Storybook Wedding

Emily and Owen anticipated the wedding like a trip to Disney.  Idol threats to call a babysitter successfully forced them to nap for two hours.   They woke ready to party.  Even the process of getting dressed up excited them.  Owen wore a dress shirt for the first time.  The gap near the button on his wrist fascinated him.  After he understood the hole was intentional, he showed each person he encountered and asked the men if they too had holes in their shirts.

Fabian's father officiated the ceremony and switched from German to English quite gracefully.  A storybook reception followed in the dance hall of the old castle.  Who would have thought the first family wedding our kids attended would be in Germany.

Emily and Owen danced until 10:30 pm - the latest we ever kept them out - in part thanks to Taylor who entertained the kids most of the five hour evening.

Adventures in Waldeck

Courtney and Fabian chose Schloss Waldeck, a historic-site-turned-hotel, for their wedding destination.  Fabian's family hails from Dusseldorf, a German city about two hours from Frankfurt.  Waldeck is a hilly region that dates back to the Holy Roman Empire.  We drove two hours directly nort on mostly single lane back roads to reach the wedding site.

First mentioned in 1120, the castle, Schloss Waldeck, switched owners several times until, in 1655, the Counts of Waldeck rebuilt it for their residence.  After they left, the structure served different purposes. Initially castle commanders occupied it, then, in the 1700s, prisoners.  In September 2009, the hotel opened.

With two little kids, the 200 euro a night hotel seemed impractical.  We decided to explore homeaway.com, a website where people rent their apartments.  We found a two bedroom condo a kilometer from the hotel on a farm.

We arrived late on Friday, ruled out the rehearsal dinner, and instead enjoyed a quick Italian meal in town.  On Saturday, Fabian's mother took us to Bad Wildungen, a small town first mentioned in 800.  Left untouched by the war, the half timbered houses and Baroque architecture create a scene from the movie "Hedi."

We entered a Gothic Evangelical Church from the 14th century that houses an altarpiece by Konrad von Soest.  He introduced International Gothic to the German art scene and influenced Northern European painting in the century to come.  The large winged altarpiece, originally dated 1403, shows scenes from the Life of the Virgin and the Passion of Christ and is the first piece in the region to show perspective.

The piece contains the oldest depiction of glasses north of the Alps.  The glasses signify the "new" Protestant movement.  

Emily wants to learn more Biblical stories and asks questions about each piece of art we see.  She actually asked Santa to bring her a book on cathedrals!  She also found a warm place to sit.

After a cappacino and hot chocolate, we returned to the farm to rest up for the big event.

Thanksgiving in Germany

After 11 years of marriage, Dave and I hosted our first Thanksgiving.  We like to entertain and held baptisms, post Christmas brunches, and Father's Day BBQs.   Until Emily arrived, our Thanksgivings consisted of large meals at each in-laws' house.  Post kids, we attended only one feast.  Who knew we had to move to Germany - and Dave's Cousin had to hold a wedding nearby - to push us into planning, preparing, and serving the iconic turkey.

With two full time careers and two kids requiring most of our energy, we "hired" out the main aspects of the meal.  We found a chef to prepare the turkey and wild boar for the main course.  Knowing we were leaving for the wedding on Friday, we ordered food for 10 instead of the full 15 guests.  Of course, I awoke Thanksgiving morning in a panic and rushed to a market to buy more appetizers as I feared growling bellies.  We served French Brie with apples, artichoke dip, three loaves of fresh breads, Italian Salamis, sliced cucumber with two cheeses, fresh pears, and my favorite, pastry puff with pesto appetizer.  For the main course, we combined German and American traditions  - mash potoaes, spaetzel, cabbage, broccoli, stuffing and more.  I made pumpkin bread, an apple tarte, and brownies and ordered two pies and a cake.  Needless to say, no one left hungry.

Fabian's parents anticipated experiencing an American Thanksgiving and asked questions about all the food choices.  Emily overheard them talking in German and asked, "Why are all the Germans here?"

Dave picked Bob up at the airport and he jumped right into the kitchen.

 

The bride and groom

Plenty of food

Very serious....

Happy Birthday Gigi!

Everyone raved about the German Christmas markets.  We decided to take Lissa to the only market I could find opened before advent, Heidelberg.  We did a whirl wind tour as they picked me up from work mid morning and we wanted to be home by 4:30 to celebrate Lissa's birthday.  The Heidelberg market expands over five "platz" or city squares.  We strolled through the decorated stalls while the kids searched for rides.

The rides, which lasts about thirty seconds and merely went in a a slow circle, cost about 5 euro per each ride for the kids

We enjoyed the best chocolate cake I ever had after we sang happy birthday.

Welcoming Our First Guests

Like many Americans, we spent the day at an airport.  Dave's cousin marries a German on Saturday, so his mother, uncle, aunt, and cousins arrived this morning for their first trip to Europe.  I planned to work and let Dave do the airport pick up solo, but I changed my mind this morning.  I love airports and wanted to experience our first guests arrival.

Frankfurt International Airport serves the most people of all airports in Germany and the third most in Europe.  It also serves the most international destinations in the world.  We arrived early and parked our car in an 11 story parking deck.  Still not reading signs properly, we rode the parking elevator up where a middle age couple entered and then back down.  They read the map and started walking with authority so we followed them.  Later, we discovered they were the groom's parents.

We spent the next two hours in the airport waiting for people and their luggage and taking pictures:

Dave's cousin Courtney - the bride, with her father, mother in law, and significant other

Dave and his cousin Taylor

Courtney greeting her granparents

Dave's cousin Lindsey and her grandfather  (This flight was his first one overseas)

Though these two went to school, I had to include a picture.  They helped me set up our ten and a half foot dining room table yesterday.

France in a Day

Dave and I ventured to France to explore its seventh largest city Strasbourg, a Unesco world heritage site.  The Romans occupied the city as early as 12 B.C. and the Middles Ages represented the city's Golden Age.   The half timbered houses and store fronts beckon visitors to stroll leisurely through winding pedestrian roads.  Emily and Owen prevent such a pace, so we decided to leave them behind.

A you-are-in-France-now sign reminiscent of the "Welcome to Delaware" on the Jersey turnpike greeted us as we drove across the border.  I am still amazed that in 2 hours we can be in another country.  (However, had we traveled by horse several centuries ago the people would have been defending its status as a free city.  It only rejoined France in 1691.)

Everyone recommended the hour tour through the city canals.  We admired architecture that reflected the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the 18th century, and the contemporary eras from a glass enclosed boat.  While nauseating music played, a narrator spoke of tanneries, city defenses, and Mozart's great concerts.  At one bridge we passed, unmarried sexually active women were caged and thrown into the river during the Middle Ages.  (I think certain American politicians would vote yes to such measures.)  The below covered bridge protected the free city.

In the city center, the people erected a cathedral beginning in the 11th century.  Their great great great great grandchildren finished the project 300 years later.  The Strasbourg cathedral stands grandly in a cobblestone square and was the tallest edifice in Christendom until the 19th century.

In 1225, an unknown project manger revolutionized the architecture and introduced the local artisans to the splendours of Gothic art.

Next to the cathedral, a 15th century house belonging to rich merchants through the centuries that followed marks the corner.

We walked by Parisian style mansion built in the 1700s for the Cardinal Prince Bishop.  Napoleon moved in at the beginning of the 19th century.

Of course, we enjoyed a French "Jambon" sandwich, an almond croissant, and some beignets.