The first "short" post

So we finally got snow back in Ramersbach. I've gotten to catch up with lots of friends and family this week that I haven't talked to in a while which was nice. To those of you I got to talk to- thanks for taking the time! I miss you all.
The first week back from holiday wasn't as bad as I was expecting. The kids were lovely in the mornings and Liv has actually gotten int he routine of waking up by herself when Bennet wakes up! Of course that means that by the time I get upstairs at 6:10, they are both already up but it's nice that we don't have to go through the wake up routine- it is usually not a nice one.
I have been horribly sick with a cold since Switzerland which has really sucked. Lots of coughing and blowing my nose, very gross. The day I left Switzerland I went to the Apoteke and bought Vitamin C pills which the girl told me to take once a day. So of course, I have been taking 2-3 a day in hopes that I will just naturally boost my immune system enough to get better.
Today Bennet was home from school sick so I really hope he's not getting what I have. He slept for a little while and then was as good as new so I'm thinking he'll be okay to go to school tomorrow.
We went on a lovely little walk through the woods on Sunday. Here are some photos!

Coming out of the woods at the end of the walk

With Bonn in the background there nestled behind the hills!

sunshine through the trees

Bennet needed walking sticks. As every 7 year old does on a walk through the woods. 

I still haven't been able to get back to Lacrosse practice. I was hoping to go today but because of all the snow, it was cancelled. Big bummer but hopefully I can get back NEXT week.

Not really too much else to report! Hopefully we'll go sledding with Liv's new sled in the next few days :)
Oh and shoutout to my mom for her weird Christmas presents. ET was a welcome guest star in my hangout with Alice.

giggles for days. 

Bis spater!

What a way to kick off 2013

Okay, well sorry KATY. This is probably be a long one.
So since the kids had their winter break I was feeling a little wanderlusty and decided to do a solo trip. This is something I knew that I wanted to accomplish while in Europe and I figured now was as good a time as any.
It is so wonderful that Germany is in the middle to Europe that trains are an easy alternative to flying and a cheaper one at that. I spent probably 2 days doing research on Swiss cities and train fares and finally decided on Lucerne, Switzerland and then a stopover in Tuttlingen, Germany to see my old au pair, Heike!
New Year's Eve I went to stay with a new friend in Bonn and we went to a private party in Köln. It was a really great time. At midnight here it's a big thing to light off fireworks so everyone went outside the bar and put fireworks in empty champagne bottles and lit them off right in the street. It was one of the craziest things I have ever seen!

This is me and Fenja at the party.

Me lighting my first firework!

The night was a lot of fun and I'm sad that I missed celebrating with the kiddos but I got to meet some great people and I had a blast. We didn't get back to Bonn until about 8am which left me with just 2 hours to sleep. Of course, I missed my alarm, the bus to the Hauptbahnhof and ran up the stairs to the platform AS my train was pulling away to Switzerland. It was just about the most dramatic thing that could have happened, very much so out of a movie. The awful thing about Deutschebahn is that if you miss your train, you have to buy a whole new ticket, which was awful so I had to spend an extra 64 euros to get another route that put me through 2 transfers and got me into Luzern almost 2 hours after originally scheduled. 

After that chaos, I finally got on a train that was a few hours to Mannheim. It was actually kind of nice to have the stopover because I got to wake myself up in the bathroom, put in my contacts, and get something to eat. This train was of course late so that was pretty much the story of my day. 

This train was a few more hours to Basel, Switzerland. I met a nice guy on the train who was living in Geneva but was from Madrid and we bonded over the mutual drastic change in surrounding that we shared. I had to run in Basel to catch my train to Luzern and only had 2 minutes so of course missed it and caught the next one. 

I met a guy on that train who was utterly confused when I told him we were headed to Luzern since he thought he'd gotten on a train to Milan. That was funny.

Anyway the theme of my day was referring in my head back to an article I found on Rick Steve's website written by a woman who often traveled alone, "there's always another train or plane or bus so don't worry if you miss one, just enjoy the journey and remember that is why you went on your trip". This was certainly something that calmed me all day. 

