Weihnachtsmarkt ~ Trier & Luxembourg

My ancestors came from from Germany so I think that is where my love of Christmas is from. Germans go all out for this holiday and I love seeing all the different kind of decorations and traditions they do here. My favorite is the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Markets). This year we got to go to the one in Prague, Trier and Luxembourg.

Trier is a beautiful city an hour northwest of the KMC area. Trier is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC. Here are some pictures of our day in Trier. 

 St. Peter's Cathedral (Dom) is an 11th- century cathedral that holds the tombs of several archbishops and has an impressive collection od religious relics, including a robe of Jesus'.

 The Black Gate (Porta Nigra)

Enjoying some gluehwein and kinderwein

The next day we went out to Luxembourg for the day. We heard they had a small Christmas Market so we had to go check it out. My camera died shortly after we arrived so I wasn't able to get a lot of pictures. 

Prague, Czech Republic

For Thanksgiving we decided to travel to Prague with some friends. It was a 6 hour drive and went pretty smoothly. We heard of a lot of American having problems with parking and getting vandilized but we didn't have any problems. When we crossed into Czech Republic we had to get a vangette that was 8 euros.

For our Thanksgiving dinner we ate a Czech restaurant called Svejk Restaurant U Karla. It was delicious and the prices were not bad at all.

 Rob did a lot of research on Prague so we ventured out early that next morning 

to get a start on our adventure. 

Our hotel is near the town of Lesser so we went to the Charles Bridge to cross over into Old Town. The bridge was beautiful and it was quite an experience to walk the cobblestone bridge surrounded by musicians, painters and vendors.

Saint Vitus Cathedral (Chram svateho Vita)

 Old Town (Stare Mesto) is the heart of Prague. It is home to many notable structures dating back to the 13th century- Old Town Hall & the Astronomical Clock, the Carolinum, the 

Municipal House and the Estates Theater.

Our hotel, Eurostar David was absoutely beautiful! I loved our bathroom! 

It was floor to ceiling in marble and even had a bidet! 

Süßes oder Saures

Happy Halloween!!! I love Halloween but was a little sad to celebrate it in Germany this year. I love dressing up for this holiday but this year was a little different for me because I didn't have a costume loft full of costumes at my disposal. Plus we just moved to Germany and I have no idea where a fabric or craft store is around here. I don't even have a glue gun yet :( But I do have a bazillion boxes because the movers were just here so I came up with the idea of being a Lego couple this year. I thought up a design and pattern and started cutting away. I was very short on supplies so masking tape was all I had to tape it all together. (Just think how amazing these costumes would of been if I actually had the right materials!) I went to Toom (a German store like Home Depot) to get spray paint. They were 6 euros each (over $25 total) and didn't even stay on the cardboard so I had to run to the BX on Ramstein Air Base to get more paint. It ended up being a pricey project but they turned pretty good... if you squint your eyes and turn your head a little.

We only got a few children come to our door this year. It was funny hearing them say "Süßes oder Saures" ("sweet or sour") instead of the American "trick or treat." 

Schloss Heidelberger

This has been a very busy month of traveling for us! The other day we took a day trip out to Heidelberg. The drive was not bad, just a little over an hour. When we first got there we drove up the Schloss Heidelberger (Heidelberg Castle). We were there on a week day so it was not that busy. We were able to park on the side of the street near the entrance. There is no fee to wander the grounds but  with the entrance ticket we got to visit the Apotheke museum, giant wine tank and the castle gardens. To see the interior of the castle we joined a guided tour that lasted about an hour.

Nursery Inspiration

When we found out we were having a baby I immediately started creating inspiration boards for nursery themes. I love decorating and could not wait to start putting together a room for my new baby. Here are some of the ones I created. 

Baby Girl

Neutral

Baby Boy