Sunday, December 16, 2012

Christmas in Germany: Heidelberg and Strasbourg

In the past few weeks, Derek and I have been busy market goers, visiting Christmas markets in Darmstadt, Heppenheim, Reichelsheim, Michelstadt, Zwingenberg, Heidelberg, Ladenburg, Bensheim and Strasbourg. Each market shares unique characteristics whether it be the small-town charm of Zwingenberg's market filled with carolers and half-timbered houses or the small chance of meeting an American coffee maker who can blend the perfect amount of hot chocolate and espresso for a perfectly delicious chocochino in Ladenburg. Heidelberg and Strasbourg both offered multiple markets, about five in each city. Our favorite in Heidelberg was the market up at the glowing castle grounds, filled with everything from local honey to wood carvings and ornaments. 

Yesterday we made the two hour drive to Strasbourg, France where we strolled through the incredibly crowded markets and beautiful, welcoming streets. It was our first visit to Strasbourg, and I would highly recommend it. The city had a lot to offer, from river-side dining to a beautiful Gothic church and shopping galore. One thing I noticed about the French market was that it didn't offer many food options. In German markets, you can find endless kartoffelpuffers (potato cakes) and a variety of wursts. In France, crepes ruled the market, and Derek and I indulged in crepes filled with sugar and cinnamon.

This week, we will be exploring Hamburg and Berlin with Derek's brother, Adam, who just arrived this morning. I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season so far!

One of Heidelberg's many markets 

Heidelberg Castle in the snow
I just like this sign.
Heidelberg Castle market at night
Derek at the castle's market
Overlooking Heidelberg at night

Derek and I in Heidelberg

Lovely streets of Strasbourg

Walking through Petit France

Our find for the day: a handmade ceramic baking dish

Hand-painted gingerbread ornaments

Strasbourg at dusk

Thursday, December 6, 2012

The Approaching Return: What We're Looking Forward To


I never actually thought I would write about what we miss from the United States because honestly, the list is not so long. In many aspects, life in Germany compares greatly to America. The German standard of living parallels the United States; you can find almost anything you need or want, plus more. However, since our return tickets are purchased for January 26, I started to think about what we are looking forward to most about returning to the U.S. Here's my short list:

Abby (on right) visiting us in July
1. Family & Friends. Obviously first on the list, our family and friends are dearly missed. Plans to fly to Denver where my twin sister lives are in the works, and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the gang at the airport when we arrive. However, we have been very fortunate to have family here in Germany that have opened their home to us, as well as good friends that already have plans to visit us in the States. Nevertheless, I'm greatly looking forward to spending quality time with our family, especially after missing every holiday gathering in the past year. (Side-note: We were very fortunate to spend a week with all close family and friends in June at our wedding in Florida and to have multiple visitors throughout the year!)

2. Food. What food do I miss? This is a common question that Derek and I have been asked, and my answer is simple: Mexican! We can make a hamburger if a craving exists (minus the American cheese) and we've been stocked on peanut butter since we moved over here. We can cook tacos or quesadillas with a little searching at the supermarket; I even know the exact location of black beans at our new grocery store. However, I miss spicy, white queso and a really good salsa. La Piedad in Indy will be our first stop; and yes, they do have Tex-Mex here, but nothing beats La Piedad! Besides spicy food at restaurants, Derek and I have found everything we need for home-cooked meals and our trips to the supermarket are always entertaining. 
The Guggenberger American specialty: 
Homemade, hand-stirred chocolate chip cookies!


3. Amenities. A dishwasher, microwave, garbage disposal, English TV and high-speed Internet will all be welcomed amenities in our next accommodation.  The lack of these features has nothing to do with living in Germany (besides the disposal), but just our current apartment in general; it is from the 1960's, literally. I even found WWII magazines under the bed. Derek and I have learned to live without these luxurious amenities since May, but still, it will be nice to open multiple pages on the browser and not wash every utensil by hand.

Our 1991 BMW
4. A Car. Yes, we have a manual car and I have yet to learn how to drive it nor have I really attempted to learn. Some things are better left alone, and so my driving will wait until I return to the States and drive my automatic, extremely large Ford Taurus. Even if the car was automatic, Derek would still have it during the day.

