Christmas Market

I was prepared to enjoy the Christmas Market season in Germany, but I am just swept away by the festivity, popularity, and sophistication of it.

Here are some sights from our recent evening spent in Düsseldorf:



Throughout the downtown, 6 different markets with different themes and emphases exist. It's huge, and practically the whole city is ablaze with lights and frolicking people, many of them tourists. More than 250 huts are set up, offering delicious food and hand-made Christmas decorations, jewelry, or other accessories. It feels almost like an amusement park. A huge undertaking for cities all over the country!

Hot, mulled wine, called "Glühwein," candied almonds, decorated gingerbread-like "Lebkuchen," Stollen, and roasted chestnuts are traditional staples. We are also learning about things like Reibekuchen, Eierpunsch, and Poffertjes.

In the center square, there was a very large nativity scene hand carved from Bethlehem wood. I think Daisy made it on the news somewhere, because as she ran up to get a closer look at "Baby Jesus!" some news crews zoomed in on her...

Chris took Daisy on a restored 100-year-old carousel. She loved it, of course. She also had fun chasing, spinning, and jumping with some other kids around the square. Apart from this, though, she quickly became miserable after too much time in her buggy, out in the cold. We, too, tired of negotiating the crowds and came home empty-handed. Next time!

We're hoping to reach Köln and Aachen next weekend. I am sure that I'll want to share some pictures from those places, as well.

Chris' 28th Birthday

We mainly celebrated Friday, December 4 with food: cinnamon rolls in the morning, meeting for pizza at lunch, and having the Tomsons over for lasagna at night.

Chris blowing out the candle before dessert:


Chris' birthday gifts were a binder with the lyrics printed with some of those long Bob Dylan songs, so now he can really play and sing them, and a sudoku book. However, his real present came the previous Friday, when I surprised him with a babysitter showing up at our door, strolled with him through the Muelheim Christmas market, took him on a train, and produced tickets to see one of his favorite orchestral pieces, Smetana's "Ma Vlast," with the Essener Philharmoniker. "Ma Vlast," or "My Fatherland," has 6 movements, the most famous of which is the 2nd, "The Moldau." We both loved the performance.

Happy 28th, Chris!

Video: Daisy's new skill

I might be wrong, but I think that Chris and I were a little older when we learned how to do this:

Daisy's Christmas Cookie Cut-Outs

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Chill at least one hour, roll out and cut into shapes, bake at 400 degrees for about 6 minutes.

Let cool, then top with icing and sprinkles.

St. Martin's Day

We had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate a new holiday: Martinstag. On November 11, children make their own lanterns and go door-to-door, singing the traditional songs about Martin, a Roman soldier who got baptized as an adult and became a monk. He is remembered for his kind act of cutting his cloak in two to share with a beggar during a snowstorm. Children form singing parades, carrying their lanterns, led by a man dressed up as Martin and riding on horseback.

I learned the traditional songs by borrowing (and copying) a songbook from a girl at our church. One of my most treasured souvenirs, I'm sure! Daisy made a "laterne" at Spielgruppe, and Chris and I munched on ginormous Martinsbrezeln. The day is a sort of launch into the holiday season here, and I'm enjoying having a long wind-up for Christmas.

Here are our sweet pretzels and Daisy's lantern:

Pumpkin Carving

Yesterday's Sunday activity with the Tomsons was...carving pumpkins! Chris and I hadn't done one in years. It was Daisy's first time, and it was so cute to watch her become familiar with what a pumpkin is. She now pats the jack o'lantern's "cheeks."

It was a festive night. I made a pumpkin stew with wild rice for dinner and we had candy bars for dessert. I am currently attempting round 2 of toasting pumpkin seeds. My first batch had a good initial crunch, but is there any way to make the hull less tough and chewy?

Münster

Last Sunday, we took a day trip to Münster, named for its monastery built in the early 800's during Charlemagne's missional expansion of his empire. This church was consecrated as St. Paul's Cathedral in 1264, and its architecture represents the transitional style between Romanesque and Gothic.


Our (only) American friends here, Neil and Megan, accompanied us on this trip. We have a tradition of getting together every Sunday, and this trip was perfect because we could all travel together on a group ticket. This photo is from our very German lunch in the city center.


Münster was 90% destroyed during World War II and quickly restored in the 1950's. The tall facades and the pointed arches on the fronts of buildings are very charming. This particular image shows the Town Hall in the Prinzipalmarkt, where in 1648 the Peace of Westphalia was signed, ending the Thirty Years' War.


Another interesting part of Münster's history involves a short-lived (1534-1535) Anabaptist theocracy, led by John of Leiden. Adult baptism is still a main tenet of the denomination, but this was a radical group. They called the city New Jerusalem, burned all books except the Bible, proclaimed shared ownership of all property and goods, and practiced polygamy. The leaders of the Anabaptists were tortured and killed when the city was reclaimed, and their bodies were displayed in cages hung from a church tower. While the bones were later removed, the cages still hang today and it was startling to see them in person.


