Christmas in Germany

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! We certainly did... we spent a quiet Christmas here in Frankfurt, just the two of us. Daniel's parents and aunt headed back to the States a couple days before Christmas after a very busy two weeks of traveling. While they were here, we made it to Prague, Florence, Rome, and even a few Christmas markets around Germany. I will definitely blog all about our trips to Prague and Italy, but first I thought I'd share some pictures from the Christmas markets.

On Wednesday, December 8th, the day Daniel's family arrived, we headed south to check out Heidelberg. Normally it is a pretty little town, but of course the Christmas market adds even more charm.

In addition to checking out the market and shopping a while, we also wandered around town and made our way to the Old Bridge to take in the view of the Heidelberg castle up on the hillside.

After enduring the rain and cold for a few hours, we decided to head back to Frankfurt... despite the weather, we all enjoyed the trip to Heidelberg. The next day we were back on the road... this time we drove east towards Prague. About halfway between Frankfurt and Prague is the city of Nuremberg, which hosts the most famous Christmas market in all of Germany, so of course we had to stop :) First we checked out St. Lawrence Church and then it was on to find some lunch. One of the best things about the Christmas markets is the wide variety of food available, and we enjoyed some mighty good chow as we went from stall to stall approaching the main market square.

Once at the main square, I definitely took advantage of the photo op! Then we checked out the myriad of ornaments and other Christmas decor on sale as well as the Frauenkirche Church that dominates the eastern side of the square. Though our stop in Nuremberg was short-lived, it proved to be the perfect pit stop, and I am very glad we had a chance to visit its well-known Christmas market.

After our trips to Prague and Italy... check back soon to read all about those... we had time to visit yet another Christmas market, but this one was a bit closer to home... Frankfurt! Though it was pretty chilly, it turned out to be a great day to go to the Christmas market... it was snowing! It was really quite beautiful. Once again, we enjoyed the stalls full of wares of all kinds and some very yummy food.

Once we made our way through the market, we also enjoyed the warmth inside St. Bartholomew's Cathedral for a little while... I think it is so interesting how here in Europe, baby Jesus isn't placed in the nativity until Christmas Day. Before heading home, we braved the cold for a bit longer to take in the view across the Main River towards Three Knights Church.

I was very happy to share Frankfurt and its Christmas market with Daniel's family before they had to depart for North Carolina the next day. We had a wonderful time with them during their whole stay here, but like I said, you will have to stay tuned for much more on our other excursions across Europe! Until then, enjoy the last few days of 2009!

I know, I know... it's been forever!

The post title says it for me... I know that it has been forever since my last blog! I apologize for such a long hiatus... this fall was incredibly busy. Though there has definitely been plenty of stuff to blog about, I could never seem to get around to it. Mainly, I was very busy with coaching soccer at the Frankfurt International School. I served as the JV girls head coach and the Varsity assistant from the end of August through mid-November. In addition to daily practices and home games, we also traveled quite a bit, including away games in Munich, Dusseldorf, Paris, and Zurich. Furthermore, we hosted the league championship tournament here in Frankfurt, which was a lot of fun. Overall, coaching was a great experience, and I hope to be doing it for many more seasons in the future!

Here are few shots from the soccer season... one of the whole team (both JV and Varsity), action shots of the girls playing, some of me coaching, and a group photo of everyone at the end of the tournament.

I cannot think of a better group of girls to coach for my first season... I miss them already! Although the school soccer season is over, I am still getting my soccer fix a couple times a month by coaching the ODP Europe U15 girls team, which is a developmental soccer team for American youth living abroad, and I am very grateful for the experience I am gaining with that team as well.

While I filled my days with coaching this fall, as always Daniel stayed busy with work. He was actually back in North Carolina for training from mid-August through the start of September. Thankfully, after the training he had a chance to visit his parents for a few days, which he really enjoyed. Then at the beginning of October, when I had a weeklong break from soccer, Daniel and I took the opportunity to attend the quintessential German festival... Oktoberfest in Munich! We then went down to Pisa and Florence for a few days and enjoyed relaxing and some warmer weather in northern Italy. After that trip, it was back to soccer, soccer, soccer until November 14th... as soon as the last game of the season was over, Daniel and I headed to Luxembourg with some friends for the Marine Corps Birthday Ball there, which was a very nice evening. With soccer now over, I have also been substitute teaching almost everyday. This past week we went to Istanbul over the Thanksgiving holiday, which was an absolute blast... and then yesterday we hosted a belated Thanksgiving celebration for a bunch of our friends. Somehow we managed to fit 17 people into our apartment for dinner... it was a full house and quite the feast!

