Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
What we did when we were bored
I saw my very first schluempf haus (Smurf House)in a toy store in Germany. Matthias then informed me that he owned several...and so we found them. We also found their collection of Monchhichis.
We also made a few Smurf videos but they're too big to upload on here.
We also made a few Smurf videos but they're too big to upload on here.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
So, I'm apparently behind!
On Thursday we had a change of plans and instead of shopping in Kiel we drove to Hamburg to see the zoo. Some of the pictures were posted the other day. They had a baby elephant who was very cute. They had a film crew doing news while we were there. We also got to play with a very cool toy. Of course it was meant for kids but we couldn't resist.
On Friday we stopped by the church in Grossenwiehe to pick up some paper work for Matthias and then headed to Kiel to do some shopping. We went to the Christmas Market and picked up a nice scarf (which Matthias' sister also has!). We then made a trip to Conrad, a big electronics store that Matthias has been missing all year. It turned out to be a bust though and Matthias was disappointed. We then visited Matthias' friend Diana and her family. None of them could speak English so while they were chatting away I made friends with their 14 month old daughter, Sophie; the only person who could understand me. :) After a few hours of visiting we headed to downtown Kiel for chinese food with Kathrin and Andreas.
On Saturday we said farewell to Kathrin and Andreas and went to a nearby park to play on a GIANT swing. It was a lot of fun!
We also stopped by at Soeren and Anika's place for a quick game and to say goodbye. Then we were off to Grossenwiehe where we hung out with Matthias' grandparents and did a final round of shopping for some board games before crashing for the evening.
Today we're going to see what fits in the suitcases, help Matthias' mom decorate her Christmas tree, and relax before our flight tomorrow.
On Thursday we had a change of plans and instead of shopping in Kiel we drove to Hamburg to see the zoo. Some of the pictures were posted the other day. They had a baby elephant who was very cute. They had a film crew doing news while we were there. We also got to play with a very cool toy. Of course it was meant for kids but we couldn't resist.
On Friday we stopped by the church in Grossenwiehe to pick up some paper work for Matthias and then headed to Kiel to do some shopping. We went to the Christmas Market and picked up a nice scarf (which Matthias' sister also has!). We then made a trip to Conrad, a big electronics store that Matthias has been missing all year. It turned out to be a bust though and Matthias was disappointed. We then visited Matthias' friend Diana and her family. None of them could speak English so while they were chatting away I made friends with their 14 month old daughter, Sophie; the only person who could understand me. :) After a few hours of visiting we headed to downtown Kiel for chinese food with Kathrin and Andreas.
On Saturday we said farewell to Kathrin and Andreas and went to a nearby park to play on a GIANT swing. It was a lot of fun!
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| From December Germany Trip |
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| From December Germany Trip |
We also stopped by at Soeren and Anika's place for a quick game and to say goodbye. Then we were off to Grossenwiehe where we hung out with Matthias' grandparents and did a final round of shopping for some board games before crashing for the evening.
Today we're going to see what fits in the suitcases, help Matthias' mom decorate her Christmas tree, and relax before our flight tomorrow.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Some Pictures
Christmas Market in Flensburg:
Christmas Market in Luebeck:
View of Luebeck at dusk:
Luebeck is the 2nd largest city in northern Germany and is surrounded by water. It is famous for marzipan, pretty alleyways, and 7 church towers. In the picture above you can see the Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church) on the left (double tower - one of the bells fell during WWII) and Petrikirche (St Peter's Church) in the middle - which no longer serves as a church. The one in the middle has an observation tower on the top now and is where Matthias proposed to me.
The Holstentor (one of two old gates that used to be the only way into the city) and St. Petri's:
The Christmas Markets are full of vendors selling food, drinks, and gifts. But this vendor was creative and used their tent as a Christmas workshop where kids could make cookies. It was too cute:
Baby Elephant at the Hamburg Zoo (Thursday's adventure):
Bears:
A way cool toy. Yeah, so it cost 1 euro, it was so much fun!
Me with an elephant. You could feed them! We didn't have any food though, but it was fun to watch:
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| From December Germany Trip |
Christmas Market in Luebeck:
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| From December Germany Trip |
View of Luebeck at dusk:
 |
| From December Germany Trip |
Luebeck is the 2nd largest city in northern Germany and is surrounded by water. It is famous for marzipan, pretty alleyways, and 7 church towers. In the picture above you can see the Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church) on the left (double tower - one of the bells fell during WWII) and Petrikirche (St Peter's Church) in the middle - which no longer serves as a church. The one in the middle has an observation tower on the top now and is where Matthias proposed to me.
