Oh Happy Day!

Things are falling into place, and not to jinx myself, I'm knocking on some wood. Maybe it's that the sun is now brighter, the days will continue to feel longer and the roads and countryside are sprinkled with pink and white specs all over. For those of you that know me well, you know I get a little anxious in the wintertime, as many do, anxious for spring and brightness and a sense of freshness. I remember about a month ago- as much as I loved living abroad- I often asked myself if I'd ever feel like I "fit in" here in Germany. There's always a grace period between starting something new and feeling like you own it. I'm not at the "feeling like I own" point yet, and still have awhile to go, but I know I'll get there.

We Found an Apartment!

Again, knocking on wood because the contract is not signed yet. But I felt like sharing the news. We toured a large flat in Zwingenberg, a town about 10km north of Heppenheim, on Saturday. It's the first floor of a large house surrounded by a garden, patio and it backs up to the state park and vineyards. The guy currently living there had it in a state of disrepair, but the real estate agent promised it would be cleaned well. The city is on the train line, there is a nice park, and the agent informed us that the large wine festival starts the day we move in and will basically start in on our backyard. How convenient! So, we are waiting for the contract and will hopefully have it signed by the end of the week. I am just relieved that we won't be living in a hotel. Simba is too.

Other News

We headed to Heidelberg on the train yesterday to check out where Derek will be having German classes all this week and two more weeks to come. The train ride was nice- it's about time we got on a train in Germany! After finding our way to one of the plazas, we headed to the "Philosopher's Walk" - a pathway overlooking the valley and river. We headed into the woods and walked for about two hours. We came out of the woods at a little B&B and large Biergarten. It was a popular place! 

We will begin our gym membership next week so that we get the full amount out of it - my classes go on break for 2 weeks and Derek will be used to his travel to Heidelberg for intensive courses. I'm spending my other time still doing Rosetta Stone, biking in the vineyards and studying Sicily since we are going there for our honeymoon. Oh, and still planning a wedding!

Overlooking Heidelberg in the valley below

 Heidelberg from the hills

Derek found a fort!

 So cute!

We found a biergarten, of course!

Beautiful Spring day

If we become broke, I blame it on the Pastries - A weekend in Nürnberg

Well, that was a gluttonous weekend. I'll explain soon.

We arrived back from our weekend trip to Nürnberg last evening, after a quick stop in quaint Dinkelsbühl. It was a good weekend- we saw many historical monuments and areas, toured the market squares and biked around a three lake trail.

Saturday morning we hit the rode by 8am and arrived at our destination around 10:30am, the Documentation Centre Rally Grounds. It was an interesting, eye-opening and well-spent two hours as we walked through the centre with hand held audio guides that explained each portion of Hitler's uprising in English. The center was more of a documentation of the rise and fall of the Nazi party and all other socialist groups involved than a Holocaust memorial. Many things I didn't know before or take time to realize were the propaganda that went into the up rise and success of the Nazis and how much Hitler was idealized by his people. It fascinated me. I know we really only brushed the surface of the Hitler era, but this was a good place to start. The Documentation centre was actually housed in the half-built Congress Hall that Hitler had started building but never completed. It was an eerie feeling to look over the ruins of a criminal dynasty. After the Documentation Center, we rented bikes and road around the rest of the "rally grounds." We rode to the stadium where 400,000 people could gather in the propaganda rallies held by Hitler. Today, this area is home to street hockey players, skate boarders and football players.

After the leaving the Rally Grounds, it was time to explore the Old City of Nürnberg. We started out by checking into our Pension - Pension Florida. I booked this place due to its location (it was a ten minute walk to the old city) and its price - at 54EUR with breakfast, it was the cheapest around. We decided that next time, however, we may book closer to the action - inside the walls so that we feel like more of the "community." But this place was OK.

We walked through the Handwerkerhof - the "Craftmen's Courtyard" that was filled with many glassblowing, leather and other handmade items for sale. Nürnberg is known for its Lebkuchen (Gingerbread) so of course we tried an over-priced handmade truffel filled with Lebkuchen. It was alright. We then walked through the city to the Hauptmarkt (the main square). It was filled with fruit stands, flowers, fresh veges, Lubkuchen, and ice cream to name a few. Then we walked up a large hill to the castle. It was a nice castle, but we weren't overly impressed. We headed to the Bratwursthäusle to try the "Nürnberg special" of little sausages. To wrap up the day, we had dessert at the bakery. All in all for the day, we managed to try two pastries, an ice cream, two pretzels, dough balls, six mini sausages, roasted almonds, two beers and four coffees. Derek says I ate 2/5 and he ate 3/5.