So as you can see, we have been very, very busy lately! I promise to get caught up on the blogging in the near future with posts about all these fun events, so please stay tuned. We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying the Christmas season so far! Until next time....

Paris, part deux

As I mentioned in my last post, next on the agenda for Emily and Tim's European vacation was a trip to Paris. Daniel was going to be there for work, and I went along to show Tim and Emily around the city. Now for those of you who have been following our blog since the beginning, you may remember that I also posted about Paris last August. I will try not to be too redundant with this post, but please forgive me if I repeat a few things here and there. However, since we bought a new camera right before the trip, I took tons of pictures while we were there, so at the very least I promise not to use any of the photos from my last Paris blog :)

On Monday, July 27th, while Daniel was flying to France, the three of us took a speedy 4 hour train ride into Paris. Once we arrived and got settled in a bit, we were off to explore the Montmarte section of town. The major attraction of the area is the Sacre Couer, a beautiful white basilica that sits at the highest point of Paris... which, of course, means it is a hike to get up there. It is worth it though to take in the church as well as the great view of the city. Plus around the corner, there is also a nice vantage point of the Eiffel Tower.

Not far from the Sacre Couer is a cute little square where a bunch of painters congregate and display a myriad of different types of art. Several blocks to the south is the infamous Moulin Rouge. After exploring Montmarte, we met up with Daniel... and then we got together with a friend of Daniel and Emily's from North Carolina, Casey, who now lives in Paris and recently married a French citizen, a very nice guy named Antoine. We met up with both of them, and they took us to a great sushi place near their apartment. Then we enjoyed dessert and wine at their place afterwards... everything was delicious and it was such a pleasant evening.

Since Emily and Tim were staying in a different hotel, on Tuesday I planned to meet up with them to show them more of the city. On my way to meet them, I stopped by a bakery for a fresh crossiant and then saw this pretty church aglow in the morning light. Soon the three of us were off to check out the Arc de Triumph. Walking down the Champs Elysees, we strolled past elegant cafes and saw the Arc peeking out from behind the trees lining the avenue. Once there, we walked around the base of the Arc, where France's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located... you can also go to the top of the Arc, but Tim and Emily decided to go up to the top that evening to enjoy the view during sunset.

Next we headed towards the most famous of Parisian landmarks... the Eiffel Tower, of course! Along the way, we past some tasty looking pastry shops... yum. In a short while, we were enjoying the view from the Trocadero. Personally, I just can't enough of Paris' "Iron Lady" :)

After thoroughly admiring the Eiffel Tower, we continued on to Les Invalides, where Napoleon's tomb is located. While we didn't feel like paying the fee to see the emperor's final resting place, we still enjoyed seeing the historic building, especially its striking golden dome. Just outside there is a rather picturesque view of the Eiffel Tower too.

The next sight on our list was the Notre Dame. After grabbing some food, we headed in to see the interior of the church. Though it is rather dark in there, it is quite lovely too. After our tour inside, we head around to the back of the cathedral, and then we were off to get a bit more to eat... some Berthillon ice cream to be exact, which is widely considered the best in Paris. Nearby there was a shop overflowing with cheese... but we were already too full to partake :)

To wrap up our whirlwind day, we enjoyed some afternoon sun along the Seine River. As you can see, it was a lovely little stroll.

With barking feet from all the walking, Emily and Tim decided to head back to their hotel to rest up... and that evening they enjoyed a romantic evening, just the two of them. Since Daniel was going to be working late that night, I wandered around enjoying the city by myself for a while. As I got closer to our hotel, I found myself in the Garden of the Tuileries. One section of the garden is a fun little carnival, and just beyond the garden is the Place de la Concorde, home to a giant Egyptian obelisk and some stunning green and gold fountains. With our hotel less than a block away, I headed back to rest a bit and then got a quick bite to eat before Daniel finally was done for the night.

Wednesday was the day we set aside to check out Versailles, the gorgeous palace that served as the home to the nation's kings before the French Revolution. It is about a 30 minute train ride from Paris, and though we got there shortly after it opened, there was quite a long line. When Daniel and I visited Versailles back in 2002, there was hardly anyone touring the palace... not this time! Before going inside, we admired the front of the palace, gilded and ornate.

