Our Christmas Story

Last weekend, we set out to look for a Christmas tree.  We were going to pick one and chop it down ourselves, and I was really excited because I've never had a live tree.  (When I say "we" were going to chop it down, I mean Andy was going to chop it down.  And I was going to happily watch.)  Well, we couldn't get a tree because it was Sunday.  Das ist Deutschland, nothing is open on Sundays.  So we quickly detoured to the PX (which is, because it's American owned, open on Sundays), thinking that we would get at least a fake tree to put up.  The PX had been sold out of trees since the day after Thanksgiving!  I quickly decided that I was going to make a tree.  Pretty crazy idea since I'm not at all creative, and not very artistic either.  We started to look for construction paper, which the PX also didn't have.  We never give up, we found green poster board! 

When we got home, Evan and I started working on the tree.  I drew the shape, and at the bottom of the top and middle layers, I traced Evan's hands to make a cute design for the "frilly" parts of the tree.  While we worked on the tree, Andy started making paper ornaments, snowflakes, and even gifts. 

We were pretty proud of the finished product!  It looked cute, it was fun, and most importantly, we did it together.  When our neighbors came over to take this picture, we were talking about still getting a tree.  Andy made the point though, that this tree takes up no space and it's pretty cool, so maybe we wouldn't get a real tree this year.  He also mentioned that he may have accidentally left all of our Christmas tree lights at a holiday party for his unit last year. 

Although we were happy with our project tree, it is part of the fun for little ones to put up and decorate a tree.  And I really had my heart set on a real tree.  Well last night someone rang our doorbell.  Andy went outside, but there was no one there.  But there was a tree, tree stand, lights, and a card.  The inside of the card said, "I was all alone this holiday season.  I needed a family to share my Christmas spirit with, so I found the Bartletts and I hope they take me in this cold Christmas season to share the magic of the season with me."

Our wonderful friends had gone out and gotten us a tree!  They just hated the thought that we wouldn't have a tree to decorate with Evan.  It was the sweetest gift!  We were so surprised.  We put up the tree last night and let it thaw a little (it's been quite cold and snowy this winter).  When Evan got home from school today, he was literally jumping up and down saying, "Can we put the lights on the tree? Can we put the lights on the tree?" 

We did put the lights on the tree.  And all of our fun ornaments.  And guess who got to put the star on top.

The tree looked beautiful when it was all finished!  You can also see the snow outside the window, which looks pretty cool.

It is our first German Christmas tree, and the perfect gift.  Thank you, friends!

A Weekend Reunion: Garmisch, Germany

Last weekend Andy, Evan, and I headed to Garmisch, Germany to see my friend, Lindsay, and her family.  Lindsay and I have known each other all our lives, but haven't seen one another in 5 years! Her husband, Phil, is in the Army too, and they just happened to be in Germany for a conference.

We were so excited to see one another and to meet each other's kids.  (Hers are total cuties, by the way! I knew they would be!) We decided it would be best, since we were making the long drive anyway, to meet up at the castles.

You probably know Neuschwanstein Castle because it is the model for the Disney castles.  Some people say it's Sleeping Beauty's castle, some say it's Cinderella's.  What do you think?  This is a view from the back and it's covered in scaffolding for renovations, and it still looks amazing. 

We decided to take a tour of the Hohenschwangau Castle.  Lindsay and I went to buy tickets and the lady told us that all the English speaking tours were sold out.  We figured the castle would look the same no matter what language the tour guide spoke, so we asked what other tours were available.  We were told German and Italian, and since I took Italian in college and Lindsay and Phil live in Italy, we thought we could at least follow along a little if we took the Italian tour.  We were wrong.  I picked up on a few words, but it was mostly numbers. I heard, "...dodici anni..." and I told Andy, "Something about 12 years, but I have no idea what."  I told him I also thought I heard the word "tavola," but I have no idea to which table they were referring.  Andy said, "Just look where everyone else is looking so they won't think we are stupid."  It was actually really funny and although we didn't understand, it was a unique experience to see the inside of a castle.  Phil told us that he was getting some fabulous decorating ideas; I can't wait to see that house that he builds!

The inside of the castle was pretty, but it was the outside and the surrounding scenery that was truly breathtaking.  The natural backdrop of crystal-clear water and snow-covered mountains was so calming for me.  I always say that pretty scenery, especially water, makes me happy and helps me to appreciate life. 

