Busy Wednesday

Despite my sore knees, I had a busy day out of the house with friends. The day started off with an ex-pat wife coffee at Kirsten's in Weinheim. I hadn't been to one since September, so it was really fun to catch up with everyone and see the two new babies that had arrived in the last month. I knew just about everyone there so it was great to hang out and gab with the girls. We talked about the trials and tribulations of having a teenage girl about to turn 16 here, and her Albanian boyfriend that speaks five languages. I knew the age for drinking here is 16, but I didn't realize the consensual age for sex was 14- seems crazy. Good thing she has a great daughter with a decent head on here shoulders although she didn't get home until 3 am after a birthday party last weekend. I love that family and it was so fun to hear about the life of a teenage girl! Also we gabbed about trips. TJ and I travel quite a bit, but from talking to some of the ladies that have been here longer we have to go to Normandy. It was the favorite of a bunch of the families I hope we can squeeze it in! Then some of us talked about trips back to the US and how some things bothered us and other things we noticed that we might not have from living here...very interesting. I was having so much fun I lost track of time and had to go get Niki in Heidelberg for our afternoon in Mannheim.
I mentioned that I met Niki last weekend and she is here visiting the family that she stayed with when she was a foreign exchange student in high school. She is from Canada, but speaks 4 languages and is an English teacher in Japan. We just had lunch and did a bit of shopping. She had to do a bunch of shopping as she is tall and can't find a lot of things that fit in Japan since the clothes are so petite. So maybe I should move to Japan as I have the opposite problem! I just picked up some new running shoes (in hopes they would help my knees) and the third book in the Twilight series...you know the important things in life. It was fun to hang with another girl and I hope we can hang one more time before she goes home, but I did realize that I am going to miss my buddy Hazel while she is in South Africa this month.
When I got home it wasn't long before TJ returned from France with his usual stock of wine and cheese. This made for a great dinner of fromage, a fresh baguette, wine, and some strawberries I picked up from a vendor in Mannheim. Delicious!
TJ has a three day weekend as tomorrow is the German Labor Day. I hope to at least catch a movie and go out another night, but currently I am trying to convince TJ of taking a day trip somewhere. I will let you know what happens on Monday.
Auf Wiedersehen!

Weekend Update

This weekend was really fun, but as seems as though all of our fun was on Saturday for the most part. Friday was mello...after cleaning the house and making a pizza, T and I watched "The Wrestler". I still haven't decided how I feel about the movie as a whole, although I can say for sure that I did like it or at least most of it.
Saturday TJ and I rode our bikes to the gym and had a great workout, but TJ seemed to have done something to his neck and I have listened to it for the entire weekend! We had two parties that night, one at an ex-pat's house and another for a German friend's house warming. I took my camera but the battery was dead...oops I should have checked it! The first get together was great as we caught up with other ex-pats and listened to their adventures...and as a result I officially need to go to Greece, and wouldn't mind the resort area in Egypt either! Then we went to Yvonne's and she had an apartment full of people. The party was really fun and I was able to catch up with a couple of people that I haven't seen in a while as well as meet a new friend, Niki. Niki is a Canadian that lives in Japan and teaches English and French there. She is visiting a buddy in Heidelberg for a little while and you will hear more of her as we have a shopping date this week. Other than that the one major thing I noticed was the diversity at her party. There were Germans of course, but also Americans, Canadians, English, Irish, and Spanish people as well...there may have been some from other places as well although I didn't speak to all of them. Like I said...it was fun and TJ and I didn't make it home until nearly 2 am, which is late considering we went out at 5 pm.
Sunday TJ nursed his hang over and I went for a run. The weather was fantastic (78 degrees) so TJ, Tut, and I strolled downtown for some ice cream. This is always a good ending to any day!
This week, TJ goes to France...again and then I have a couple of dates. I have shopping with Niki and then an ex-pat coffee in Weinheim in addition to my training schedule. I haven't been blogging as much as I have been consumed with training for a half marathon in two weeks which happens to be right here in Mannheim and goes right through our little village...the luck! Other than that, the German Labor Day is Friday and Maimarkt is also going on, so hopefully I will have some more interesting posts for you through the week!
Auf Wiedersehen!