Shortly after making our way into the palace, I realized that my camera battery was dying... one of the perils of a new camera with a rechargeable battery! Thankfully, Emily and Tim's camera was fully charged, so I'd like to thank them for sharing their pictures with me, some of which you will see below. Now back to the tour... our first stop was the palace chapel, which is incredibly beautiful. As we continued through Versailles, we saw numerous stately hallways and luxurious bedrooms as well as glimpses of the gardens outside. Toward the end of the tour is probably one of the most opulent rooms in existence... the Hall of Mirrors.

Once outside, you see that the extravagance wasn't just contained to the palace. The vast, green gardens of Versailles seem to extend all the way to the horizon. Too bad it was overcast the day we were there... when it's sunny, the gardens seem almost heavenly. We took a stroll through the gardens and enjoyed a sandwich sitting along the canal, but soon it was time to head back to Paris.

When we got back to the city, we visited another famous attraction... the Louvre Museum. Though I had been twice before, I am always happy to go back as it seems that you could literally wander through the huge museum for days on end. The highlights of our visit included statues of all shapes and sizes and the Code of Hammurabi, the famed law tablet from ancient Babylon. Also, since I'm a fan of Dan Brown books, I just had to get a picture with the inverted pyramid that is featured in The Da Vinci Code... you'll have to read the book to find out why it's so special :)

Before long, we were all pretty tired... and not surprisingly with all the sightseeing we had done in the last couple of days! Emily and Tim decided to call it a night since they had to catch the train to Salzburg early the next morning. Thankfully, Daniel was done with work early that evening so we were able to go to dinner together. Afterwards, we followed Tim and Emily's example and headed to the Arc de Triumph. After climbing up an insanely long spiral staircase, we made it to the top. Although it was too cloudy to enjoy the sunset, it was neat to watch night fall over Paris. Then, at the stroke of 10 o'clock, the Eiffel Tower lit up with thousands of glittering lights... it always takes my breath way for a second when I see it sparkling like that. It was a wonderful way to end the evening.

Since Emily and Tim were on their way to Austria for a couple of days, I was on my own on Thursday... so I decided to check out a part of the city I'd never seen before, the Latin Quarter. Before I headed south of the Seine though, I visited the Petit Palais, which was originally built for the 1900 World Fair and now is home to a free museum. It had some beautiful art on display, including a very life-like portrayal of the Good Samaritan. It tickled me pink to see a sweet old man creating a spot-on copy of one of Monet's paintings... and even the staircases looked like works of art.

Following a short trip on the Metro, I found myself in the Latin Quarter... and within minutes, I was trying a Parisian specialty, a crepe with Nutella and bananas. Man, was it good! Feeling quite satiated, I headed into the St. Germain des Pres Church. It is one of the oldest churches in Paris and a rare example of Norman architecture. With its flickering candlelight and shadows, I thought it was very peaceful.

Not far away was another church, St. Sulpice, which sharply contrasts to St. Germain des Pres with its white stone and wide open feeling. It is also featured in The Da Vinci Code as the meridian line crosses Paris here at its sundial. My next stop was not another church but the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens, a verdant, colorful retreat in the midst of southern Paris. When I saw how pretty it was, I couldn't believe I had never made it down there before. Just because I could, I sat and read a book for an hour while soaking up the sun... it was delightful.

A couple of blocks away from the gardens is the Pantheon. Originally built as a church, after the French Revolution it became a burial place to honor the French "Greats," including Voltaire, Rousseau, and Victor Hugo. I figured there was no way it could trump the amazing Pantheon in Rome, so I just admired its exterior and then headed on my way.

Surprise, surprise... next I decided to check out another church around the corner, St. Etienne du Mont. Its most striking feature was definitely the intricately carved stone screen around the choir balcony. For the rest of the day, I just wandered aimlessly, snapping pictures and being enchanted by the city with every step. I passed quiet side streets, cute cafes, brimming wine shops, flower covered balconies, and gushing fountains... it all felted so quintessentially Parisian. It was a great way to end the trip.

Friday morning I was back on a train to Frankfurt, and Daniel was not too far behind me... he arrived home just a couple hours after I did. It had been my third trip to Paris and it has must have worked like a charm because I have decided that it is my absolute favorite city in the world to visit. So if anyone is interested in a Paris tour guide, just let me know :)

Well, it seems that I have finally caught up with all the blogging! The summer is also quickly winding down, and all of our traveling is slowing down as well. Daniel is busy with work as always, and I start my coaching duties in just a few days, which is exciting! Since the next few months are going to be non-stop soccer for me, I'm thinking there won't be much to post about, but I will definitely try to come up with something :) Until then, enjoy the rest of your summer!