After a semi-restful night in the Pension, we ate breakfast then rented bikes for an 8am bike ride through the city's parks. It was beautiful. A small river that runs through the Old Town turns into three large lakes with wonderful bike paths all the way around. It was such a peaceful, lovely way to see the city. After our 2.5 hour tour, we headed to the Germanic National Museum. It was the largest and most overwhelming museum I've ever been in. There were buildings attached together to chain together the largest display of Germanic history. Rooms full of music instruments, armor, tombstones, statues, paintings, and rural living setups occupied us for about two hours but I'm sure many people could spend ten hours browsing. I think Nürnberg satisfied my museum craving for about the next six months.

We then headed home after a quick stop at the medieval walled city of Dinkelsbühl. Simba was excited to see us and wanted to play the entire night. He needs a friend.

Here's some photos:

 Exploring the inside of the Documentation Center

 The Congress Hall

 Names of the victims

 Another view of the Congress Hall

 The Stadium's "Altar"

 Where Hitler's crowds would gather

 Eerily beautiful view

 In our pension

 Entering the medieval city

 At the craftmen's courtyard

 Note to self: No white before having a tan. But I loved the Easter eggs everywhere

 One of the city's churches

 This used to be a hospital on the river (Bad hair day)

 Love the market stands

 "Beautiful Fountain"

 Loved this little river

View of the city

Little Nuremberg sausages

 Roasted nut stand

Biking around the lakes

Delicious dough balls

"Das Kleine Haus" in Dinkelsbühl "The small house"

A Month in the Making

Well, we've been here in Germany for one full month now. It's been an amazing experience so far, but there is SO much more still on my to-do list.

In one month - four weekends - we've been able to visit quite a few places: Rothenburg, Heidelberg, Fussen, skiing in Obsterdorf, the Neuschwanstein Castle, Koln (Cologne), Frankfurt, and Oberstenfeld (twice!)

Not bad for a month. I think my goal for this next month will be to tackle the trains and actually take some day trips by myself in the surrounding areas. There are many areas within an hour train ride that I want to explore. Who knows...maybe I'll find a travel buddy soon.

Apartment Shopping
Several other things are going on right now, but of course there's always the urge in the back of my mind to sit right here and plan our trips for every weekend for the rest of the year. No! First, we are looking for another apartment, which is on the brim of being a nightmare. But we're not out of hope yet. We toured a large, very nice apartment on Saturday. I had told the Realtor on the phone that we have a cat. And of course he forgot to mention it to the landlord. Half way through the tour, I asked to confirm that she allowed animals. Nope. So we left in the middle as there was no need to continue. Yesterday I contacted a apartment owner who was renting for a good price in a larger town 15 minutes away. I asked for the address of the apartment so we could drive by it before moving ahead with touring it, so we drove by last night. It was in the boonies compared to the large city. I told Derek that it's me he has to come home to. I'd probably be depressed everyday if I lived in the boonies. So the search continues.

Physical Activity 
In other news. We got bicycles! I've trekked on some paths around here. It's beautiful.

I don't think I've ever been so happy to join a gym! We took a tour of the Heppenheim Sports Park two weeks ago and it was oh so nice, but way too expensive! Derek asked around at work and we are now having a tour and "personal training" night with the trainer at a nearby gym next Monday. That's how they do it here. You can't just join a gym. You must first check out your health and make you know how to use the equipment. Sounds good to me! Supposedly I will be able to do classes and use the sauana! Not to mention the wedding is less than 3 months away and I have to get into a swimsuit.

Hm, what else is going on around here?

Time with the Family
Many of you know that Derek has German relatives here in Germany - about 1 hour 15 minutes away from here. It couldn't be better! Derek is in the fourth generation of the family, and Marius (our age) had stayed with Derek for a year in high school. It's amazing how well the families have stayed connected. We've stayed at their house for two weekends now. The first weekend, our first full weekend here in Deutschland, we ate kuchen and kaffee, toured the delicious looking, tasting and smelling family bakery, toured the flour mill, ate delicious homemade German meals, and went to a Carnival parade. This past weekend we headed down on Saturday evening for Sophia's 15th birthday. An interesting thing we noticed about German birthdays is that you don't celebrate until your actual birthday. Her party was on Saturday and her whole family was over. But no presents were opened or happy birthdays sang until midnight. It was pretty neat! Our next adventure with the family will be on Easter- they've invited us to a lake house in Southern Germany to spend Easter with them! I'm so excited!

What's up Next
So I've taken it upon myself to plan the next month of trips. This past weekend, we visited the family in Obstenfeld and then headed to Frankfurt for the day on Sunday. Next weekend, we are headed to Nurembourg for a night - we'll leave early Saturday morning and come back on Sunday evening. We'll stay in a pension - a cheap bed and breakfast type of place. Photos to come. The following weekend we are sleeping at home, but touring the area during the day - specifically Wiesbaden and Mainz. There is a large Easter Market that I am very excited about! The following weekend (if all goes as planned) we will be in Trier, the oldest city in German, filled with Roman ruins and vineyards. Then we go to the lake for Easter. I hope to go to Paris, Amsterdam or some other adventure outside of Germany in the second to last weekend in April. We shall see!

