Paris

Sunday morning we drove to Paris to avoid the major city traffic jams. We arrived at our hotel safely after Eric navigated through the one way streets wide enough for two to three cars with no defined car lanes. We had a quick lunch out on the hotel's terrasse before venturing out into the big city.

Our first stop was the Arc de Triomphe. We walked around and under the huge arc monument amazed at the size of it and the detail contained on it. Our journey then continued to the Eiffel Tower.

The train stop was a few blocks away from the tower, but it allowed us to enjoy the Eiffel Tower's elegance. At the nearby plaza, there were also many street entertainers, but we managed to weave through the chaos and find a good viewing area. We strolled through the park on our way to the tower. While admiring the Tower's beauty and size as we stood underneath it, we debated about ascending it, but the lines were too long to waste a warm sunny afternoon waiting to go up.

Another short train ride through the city and we were at the Notre Dame Cathedral. It is a gorgeous church on the exterior as well as the interior. There was a service going on, so the organ was playing during our visit.  

We stopped for a Nutella crepe break before strolling over to the Louvre. We walked around the Louvre, admiring the glass pyramid and the surrounding buildings. From here, we went to dinner as we needed to take the train to get to that part of the city. 

The recommended restaurant was closed, but we did find the Hard Rock Cafe and then a corner cafe for dinner. Unfortunately, the food was not superb as known by the French, but it filled us up. 

In the early evening, we strolled back by the Eiffel Tower to see it all lit up. It was an amazing sight and the girls loved when it glittered on the hour. 

We ended the evening with a stroll down Champs- Elysees Avenue. 

Herbstferien- Woche 1

After a slow Tuesday morning, we headed into Wiesbaden. The weather has turned cooler and is windy, so it was a good day for shopping and having lunch out. Sarah recommended a little Italian restaurant to dine at, so we found ourselves a table amongst the lunch crowd. The spaghetti portions were huge, but the sauce was tasty and overall it was a delicious meal. 

We spent Wednesday playing games and relaxing as it was cool and windy out again. My parents also packed up their clothes and souvenirs as they were flying out early the next morning .

Early Thursday morning, I dropped my parents off at the airport while everyone else was sleeping. I returned home and we had the place cleaned and back in order before lunchtime. In the afternoon, the girls participated in a Nature class together. It was nice weather for walking in the forest. They had a good time going together.

Friday afternoon, Emmie attended a friend's birthday party, while Adeline went to the Nature class again. In the evening, we had a pizza party with the Lotz and Simone families. Us gals then went to church to play Bunco while the guys talked and the kids played.

On Saturday, Sarah and Jorge came over and we strolled through the Gallusmarkt in downtown Hofheim. The festival has grown since last year, so there were new vendors and new areas to chieck out. The weather was good to be out and strolling in the late afternoon and we even managed to obtain a table for all of us in the small wine area they had constructed. 

The first week of the girls school vacation went fast, but my parents two week visit seemed to go even faster. We had a great time sharing with them our current lifestyle and having them experience the different foods and treats we so much enjoy, plus touring around with them. We may scramble the days we did stuff, but the moments of being together are priceless memories .

Daytrips

Tuesday morning, Adeline's class walked to the local farm to see how fresh apple cider was made. After the tour, the kids got to taste of it before visiting the farm animals and returning to school.

When she returned home, we began our day trip on the Rhine River. We arrived in Rüdesheim in plenty of time to catch the boat. We ate our picnic lunch while we waited to board. The weather was a little windy for sitting outside, but the sunshine and clear blue skies made the journey wonderful or maybe  it was the wine we sipped along the way, too. We disembarked after a few hours at St. Goarshausen and caught the train back to Rüdesheim. We wandered through the little town and found a traditional German biergarten for dinner and then shopped for a few souvenirs before heading home.

Wednesday, my Dad and Denise ventured downtown while we were all in class. They had a good time enjoying the cafe, although I forgot to tell them there are no free refills on coffee here, but they eventually figured it out when the waitress did not come back again offering a second cup. 

