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Sonntag, 29. November 2015
Holiday Season
durhamfamily, 13:32h
Greetings! The holidays are upon us.
Although, we miss out on a lot of them over here in Germany. No kids running around in costumes demanding candy. No pumpkin pie or turkey with stuffing for us. It was strange not having a Thanksgiving. To not see our families, to not play games and overeat. To actually WORK. It was weird. I hope that never happens again.
I might talk Elizabeth into a Thanksgiving trip home rather than a Christmas trip home next year. The biggest argument I have is: it'll be our only chance to experience a German New Years Eve (Silvester). I think Christmas will be special no matter where you are. Thanksgiving is decidedly not special over here. I want it back.
On the plus side, the Christmas season (Weihnachten) practically begins in October over here. Everything is all gingerbread and hot spiced wine (Lebkuchen und Glühwein). And now that it's nearly December, the real fun begins. Cities all around the country have put up charming decorations and Christmas-themed outdoor markets.
Look at Schwäbisch Gmünd, for example. They've even turned the city building into a giant Advent Calendar. How cool is that?
That is just a small glimpse of the market. You can get a better look from the city webcam, here:
http://www.schwaebisch-gmuend.de/353-Webcam_Schwaebisch_Gmuend_Marktplatz_I.html
Take a look between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM EST when it's dark and full of life. We'll wear bright colors and wave to you :)
The rest of the city, outside of the market, is beautifully decorated as well. Here's a picture of the street that leads into the city center.
There are many Christmas markets that, we're told, are too good to miss. On Tuesday, Elizabeth and I are spending the day in Esslingen, which has a particularly famous market. Very medieval and festive. There are others we hope to visit next year - like Nuremberg and Strasbourg (not Germany, but close).
In other news, Elizabeth had a disappointing birthday last Sunday. It's not nearly the same, not being able to spend the day with everyone we miss from home.
Yesterday it snowed in Schwäbisch Gmünd. I really enjoy watching the snowfall. Elizabeth and I went for a snowy walk over to the Fleamarket (Flohmarkt - held once or twice per month)... only to learn it was cancelled due to the snow! We were very disappointed. So we went grocery shopping instead. I bought "American" brand chocolate chips cookies to numb the sadness. Before you ask, yes, American brand foods are very common here. I don't know if they are popular or not. Heck, sometimes cannot even determine what the products are (the "American" sauce is a good example). I'm pretty sure our peanut butter is "American" brand.
Did we tell you about peanut butter over here? It only comes in tiny jars, perhaps half the size of the smallest jars in the US. Compare that to Nutella, which we can buy here in the largest jars imaginable.
But that's not the worst of it. Take a random poll, and many German people wouldn't be able to tell you what peanut butter is used for. Our German teacher, who is a mother of 2 teenage boys, hadn't even heard of pb&j before! Combining pb with j had never occurred to her.
Is there anything else?
Our short marathon trip is quickly approaching. I'm nowhere near ready (which might be good if it causes me to slow down... very bad if it doesn't), and Elizabeth is anxious about traveling anywhere due to possible threats of violence. I can admit, it feels unsettling to be closer to some threats, with no ocean between us and ISIS. However, I'm still confident that I'm safer here than in the US. The US might not have ISIS, but it's certainly not free from extreme and unpredictable violence.
On that cheery note, I'll go for now! We miss everyone. Be safe, and embrace the magic of the holiday season!
Although, we miss out on a lot of them over here in Germany. No kids running around in costumes demanding candy. No pumpkin pie or turkey with stuffing for us. It was strange not having a Thanksgiving. To not see our families, to not play games and overeat. To actually WORK. It was weird. I hope that never happens again.
I might talk Elizabeth into a Thanksgiving trip home rather than a Christmas trip home next year. The biggest argument I have is: it'll be our only chance to experience a German New Years Eve (Silvester). I think Christmas will be special no matter where you are. Thanksgiving is decidedly not special over here. I want it back.
On the plus side, the Christmas season (Weihnachten) practically begins in October over here. Everything is all gingerbread and hot spiced wine (Lebkuchen und Glühwein). And now that it's nearly December, the real fun begins. Cities all around the country have put up charming decorations and Christmas-themed outdoor markets.
Look at Schwäbisch Gmünd, for example. They've even turned the city building into a giant Advent Calendar. How cool is that?
That is just a small glimpse of the market. You can get a better look from the city webcam, here:
http://www.schwaebisch-gmuend.de/353-Webcam_Schwaebisch_Gmuend_Marktplatz_I.html
Take a look between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM EST when it's dark and full of life. We'll wear bright colors and wave to you :)
The rest of the city, outside of the market, is beautifully decorated as well. Here's a picture of the street that leads into the city center.
There are many Christmas markets that, we're told, are too good to miss. On Tuesday, Elizabeth and I are spending the day in Esslingen, which has a particularly famous market. Very medieval and festive. There are others we hope to visit next year - like Nuremberg and Strasbourg (not Germany, but close).
In other news, Elizabeth had a disappointing birthday last Sunday. It's not nearly the same, not being able to spend the day with everyone we miss from home.
Yesterday it snowed in Schwäbisch Gmünd. I really enjoy watching the snowfall. Elizabeth and I went for a snowy walk over to the Fleamarket (Flohmarkt - held once or twice per month)... only to learn it was cancelled due to the snow! We were very disappointed. So we went grocery shopping instead. I bought "American" brand chocolate chips cookies to numb the sadness. Before you ask, yes, American brand foods are very common here. I don't know if they are popular or not. Heck, sometimes cannot even determine what the products are (the "American" sauce is a good example). I'm pretty sure our peanut butter is "American" brand.
Did we tell you about peanut butter over here? It only comes in tiny jars, perhaps half the size of the smallest jars in the US. Compare that to Nutella, which we can buy here in the largest jars imaginable.
But that's not the worst of it. Take a random poll, and many German people wouldn't be able to tell you what peanut butter is used for. Our German teacher, who is a mother of 2 teenage boys, hadn't even heard of pb&j before! Combining pb with j had never occurred to her.
Is there anything else?
Our short marathon trip is quickly approaching. I'm nowhere near ready (which might be good if it causes me to slow down... very bad if it doesn't), and Elizabeth is anxious about traveling anywhere due to possible threats of violence. I can admit, it feels unsettling to be closer to some threats, with no ocean between us and ISIS. However, I'm still confident that I'm safer here than in the US. The US might not have ISIS, but it's certainly not free from extreme and unpredictable violence.
On that cheery note, I'll go for now! We miss everyone. Be safe, and embrace the magic of the holiday season!
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