5. Community. Through our year long adventure abroad, I've gained a new appreciation for Indianapolis. I look forward to making the city our home by eventually finding a house, getting involved in volunteer activities as well as exploring the city's nooks and crannies that we always took for granted.


So, there's my list. I asked Derek to compile a list of what he is most looking forward to about the USA. Here's what he wrote:


1. Friends and Family. Naturally one of the biggest things that I miss are friends and family but we've been able to keep in good contact with just about everyone. We have also been very fortunate to have German relatives nearby where we have had a home away from home, along with meeting some great friends during our time here.
Nothing like a German mass of bier!

2. Drinking American craft beer. Germany is a great land for beer lovers and it, combined with our other European travels, has opened my eyes to how wonderful beer can be. The only negative aspect to German beer is how limited in variety it is, due to a history of strong government regulation of the beer industry. For nearly 500 years brewers in Germany were only allowed to make beer using barley, hops, and water (and yeast, except that at the time of the law it wasn't exactly clearly known what yeast did). This only recently changed, and so most of the German Pils and Weizen beers taste very similar. I’m excited to get back and start tasting some of the American beer concoctions.

3. Wearing an American flag t-shirt at the Indy 500. It would be tough to find one single event that sums up America so well. It’s an event where cars drive really fast 500 times around a circle, burning incredible (and other countries might say wasteful) amounts of gas and rubber to the cheers of people who have been drinking Bud and Miller Lite since 7:00 AM three days before, in the sweltering heat of an Indiana summer without sunscreen because we aren't afraid of getting a little burnt, wearing flags shaped as t-shirts, tank tops, bandannas  shorts, you name it (other countries may be shocked at this apparent “misuse” of the national flag, but us Americans know it just sign of our pride and true freedom),  and then after the nice holiday on Monday return to their jobs as doctors, engineers, pharmacists, teachers, manual laborers, skilled technicians, businessmen and women, all who were brought together and united for this one amazing event.

4. Price of well, just about everything. With gas being more than twice as expensive, a 19% sales tax on most goods, and the lack of availability of really cheap electronics and other simple goods it can be fairly expensive to live in Germany, at least on a temporary basis. Germany sells some very high quality goods that will last longer than most people will care to have them but has very few really cheap options except at times where there are sales at the discount stores. In America sometimes it just doesn't make sense to buy something really expensive simply because it is high quality and will last a long time.  If you’re a college student, someone living in a temporary location, or simply just don’t have a lot of money, with 75 bucks in your pocket you could walk into a Wal-Mart and come out with a toaster, microwave, coffee maker, and vacuum cleaner and still have money left over. All of these things might have been made in China and may not last more than a year, but for a lot of people that’s all they really need.

5. American Football, because soccer just doesn't cut it. Enough said.

The feeling goes both ways, and there are many, many things that we will miss about the lifestyle and culture here in Germany. Festivals, bakeries, markets, public transportation, connection to Europe, holiday mindset, our friends and many more things make up our list. Stay tuned for an in-depth post coming soon!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Frohe Weihnachten aus Deutschland!



Heppenheim Weihnachtsmarkt
Heppenheim Weihnachtsmarkt
'Tis the season for Christmas music, Advent calendars and candles, glühwein and many, many Christmas markets! What I've learned so far about the German Christmas season is that every single German town has a market, whether for one weekend, one day or for every day of December, and more importantly, Advent. Derek and I have concluded that Germans always have a reason to celebrate, whether it be carnival with Easter season, opening of the wine season, summer festivals, closing of the wine season, Autumn beer fest, wine walks, and now, Christmas markets. From my one weekend of experience I've decided that Christmas markets are not just places to buy adorable Christmas decorations, but also a gathering of intense glühwein drinkers trying to stay warm. I'm also not sure that a more adorable, romantic ambiance could be created for Christmastime. 