The Holstentor (one of two old gates that used to be the only way into the city) and St. Petri's:
 |
| From December Germany Trip |
The Christmas Markets are full of vendors selling food, drinks, and gifts. But this vendor was creative and used their tent as a Christmas workshop where kids could make cookies. It was too cute:
 |
| From December Germany Trip |
Baby Elephant at the Hamburg Zoo (Thursday's adventure):
 |
| From December Germany Trip |
Bears:
 |
| From December Germany Trip |
A way cool toy. Yeah, so it cost 1 euro, it was so much fun!
 |
| From December Germany Trip |
Me with an elephant. You could feed them! We didn't have any food though, but it was fun to watch:
 |
| From December Germany Trip |
Matthias' Birthday
Wednesday was Matthias' birthday. It ended up being a quiet day. We had breakfast in Kiel with Soeren and then grove to Grossenwiehe for lunch and a black forest cake. After lunch we took a nap and just hung out at the house for the evening and watched a movie.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Yes
Yesterday Matthias and I slept in and then headed for Luebeck around 11. While Nuremburg is known for it's amazing Christmas Market in all of Germany, Luebeck is said to have the best one in the north. So, I guess it shouldn't have surprised us that there were a lot of people in Luebeck. We enjoyed the day by wandering around all of the stands. A lot of food and drink stands were there offering ginger bread, bratwurst, hot chocolate, and gluwein (hot spiced wine). We grabbed a snack for lunch as we wandered around checking out all of the crafts, ornaments, and toys and picked up some cute keep-sakes. We're also on the hunt for another Steiff bear as a friend for Finn, the bear we got in April, but no luck so far. After awhile of browsing and shopping we went to a restaurant that Matthias loves. They hand-make amazing bread with a delicious butter-garlic sauce. It was so good!!
After lunch we wandered over to St. Petri's tower. We opted to not go up the tower in April since it was raining so hard. St. Petri is an old church that is now managed by a university and no longer serves as a church. HOwever, it is one of the 7 towers in Luebeck and gives an amazing view of the city. We decided to head up this time to enjoy the evening view with the lights and Christmas Market below. Luebeck is a beautiful city - from the ground and the air. :) As it was the evening we were the only 2 people in the observation tower. Matthias surprised me by proposing up there and of course I said yes! He was so sweet and it was very nice.
After the lovely engagement proposal, we headed back to Kiel to celebrate with Anika and Soren and headed to the Christmas Market in Kiel to enjoy some hot drinks.
All-in-all a wonderful day!
After lunch we wandered over to St. Petri's tower. We opted to not go up the tower in April since it was raining so hard. St. Petri is an old church that is now managed by a university and no longer serves as a church. HOwever, it is one of the 7 towers in Luebeck and gives an amazing view of the city. We decided to head up this time to enjoy the evening view with the lights and Christmas Market below. Luebeck is a beautiful city - from the ground and the air. :) As it was the evening we were the only 2 people in the observation tower. Matthias surprised me by proposing up there and of course I said yes! He was so sweet and it was very nice.
After the lovely engagement proposal, we headed back to Kiel to celebrate with Anika and Soren and headed to the Christmas Market in Kiel to enjoy some hot drinks.
All-in-all a wonderful day!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Sunday and Monday
I forgot to bring my camera cord so I won't be able to post pictures until I get back. On Sunday Matthias and I went for a walk with Matthias' sister, Anja, and her new dog. We had lunch with Matthias' mom and Oma and went back into Flensburg to enjoy the Christmas Market. On Monday after taking the dog for another walk and hanging up some Christmas lights we headed for Kiel to visit with friends. I ended up crashing in the afternoon and slept on the car ride to Kiel plus about 1-2 hours after we arrived. That evening we enjoyed some Thai food with Soeren and Anika and played some board games.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Yeah Germany!
I made it! And I'm exhausted. I didn't sleep at all on the flight over despite being exhausted. It was hot on the plane and dry and I had a middle seat. The guy next to me, as nice as he was, graded finals from his college French class for the entire 6 hour flight. I'm pretty sure I could have graded them faster and I don't speak any French.
Thank goodness for E.U. immigration! I had exactly 1 hour from the time we landed until my connecting flight. Fortunately it was early in the morning and literally at customs they take your passport, swipe it, and give it back. No forms, no questions, nothing. After a brisk early morning 15-minute walk through the airport I made my flight to Hamburg on time.
I'm now in Grossenwiehe with Matthias and his family and getting ready to head out to Flensburg to do some shopping after a nice nap.
Thank goodness for E.U. immigration! I had exactly 1 hour from the time we landed until my connecting flight. Fortunately it was early in the morning and literally at customs they take your passport, swipe it, and give it back. No forms, no questions, nothing. After a brisk early morning 15-minute walk through the airport I made my flight to Hamburg on time.
I'm now in Grossenwiehe with Matthias and his family and getting ready to head out to Flensburg to do some shopping after a nice nap.
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