Thursday afternoon we visited Mainz. After a visit to the church, we came across the town's little bakery. With one look at the various tortes and cakes in the display case, my Dad did not hesitate in his answer to what our afternoon treat was going to be. There was even a table in the front window for all of us to sit at and enjoy our variety of selected sweets as we watched the activity in the town square. Afterwards, we strolled through the streets and of course when we were furtherest from the car, it started to pour. We waited for a few minutes in a store, and then just started making our way back through stores as we tried to dodge the rain drops. 

The girls loved having their grandparents take them and pick them up from school this past week. Adeline did a good job introducing them to her teacher and giving them a tour around her school to the point she  asked the secretary to open up her classroom from last year as it was locked.

Friday afternoon, we took the train to Frankfurt. Even though there was a slight drizzle, the pedestrian area was still full of people shopping. We toured the modern and historic areas with a break for ice cream and then walked over to the bridge on the Main River. The weather was cooling down quickly as it got later in the afternoon, so we headed for home.

Cannstatter Volksfest

Saturday morning, we took the train to Stuttgart. When we got off the train, we were surrounded by crowds of people in their dirndls and lederhosen going to the Cannsttater Volksfest, the second largest beer festival in the world,  to work and hang out with friends. 

We spent the early afternoon touring Stuttgart. We then gathered our luggage from the main train station and went on to our hotel which was closer to the festival. The exact route from where the train stopped to our hotel was not clear, so we lugged our suitcases through the festival as the path ended and we were not close to the street anymore. We did get a quick glance of what we would be experiencing on Sunday.

After a little rest, we then walked to the local train station and caught the train to Esslingen. In Esslingen, we  met up with the Dageförde family. We toured Esslingen before heading to dinner in a quaint restaurant.  We had a great Swabish meal and tasty local wine to end our day. It brought back some good memories of when we lived in the neat little town. For our return journey, we took a different route back to the hotel as we exited the train at a stop which was closer to the hotel; however, it took us along the less traveled path, but by the large soccer arena. 

We spent Sunday at the Cannstatter Volksfest which has been held since 1818. Marcos and Isa met up with us and the kids had fun going on the rides together. Eric and Adeline went on a really high swing ride that overlooked the entire area while Emmie and I did the normal swing ride. 

After strolling around, we rested in the Klauss and Klauss  Dinkelacker Beer tent. The atmosphere was quite festive and the band was playing nonstop. We dined on the traditional roasted chicken and fries accompanied by a Mass. The girls, including Denise, had fun chanting and singing while standing on the benches with the rest of the crowd. 

We continued our day at the festival with some more rides, including bumper cars where Eric and Adeline bumped Emmie and my Dad throughout the session. We then discovered a Bavarian themed outdoor tent area for a late afternoon break. We found some tasty fair treats to take back to the hotel with us for the evening. Later in the evening, we woke the girls up from their sleep so they could see the fireworks show as we could watch it from our hotel room. This was perfect as it was drizzling out and we were already in our pajamas. It was a great family day at the fair.

Monday, Eric had a conference to attend, so he left us on our own for the day. When he was at the train station, he called to inform us there were no taxis so plan accordingly for getting around. Our plan was to take a bus to the train station so we did not have to haul our luggage; however, when no buses were seen on the street, we were hoping a taxi might show up along our route. Fortunately, a taxi rounded the corner just as we were about to start walking. We took the short taxi ride to the train station and learned the bus and street train workers were on strike. We packed our luggage in a locker at the main train station and hopped on the train to Ludswigsburg. 

In Ludwigsburg, we visited the Ludwigsburg Palace. We decided on the tour through the apartment area to  see the magnificent decoration and then enjoy the rest of our time wandering about the grounds. We stopped for lunch at McDonalds before heading back to Stuttgart. Since we had time to spare, we enjoyed the sunshine in the park and then an ice cream treat overlooking Stuttgart's residence palace. 

Our train arrived a little late in Frankfurt, so everyone was hustling to catch our connecting train to Hofheim. We made it just in time, so we were on track to be home soon. By the time we arrived back to the apartment, our legs needed the rest after a fun and eventful long weekend.