It wouldn't be an authentic blog post of mine without a couple pictures of the German doors that I love so much.  This was one of the doors of Hohenschwangau Castle.  I love the stone around it and I wanted to go in this door just to see what was behind it.  I imagined a passage way for the hired help, but I'll never know.

This was another, much larger and much more ornate door. There was a tub inside and what I thought was a creepy red light.  Lindsay said, "It looks like some kind of baptism tub, but I guess the king could have been just taking his baths in there."  That gave me a good laugh.  Who knows what kings do, right?

The gardens outside the castle were nice and I appreciated their recent renovation to make them look exactly as they did when the castle was first built.  This fountain was fun, and Evan liked the lions, of course.

Lately, Evan has hated having his picture taken because I am like his personal papparazzo.  However, he had no trouble posing for pictures with the beautiful Allie, Lindsay and Phil's daughter.

Here they are again, and this one is my favorite!  It could only have been better if little Jack was in there too, but he was busy exploring.

While we were in the mountains, it was a good chance for a quick family photo.  I only wish we had gotten a family picture with both families in it! Why didn't we do that?  And I took lots of pictures of Lindsay and her family, but with her camera.  That's ok; It gives us a great excuse to do this again!

After touring the castle, we decided to go back to Garmisch where the military resort, Edelweiss, is located.  (Does that seem like an oxymoron to anyone else? Military resort? Ha!)  While we were waiting for a table so we could have dinner with our friends, Dunkelweizen beers in hand, Andy decided there was no way were going to try to make the four hour drive home that night like we had originally planned.  I was excited when Andy went to see if there were any rooms available at the resort because it meant more time hanging out and catching up with Lindsay!    The resort only had suites available.  Oh darn, how sad.  We got to really relax and enjoy dinner because we didn't have to worry about hurrying home.  Dinner was so fun and we had SO many laughs.  I realized how much I really missed hanging out with Lindsay and Phil! It was great to spend time with them and their awesome kids.

Our dinner was good, too.  It was an American restaurant, and as crazy as it sounds, I was so happy to see "normal" items on the menu, like chicken wings and mini burgers! When we finished our dinner, we went to see our room.

It turned out to be two rooms, and to my husband and son's enjoyment, two TVs.

I don't know why they were excited about two TVs, though, since they were both watching the Notre Dame game.  Those two are just alike!  The best part of the trip was when Lindsay came down to our room and we stayed up talking until almost two in the morning, just like old times.  We talked about what's been going on in our lives, what our plans are, parenting, farming, school, politics, being foreigners now....everything!  Most importantly, though, we talked about doing it again, and not waiting five years.

After a great day and evening, this is the view we woke up to in the morning.  The Alps are amazing!  For a last-minute adventure, this trip was so relaxing for Andy, Evan, and I, and we needed that.  We will definitely be going back to do some camping and hiking (and some resort-staying!).  To Lindsay, Phil, Allie, and Jack: Thank you so much for spending time with us!  You are a beautiful, fun family, and I have no other way to describe it, except that I felt so at home hanging out with all of you.  We had the best time and this was definitely one of our best experiences so far!  We will most definitely meet up in Europe again, but make room, because we are coming to Italy!

Regensburg Cathedral, Old Stone Bridge, and The Danube River: Regensburg

This weekend we made a trip to historic Regensburg, Germany, which is the oldest city on the Danube River.

Well first, we stopped for coffee.  Evan always drinks "baby coffee" (hot chocolate) so that he can be just like mom and dad.

We originally set off for Regensburg to check out IKEA.  Apparently, we are trying to go to every IKEA in Europe.  Once we were there, though, we remembered that we had to do some exploring because Andy had researched Regensburg and it's very famous.  One reason it is so famous is this huge and gorgeous church, Regensburg Cathedral, which is dedicated to St. Peter. 

The church was built in the year 700 and the details of the structure are truly amazing.

The carvings outside are amazing, filled with angels and saints.  We have seen a few beautiful churches in Germany now, but hadn't yet had the opportunity to go inside of one.  We tried in Nurnberg, and although we couldn't understand that German words being spoken to us, it was very clear that we could not come in with the children's helium balloons.  I'm not taking 2 little boys' balloons away, so we opted out.  In Regensburg, we were balloon-free, so we went inside.