When I got into Luzern I had to figure out where the hostel was which was a journey in itself. I hopped on the bus and once I got off I had to ask 2 people directions but I did so in German and was so proud that I was brave enough to give it a go. I met a girl in the lobby from Malaysia and she had been there a couple days and after talking for a little she offered to venture out to find something to eat with me. Apparently we were roommates! funny. So we went out and got something to eat and had nice conversation. I certainly learned a thing or two about Malaysia. She was really sweet and it was crazy to hear about her life. She was 21 and was living in Poland doing a volunteer internship with an organization that helped disabled kids make art. It was 2 months long and afterwards she was moving back to New Zealand where she had lived abroad previous to Poland. So cool. 

When we got back we met our other roommates, both American who were really cool. They were both East Coasters who were studying in the UK, Annie in London and Kathryn in Glasgow. We seemed to click pretty fast which was cool. 

The next day I got up and had breakfast at the hostel, packed a little sandwich for later which of course was reminiscent of my study abroad trip last December. I headed out and caught a boat cruise across Lake Luzern to Vitznau, about 45 minutes, which was beautiful since the sun was shining and It is surrounded by alps. 

This was on the boat.

View of Pilatus from the boat. 

Once there, I was to catch the longest cog wheel train still running, up to Rigi Kulm, the top of Mt. Rigi. This was a pretty cool ride as well seeing as most of the track was on a 45 degree angle. Lots of skiing spots which made me wish I had known how so that I could have gone. 

Once I got to Rigi Kulm, I had about an hour to walk around and hike around the top to see the views. It was beautiful. It was pretty cloudy which was a big bummer because the view of all the alps from there would have been magnificent but was blocked by the clouds. 

This was one pretty cool view off the side. I love the way the clouds are reflected in the small lake there. 

Also from Rigi Kulm. The woman who took this photo was awesome. She noticed I was alone and we chatted a little. She was from nearby and liked to come up to the mountains to chill with her camera and enjoy the views. 

After I left Rigi Kulm, I took the train back down to Rigi Kaltbad and there were the mineral baths I had been so excited about. It was absolutely wonderful to go there. I didnt take any pictures there which was a bit of a shame but for most of it, we weren't allowed to. So this is the website of the place I went if you do want to see pictures. 

http://www.mineralbad-rigikaltbad.ch/index.asp?kat=galerie

Of course it looked a bit different than in the pictures because it was winter but it was awesome to be in the mineral pool and see all the mountains. It was also really wonderful after being so cold all morning on the mountain in the wrong clothes. I met up with Karthryn and Annie there and we all took the cable car, and the boat back to Luzern from Weggis. That night we went out to dinner at Restaurant Fritschi which was delicious. Of course, ridiculously expensive but we all had some soup and then split cheese fondue. It was a really cool building and the food was delish. It was also cool to hear about their backpacking adventure and what they were up to in life. Like I said before we seemed to get along really well and I am so happy that I met them. 

Our cheese fondue

the front of the restaurant we went to. 

Afterwards we walked around a little and found ourselves in a few cool old wooden bridges and then found our way to a British pub called Mr. Pickwicks. We had a couple ciders and then walked back to the hostel. 

The next day I got up really early and had breakfast and set out. I had fought the Tell Pass which was 2 free days of excursions so I needed to make use of it and decided to go to Mt. Pilatus. I had to get new hiking shoes since the ones I had were awful so I found a huge after Christmas sale and found some great new winter boots that will last me a long time. I felt really confident navigating my way around at this point which is always really cool in a new city. I hopped on the bus, walked up to the cable car spot and hopped in one. It was about 30 minutes to the top and it was so pretty. It was a lot higher than Rigi and since I went earlier in the morning, a lot clearer. The sun was shining and once I got up there I just walked around and enjoyed the amazing views. I wanted to go hiking to the other side but because of all the snow, they had closed the trails. 

Cable car route

selfie at the top

lake Luzern at the bottom there

tons of alps. I loved it

where I chilled and ate my snack

There was a man playing this too which was awesome. I talked to him for a couple minutes. This photo just looks so cliche alps.