Enjoying the Indian Summer

Warm sunny weather was a great start for our weekend plans. Friday afternoon, we took my Dad and Denise to Königstein, a quaint German town with an old castle on the hilltop. We had a good time walking around the castle and town. 

Meanwhile, Eric was in Munich with his company. After their business meetings downtown, they proceeded to Oktoberfest to one of the tents. Even though it was warmer than usual, it did not damper the festive atmosphere. 

Saturday morning we shopped at the market after Adeline attended basketball for our barbecue lunch. Everyday, I am introducing a new local food speciality and/ or sweet treat and  my parents are discovering some favorites already in two days. 

Since the sun was shining and temperatures were in the low 70s, we hiked up to the church and then the biergarten in the forest. My Dad, Denise, and I climbed the Meisterturm and looked out over Frankfurt and its surrounding area. It was beautiful as the leaves have just started changing color. We returned to the biergarten for a cool refreshment. 

Sunday after church, we visited Flörsheim on the Main River. It is a small town surrounded by wineries. We walked along the river and then past the town, to a small wine tasting stand. We sampled some of the area's wine while enjoying the indian summer weather with the numerous locals who had biked or walked to this area on the waterfront. The wine princess was the hostess, so the girls were happy to greet her and get their grape juice from her.

It was a holiday on Monday, so we took a train north to Limburg an der Lahn. Limburg is a beautiful old city dating back to the early 13th century and probably earlier than what some of the structures' dates display. We enjoyed strolling through the cobblestone streets and visting the gorgeous old churches. We had lunch at a tasty little restaurant before returning back to Hofheim.

Pandemonium

I was looking forward to a calm and orderly week. Unfortunately this week was not going to be one them.

On Monday, Adeline's last guitar lesson was held. The students did a little performance at the end of their lesson. It was a nice way to end her guitar lessons. However, Emmie also wanted to watch, so quickly after the show, we raced over to Emmie's dance class, so she could participate one last time in her class before the three week break.

Tuesday, we finished cleaning the apartment as my parents were arriving early Thursday morning for a visit. The weather has been sunny and warm, so it has been great for cleaning, aside from dusting as we have a major house building project at the end of the block that is stirring up tons of dirt as they excavate and the construction trucks are constantly driving up and down our street.

Wednesday morning, I should have known when I dropped off Emmie in her play clothes at 8:15am after a 10 minute conversation at home convincing her she could wear her pretty dress on Thursday for pictures and confirmed with her teachers the class pictures were tomorrow morning, something would change. 8:50am I receive a phone call from Karolin that individual pictures were being taken right then. I raced back to the kindergarten with Emmie's dress and shoes for the pictures. Upon arrival, I voiced my anger and frustration to the director and teacher as the kids' photographs were being taken in the school yard and then quickly changed Emmie into her picture outfit and sent her back out to the photographer. The photographer voiced his opinion that he had already photographed Emmie and the director told him to do it again. A second sitting was done and the director and teachers apologized to me for the miscommunication.

It was now 10am, so I quickly ran home to gather my school supplies for German class. I made it in time for class. I was catching my breath as the teacher announced a pop quiz at the end of class.  I knew after the stressful morning, this test was not a priority in my mind as I was already behind with getting things ready for my parents arrival in less than 24 hours. I filled in all of the blanks for the exam, but am not confident I will be receiving a smiley face on this one.

A quick walk through the market before heading home and starting lunch. After a fast lunch with Adeline and then picking up Emmie from her having lunch at school, the girls are dressed and ready for their pictures together. We walk back to Emmie's school for our appointment. The photographer does two poses and snaps his camera a total of six times. We are done in under ten minutes. Adeline questions why we are done so soon as she is used to a 45 minute session at JCPennys.  

On our way home, Adeline sees her friend, Rebecca, who is going to the after school activity. The girls would like to participate, so we are now going to Adeline's school as we walked home a different route from Emmie's school which is the reason we did not pass by Adeline's school to see the program. 