The inside was breath-taking.  We have never been in a cathedral like this before and I was amazed.  There were huge stained glass windows.  There were beautiful altars, and there were even people inside praying.

The part that most amazed me inside the cathedral were these giant organ pipes!  The picture does not do justice to the size of them.  The organ pipes were so massive, Andy and I were convinced that should music come out of them, it could probably be heard throughout the whole city, if not all of Germany!

Evan most enjoyed the statue with the sword inside the cathedral; he loves weapons.

After exploring inside the cathedral, we headed back outside to look for the Old Stone Bridge.  We weren't really sure which way to go because the church was in the center of a big marktplatz (market place).  We kept turning down little alleys because Andy said, "These roads are heading down, and the water is going to be down the hill."

He was right.  We found the Danube River and the Old Stone Bridge!  I was very surprised that you could walk right to the edge and fall in if you weren't paying attention.  I didn't get as close as my boys did; I'm such a baby! 

Seeing the Old Stone Bridge was really amazing because it was built in medieval times and it is still in perfect condition!  It really perpetuates the cliche, "They don't make things like they used to!"

The view from the bridge was really beautiful, too.  You could see the cathedral and all the multi-colored German buildings, which I just love.  It is literally like stepping back in time in most of these cities.

We walked over the bridge and down by the water.  There were a lot of people, but it was still very peaceful.

I was brave enough here to sit on the edge by the water for a picture with Evan, but only because the water was really shallow!

After sitting by the water for a few minutes, we decided to head back.  Andy was sure we would never be able to find our car because we walked through a labyrinth of shops and alleys. 

Walking back through the alleys, I looked up and saw a huge David and Goliath painted on a building.  I find it interesting that there are so many paintings right on buildings, even on houses.  Sometimes they are of people, but sometimes they are just design elements.  It's not something you really see in the states.

While heading back, we made our usual stop for gelato.  I think it's already the start of a tradition for us.  Evan had smurf gelato.  I think it was supposed to be cotton candy flavored, but I have to say it does not compare to UDF!  It's so cheap though, and we love our gelato!

Also on the way back to the car, I saw this amazing door!  I knew we were headed in the right direction, because I had actually taken the picture on the way towards the cathedral.  If you have been reading my blog, you already know that I am becoming obsessed with the doors of Germany.  The craftsmanship is real art!  Some of these doors should be in galleries.  We quickly found the car after seeing this door (I like to think I have a great sense of direction!) and headed home.  We thought we would stop at a market on the way home and pick up something for dinner.  However, we found a McDonald's with a slide, so we went there.  Perhaps that is becoming a tradition for us as well.  German towns, Italian ice cream, and American fast food!

German American Volksfest: Grafenwoehr

This weekend was the German American Volksfest in Grafenwoehr.  Volks means "for the people;" it's basically the English "folks."  So, this was a festival for the people, and although it was on post, it was open to the public as well. 

We were so excited to go to our first fest in Germany.  It was much like an American festival in the sense that it had tons of food, games, and rides.  The food was different than an American festival though, as you might assume.

I was ecstatic to find my first real German potato pancake!  I had to stop everyone when I saw that booth.  If you know me well, you know I love potato pancakes (all my fellow Bearcats will probably agree that Christie's makes them the best near UC!).  I was beginning to think that potato pancakes weren't an actual German food, until I saw them at this fest.  I got my potato pancake with sour cream dip and it was so good, with just the right amount of onion flavor.  This fest was like deep fried paradise for me.  I also tried my first deep fried snickers, and I must admit, it was amazing!  Good thing I don't have a deep fryer.

While the eating was good at the fest, the drinking was even better. Germans know how to do beer, and they do it big!  Andy is with our friend Matt (in his traditional German lederhosen) enjoying a nice, surprisingly cold brew.  He paid a six dollar deposit for the mug and they will fill it up for about seven dollars.  It's quite the deal because that mug holds almost three average sized beers.

We kept the mug!  When in Germany, do as the Germans do.  Those men were sure to get their refills.

Christina and I wanted to join in on the fun, so we posed with the guys' beers for a picture as well.  Christina is wearing the traditional German dirndl.  She looked so authentic, people even stopped to pose for pictures with her.