At around noon the clouds rolled in and I decided to go down. It took about an hour to get back to the Luzern hauptbahnhof and when there I walked around the city a little bit. Went to a bakery and got a coffee an chilled on the river. It was a great day. 

The river with the famous Kapellbrücke and Rigi in the back. 

An awesome wooden nativity scene. Apparently there its traditional to have really ornate ones. 

Then I met up with Annie and we went to the Rosengart gallery where much of Picasso's late work is housed along with some impressionists and some other good stuff that we both really enjoyed. 

Then we met up with Kathryn at Starbucks, enjoyed the free wifi for a little and walked around some more. We then decided to go back to Mr. Pickwicks as there isn't much nightlife in Luzern and we knew it and how to get there. We sat down and soon met some locals that were very nice. They were 3 guys that were from all over but had worked together in Luzern, one was from Brazil, moved there but was studying abroad in Alabama, another was from the Phillipines, moved to Australia, and then to Luzern and I'm not sure about the other one. We enjoyed a couple local beers and chats with them and then headed back to the hostel. 

Me, Annie, and Kathryn in front of Pickwicks the last night. 

We all headed out the next day, them to Zürich and me to Tuttlingen to see Heike. 

She picked me up from the train and we drove around then went to her house which is lovely. I got to met her boyfriend Peter and her awesome 5 month old baby, Paul. Sooooo cute. We had some raclette for dinner and afterwards drank some red wine and looked at her photo albums from her stay with my family when I was 5. She saved everything so it was really cool to see and to hear about now having the experience of being an au pair. The next day we woke up, had breakfast and coffee and went to Konstanz to see the lake and walk around. 

Heike and I at Lake Constance

We took the ferry across the lake to Meersberg and walked around which was so cute. I think it would be absolutely lovely in the summer. 

Heike and Paul on the ferry. 

We headed back and had some cake and coffee and then they had some work friends over for a small party. It was nice to meet all of them and see Heike's life now as she has a family and has settled down. We went on an awesome walk the next morning and then I was on my way back home. 

It was a lovely trip and I'm so very happy that I decided to go. It seems that if i just listen to my inner wanderlust I will not be disappointed. I was nervous about traveling alone but it was awesome. It was great to meet new people that I very well may not have met had I been with company. You put yourself out there more as a solo traveler and I think you're more willing to approach and become friendly with new people. 

All in all, Awesome trip and start to 2013. 

Frohe Weihnachten aus Deutschland!

Hello all and Frohe Weihnachten aus Deutschland!
I have gotten a request for shorter but more frequent posts so I will do my best to honor that.

It has been a somewhat crazy December. We started off with lots and lots of snow, we got a couple feet in the beginning and it was absolutely beautiful! I'm truly in a winter wonderland. Unfortunately, the temperatures went from reallllly cold to feeling like spring is on the way and we have a bleek and rainy Christmas instead of a wonderfully white one.

The Ramersbacherstraße going from Ramersbach to Bad Neuenahr- Ahrweiler.

Christmas here has been a little weird. I'm missing all the traditions and spending time with my family, up and down the river, decorating the tree with my mom, her holiday bread, hanging out in Northbrook with my friends, visiting Freddy, and lots more. I never really thought I would be so homesick or miss my family this much but I do. It's nice to hear that I'm being missed on the other side of the pond as well. As a wonderful present, my dad and Katy let me know they booked their flight here to visit me at the end of April so I am very much looking forward to that even though it is crazy far off. 

Nina and Florian were so nice and gave me Florian's old smart phone for Christmas and now I have whatsapp again so communication is more accessible. I am so thankful and it's so nice that they are doing everything they can to make me feel comfortable here. 

The kids have off school for like 3 weeks and they were so excited on Christmas. It was so cute. Bennet's favorite present seems to be a remote control mini lambourghini he got. He has been driving it all over the house. Liv's is hard to tell since she got so many new clothes and little toys. Polly Pocket, Barbie house, Barbie Rapunzel which she really wanted and she also got a big lego Police station that I have been helping her put together. They were so cute opening everything and Bennet put the Bears shirt my mom gave him on right away and wore it the rest of the night. So great to form baby bears fans :)

We went to IKEA last week to get new furniture for Bennet's room which is now finished. He got a new bed and a new closet thing. We painted his walls and they are white and bright green but he loves it. It does look very good. Maybe I'll post a picture next update. 