This past weekend Derek and I took the train to Darmstadt for a meetup of Derek's colleague and my friend. As a larger city, Darmstadt did not provide the charm of half-timbered houses or quaint cobbled streets, but was a good start to our weichnachtsmarkt experience. On Saturday, Derek's birthday, we headed to our initial home-base in Germany and charming town of Heppenheim. Talk about romantic and adorable, Heppenheim had it all. We enjoyed glühwein with friends, explored the market stalls and strolled through the town. The old rathaus accompanied the Christmas tree in lighting up the marktplatz as a local band shared holiday joy. For a birthday dinner, we settled into a charming weinstube where Derek indulged in Argetentine steak and I had a schnitzel. On Sunday we ventured to the town famous for its rathaus and cuteness, Michelstadt. With fresh snow on the ground, the town was a hustle and bustle of holiday cheer. After collecting a glühwein mug for our collection (you pay about 2 Euros for a deposit), we met up with Nadine and Denis in Derek's town of work, Reichelsheim. This may be the smallest market we visit, but nevertheless, it was a wonderful yet freezing evening spent among the star-studded church. I can promise that this month's blogs will be filled with Christmas cheer (singing loud for all to hear!), so stay tuned! 

Snow in Zwingenberg
We awoke Sunday morning to snow!
Heppenheim Christmas Market
Derek and I in Heppenheim
Celebrating the Heppenheim Christmas Market
Nadine, me and Eva
Derek's birthday dinner
Michelstadt Christmas Market
Michelstadt Christmas market
Michelstadt Christmas Market
Derek and Rudolph
Michelstadt Christmas Market
Glühwein market stall
Reichelsheim Christmas market
Conversing at the Reichelsheim market
Reichelsheim Christmas market
Group photo in Reichelsheim
Fun fact of the day: How do you say "Merry Christmas" in other languages?

Deutsch: Frohe Weihnachten
French:  Joyeux Noël
Spanish: Feliz Navidad
Italian: Buon Natale 
Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyiunnepeket




Friday, November 30, 2012

Wrapping up Autumn

Vibrant colors dotting the hillsides, a chill in the air and the excitement of approaching Christmas markets is how I would describe the Herbst of Germany. Views of the Bergstrasse never cease to amaze me; with a blue sky and the quietness of nature, my time walking through the hills of our region will always stay with me. Here are a few photos I've captured in the past few weeks. If you came to Zwingenberg today, you wouldn't see these vibrant colors because winter has arrived, but the bare trees of winter only give new perspective and excitement for the coming weihnachtsmarkt season.

German Bergstrasse Countryside
Vineyard view with Auerbach Castle in the distance

Rolling hills of Germany in Autumn
Rolling hills of the Bergstrasse
Fall foliage of Germany
Fall Foliage

Bergstrasse Wine Trail
Wine walk through the hills
Forgotten grapes from the fall Harvest
Leftovers from the harvest
Zwingenberg, Hesse
Looking over Zwingenberg

Last Thursday, as many people celebrated Thanksgiving with family and friends stateside, Derek and I enjoyed too many episodes of Prison Break accompanied by not-so-good frozen pizzas and delicious German wine. But, on Saturday we welcomed our German friends to an American Thanksgiving feast at our apartment. We managed to gather three tables, our dining table, patio table, and random marble table, and created enough room for everyone to sit comfortably. Since I have ample free time, I spent all of Friday preparing the vegetables, chopping onions, carrots, apples, celery, and drying out too much bread for my grandmas' recipes of dressing. I even spent the evening making a homemade apple pie complete with a butter flaked crust. With no rolling pin, I learned that all things can be accomplished with a little faith. On Saturday, Derek and I basted the turkey and let it roast for three hours. While seeking help from Google, Derek "carved" the turkey and Simba had a hayday. Once everything finished baking, our table was complete with a 5.4 kilo turkey (13 pounds), two large dishes of dressing, corn pudding for 20, mashed potatoes for 15, and plenty of bread to last the next four days. Derek and I seriously overestimated the eating power of our German friends. But one of the best parts about Thanksgiving is the leftovers, so I guess I planned accordingly. Not to mention the entire extra cheese ball that is still in the fridge. I should probably throw that out.

