Karneval

Karneval is much like Mardi Gras; it is the events before Ash Wednesday where everyone is free to be crazy.  It is also much like Halloween; it is full of costumes and candy.  Karneval actually starts on the 11th day of the 11th month but the "crazy days" are the final six days before Ash Wednesday.  The biggest parades in Germany are held on Rosenmontag in Cologne, Duesseldorf, and Mainz.  Annika and I took a train to Cologne early Sunday morning and arrived just in time for the first parade.  It is a small parade in which mostly kids from clubs in the area march.  When I say small, it was small in comparison to the parade on Monday; it was still at least 3 hours long.  As everyone is in costume, Annika and I dressed as well.  Annika was an angel and I was a cat.  It is tradition to throw candy into the air, whether you are a marcher or on a float.  It is also tradition to throw single, wrapped flowers.  The two new words that I learned were "Karmelle" and "Strueßje"; they are Kolsch dialect for candy and flowers.  We collected a H&M bag full of candy and several dozen flowers between the two parades.  After enjoying the parade, we grabbed a bite to eat in Cologne before taking a train to Duesseldorf, where we had planned to spend the night at Annika's cousin's place.  It was a nice evening and I was so tired that I fell asleep on the couch while Annika and Johan watched the movie W, in German of course.  The next morning we woke bright and early, actually it was raining so it was just early.  We hopped on a train and were back in Cologne just past 9 o'clock in the morning.  We walked towards the beginning of the parade route to find a place to stand and wait.  It was well worth the wait as I am quite small.  I spent nearly three hours in the first row of people.  After we decided to move, I realized we were in the first row of about 30 rows!  I was even more pleased with the long cold wait!  We walked around to watch the parade from other locations.  Just to give you an idea of how big it is: the parade route is 6.5 kilometers long; it takes at least four hours to complete the route' the entire parade is 7 kilometes long (therefore when the parade reaches the spectators at the end of the route, the parade is just winding down at the beginning); 150 tons of  sweets were thrown; 300,000 flowers were distributed; and over one million people showed up to attend the events.  I am glad I was a part of it!

Schnee

It has snowed four times in the past five days.  Last Thursday night left some snow on the ground wherever there was vegetation.  Throughout Friday, it continued to snow in the most peculiar way; after a half an hour of blue skies and sun, white clouds would take over and dispatch snow.  The pattern continued the entire day.  Friday night was also snowy.  Enough snow had stuck to the roads that  I could not safely ride my bike to the train station.  In Mannheim, all of the snow had melted by the time I arrived midday.  By the time I returned to Heidelberg in the evening, much of the snow had melted as well.  Sunday evening was the big snowfall; there was enough snow that the driveway needed to be shoveled.  As I love to shovel, I enjoyed an hour  of clearing a good portion of the driveway.  When the boys awoke from their naps, we headed outside to play in the snow.  Max and Tom loved watching Frosty the Snowman on my computer during the holiday season.  They have never had the chance to rightfully build their own snowman so we got to work.  Max was a pro.  I did not give him any instructions and he quickly returned with a ball the size of himself.  I rolled the base and Tom completed the head.  We gathered some sticks and stones to complete our own Frosty.  Max was the most persistent of my helpers.  Johanna was over for the afternoon and she was the first to quit; Tom pooped out after the collecting; Max helped me until the very end.   Most unfortunately, last night it snowed more which turned to rain so Frosty did not survive the night.  Sabine informed me that Max was upset when he noticed this morning.  The snow is much too wet and heavy to create anything today.  Sabine and I attempted to clear a path down the driveway and that took nearly and hour.  Each shovelful of snow weighed about 10 pounds.  Quite the workout!