Anyway, I'm kind of happy that Christmas is over now but I know that New Year's will be really hard since it is a night that has always been spent with close friends. I'm trying to find something fun to do to distract me from the fact that I can't be with any of them this year. Hopefully I will find something to do in Bonn or Köln. If i had a buddy to travel with, I would try to go to Berlin. Apparently it is the place to be in Europe for New years. Unfortunately, I do not and that is not a trip to do alone. 

More later. 

German phrase to learn: Frohe Weihnachten (fro.vi.nack.ten)

It means Merry Christmas :)

Thanksgiving, Lax, and Roma= My November

Sooooo Thanksgiving was a success and it seemed that everyone enjoyed the food. The goose turned out okay although it was so hard to find the meat. I wasn't the biggest fan but the kids really liked it and there was so much other food that it was okay even if you didn't like the meat. 

Cooked goose.

Opa carving the goose.

Garlic bread, glazed carrots, Jan;es gooey potatoes, yummy salad, sweet potato casserole, and not pictured is the corn casserole and the stuffing which were both awesome. So all in all I'd say a successful first Thanksgiving

Christian, Oma who isn't looking, Opa, Me and Florian. 

Oh and the pumpkin pie that I made entirely from scratch. 

Everything else in the everyday has been pretty much the same. I got to go to Göttingen, pretty much 3 hours just straight west of Köln. There was an indoor box lacrosse tournament that I got to play in with the Köln team and it was an absolute blast. It was pretty much a big lock in at the Göttingen sports club with 16 teams from all over Germany. We got there late Friday night and there was a huge party going on there so it was really cool to be there for that. They had a ping pong table and people were playing beer pong which I guess is a pretty uncommon thing for them. That night there were people just sleeping anywhere there was space so that's what I mean by a big lock-in. Saturday the games started at 9 and went all the way to I think 8:30. They alternated between men's and women's and each had 8 teams, one being a pick-up team. So we had 3 games and I played 2 pick-up games...so much lacrosse and so much fun. It was also cool to see how close the men's and women's teams are at Köln in that whenever they were playing, we were watching and vise versa. That night there was a big party at a bar for the whole tournament so we all walked there about a half hour together. It was like lacrosse players on parade which was really cool. I got to meet lots of new people and feel like I had some sort of a social life while being able to play lacrosse so it was a pretty great weekend, with the exception of 2 things. Saturday night I chipped my fake tooth on a beer bottle that some girl accidentally hit me with so that really sucks. 

Sunday we got up and had the semi finals and won that then the finals against Stuttgart who I guess usually beats us. We won! We won the whole tournament and then went upstairs to watch the guys who were in the men's finals and eat pizza that they had ordered for us. They won and we ran downstairs and everyone was singing viva Colonia and it was all very exciting. There was a short awards ceremony where they got a giant bottle of beer and we got a giant bottle of Champagne and had a shower party, which is exactly what it sounds like. European style so it was a little weird for me. When we were packing up to leave I realized that my iphone, which I had barely taken out of my bag all weekend was gone and still is. I'm really bummed that happened. 

This is a team photo of all of us after the guys won. So fun!

Last weekend (well, Thursday to Monday) I went to Rome. I got to see friends from DePaul and explore a new city, both of which were great. The food was unreal, of course. The first night we went and got a couple drinks and made it to one of Steve's favorite pizzerias. Then we went out in Trastevere and it was just like going out in a college town but it was in Italy. Most of the kids there were Americans studying abroad so it was cool to meet all Steve's friends but also not very Italian. 

There is a chocolate bar somewhere near there and we went and got chocolate shots which was really cool. It was some sort of chocolate lacquer and alcohol mixture in a shot glass made of chocolate topped with whipped cream. It was very interesting. 

