4 Sundays before Christmas.)  We decided this year to go to one of the oldest and most famous - Nuremberg.  It took us two hours to get there, there were mobs of people and it was COLD!!!!!, but it was worth it.  Here are some pictures:

                

This church is the first thing was saw when we entered the old city.  It was completely destroyed in WWII and has since been completely rebuilt.  Nuremberg was leveled during the war.  It's amazing to me how completely Nuremberg (and other cities like it) have rebuilt their churches, palaces and other historical buildings.  The French Horn players (and trumpeter!) were out in the COLD!!!! playing Christmas carols.  I had to take a picture because they reminded me of my dad.

                       

On the left are Ben, the kids and the Chis walking towards the Christmas market.  It has gotten so large that it doesn't completely fit into the main square anymore so there are vendors on many of the streets radiating out from the square.  On the right - the church overlooking the market on the main square.  Below - the kids were fascinated with the building built ON the water.  Imagine what they'll think of Venice!

                                         

          

After we had wandered around the main market we headed over to the Children's Market.  I wish that we had found it sooner.  They had rides, a place to color pictures, cookie decorating, candle dipping, a toy area and more treats than anyone could want.  It was a child's paradise.  We did the cookie decorating, the coloring and some rides.  The kids, of course, wanted more, but we wanted to get back to the main square so we could see the Christmas Angel officially open the market.  Big mistake.  It wasn't a mistake to want to see the Angel.  It was a mistake to wait so long to secure a place.  By the time we got back to the main square it was packed.  There were HOARDES of people - so many people that it would have intimidated even the most stalwart of Black Friday Wal-Mart shoppers.  We got pushed and shoved to the back of the square - so far back we were literally shoved up against a shop window and left with no way to escape.  I began to panic when Naomi got knocked down for the second time - especially because right at 5:30 they had turned off all of the lights in the area.  It was pitch black.  However, it was an unforgettable experience.  And the Christmas Angel part was cool.  We couldn't see much of it, but we could hear the brass band and the children's chorus and a whole bunch of German.  (I understood angel, star, snow, winter, Christmas....that's about it!)  And it was pretty spectacular when the Angel came out and flipped on all the lights.  I don't know if we'll do it again...most likely we'll try and watch it up close on YouTube and call it good!