mein Wochenende

Nils and Sabine had invited friend for dinner Friday evening and had asked that I watch after Max and Tom.  After dinner, we went into my room where we often have parties during situations like these.  We made a maze from the bed, to the couch, across the floor back to the bed.  No one was allowed to touch the ground or they would be eaten by crocodiles.  It was quite fun.  Then we watched Shrek which I have probably seen now at least 20 times before heading to bed.  Everything went fairly smooth.  I had hoped to get the boys into bed without going upstairs and interrupting dinner but they insisted on saying goodnight which I really couldn't argue with.  After a little drama, both boys were in bed and sleeping by 10:15.  On Saturday evening, I went with Mara and some of her Uni friends to a 90er Partei in Heidelberg.  It was freezing outside and we had to wait online for nearly an hour but it was worth it.  All of the music was fantastic because it was music I knew from the 90s.  I would say that only about 5% were German songs.  It was fun to listen to everyone sing the chorus and then wane away when the more difficult english lyrics began.  Mara and Lea asked a few times what the actual words were.  We stayed out dancing until nearly 3 o'clock in the morning!  That's normal in Hamburg but a little less common in Heidelberg.  It was great fun!  On Sunday evening, I took the tram too Leutershausen to meet Annika for dinner before we attended a comedy performance.  She had bought all of the fixings for vegetarian chili.  It was wonderful and quite simple.  We walked to the show, which was being held in the elementary school.  I think that I only understood about 15% of the performance as much of it went over my head.  It was still quite enjoyable as there were two skits about Obama and Bush.  It is always interesting to see how involved Germany is with the rest of the world while the States only seems to be interested in itself.  That is a hefty comment to make but it is embarrassing when foreigners know more about your country than you do!  Overall it was a wonderful weekend : )

auf die Kinder aufpassen

I endured a more strenuous task last week - I stayed with another family for two nights while there mother attended a seminar elsewhere in Germany.  Luckily, Philip and Johanna are often at the house playing with Max and Tom; we are all quite familiar with each other.  The first day was simple, Johanna joined us for a playdate and Philip joined us for dinner.  Once dinner was cleared, Nils dropped us off for the night.  It was quite simple to complete the evening and get both kids into bed.  The second day was a little more complicated, although the morning went fairly smooth.  Philip is old enough to make his way to school himself and Johanna slept nearly until Sabine and the boys arrived to drive us to Kindergarten.  The only difficulty was getting Johanna into her clothes.  She is not too keen on personal hygiene - changing diapers, washing hands, brushing teeth, changing clothes, etc.  After a few brief moments of screaming bloody murder, I was able to get her to calm down.  I took a taxi to Kindergarten in the afternoon as Sabine and the boys were 100 km away visiting Oma.  Once we arrived home, the rain had stopped and the sun was shining.  Johanna and I went to a playground around the corner before going into the swimming hall to watch the children swim (I had thought about taking her swimming but it is another thing she is not too keen on).  After an hour and a half of being away from home, we headed back.  Philip went off to handball and Johanna and I painted our nails.  She really enjoyed that and she was content with staying still while they dried.  I thought that part would be more challenging for a 3 year old.  I told her that even if she took a bath, the nailpolish would stay on her fingers.  She was excited and hopped right into the bath.  She even washed her hair.  When Philip arrived home, he commented on her hair and stared at me in disbelief when I told him that she took a bath.  Nailpolish was the trick, though I doubt it would work every time.  We had a simple dinner, noodle and sauce (ketchup for Johanna although she pronounces it chetkup and I had no idea was she was asking for).  We watched a movie and Johanna fell asleep an hour early which was probably from all the fresh air.  Philip and I finished the movie and he was so tired himself, that he went directly to bed.  The morning was the same the following day and after Sabine dropped them off at Kindergarten, I was back to my normal routine.  

mein Geburtstag

I enjoyed another wonderful birthday abroad.  As a refresher, I celebrated my 21st birthday in South Africa.  First, Max, Tom and Sabine knocked on my door at 8:30 to sing me happy birthday.  I have to admit that Max was a little shy but Tom sang nearly the whole song, despite the fact that he had only just woken up five minutes before.  Suess!  Next, my cousin Annika invited me to brunch in town.  I do love brunch in Europe - muesli, cheese, fresh bread, eggs, cucumbers, fresh orange juice.  It was absolutely delicious.  I had planned to do several errands on Monday but as it rained the entire day (that's not an exaggeration, somehow it is possible to never stop raining in Europe) I had to wait until Tuesday.  I spent the next few hours in town shopping for random odds and ends and eying some prospectives.  By the time I got home, Max and Tom had already napped and were waiting for the "birthday party".  It was a sunny afternoon and the sun has been setting much later in the day.  We were able to hang outside for an hour or more before Isabel, Moritz and Nikolaus arrived.  Sabine had prepared a cake so Isabel, Sabine and I enjoyed a slice each with some tea.  Then I put the boys in my room where they were meant to watch a DVD as the rest of us watched the inauguration.  Remember when I said it felt like my birthday when Obama won the election?  Well, it was my birthday when he was sworn into office.  Pretty memorable!  Nils and Mara made it just in time and another family joined halfway through.  We all enjoyed a glass of champagne to celebrate both occasions.  Sabine prepared cheese fondue which was a first for me.  It was delicious.  It was a wonderful day filled with wonderful people. 