The next day we got up and walked around for a bit, found a great little place to get a delicious lunch that looked like someone's kitchen. I had some sort of spaghetti with eggplant and ricotta cheese and tomatoes, delicious. 

We met up with Steve and went on a walk, ended up in Villa Borghese which is a big beautiful park. We got to hang out there for a while and see the sunset which was very cool. After that we walked to the Spanish Steps and down what I would call the Champs Elysee of Rome. We ended up at a wonderful restaurant near Piazza Navonna and had some delicious bruscetta and this pear pasta. For dinner there I had a creamy shrimp risotto that was awesome. We went out that night to a few bars and after much of the debauchery had already gone down, Tommy and I followed his twin friends from home to the Pantheon and we saw that by night. This was a preface for the rest of the trip and how much late night sight seeing we would do, regardless of crazy downpour. 

All 5 of us on the Spanish Steps. Me, Emma, Steve, Tommy, and Emma

The next day Tommy and I got up and go tout the hostel, we walked to find something to eat and then to find the Vatican. We walked through the museum and I was amazed at all the art. Not realllllly my style but still breathtaking and wonderful to see first hand after learning about all the paintings in art classes. We then met up with Steve and his friends and walked to St. Peter's Square and got pulled into this crazy Italian dance with all these silly Italians. It was pretty hilarious and we were all laughing the entire time. We then walked around a bit more, saw some more cool stuff and made our way to the Trevi Fountain. On the way we stopped at St. Ignatius church and that was cool to see the famous painting ont he ceiling there as well. 

Trevi Fountain

Then we walked to dinner for the best pizza of my life. It was crazy to wait for a table there because it was super busy and there was a mob outside the door. The guy would open the door and people would just yell how many they had. 

Best pizza I've ever eaten from Pizzeria Baffeto. So good. 

We went out that night to a great Irish bar and watched the Georgia vs. Alabama game which was fun. I haven't gotten to watch football since I've been in Europe so I was happy all the guys wanted to watch and we made it happen. We then made the trip to the Colosseum with a bottle of red wine and that was awesome. Afterwards apparently Tommy and the twins and I weren't tired and went back tot he Trevi fountain which was really cool because it was about 4am and there was no one there. 

Colosseum at night.

The next day we woke up late and Salvador, the man who ran the hostel, was banging on our door basically telling us we needed to get out and I hopped in the shower very fast and he turned the water off on me while I still had shampoo in my hair so that was a very unpleasant way to start the day. It was unnecessary as they didn't even start cleaning or anything when we got out. 

We went to a place for lunch close by and it was UNREAL. We had 2 different kinds of bruscetta, one caprese and one truffle and they were both absolutely amazing. We also got pastas and Katie got risotto. Following was some great tirimisu. This was probably my favorite meal there. 

Probably the best lunch I've ever eaten. Dont worry, not all three are mine. 

That day we walked around, went to Campo d'Fiori and there was a farmer's market with spices and oils and things which was cool. We walked around cute little streets until we reached Piazza Vittorio which was a lot of steps up to a wonderful view of the city. Did some more walking around and went back tot he piazza to watch the sunset from there which was awesome. Katie and Emma had to go catch their train and Tommy Steve and I went back to the Irish pub to watch the Bears who unfortunately lost. 

I left the next afternoon. 

It was a wonderful weekend with friends, great sights, amazing food, and fun times. Despite all the rain we got stuck in every night it was such a great time and I'm so happy that I went. 

Ciao!

Nothing says creepy like fog in a cemetery.

Hello Everyone!
I know I start almost every post like this but, it's been a while.

The beginning of November has flown by and I can't believe that this week is Thanksgiving.
Halloween was interesting. We went trick or treating with the kids and drank sekt. It is not as big of a deal here at all. When we went out, no one was dressed up or anything, it was so sad. Bennet was a mummy and Liv was a witch.