Blumen

Tut and I generally walk all over Seckenheim in a given week, and now that I can read the signs I have realized what I have been missing out on...like cheap but beautiful flowers (called blumen in Deutsch). There are two fields in particular that I have had my eye on that have really great tulips that I want for my very own...and now I do. These fields are for those who want to cut their own fresh flowers. See? There used to also be daffodils, but now they are done and the flowers change with the season, and half the field hasn't been planted yet.

There is also a checkout stand that is not manned by anyone...it is on your honor. It is great because they have little blades to cut available to borrow...and no one seems to steal them, and there is also a compose pile for you to put any discarded foliage.

The result is 10 huge tulips for 4 EUR. I chose different shades of pink to brighted up my kitchen.

I loved it and I will do it again!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Grill Out

TJ and I have been complaining about having nice weather and not having a grill. We decided to leave the grill (stupid) at home as we weren't sure where we would find propane tanks, what the laws were for apartment grilling...yada, yada, yada. Again stupid. Since there are 57,000 American troops living Germany, we should have realized that there would be some place to find propane tanks. We have heard they sell some once a year around at different stores and looked at one store on Saturday. Did they have a grill? Nope, but they did have grill sets so we bought two for 2 EUR a piece and this is what they looked like...

Fancy, huh? We went ahead and tried it out and it wasn't half bad if you can get past how ghetto it was. You can see in the next picture that I could probably make my own if I really wanted to!

The result was grilled chicken and I can't really complain about that! But I believe we will still keep our eyes peeled for real grills.

Auf Wiedersehen!

The Heidelberg Castle

For Mike and Jenny's last day with us we took them to our favorite near by and very cute German town of Heidelberg. I have blogged about this place almost a million times...but it really is that good. We wanted to make sure they toured a castle...and actually it was good for us too as we had never done the formal tour although we have been to the castle a couple times. Here is the view from one of the lookout spots that I am sure was used to defend the castle.

And a better look...in this one you can see the hills, the Neckar River, and the old city below.

And a different view, this one showing some of the destruction to the princess' quarters.

TJ and I are standing in front of what used to be the mote, and then the library was right behind that but now it is in open air as it was nearly destroyed.

We toured the inside as well and learned of the the castle's many rulers and religions. In the basement of one of the many buildings is a large chapel. It is only used today for those who choose to marry there. And you can have a reception upstairs in the wine tasting hall. If I had only known!!!

After the tour we went outside and to the back of the castle to check out the garden...which really aren't gardens anymore...rather a large and sprawling public park that I have already vowed to bring Tut Anthony back to. Any way at the back is a portion of the castle that shows the remains of an attack by the French. I love how they didn't clean it up.

We have seen many castles and so far this one is my favorite, although I do look forward to visiting Ludwig's castle in Bavaria (Cinderella's castle) sometime...the pictures are quite impressive!

All in all I hope Mike and Jenny had a great trip, and we look forward to many other visitors to come!

Auf Wiedersehen!

The Keukenhof

One of my most favorite things tht we did was visit the Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse. I was so excited that we were visiting The Netherlands during the tulip festival, and the gardens and fields did not disappoint. The Keukenhof is about 20 minutes outside of Amsterdam, so we did this on our way out of town on Sunday. Oddly it was cool and windy this day much unlike the previous days. We arrived to find wooden shoes just past the entry gate...and this is what they looked like...
My favorite thing about the gardens are the red tulips. There are many different plants and flowers throughout, but the red tulips were gorgeous and are officially now my most favorite flower!

There was so much to see in the gardens...and the grounds were enormous! We also were not alone...there were like a million people there. Sometimes it was hard to get a good photo as random people would be in it. Here are some garden views...

The gardens were filled with some sculptures and Dutch novelties as well. I like this fountain a lot as it looks like a dandylion blowing away. Stuff like this was everywhere. And from here you can see the masses of people!

The theme was Amsterdam to New York...celebrating the 400 year anniversary of the Dutch settlement in New Amsterdam. So there were some American pieces as well. TJ was able to feel right at home with his ancestors in a teepee that we came upon!

Other novelties were a life size maze and a Dutch canal ride through the fields. And then of course a giant Dutch shoe! Mike sat in it for a photo opp to show his son when they returned to the States.

But my favorite piece of Holland was the traditional windmill, and to top it off it over looked the fields of tulips. We climbed up to get a better view...