Christina and Matt even had their boys dressed in the German garb.  They were adorable!  What I found to be hilarious is that so many Americans came dressed in lederhosen and dirndls, while many German came dressed in clothes patterned as the American flag! We were all trying to fit in and be like each other.

The kids were very patient while we ate all of our fried fest foods and waited in line for beers, so we were sure to do some kid-friendly activities after that.  The fest had a German high wire act that was really extraordinary.  I had never seen a high wire act in person, and we couldn't believe it when the performers sat down on the wire and did a backflip!  This act also includes the only man in the world known to be able to walk on a high wire while wearing small stilts.  Even though there was a net underneath, that one made me nervous.

The part of the fest that Evan most looked forward to was going down the giant inflatable slide.  At the bottom he looks a little scared because it was so steep, he almost flipped over coming down it.  Like the dare devil he is though, he hopped right up and said, "I want to go down that big huge slide again!"

We played a few games, then I decided to take Evan on his first bumper car ride.  He thought it was fun, until people started bumping into us with some real force.  When we were finished, he told us, "I didn't like when that car crashed and it hurt me."  He had much more fun on the kiddie rollercoaster, where he got to drive the fire truck, like his uncle does!  The highlight of Evan's evening, though, was the plastic ninja sword he got.  We all had fun at the fest. It was filled with good food, good friends, and great people-watching.  I can't wait for the next one!

The Search for Soccer Cleats: Amberg

The search for soccer cleats led us to Amberg yesterday, where we heard the shopping is good.  The shopping was good and the city was beautiful, of course.  We went with the Burdens again, who needed an auto parts store.  It was closed, though. We should have known, it's the weekend in Germany, lots of places are closed!

This was a building that I thought was cool. Andy and Evan liked it because there were cool lion statues in front of it.

Evan wanted to get his picture with the soccer lion.  Afterwards we walked everywhere looking for cleats.  We went into at least 5 shoe stores.

Although we had fun in all of these cool stores, especially this one with the motorcycle, we couldn't find cleats small enough for Evan.  We did, however, find a cute pair of shoes for him and a cute pair of shoes for me (obviously, I'm not going into 5 shoe stores without buying at least one pair!).

I always feel like we see the most interesting things when we explore new cities.  During this trip we saw this bike vendor.

I don't know how he rides that, I definitely don't have the balance for that!  This was a cart with food in it, mostly breads and pretzels, attached to the bike.  In Germany, they love their breads and pretzels! Andy does, too.  He said he is starting a new "all carb" diet: pretzels and beer only!

We also saw this guy who was putting on a little puppet show. We got a good laugh because the puppet was "singing" in English and Spanish.  This scary looking puppet also jumped up in Evan's lap.  Evan didn't move at all and just stared at it while everyone was cheering and clapping to the music.  Afterward though, Evan said, "I didn't like when that thing got on me."  Our friend's son, Grayson, was scared of the puppet, too.  He didn't want it getting close to him while he was trying to put a Euro in the guy's hat.

After the puppet show, we stopped for lunch.  Andy finally got to try a Doner.  It is like a wrap or a sandwich with some kind of meat and weird sauce.  That isn't a good description, but that's literally the best I can come up with, even after tasting it.  I didn't love it, but Andy, Micah, and Shannon enjoyed theirs! After lunch, we stopped to take a few pictures.

There is always great scenery for pictures.

This is a picture of St. Martin's Basilica, which I thought was so pretty.

This is one of the doors to St. Martin's Basilica.  The doors are so ornate, and I have said more than once now that I could probably create an entire door-themed blog.

In fact, here is another random door that I had to take a picture of.  Even from the picture, you can tell how beautifully carved it is.

Before we left Amberg, we stopped to take a few pictures in front of a fountain.  The boys were finishing up their delicious, melting gelato.

Evan and I always stop to strike a pose.  Well, I strike a pose.  Evan looks away as if to let everyone know he is done with my paparazzi-like antics.

We enjoyed our trip to Amberg and we will most definitely be going back to do some more shopping.  I found a home decorations store that I would like to donate a small fortune to.  After Amberg, we went home and had dinner with our neighbors and played a hilarious game of Apples to Apples.  I also got quite the intersting videos of all of them dancing trying to get the little ones to dance.  Although I would like to share those videos on this blog, I would like to remain friends with my new neighbors.  Perhaps another time!