I have decided to cook Thanksgiving dinner which will be stressful but nice that I can bring a truly American holiday into the lives of people here. There will be 10 people including myself and all the kiddos. Nina will unfortunately be out of town in Moscow for work but it will be Florian, Liv, Bennet, Oma, Opa, Anja, Chriatian, and their kids Ian and Aiden. I'm making lots of food and probably starting on Tuesday and if not then definitely on Wednesday.
I'm sad that I won't be with my family but it seems that everyone has missed it at least one year so I guess this year is mine. I just hope that I can do the recipes Jane sent me justice without her help :)

A first that happened a while ago was that Nina and I made sushi for dinner one night. We made so much and it was so yummy. I had never made sushi but it was so fun! We had all different kinds and although the kids weren't crazy about it, we enjoyed it. Here's the spread

Last weekend was busy, Friday night was a Ramersbach Kirmis Disco. It's  party at the old school and they basically try and turn it into a club of some sort. It was weird that the entire town basically was there. Also pretty funny. I met some new people and even though I felt pretty awkward at the beginning, it was a fun night and ended with lots of dancing and silliness. 

Then Saturday night it was the St. Martin celebration here. The kids make lanterns and then go to the church for a little service and to hear the story of St. Martin, which of course was in German and lost on me. Then we went outside, got some glühwein and walked around the village following a marching band. We stopped at this big field where there was a GIANT fire, I dont remember the meaning of the fire but it was the biggest bon fire I have ever seen. It was a fun night for the kids to run around, eat sweets and show off their lanterns. Bennet let me walk with his old one :)

Sunday I woke up early and got ready with a costume from Josee last year at Karneval and went to Köln for the 11.11 celebration of Karneval. I went down alone and met up with 2 girls from the lacrosse team and it was a fun day. The train there was so funny. Since there is no open container law here the train was quite literally, a party train. I was the only one not drinking and people were all in costumes and drunkenly singing Karneval songs and it was so funny. I made a few friends who were dressed up as the Haribo bears and we talked about Obama. When people find out I'm from America that's all they seem to know what to talk to me about. I met some new people and heard all the silly German karneval songs and it was just a funny day. Someone said to me while we were at the bar that I better start drinking more because the songs were not going to get better. She was right. The whole day they played these Karneval songs. We danced and drank the whole afternoon and started conga lines through the bar and it was a good time. I'm so grateful that I was able to go and meet up with them. 

Cookie Monster, Tiger, Tropical Island....

So I'm still going to Lacrosse once a week and have really enjoyed it. i wish we were closer so I could go to every practice. I got my stick in the mail and took Bennet out to play catch. 

I think he had fun till he got hit in the stomach and started crying so we went home. I felt really bad so I  told him a few stories about lacrosse injuries I had endured....including the one when I chipped my tooth playing at Nebraska. 

The commute to practice is long but I honestly don't mind it except that it's not cheap and it will add up to a lot by the end of the year. I just consider it a small price to pay for the comfort and familiarity and outlet for social interaction with peers. It feels like commuting at home though so it gives me time to read and stare out the window with music in my ears. Plus the Köln hauptbahnhof has a Dunkin Donuts so I get a bagel and some coffee before practice. It's the only place in Germany that has bagels I think haha. The views are also very pretty on the travel there when the sun is setting. 

I've had some really beautiful runs through the woods recently. I decided to bring my phone every once in a while so that I can snap pictures. When I look back in a few years these will probably be the prettiest runs I will ever go on so I feel that it's a great idea to capture some of it. 

Plus you can kinda see how steep that hill is that I run up. 

Friday was a lot of fun. The dance groups all went to Dagernova winery in Dernau for a wine tasting and dinner. I met a couple girls my age who live in Ramersbach and seem like a lot of fun which was really unexpected. Afterwards we went to the Halfen Hof and I got probably a little too drunk but it was a really great time and nice to hang out with people there too, even if most of them were still teenagers.... I'm getting over that, except when they call me old. 

This is me and Nina at Dagernova

Today I have been studying for the GRE, math is kicking my ass and for study breaks watching Weeds, which probably negates the brain power I'm earning while studying. It has been so gloomy and SO foggy all day that I had to go for a walk and take some artsy photos. For some reason things just look cool with a bit of fog. I went to the graveyard near the house and got some great ones there...nothing says creepy like fog in a cemetery.