And it was beautiful!!!! It also smelled amazing! Actually when we were driving through Lisse and we first saw all the rows tulips...we almost knew they were going to be there because you could smell them first. Again, the red ones are my favorite!

We had a good time there despite the large crowds and cool weather. I would certainly suggest visiting Amsterdam and the Netherlands between March 21 and June 1 to make sure you can see the tulips. For more photos of our trip you can visit TJ's flickr site, and they should be up by the end of next week...he has hundreds to edit.

Our next scheduled big trip is in May, and it will be the longest to date. We have sort of planned it to be our delayed "honeymoon". It will be eight days long and will start in Barcelona, Spain and then we are going on a cruise to the French Riviera; Cagliari, Sardinia; Palermo, Sicily...and then we will return to Barcelona and spend a few more days there. Other than that we will stay around here as the festival season is beginning this weekend!!!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Anne Frank, Heineken, and Van Gogh

On Saturday we decided to hit up some of the major attractions in Amsterdam by going to the Anne Frank House, the Heineken Experience, and the Van Gogh Museum. The Anne Frank House opened at 9 am and we wanted to make sure we were there before it opened as we had heard that the line could be outrageous. And it was...even at ten to nine the line was around the street corner and half way up the block. The wait wasn't too bad as we only waited for about an hour. It was well worth it though as the tour was very unique and extremely sobering as you read, listened, and walked about the office and then more so beyond the bookcase to where the families hid. It is amazing how everyone viewing the house was quiet as they walked about it and only whispered when talking to eachother. My favorite part was learning of their capture and then listening to Anne's best friend talk about her. I was interesting, but also heart wrenching at the same time. Obviously no pictures were allowed so we could only take exterior photos...this is the outside door and sign.

From there we grabbed an early lunch and walked down to Heineken. I was so happy that we were doing a tour of a beer that I actually liked this time!

The tour was really good...although the Guiness Factory was a little better. We checked everything out and learned a little bit about the history and what makes Heineken unique. Here Jen and I are in one of the brewing areas. TJ took this picture through one of the big tanks.

The building was really old and pretty. You can kind of see the architecture behind this photo of Mike and Jenny.

TJ even participated in the stirring of the barley...and he was very serious about it!

After it brewed we tasted it...Yummy! It was good and we learned that Heineken should be overpoured with foam left on top to keep the oxygen in for the best taste. Here we are at the first tasting...

It was a fun tour with a special perk as you recieved two free beers at the end in the Heineken bar. It was great for the warm afternoon we were having!

From there we went to our last stop, the Van Gogh Museum. I was particularly excited for this one as one of his greatest works (The Starry Night) was there on loan for a short time and we were able to view it along with Van Gogh's permanent collection. Here is the museum from the outside...

And then a view of the special exhibition ad for his "Colors of the Night" collection.

I really enjoyed it! Jenny and I stayed a while longer to do some shopping and we picked up some of our favorite prints to display in our own homes while the boys hit the town. There are no photos allowed here as well, but the outside had a curtain version my favorite of his permanent collection hanging in one of the windows. It is called the Almond Blossom and it is the one in the middle (although the pic didn't turn out that well).

It was a great day that turned into another mexican meal for dinner...and the rest of the night continued to look like this...

Tomorrow I will post about tulip season and our trip to the Keukenhof.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a great city once you finally get there. It is supposed to be a four and a half hour drive and it ended up being almost six hours as we hit terrible traffic in The Netherlands. We were simply exhausted and starving once we arrived and needed to be fed and watered immediately. Luckily there was a Mexican restaurant down the street from our hotel (which was awesome BTW) that provided us with good food and margaritas to kick off our adventure. Here we are eating outside as the weather was fantastic!

As many of you have read Mexican food is a joke in Deutschland as are the margaritas...not in The Netherlands...can you see happiness all over my face as I drink my drink?!

Following the feast we started off with a canal tour of the city and the harbor. As we waited we saw some cool stuff...like a parking garage just for bikes next to the train station right on the harbor. See...

There are bikes everywhere and you need to be aware of them as I was not on Saturday and nearly got hit...thank God the Dutch are swift on the brakes! Here TJ and and are on the boat tour, and yes it was very sunny even at six in the evening!