On Sunday, we went to the Felsenmeer in the Odenwald, a large rock-bed flowing down a mountain. Dating from the ice age, the Felsenmeer is now part of the Odenwald National Park. There is more history and geological importance, but we were too tired to really dive into the facts. That evening we went to the Formula 1 Racing Championship public viewing party in Heppenheim Vettelheim. Sebastian Vettel, the world champion of Formula 1 is from Heppenheim, and the city goes crazy for the sport. Here's a few photos of last weekend.
Homemade apple pie

Turkey time!

Eva, me, Nadine
Derek and I enjoying our first Thanksgiving 

A full feast

Group photo minus Derek
Derek and I at the Felsenmeer
Taking a tour of Zwingenberg with Marius and Doro
Doro and Eva at the Vettelheim public viewing


Thursday, November 29, 2012

A Family Visit to Oberstenfeld

Opa and Derek in the vineyards

Somehow it's already the end of November and I am just now getting this post up! We were very fortunate to have another set of visitors this month, Derek's sister and Grandpa (Rachel and Opa), who we bid farewell to last week. When they arrived on Saturday morning, November 12, we picked them up from the Frankfurt airport and then headed back to our Zwingenberg apartment for a quick nap. That evening, we packed up the Beamer and headed to Oberstenfeld where Opa's father was born and raised. After happy greetings and some kaffee, we watched a handball match before having a family dinner at the Hirsch restaurant.
On Sunday, we took a city tour, in both German and English, of Stuttgart. It was a rainy, cold day, but it was still nice to see the city. Stuttgart was almost completely bombed out during the war, and it was interesting to see the post-war architecture and to hear the reasoning for it's look. Stuttgart is not a quaint German town with half-timbered homes and winding cobbled streets, but more of an economic hub, filled with Porshe and Mercedes museums along with dedicated Fütbol fans. 

That evening we enjoyed another delicious dinner at the Streufert's house and then headed back to Zwingenberg. On Monday, we took the train to Heidelberg in order to pick up the rental car. We met up with Ingrid (German Nestel Cousin) and Kristin (Derek's American Nestel cousin studying in Denmark) and it turned out to be a wonderful day of castle exploring, shopping, and kaffee und kuchen! 


Ingrid, Kristin & Rachel


Rachel, Kristin, Opa, Me & Ingrid

For the rest of the week, Rachel and Opa went on their own adventure through Germany and we met them back in Oberstenfeld on Friday. We all enjoyed a relaxing evening and I got to write my name on the six page family tree! On Saturday we awoke very early for a tour of the Nestel bakery. (You can read that blog here.) That afternoon, Rachel and I went shopping with Uschi at a mall nearby and Derek helped Marius change the car's tires from summer to winter along with stack some firewood and shovel some manure. Good man time. That evening we watched Sophia's handball game and then took a lantern walking tour of the nearby city Großbottwar before having another delicious dinner of lentils with spätzel. On Sunday, we took a short walk in the vineyards and then visited the horse farm of Sophia and explored the countryside. It was a wonderful week with Rachel, Opa and all of our Oberstenfeld family. I think the most special part was for Opa to reconnect with his living cousins and for Rachel to see the church where she was baptized as a baby. As I've said before, we are so fortunate to have family here in Germany; it's made our year abroad even more special and memorable.  Here are some photos of the weekend:

Derek, Rachel and Opa walking through the horse farm

Derek and Opa in the Oberstenfeld vineyards

Derek at the horse farm

Derek's great-grandfather Ernst who came from Germany to the US

Family dinner - from left to right: Uschi, Günter, Sophia, Derek, Courtney, Marius, Rachel, Bud (Opa), Ingrid, Hilde, Wolfgang, Christine, Kristin 

Opa and his cousin's wife, Hilde, looking at family photos

Feeding the pony!

Leftover grapes from the harvest

Oberstenfeld countryside
Beautiful Iceland horses

I love their hair.

Before the lantern tour: Courtney, Rachel, Christine, & Ingrid
Bud talking to the horses.

Derek, Rachel, Uschi and Sophia

These ducks were quite humorous.
Christmas tree farm
Beautiful eyes
Rachel and Uschi cooking

I love this photo: The horse is eating while the ducks are scattered about.
A walk through the forest
More food please! 
A lovely German tradition: Kaffee und Kuchen
Delicious pumpkin soup 
Opa and Marius on the tour of Stuttgart
Fall foliage