The Land of Enchanting Castles

It's official, we visited our first castle since moving to Germany. Schloss Burg an der Wupper was just a short 30 minute drive north of us.  We had the castle all to ourselves...with the exception of a school group that hummed in the background.
Schloss Burg began sometime in the 12th century as a hunting castle. In it's history it was abandoned, used to hold prisoners, and used for ceremonial events. The castle was destroyed in 1648 after the Thirty Years War.  Then in 1700 they began to rebuild it but unfortunately by 1849 it was in decay. Again it was rebuilt, this time taking 24 years, and just six years after being completed it was mostly destroyed in a fire. The last reconstruction was completed in 1924 and today the castle looks the way it did in 1715.  Walking through a place such as this takes one back in time; to knights, queens and code of arms.
I'm sure there will be many more castles in the months and years to come.

Phantasialand

The past few weeks have been all about; finding a car, completing paperwork, getting a German bank account, and did I mention finding a car! So we thought it was about time to take a day and have some FUN! Elyse was so used to going with us to all the above mentioned adult obligations that she just expected to follow the GPS around all day to test drive another car. So she had no idea what the plan was on Thursday...until we parked and she asked, "Where are we?" When we told her we were at a park where they had fun things for kids she was ready to go full steam! We bundled up (as seen in the photos) and had a magical time at Phantasialand! It opens up for just 6 weeks during the Holiday season and creates a winter wonderland with an ice skating rink, snow, Christmas lights/decorations and all the food one could desire. Elyse loved playing in the man made snow and riding the children's rides. Damon enjoyed all the food stalls around the park and riding the Black Mamba- a fast, hanging roller coaster. When I asked him about it he said, "That is the kind of ride someone would have a heart attack on!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_StR0ApVh8

What a great way to start 2012...creating family memories of fun and laughter. 

Top 10 things that are cheaper in Germany

1. Chocolate
2. Yogurt
3. Cheese
4. Apples
5. Pears
6. hazelnuts
7. Nutella (hazelnut and chocolate spread) Germans use this instead of Peanut Butter
8. Marzipan (ground almond paste) used in baked goods and chocolates
9. liquid dish soap (I guess since most people do dishes by hand)

So it looks more like the top 9 things....can't think of #10 .....most things are more expensive here than in the USA!

First Snow Day!

We woke up to snow. Ok it wasn't much but enough to get out and play! We even managed to build a tiny snow woman before it all turned to slush. Looks like winter is here with short days and overcast skies.

Cookies with Santa!

                               Our first year without Tears!

                                     
                             Elyse and her gingerbread house

On Saturday we gathered with about 8 families and had an early Christmas celebration for the kids!Santa visited the children and spoke English (with a German accent!) Santa had a golden book and knew each child's name, age and what the child could work on to do better. When Santa asked Elyse what she wanted for Christmas she quickly replied, "A barbie doll and barbie house!"  Elyse had a great time decorating her gingerbread house.  We enjoyed a fun filled day with other FedEx families!

Weihnachtsmarkt - Christmas Market

Cologne is well known throughout Europe as having wonderful Christmas Markets this time of year. I believe there are seven around the city and smaller ones in the outlying villages. The stalls sell different handmade German ornaments, crafts and lots of food! The Markets are outdoor and all food is eaten standing up (rain, wind or snow)! One has an ice skating rink and all of them have some type of carnival ride for the kids (Elyse's favorite part). We have visited three so far and hope to get to a few more before the 23rd when they close until next November. Large nativity scenes add to the beauty of each market.

Cologne - Koln - Koeln

Yes, these are all the same place! This city has three ways to spell it's name. It seems like "Cologne" is used by foreigners, "Koln" is used by younger Germans and "Koeln" is used by older Germans. It kind of reminds me of John Wayne Airport in Southern CA. It is known as Orange County Airport, John Wayne Airport, and Santa Ana Airport! A little strange.

Driving on The Autobahn

Yes we braved the German drivers on the speedway! Crazy is the one word that comes to mind. We were driving around 75 mph most of the time in the middle lane and cars (mostly BMW's) were flying by us in the left lane. I would guess they were clocking 95 mph on average!

The purpose of our insanity was to go car shopping, so we rented a car and went on the hunt. To no avail we were not permitted to drive a car because we did not have an appointment. Another salesman told us it was not a good time since it was raining and getting dark. So I guess they don't work on commission! Maybe we will try again next week.... with an appointment of course!

Rainy day in Cologne...

Our morning started out walking to the train station in the misty rain. We were instructed to be prompt for our 10am appointment to apply for our German Residency Permits. We arrived at 9:55am just before our translator, not to bad for a couple of Americans!  After almost 3 hrs of paperwork in two different  locations across town, we made our way to a bakery for lunch. The restaurant was similar to Panera Bread in the US. We orderd panini sandwhiches and soup. When the food arrived it was enough for 4 adults! When I asked the waitress if the soup came in a smaller size she said, "no this is how it comes." The food was good, however we wern't too happy when the bill arrived, equivalent to about $50 USD! About 1 hr later we had to laugh about it...what else could we do.

Day 1 in Germany

We made it to Cologne and are recovering from Jet Lag! Elyse slept 13 hrs last nignt and only woke this morning with our assistance (opening the drapes and running the blow dryer)! We have a beautiful view of the city from our hotel room. Church steeples and rooftops dotting the city with rolling hills in the distance. Getting ready to go out to one of the famous Christmas Markets. Elyse's first cartoon in German....Curious George.

Quote of the day (well it was yesterday, but still a good one): "I can't believe I get ice cream on an airplane!" Elyse - somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean

Our Family Travels

We hope you enjoy our blog as we journal some of our travels and experiences while living abroad.