Dolomiten

I have just returned from the Dolomites.  It is a region of the Alps in Italy.  I didn't even know that the Alps passed through Italy.  When I think of Italy, I think of Rome, Venice, Florence and Sicily.  Snowboarding in Italy was an unexpected surprise!  It was even more of a surprise to learn that the region spoke German fluently.  Therefore, I found it easier to speak German than English!

We arrived late in the afternoon on a Saturday.  The boys wanted to go swimming so we explored the hotel's outdoor pool.  The temperature of the water was about 90.  It was incredible to be able to swim outdoors and see snow capped mountains in the backdrop.  Our afternoons were the same for the rest of the week with only minor adjustments: swimming, playroom and dinner in the restaurant at the hotel.  The boys got set up with lessons to start the next morning and made sure all their gear was ready for the early start.  On Sunday, we all took the boys to the mountain for 2 hours of lessons.  They only made it through the first hour and then pooped out.  The first day is always difficult.  We went into town in the afternoon to explore.  While Nils and Sabine searched for sunglasses, I took Max and Tom to check out the gondolas.  They were mesmerized and excited to learn that they could ride on them the following afternoon.  On Monday, Sabine stayed with the boys on the bunny hill while they had lessons.  Nils and I began to explore the slopes.  The weather was picture perfect.  Snow everywhere, beautiful mountains, blue skies, abundant sunshine…  We met Sabine and the boys at the restaurant at the top of the gondola for lunch.  They had a great time playing in the snow on the rooftop deck.  I went off to do a little of exploring on my own while the boys napped.  I went down a slope that I thought lead back to my town but was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at a castle in the next town over.  On Tuesday, Nils and I spend several hours completing the Sella Ronda, a pass around and entire mountain.  It was a wonderful accomplishment.  We decided to do it again, but in the opposite direction, on Thursday.  On Wednesday we met the boys after their lessons to go down the slopes together.  They are great!  They just go straight down the mountain and catch speed, just like me!  They managed to go three hours on several days of the week, which was a huge achievement after only one hour on that first day.  Friday was the coldest day of the week.  After only a few runs, Sabine called and asked us to come back to the lower slopes.  Tom was pooped and fell asleep on her lap.  She took him back to the hotel while Nils, Max and I continued skiing.  It was amazing to see how quickly kids can learn.  After only two weeks of skiing, Max and Tom can walk in the ski boots, ride the teller lift alone, and race down the mountain!

Mathaisemarkt

Schriesheim is a small town to the north of Heidelberg.  It is surrounded by fields, most of which produce wine.  It also has its own castle.  Hundreds of years ago, it was one of the bigger towns of the region.  Every year it would hold a market where farmers and villagers could exchange goods.  It continues today but as a festival; there are rides, a large tent with live music, food, and wine.  On the first weekend in March there is a small parade where wine makers can distribute their wine to attendees for tastings.  Each person who wants to taste the wines must bring their own small glass.  As the wine makers drive or walk by, they pour wine into the small glasses.  There are also wine princesses who carry large goblets of wine representing a wine making region.  If you don't mind sharing, you are welcome to have a sip.  The parade was less than an hour and I had consumed nearly three glasses of wine.  It started to rain heavily after the parade so we went into the tent for lunch.  As a vegetarian I am usually limited in these tents that serve half chickens and bratwurst.  I do love "Kaesespaetzle" (cheese spaetzle) and enjoyed an entire portion myself.  The walk home was a bit wet but of course, it was worth the experience.

Plettenberg

Last weekend I visited my friend Jil.  The universities are on a much different schedule than I am used to; while they do have a Christmas break, it is short and full of studying because the final examinations are not until January.  Once completed, the students have nearly two months free.  This, of course, effects their summer break as well, which is in August and September.  Jil is a student at the University of Heidelberg so she went home last month and she invited me to stay with her for a weekend.  It was wonderful!  I arrived on Saturday midday and departed early Monday morning.  We went on three adventures.  First, we traveled to Attendorn to see Atta-Hoehle (Atta-Cave) which is a public attraction in the area.  The cave contains nearly a kilometer of various stalactites.  I never knew there were so many varieties.  There were those that looked like luxurious curtains, bacon, wedding cakes, and icicles.  There were also small areas of crystal rocks.  My favorite was the underground sea, a small pond which was absolutely crystal clear with small crystal growths at the bottom.  I was not allowed to take pictures but they have a wonderful website with plenty, http://www.atta-hoehle.de/.  Second, we visited Altena, home of the castle Burg Altena.  The castle was originally constructed in the 12th century.  It was much smaller then and as the centuries past, the castle expended to the size it remains today.  The interior of the castle is filled with artifacts that remained or that were found on the grounds.  It was incredible to be reminded of how old the human race is.  We were busy studying various objects when we were told that the castle would close in 15 minutes and it was possible to be trapped within.  We quickly made our exit.  We enjoyed take-out Chinese food for dinner and a movie.  A note on the Chinese food in Germany, it is the same as in America.  Our third adventure was to the Cologne Zoo.  It is only an hour to Cologne from Plettenberg so we left in the morning and arrived midday.  It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny.  We spent several hours wondering the zoo looking at animals that I have never even seen before.  My favorite was the "Amerikanischer Waschbaer" (American raccoon.  I've seen plenty of American raccoons huddled in the compost eating their midnight snack but I have never seen one on display at the zoo.  Quite amusing!  We also spent some time in the aquarium which is always a treat.  There are so many fish that I have never seen.  Jil seems to be an expert and she was able to tell me details about each fish.  Speaking of fish, we cooked fish for dinner with baked potatoes.  It was a perfect weekend!

Chalking

Now that the weather is getting nice and the days are light a little longer, the boyscan spend more time outside after their naps.  Their new favorite outdoors activity seems to be chalking.  A few weeks ago I made a big race track on the driveway for Max to race his bike along.  Last week he asked me to make a new one but I decided to make a more intricate network of streets including a playground and houses for each Max and Tom.  Of course, as we do live in Europe, it was washed away by the rain.  This week Max asked once again to make a new one.  It was even more complex including a pirate ship (they are fighting the enemies with the cannon on the far side of the boat in the picture to the right), a spiderweb, a castle with a dragon and princess, a rocket and two houses.  The rain has already erased the slate and I'm interested to see what we come up with next week!