The city is known for its bicycles and its large university(3rd largest in the country with over 40,000 students). An old palace has been converted into part of the university, and there is a botanical garden in the back where we let Daisy run around and play. We are needing to do that more and more on our travels!

Video: Playgroup

In case you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall at a German baby group, this is your chance! I captured a bit of snack time and some of our closing songs. Normally there are a couple other mom/baby pairs attending. Daisy loves these songs and requests them at home.

The other babies' names in this video are Lara, Lea, and Kayra. The moms' names are Michaela, Nadine, and Hamide. The facilitator's name is Silke. She got in an accident and now her voice is scratchy. She is really nice and both Daisy and I have warmed up to her.

Someone has discovered Poobie (Pooh Bear)

It has happened. Daisy loves Winne the Pooh. So far, our Pooh-related activities are comprised of watching "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" on the computer and playing the theme song on the piano while Daisy dances with her stuffed Tigger and Pooh Bear. (However, this "Pooh Bear" is actually a souvenir Berlin bear in red sweater.) How do those songs get stuck in one's head ALL day?

Holly's 27th Geburtstag

Thank you, everyone, for helping me have such a warm birthday in a foreign country! Chris and Daisy were spectacular, bringing home flowers and bakery treats in the morning while I took a bath. At lunchtime, Chris surprised me with a giant cake and a gift of a new red coat. We had time in the evening for a walk in the park (saw some holly) and our new American friends, Neil and Megan, came over and joined us for tea and dessert. (Neil and Megan were also the ones who babysat for us earlier that weekend!) I think I will always remember this unique day.

Hungary

A series of events made this our worst travel experience yet. First of all, there was confusion over when we were supposed to leave to catch our plane and Daisy and I were out doing errands, expecting to return home before leaving. So Chris ended up meeting Daisy and me downtown, where Daisy had just a sweater on with no undershirt (insistent 18 month old behavior!) and I had on...let's just call them "not-good-walking-shoes." We changed planes in Vienna and experienced the biggest free-fall drop of our lives in that second plane as we were going through some weather. It was terrifying. We were thankful to land but irritated that our checked luggage was left behind in Vienna. Even though we knew better, we did not travel with our contact lens equipment in our carry-ons and so spent the night wearing our contacts. However, one of my eyes aggressively blinked out one of my contacts as I was sleeping and I woke up to a dried up contact lying next to me. Which led to a full day of sightseeing in Budapest with one eye with vision, one without.

Photo documenting the arrival of our luggage...and eyeglasses!


So with that introduction - here are some of the good parts of our trip to Hungary! We spent one full day in Budapest and saw all the sights. When Hungary was at its peak and part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1896), it celebrated its 1,000th year. In preparation for the festivities, Budapest launched new building projects, partially modeled after the city of London(for example, there is a Parliament building on the banks of the Danube.) I was surprised to learn that Budapest built the first underground public transit on the continent, and that the trains were horse-drawn! The tunnels are still used today and are very shallow, just a few steps below street-level. Currency was fun: 10 Euros equal about 2,700 Hungarian Forints.

St. Stephen's Basilica - it reminded us of Madison's capitol building! Stephen was crowned king in 1000 AD by the western, Roman church, deciding its future orientation in the world. He also brought Christianity to the pagan Magyar people he ruled.


This cool double cross is everywhere in the city!


Gerbeaud Cafe - sumptuous cakes and coffee


The biggest synagogue in Europe. In the 1800's, a quarter of the city was Jewish. It was startling to see something that looked like a church but was decorated with innumerable Stars of David.


Heroes Square, with statues of notable Hungarians. Museums, parks, traditional mineral baths, and a replica of a Transylvanian castle are nearby. (Transylvania now belongs to Romania.)


Chain Bridge and Castle Hill - our camera didn't save our pictures from the daytime! It was beautiful at night.

A couple other details about our day: Hungarian Goulasch Soup is so good. (Or maybe it was because I was so hungary haha. That joke never got old!)The Swedish soccer fans took over the city in their yellow jerseys (there was a game that night). There was a Gay Rights demonstration that brought out tons of police in riot gear and closed down the main street (which separated us from our hotel for hours).

The next day, we took a train to the western edge of the country and met our friends from Madison: Tamas, April, and baby Sebestyen. Tamas grew up in Gyor, and now they were on vacation, visiting his family. It was refreshing to reconnect with friends, learn more about their lives, and have the opportunity to see Hungary like a local. Tamas' mom cooked tons of traditional Hungarian food for us, such as dumpling soup and a sort of fried potato cake served with garlic, sour cream, and cheese. She had a huge garden in the back of her house with a very fruitful pear tree. We sampled some of her bottled juices and Palinka, and I personally consumed 4 whole pears.