The girls are having fun playing with the toys and their friends. Adeline does not want me to leave as she does not want to watch out for Emmie, but Emmie says I can leave and waves goodbye, so I leave them for a little while so I can do some last minute stuff at home. When I return, Adeline's school director asks me if I plan on attending tonight's parents meeting. Initially I was not going to, but since she personally inquired, I now felt obligated. The girls had a good time playing on the different toys and making crafts in the warm autumn sun. Upon returning home, a quick meal is thrown together and the girls entertain the Wendels while I attend the school meeting.

I learn a few new long German words and have a better understanding of the criteria they use when determining if a child is ready to start school if they are under the required age here as a parent can request to send their children before the required age. We did not receive any formal information last year when Adeline started school even though she was younger when we enrolled her in the school. At 9pm, I pick the girls up from the Wendels and I make my last trip home from the school for the day. I have made seven round trips between the two schools in one day and I am just happy it was a warm and sunny day.

Thursday morning is Adeline's late school start time of 8:45am and my parents are arriving around 8am. I manage to get Emmie ready for her class picture and get them over to my neighbor, Karolin's at 8am. Fortunately I am not in rush hour traffic, find a good parking spot quickly, and make it to the waiting area, just as my Dad and Denise are exiting the baggage area after their long flight.

We are looking forward to spending time with them and having fun with the activities we have planned to show them the joy of living abroad these next few weeks.

Cologne

We took a weekend trip to Cologne to meet up with the Komnik family, Eric's cousins. We hopped on the train late Saturday morning and arrived in time for lunch. It was an awesome sight walking out of the train station onto a plaza right in front of the huge Cathedral. We did not waste anytime checking in at our hotel and having lunch at Peters Brauhaus, near the church. We sampled some of the local food and beverages before touring the church. 

Eric, Carsten, Jonas, and Adeline then went to climb the bell tower after our visit inside the mammoth church. Christiane, Emmie, and myself, walked around the plaza and then rested on a bench to people watch while we waited for them to return. Upon returning, Adeline exclaimed she climbed 533 steps up to the bell with Jonas and Eric and could see out over the Rhine River. Carsten did not make the last flight of stairs, but still enjoyed the lookout from the platform where he stopped at. 

After an ice cream break, we strolled through the old city, along the Rhine River and over to the Chocolate Museum. The museum was kid friendly with numerous little activities for them to do and had a hot house with a cocoa tree. We also sampled some fresh chocolate from a huge fondue container. I sure would like the worker's job of dipping cookie wafers into chocolate to hand out to visitors. They had set-up an assembly line to show the process of making chocolate pieces from cocoa beans and then wrapping each piece of candy. We walked through each station, so the girls could see the each step. At the end, the worker gave each child a handful of wrapped Lindt chocolates. On the top floor, they had the culture section on chocolate, so it was interesting to see the marketing history of the European chocolates.

Our evening concluded with dinner on the promenade and an evening stroll back through town. The town is very pretty to see at night with all of the churches lit up. The lighting displays the ornate detail that is constructed and one may miss it in the daylight. The sight of the Catherdral at night is breathtaking. 

When we got into our room as it was not available earlier, we could see the Cathedral. They brought us a crib for the child's bed, so Emmie thought it was neat to sleep in, so we let her. 

The church bells started ringing at 7am sharp and woke me up. I closed the windows, but the sound could still faintly be heard. It also woke Emmie up, but not Adeline, who was still recovering from her trek up to the bell.

We strolled through the shopping district in the late morning as we had a few hours before our train left. When I came across Dunkin Donuts the second time, I could not resist and bought a few favorites for the return train ride. Adeline picked out the donut with blue frosting and sprinkles which was called America's #2 favorite donut.  We then found the Hard Rock Cafe, so we stopped in and bought a pin to add to our collection. 

Our early afternoon finished with a stroll along the Rhine River. We thought we were leaving till we walked into the train station and there on the marquee flashing was our train would be over 40 minutes late. Fortunately, we were able to connect with the Komniks again for a beverage. Eric asked the train attendants if we could be on the next train that left in 20 minutes and our train ticket was approved with an official stamp. We jumped on the ICE to Frankfurt, which got us home before our orignal scheduled train would have.

It was wonderful to have indian summer weather to enjoy the beautiful city with the family.