Hinterthal

As promised, we visited Moritz this year for his birthday.  Both of his grandparents own vacation homes in the area.  Therefore, he celebrates his birthday in Austria rather than in Germany and this year, so did we.  Hinterthal is a pleasant town deep in one of the valleys of the Alps in Austria.  The town was quaint and the mountains were breathtaking.  The bright blue sky was a wonderful back drop and on most afternoons, we were able to enjoy lunch outside in the sun.  I couldn't ask for a better way to get fresh air in the middle of January!  Max and Tom were so exhausted after two hours of playing in the snow that they fell asleep at the lunch table on the patio and they remained asleep for two hours in the sun.  

The boys were excellent at skiing.  That's not to say it was not difficult; Sabine and Nils had to attend classes with the boys to keep them from crying.  On the fourth day they really were stars!  They were going up the lift with their teachers and Max made it up the entire lift on his own by the end of the morning!  After an hour of skiing, Max and Julia, his teacher, came to find Sabine and me.  Of course, we feared the worst - that Max was spent and could ski no more.  Instead, he had a few sips of hot chocolate and then asked to go back up the slope!  I think skiing was really for him.  Even after he threw up all night long, he wanted to go skiing.  

Generally, while the boys were at their lessons I was able to make my way up the mountain.  My first time boarding solo.  I have been down the slopes on my own before but usually heading to meet someone at the next lift.  It was quite peaceful as it was after the holiday season.  I spent five minutes at the top of the mountain just listening to NOTHING!  It was incredible.  The mountain (or mountains I should say) were unique.  Instead of being like most places I have boarded before, Hinterthal has several lifts throughout the town.  There is one major chair lift that brings you up a mountain.  From there it was possible to ski to other villages and towns in other valleys and then back again.   We had to call it quits a day early because Tom had a fever, Moritz had survived a fever, and Max threw up nearly a dozen times.  Somehow I survived, and five days later I'm still fit as a fiddle.

The boys were excellent at skiing.  That's not to say it was not difficult; Sabine and Nils had to attend classes with the boys to keep them from crying.  On the fourth day they really were stars!  They were going up the lift with their teachers and Max made it up the entire lift on his own by the end of the morning!  After an hour of skiing, Max and Julia, his teacher, came to find Sabine and me.  Of course, we feared the worst - that Max was spent and could ski no more.  Instead, he had a few sips of hot chocolate and then asked to go back up the slope!  I think skiing was really for him.  Even after he threw up all night long, he wanted to go skiing.  

Generally, while the boys were at their lessons I was able to make my way up the mountain.  My first time boarding solo.  I have been down the slopes on my own before but usually heading to meet someone at the next lift.  It was quite peaceful as it was after the holiday season.  I spent five minutes at the top of the mountain just listening to NOTHING!  It was incredible.  The mountain (or mountains I should say) were unique.  Instead of being like most places I have boarded before, Hinterthal has several lifts throughout the town.  There is one major chair lift that brings you up a mountain.  From there it was possible to ski to other villages and towns in other valleys and then back again.   We had to call it quits a day early because Tom had a fever, Moritz had survived a fever, and Max threw up nearly a dozen times.  Somehow I survived, and five days later I'm still fit as a fiddle.

Nikolaus Tag

German children celebrate a jolly old man, dressed in red with a long white beard, on the 6th of December. He is known as Nikolaus or Weihnachtsmann. Children leave their shoes outside their door on the evening of the 5th and wake up to little presents from Nikolaus.  On Christmas Day, presents are brought by Christkind (Christ child).  Therefore, Santa Claus, the man who sneaks down the chimney and leaves gifts under the Christmas tree, is a foreign idea.  We celebrated the day by hosting a lovely party.  There were 20 or so children and 20 or so adults.  Quite a house full!  The itinerary was as follows, Nikolaus made an appearance, dinner was served, a film was shown.  Nikolaus was great fun!  He called every child up to sit with him and discussed what they had promised last year.  They also discussed new promises for the future.  He then gave them a gift.  It was incredibly organized.  Each parent had sneakily brought a gift and a letter for each of their childen.  A book was created in which each letter was placed.  This was Nikolaus' book.  Therefore, he knew what each child was supposed to own up to.  I can see myself creating a similar event!  Dinner was delicious!  Tapas for the adults and naturally, Wuerstchen und Smiley's for the children.  My room was turned into the "movie theater".  We watched Mickey's Christmas, in German of course.  It was a wonderful and successful evening!