Meeting us at the train station


Daisy and Sebestyen. Daisy is wearing her new, traditional Hungarian blouse!



Our plane had another layover in Vienna, and this time we had over 4 hours. We took a convenient train to the city center and had time for the cafe experience and revisiting our favorite landmarks from our previous wintertime visit.

Mediterranean Femina

It is hard to describe what it's like to spend 10 days traveling in foreign countries alone with an 18-month-old. Invigorating and exhausting, companionable and lonely, the blend of which created an experience I will always treasure and, admittedly, feel proud of. I will describe events here, although I know it will be an imperfect representation of the days we spent together. If you imagine swimming and singing together in the sea, sharing pesto pasta and a gelato ice cream, trying to read the guide book with Daisy not exactly helping, transporting the stroller, diapers, backpack, beach mat on and off trains with the help of friendly Italians (and the side effect of many bruises on my legs)...this may be a truer general picture than the details I list below.

Nice, France





We spent the first half of our trip in the French Riviera. Our home base was Nice, a wonderful city that seemed like a mini-Paris transported to southern California. Old Nice has a lively atmosphere, fresh markets, and great restaurants in its narrow streets. Our taste buds loved it here: fruit from Provence, traditional Nicoise cuisine like chickpea crepes and, yes, Salad Nicoise, and creative gelato flavors like "Lavender," and "Jasmine," and "Tomato Basil." Also, the children of a former "Best Baker in France" carry on his bakery in Nice, and we savored croissants and cheesy breads. Needless to say, I'm pushing for a Provence trip before we leave Europe, and I'd better save up for a good-sized food budget.

Nice's beach is rocky, meaning that it is filled with smooth, fist-sized gray oval stones. It had very small waves and was pretty warm. I wish that I could still take Daisy to the beach every day.

Antibes, France


We took a day-trip to Antibes, which has sandy beaches and a nice old city. I explored an outdoor antique market while Daisy napped in the stroller. Some tempting copper items, but I was traveling light...Instead, I took home a sunburn from Antibes.

Monaco


I could not the resist the opportunity of seeing the world's second smallest country (after Vatican City). My sightseeing lasted no more than two hours, and included Monte Carlo's casino, the sites of the Monaco Grand Prix, the fancy yachts in the harbor, and the exteriors of its palace. I think I saw most of the country. Cousteau once served as the director of Monaco's Oceanographical Museum. It interested me that, according to ancient myth, Hercules came here and got rid of the previous gods. Thus, a temple for him, "Hercules Monoikos," was built. Being the only temple in the area, it is how the area came to be known as Monaco.

Upon descending from the train station down into the city, I worried about how strenuous the uphill climb would be. The city seemed built on a cliff! Little did I know the amazing outdoor elevator system Monaco has! I ascended a few levels at a time, would walk through some courtyards, and took maybe 5 elevators in this fashion all they way back up to the station. How bizarre.


Cinque Terre, Italy: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore



I spent the last half of my trip in these five (cinque) towns, with Vernazza as my home base. I showed up early in the morning and rang doorbells to find a room for four nights. After a few inquiries, we found Franca and her available double bed with bath, no view, but window with my own drying line outside of it! One day, wanting to let me know that she would be out of town during the day, should I need anything, she hollered my name up through the window. Another day, wanting to clarify when I would be leaving, she found me on the beach. I think Daisy still remembers Franca.

Daisy went through a process of screaming at strangers who smiled at her or simply made eye contact. Since we were in Italy, I tried to teach her to say "Ciao" instead of screaming. She caught on and still says "Ciao" when she sees strangers. (I think that she thinks it means "stranger.") Italy was fun: every coy "ciao" was responded to with a hearty "Ciao, Bella!" and a few minutes of play.

We spent time in all five towns. One morning we hiked for a couple hours to a neighboring towns of Vernazza, Corniglia. Other times, I took the train or a boat. There is an amazing local type of sweet dessert wine which I sampled, and I couldn't get enough focaccia, local cheese and pesto, or gelato. A relaxing time with plenty to do. Perfect. We got into a rhythm. After Daisy's nap, we would play at the beach and eat fruit, come home, shower, and put on our dresses, and go out for dinner.

Milan, Italy

We only had a few hours in Milan before catching the bus to the airport, but we had time to see the magnificent Duomo and the famous La Scala opera house. The stained glass of the cathedral really impressed me. I almost was not allowed in because of my tank top, but I had a T-shirt to throw on at the bottom of my backpack.

Home!
After a last morning in Vernazza, 2 trains to Milan, subways around the city of Milan, an hour-long bus ride to the airport, and a 9 PM flight back to Dusseldorf, followed by an 11:30 PM train into Muelheim and long walk to apartment, we were exhausted. We slept well and woke up to the day that we would see Chris/Dada again. It was hard to be apart, but it was about as great as it could possibly be. I'm so thankful for the travel budget I had and Chris' blessing to see new places without him!