Deutschland --A Winter Wonderland

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We arrived in Germany soon after clebrating Thanksgiving in Namibia. It has been wonderful to spend time with family after being on our own for so long. We've eaten yummy food, heard amazing stories, seen some great sites and spent a lot of time relaxing and being spoiled by family.

To open the photo album, double click on the first photo below.

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Photos

Weihnachtsmarkt--view of the ambiance
Super charming Christmas markets fill the largest city centers. This market was in Mainz. Lots of happy people, warm lighting from all the stalls, yummy smells from all the special treats and live Christmas tunes filled the air.

Weihnachtsmarkt
What a cute view!

Weihnachtsmarkt--Kartoffelpuffer
We ate our way around the market, this is a kartoffelpuffer, or potatoe puff. It's served with a side of apfelmus, or apple sauce. YUM!

Weihnachtsmarkt--Glühwein
To stay warm, we had a little glühwein, a hot, spiced wine. Definitely kept us warm from the inside out! With us are Robin's cousin Andreas and his girlfriend Corrina.

Weihnachtsmarkt--chocolates, chocolates and more chocolates!
We bought lovely chocolates here, my favorites were the ones with marzipan, a paste made from ground almonds.

Weihnachtsmarkt--Hieße Maronen
"Chesnuts roasting on an open fire..."

Weihnachtsmarkt--more spirits
These are all schnapps made from various fruits. In order from left to right, Qitten (no translation available, it's like a pear but much harder), Syrian plum and cherry.

Köln Dom
Construction of this gothic cathedral begain in 1248. Until 1884 it was the tallest structure in the world! The two towers are 515 ft. tall.

Köln Dom
The cathedral was constructed over a 632 year period! The cathedral suffered 14 hits by World War II aerial bombs but luckily didn't collapse. Reconstruction was completed in 1956.

Köln Dom--entrance
The most celebrated work of art in the cathedral is the Sarcophagus of the Magi, a large gilded sarcophagus dating from the 13th century, and the largest reliquary in the western world. It is thought to hold the remains of the Three Wise Men, which bones and 2000 years old clothes were discovered at the opening of the shrine in 1864. (from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Cathedral)

Köln Dom--stained glass
All the stained glass was saved during the war by hiding the panels in salt mines.

Rheingau
Heinz Georg took us to the famous Rheingau, the wine region of Germany along the river Rheine.

Rheingau--treats
A little red wine and apple strudel.

The Niederwald monument
Heinz Georg took us to Rudesheim to see this monument which was built between 1877 and 1883. We later saw a very old photo of Robin's grandmother at this same monument.
It symbolizes the re-establishment of the german Empire and Germany's unity.

Benny's Tauf
We were lucky enough to be here for Benny's Tauf or baptism. Robin had the honor of being asked to be the Taufpate or godfather of his cousin's son, Ben.

Benny's Tauf Blessing
Robin got to say a blessing during the baptism and the translation of this was a 2 continent affair on the night before the event. Tina (Robin's cousin) and her boyfriend helped here in Germany but they also enlisted Robin's father on the phone in Chicago.
Here was the blessing:
God, we pray for Ben that he should always live with his whole heart, he should always follow his dreams and he should always reach his goals.

Post Tauf Kaffe and Küchen
Around the table from the left we have Tom, Suruchi, Christine, Peter, Caroline, Tina, Thomas.

Raclette with Holger and Claudia
We visited with one of Robin's second cousin, Holger, his wife Claudia and their daughter Julie.
For dinner we did "Raclette" a fun, French participation dinner. The grill is shared by everyone at the table. You can heat things on top, or fill a little pan (you can see the pan on our plates) with veggies, meat, spices and a slice of cheese on top. You put the little pan below the grill and it slowly cooks and the cheese melts.
It's a wonderful way to have a leisurely meal with friends.

Comments

[Jose and Stephen]

New year Greetings
Hi there, Loved looking at your pictures of your visit to Germany. It looks as if you had a wonderful time I am so pleased. Glad you liked the markets and were able to attend the christening. Where are you now? What ever your doing or wherever you are have a great New Year. May 20066 bring you great happiness, health and prosperit. Travel safely. Regards Jose and Stephen

[JosephineandStephen]

New Year Greetings
A very happy new year to you both. I hope it brings you love, laughter, happiness, success and many blessings. Stephen and I have just been looking through your photos again and reliving our trip to Germany. The ones of Koln *Cologne brought back many happy memories. It is such a lovely city. I am so glad you enjoyed your time there, as you say visitiing people who kknow the area intermitly really does make a difference. We are still in Chiange Mai,listening to a singing talent show at the moment, but can move on once Stephen has had his final dental treatment tomorrow. We return to Bangkok on Wednesday and fly to Cambodia on Saturday. We will have ten days there visiting Siem Reep and Phnom Pehn. Where are you now? Wherever you are and whatever your doing travel safely and have a great year. Best wishes Jose