SUNday

Winter in Germany is very depressing. You rarely see the sun and its just very foggy, gloomy and rainy. Today was different. The sun was shining so we decided to take a walk to feed the goats down the street and take Rob's drone out for a spin.

Last month for Rob's birthday I got him a Hubsan X4 H107C drone on Amazon. The reviews were pretty good and the price was excellent. I think Rob was a little surprised I got him this because it was completely out of right field. He was not at all interested in a drone but I knew he would enjoy it... Rand too. 

 The only down side is the battery runs out quickly so be sure to stock up so you can swap them out. We are still waiting on the extra batteries so we were not out very long. The boys had a great time in the fields and Rand was not happy about heading back. We had to bribe him with hot cocoa.

Here is a clip from the drone today.

Freizeitbad Azur

Rand and I have visited Freizeitbad Azur in Ramstein numerous times before but this time was different because Rob got to come with us. 

At the entrance you will be greeted by a friendly worker (most speak English) and will pay for your time at the pool. You can pay for an hour, 3 hours or all day.  You use your ticket to get through the entrance machine, to get a locker in the changing area and at checkout, you use your ticket again to walk out.  

You can take the stairs or elevator in front of you to go up one story to the changing area. You will also walk by the hair dryers and a snack area. You can change in a single or family stall and walk out the other side to the locker room. Again, you use your ticket to gain access to a locker key. You will walk trough the bathrooms and shower room to get to the indoor pool area. They have a waiting pool (no swimming), a slide, large swimming pool area where classes are held, a jacuzzi and a kids pool area around the corner to the left. You will also spot a bar where you can order food and drinks and an eating area. The sauna area with infusion-saunas, steam baths and sauna bar is downstairs. Up stairs are tanning and vitamin D lamps. 

I have not been when the outdoor area is open but I hope we get to go before we move to the USA this summer.

Our neighbors, the reindeer

Just on the out skirts of our village is a reindeer farm. Ever since December and reading Rand the "Night Before Christmas", he has been obsessed with reindeer. He sings the song at least three times a day. On our way home from Sunshine farms to pick up some 1€ fresh, raw milk and eggs, we stopped by to see the reindeer.

Rand had such great time seeing the deer and feeding them grass. He even called one Comet!

Three Kings day (Epiphany)

Today we had some special visitors come to our door in celebration of Three Kings day (or Epiphany). Three adorable wise men that sang us a song and gave us a blessing! In return, it is customary to give a small donation and a treat for the kids. 

Sternsinger (star singers) are kids dressed up as the three wise men, and they go around to people's homes singing a song and collecting money for charity. Usually they chalk your door with C+M+B and the year on your doorway. Many people think that this stands for the names of the three wise men, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, but it's actually "Christus Mansionem Benedicat" which means "Jesus bless this house."

Homburg Flohmarkt

This morning I woke up bright and early to meet a friend and head to Homburg's Flohmarkt. In the past I usually go with Rob and Rand and we don't get out the door till after 9am. This morning we got there just before 8am and I was excited to hit the flohmarkt without a toddler... but I did miss having a stroller for storage. 

It was very cold and raining this morning. We were in shock because only like 10% of the vendors that usually sell were there today. I was really bummed and thought this trip would be a bust but was pleasantly surprised by all the wonderful treasures we found! The few vendors that were there had wonderful things and I am so glad we got there early! Many vendors were very kind and held onto our items while we walked around and continued shopping. 

some of the items we scored

I was so excited to find this painting for only 20€! Rob and I have visited this site; the Church of St. Sebastian twice (here and here). Behind the church is the Reiter Alpes. Near by is Lake Königssee in Berchtesgadener in Bavaria, close to the border with Austria.

Another great find was this antique French bottle drying rack for 60€. Here are some fun ways to use the rack. I probably overpaid but I knew I would regret not buying it.

I also got 2 antique spritzer bottles (20€), a wooden train (10€), skeleton keys (5€), tons of Schleich animals (all for 25€) and a letterpress tray (5€).   