And Mike and Jenny...

From the tour we (I really mean TJ) were able to get some good pictures of the city and its harbor. Take a look at Amsterdam from the harbor!

And some canal views of the streets and buildings in black and white...

And in color!

The bridges are really pretty when you look down a canal and see bridge after bridge all the way down, although these pictures aren't nearly as pretty as seeing it in person.

After the canal tour we explored the city on foot. Of course our main objective was to find the red light district as I needed to see it for myself. It took us a while to find it and actually we sort of stumbled upon it by accident...but you sure know you are there once you find it! No pictures are allowed to be taken there and it is strictly enforced. Police patrol the canal on the main drag, and there are plain clothes security right on the street. It was a busy street as it is a tourist trap...some are there for prostitutes and drugs and others like me just want to see it. It was busy and kind of overrated.
On the way to the RLD we took the best picture of TJ sporting his new capri pants in front of a great sign that may have depicted how he was feeling.

We went shopping the night before Mike came because TJ wanted to be "Euro" when he picked him up at the airport. The pants were a part of the original get up and TJ decided to wear them again. I actually think he looks cute in them!
The next picture was taken right outside the RLD on a foot bridge over one of many canals.

Jenny and I enjoyed a late dinner and a couple drinks while the boys hit the town together. We went out with them the other nights, but were a little too tired to hang with these old HS buddies. It was a great first day, but I like the next couple better as we did more tours and hot more sites. More tomorrow on Anne Frank, Van Gogh, and Heineken!
Auf Wiedersehen!

Our First Guests

Our very first non-company guests came into town last Thursday morning and we couldn't have been more excited for them to get here. Mike is one of TJ's oldest and closest friends from high school, and he and his wife Jenny married last March. I hadn't met Jenny before...which is very strange as they have been together almost as long as TJ and I, but we might as well have known each other for 10 years as that is how we get along!
First we took them to Ladenburg for lunch at one of our favorite Italian restaurants called "The Cave" for beer and pizza and then wandered about the village a bit so they could see the old and quaint side to Germany. Then we came back for Mike and Jenny to get a nap in before we went out to Mannheim for dinner and drinks...many drinks. Before we did all of that we stopped for photo opps at the Water Tower and its surrounding park. Here are Mike and Jenny in front of the fountain....

We ate at a small bistro in the Quadrat and then went on to several other places as well to grab post dinner drinks. The bartender at Maison Creole made the boys a special shot in this picture below...

Good friends and good times...maybe too good as it was difficult to rally everyone in the morning to head to The Netherlands. Well worth it! More on our Dutch experience tomorrow, and of course more about Mike and Jennys visit to Deutschland as well!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Spring in Seckenheim

Seckenheim is in bloom and I have to say the Spring here is getting off to a good start. I went around snapping pictures of the area on Monday while I was walking Tut so you could kind of see the area where I live in Springtime. The best part has been the sun and the temperature. It has been between 65 and 75 degrees each day since I got home last Sunday. I couldn't be happier! So enjoy the photos!

This one is of the walkway acrosse the street that gets us to the path that goes around Seckenheim. The city maintains it.
And this is our path that Tut and I walk each and every day at least once. The stone wall on the left will have beautifully colored vines on it in the late summer and fall. Beyond the wall are houses and to the left across the streets there are fields with paths through them. You can barely see it, but the city planted yellow daffodils every once in a while on the green space.

A small park area off the path...

And a look at the cemetary. The plots are really beautiful as they are raised in front of the head stone and loved ones can plant what ever they want in a mini garden. There has been a lot of planting lately. In the summer I will take another one when they are grown in...quite amazing!

This is Tut's horse in the field behind our neighborhood. Tut is obsessed with this beast and we check on him daily.

A look at our neighborhood from the field paths...

They plant year round here. Here is a shot of the groomed fields before the Spring planting. It could be corn or asparagus or whatever.

With our new balcony and great temperatures, Tut is enjoying his afternoon sunnings on the warmed tile. This is probably his favorite thing about the Spring!

I will snap some more in May or June so you can see how beautiful it gets. It seems to be always changing!

Mike and Jenny arrive today from Council Bluffs and then tomorrow we all go to Amsterdam for the weekend!!!! A full report next week...stay tuned!

Auf Wiedersehen!