(Many thanks to our friend, Jessica, who took these pictures!)
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Trier Weihnachtsmarkt 2009
Today we visited our favorite Christmas market in Germany--Trier. It's also one of our favorite towns in the country. Trier has the oldest Roman ruins in Germany. The black gate to the city--the Porta Nigra--still stands tall. There are Roman baths, a colosseum, various other ruins, and tons of Roman artifacts to view. It is a charming, dignified, old town, and it hosts our favorite Christmas market. My family came for a number of years, and Brent and I have kept up the tradition.
Our visit today was delightful! We had snow on the ground, blue skies, and freezing temperatures! However, a mug of mulled wine worked every time to warm up our toes. (Hot chocolate for the girls!) We topped off the wine with some bratwursts, potato pancakes, and waffles with powered sugar. Eating is the main reason we go to these markets if you can't tell! We strolled down the pedestrian zone, ran into department stores for regular warm-ups, and ate our way through the markt! The girls rode on the carousel--Anne twice! I came away with some wonderful goodies thanks to my very generous husband. A porcelain Christmas village collection is now in the works. He also bought me some new dinner plates from Villeroy and Boch to replace our old set of four that has for the most part sprouted legs and vanished.
It was a wonderful day and we hope our friends and family enjoy the pictures!
Frohe Weihnachten!!!
More Weinachtsmarkt
Potato pancakes, old-fashioned merry-go-rounds, the Porta Nigra, sweet little faces--these are a few of our favorite things!
USAFE Band at the Markt
We were pleasantly surprised with a bandstand performance by members of the United States Armed Forces Europe band at the markt. It really was a treat for us because we'd been hoping to catch a local performance of the band but had missed it. The brass quintet did beautifully!
Weihnachtsmarkt Musik
This is what we heard as we walked out of Karstadt (a department store).
"Alle Jahre Wieder..."
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Joy giggles
Joy was giggling at the pink dish gloves Lydia was carrying around. Lydia is really cute at the end when she dropped the gloves and said, "Oh, my!" That is a new phrase for her, along with "Right here."
Monday, December 14, 2009
All Ready for Church
Anne and Lydia on the third Sunday of Advent. Their lovely dresses were a gift from Mom-mop and Pop-pop. Thank you!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
O Christmas Tree...
We got our Christmas tree the other day from a tree farm in Steinwenden. The older lady who sold it to us was very kind and gave us some pear liqueur to go with the tree. =)
We've had a fun time this week decorating it. The girls each received a little angel ornament to hang on it. My hope is to get them an ornament every year to add to the tree...we'll see if I can keep it up!
The living room has now been re-arranged...again. I think we'll keep this set-up and put a love-seat over on the wall where the tree is currently located. This shot is from one side of the living room (I was sitting on our red sofa) to the opposite end. My parents should recognize this as the usual spot for the Hudson tree. =)
This month is a busy month for hosting people, but it's always fun. This Saturday some relatives of mine are coming. Next week is the TRC ladies' Christmas tea. It is a lovely tradition that my mom began here 15 years ago. Then, of course, there's Christmas Day, which is still being planned. I'm listening to a lot of Nat King Cole and Matovani to keep me going.
The girls are loving the decorations, music, and yummy treats that seem to abound this time of year. Their advent calendars are a definite highlight of the day for them! Even Joy is getting into the spirit of things, rolling all over the floor, under the tree, kicking over the nativity, grabbing light strands off the tree, and--today--tugging on the ribbons on gifts. Little stinker!
We're looking forward to a few more weeks of this!
Monday, December 07, 2009
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