My German lessons are going well and I hope to find some other activities to get involved with soon. Yesterday I actually inquired to two different programs nearby about teaching English or Language Exchanges, but no response yet. I've also reached out to the University of Heidelberg about the same ideas. My German teacher speaks Spanish so I've been practicing some phrases in my head about how to ask her for ideas of involvement. I'll keep you posted!

We visited the Shäfer Bakery in Heppenheim (Mom's maiden name)

Derek (quote of the day as he bites into his kuchen): "This is why we're here"

In front of the Frankfurt Opera House

Frankfurt banking center

In Frankfurt

Köln in a Day

I'm a little late in my blog writing (not sure how today is already Thursday) but last Saturday, Derek and I decided to visit Köln (Cologne) - a large city known for it carnival celebrations and large Gothic church - the Dom. Derek had visited the church many years ago when he visited Germany in the eighth grade. Derek doesn't have the best memory, but he sure remembered standing in awe of the immaculate cathedral. I can picture him standing inside the church at the age of twelve admiring the architecture feat it must have taken to build such a beauty. So we put Simba in his room (our cat like dog), packed our travel books and camera and started the 2.5 hour drive to the big city.

I prefer to travel to a city with a good idea of what I'd like to see, but allow time and be open for spontaneity and "getting lost."  To prepare for this trip I had made a list of the "top must-sees" along with reading some history of the city and church before we went, and reading over Rick Steve's suggestion for the Köln walking tour. I know there is so much more to Köln that we didn't see, but I do feel as though we dug deep into the surface.

The drive was uneventful - Derek drove and I slept.  The tour books suggested parking underneath the Dom for 18 euro a day, but if you don't mind walking an extra 15 minutes, you can find hotel parking for 15 euro for an entire day - we ended up just paying 11 in a hotel parking garage.

One thing about Europe that will never get old is the bakeries. And I know Derek agrees. As we walked along Hohe Strasse - the busiest pedestrian-only street in the city, there were bakery after bakery selling Berliners (jelly dognuts) kuchens, crossiants. You name it, they had it. So we picked out an ApfelStrudel and a ButterKuchen, purchased a "coffee-to-go" and headed for the Dom. As a World Heritage Site, the Dom was partially built between 1248 and 1473 and later was finished in the 1880s to the original plan. It houses the relics of the Three Magi and thus has been a pilgrammage site for many centuries. You can read more about the history of the Cologne Cathedral here.

Public tours in English are given twice a day - at 10:30am and 2:30pm. We opted for the afternoon tour. The church was filled with people - tourists from all over Europe and the world. There were only five people who opted for the tour- Derek and I and three others. For only 7euro, we received an up close look and explanation of things you would never normally think about. The stained glass windows of the cathedral are large enough and plentiful enough to cover four football fields. They date back to 1509 and are as most recent as the early 2000's. The crucifix of Jesus is from before the church was even built - before the 1200s. The statue of St. Christopher - an intriguing and inviting statue was from the 1200's as well. The church houses so many meaningful and beautiful paintings, statues, and other works of art - it was amazing. After explaining many significant points of interests in the church,  our tour guide lead us to a building across the plaza and into a theater room where we watched a 20 minute, kind of strange, film about the cathedral and the Magi Relics.

We then proceeded to the climb one of the two church towers. Out of breath and 533 steps later, Derek and I had a grand view of the city and the Rhine River. It was amazing to see the Gothic detail of the church so high up and not close to the ground.

The Cathedral was definitely the highlight of the trip. We also visited the Hohenzollern Bridge - a bridge crossing the Rhine River covered in locks - literally covered in thousands of "love locks." Lovers come and leave their lock on the bridge and throw the key into the water. It was a beautiful sight.

We also walked along the Rhine and visited different plazas and buildings on the Rick Steves' walking tour. We stopped by the chocolate museum and sampled some Lindt chocolate from the gold leafed chocolate fountain. And then we proceeded to eat some Chili con Carne and drink Kölsch beer- a local brew to the area. You have to try everything once, but that is good enough for me when it comes to the Kölsch beer. It's reminds me of the days drinking Keystone Light in college. I'll stick to Derek's fav- hefewiessen.

Here's a photo tour of our day:

Eating breakfast in front of the Dom

Donuts for sale!

View of church near the bridge

Photos don't do it justice- inside the Dom

A lifesize spire- there are two of these at the top of the church

Some stained glass from 1509

Beautiful statue of St. Christopher

View of Koln from the top of the tower

Derek outside the Dom

The cemetery in back of the dom

Trying some Kolsch beer, and drinking mine.

"Love locks" on the bridge

So many of them!

Yes, that is a Lindt chocolate fountain.