Here are some tips for your trip to a flomarkt:
-Go early!
-Bring lots of smaller euros (1€, 2€, 5€, 10€ and some 20€)
-Bring bags, backpack, wagon or stroller to help carry your items
-Dress accordingly (rain boots are great because it is usually muddy)
-Keep (in your car) garbage bags and blankets to help protect your car and items from getting dirty or breaking
-It is always nice to surprise vendors with some Deutsch. Here are some easy phrases you can use:
              Good morning ..... Guten Morgen
              Excuse me ..... Entschuldigung
              Cost? ..... Kosten?
              How much? ..... Wie viel?
              Better price? ..... Besser preis?
              Thank you ..... Danke
              Many thanks ..... Vielen Dank or Danke schön
              No thanks ..... Nein Danke
              Bye ..... Tschüss or Auf Wiedersehen
-Bring a pen and paper. This is great incase you want a phone number to get more items or get something delivered. It is also great incase you can't figure out what they are saying for price. 
- Do not be afraid to haggle! I also like going with friends to group items to get better deals. 

The Homburgh Flormarkt is from 8am-2pm usually on the first Saturday of the month but here is the schedule.

Address: Rathaus Am Forum 5, 66424 Homburg 

***UPDATE***
Remember those skeleton keys covered in rust? I submerged them in a glass full of white vinegar for a few days to remove the rust. Now I just need to remove the rust from my French bottle dryer.

New Years Eve and our Raclette

Our German friends invited us over for a Raclette party during the Holiday season and when we left, I told Rob we had to get one. 

In Germany/ Switzerland areas you will hear of Raclette parties around the holidays. People filling their home with the smell of strong cheese and boiled potatoes. 

Raclette is a cow’s milk cheese made on both the French and Swiss side of the Alps. It melts perfectly and its strong flavor is tempered by heating it. Many cheese shops and groceries stock Raclette (and even raw-milk Raclette) around the holidays. 

I am sure you are asking yourself how a Raclette party works. First, you can only invite as many people as your Raclette grill can handle (most grills come with 6 or 8 little pans). Then you ask everyone to bring a condiment; cured ham, pickled onions, cornichons, and baby corn are the traditional add-ons.  As the host, your only real job is to boil a big pot of red potatoes and slice up a hefty wedge of Raclette.

When guests come over fire up the Raclette oven. Then plan to sit around toasting slices of cheese on top of boiled potato-halves for, oh, the next two hours. Between cheesy bites, guests can snack on pickled condiments. If you’ve invited some impatient carnivores, you can offer them sliced sausage and raw onions to grill on top of the oven, or you can create a separate course of marinated veggies or shrimp.

Speyer Technik Museum and Weihnachtsmarkt

When Rand was much younger, we visited the Speyer Technik Museum with my parents. I thought it would be a good place to revisit with Rand now and boy, was I right! This kid had the time of his life! Rand had a blast looking at all the planes, trains and automobiles... oh and the U-Boat!

Kids under 5 are free, children 6-14 are 12€ and adults are 14€. 

Parking is 2€.

All around the museum you will see signs like the one below and coin machines. You can buy tokens 6 for 5€ or 13 for 10€ at the front desk or you can use ,50€ or 1€ coins. Each one is different and makes a machine move or make noise. Rand's favorites were the ones to do with trains... go figure. I enjoyed the large musical organs. 

After chasing Rand around the museum for a few hours it was time to go and get some lunch at the Christmas Market just a short walk away. It was a 10minute walk through a park to get to the Speyer Cathedral (The Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St Stephen). 

I was so excited to see some Gewürze (spices) and Rand was just as excited to see some rides!

As you can see Rand kept changing his seat while the ride was going :/ 

I am sad to say that was our last Weihnahtsmarkt. We will be moving back to America in the Summer.

TECHNIK MUSEUM SPEYER
Am Technik Museum 1
D-67346 Speyer