Can strike anywhere. You never know when/where you will fall victim…
This is literally just out of the entryway and into the main living space.
I guess rockin' the mic wore her out??
While in Bamberg we also made a point of visiting the Altenburg Castle. Apparently this castle was first mentioned in 1109 (dang, that’s old) and was not used really as a primary residence, but rather as a safe haven for locals during dangerous times as well as an outlook point and for protection of the city. I can defiinitely attest to the view from atop- you could see EVERYTHING around. But you earn that view. On our way to see the Altenburg, Joe and I had to alternate pushing the stroller. Commitment people; that’s what it takes to see castles.
On our way up to the castle...a little clearing with a pretty view.
walking into the main courtyard area of the castle
After our long trek up to see the Altenburg, we needed some...um, refreshment.
long stretch in main courtyard
overlooking the city
Nearby town on the other side
And again...
view of countryside from another area of main castle level
We sprung for the extra Euro and entered into the overlook tower to get an even higher view. Yes the stairs were narrow and very twisty. But the view was amazing. It was difficult to take pictures from the highest level because it was all enclosed. There is no outside space like there is below and also all the windows at the top were somehow barred or protected. Pictures from the highest point would have been fantastic. Instead, I had to settle for these:
Tower from the outside.
Looking down onto part of the main structure.
And out over the city.
There are always lots of nooks and crannies in these castles. On the way through the main entrance into the courtyard we passed a little chapel. There were bars blocking the entrance to it, so it was a bit tough to get a picture, but the inside was so bright and un-castley (official term).
Chairs in the chapel
Chapel altar
Bamberg wasn’t a place that was really on my list to visit. I never had really thought about it, but I’m so glad we were able to spend a few days there. It was a beautiful small city, easy to walk around, and a nice break from the routine!
Recently we snuck away for a couple of days to spend some time in Bamberg, Germany. This is in the Bavaria region about 2 hours away (unless you end up stuck in a completely obnoxious re-route intended to SAVE YOU TIME but instead leaving you driving in circles to get around some construction that obviously was not accounted for in the new route. Then it takes a little over three hours.)
Sometimes it is nice just to be somewhere different for a few days… somewhere with fresh scenery, new shops and restaurants to explore. Despite some lingering cool weather, Bamberg was a delightful change of pace for us and a great place to sort of unwind for a bit. We tasted Franconian fare, which is prevalent in that region as well as rauchbier (smoked beer), a specialty of Bamberg not found in all areas of Germany.
Here are some pictures from our first day in Bamberg. We stayed fairly close to our hotel and walked around mostly the old city and a few areas along the river Regnitz.
Quinn taking pictures of a statue...shhh, don't tell her it's just the charger for the actual camera.
Quinn's photographic subject.
Fountain just outside of the Old City.
On our walk through town...
Joe and Quinn outside what was an ADORABLE shop...you'll have to take my word for it.
Buildings along the river.
Another view; this picture doesn't accurately show how crooked some of these buildings are. Some of them looked like they were leaning right over the water!
Interesting to note that the stretch of houses along the river in the background is called "Little Venice".
Another view of the blue building along the water...very pretty close up.
Side of the Bamberg Rathaus, which is town hall.
Up next, part two: our trip to Altenburg Castle!
This year we had a great Easter. Quinn actually grasped the concept of the Easter Bunny and for a week or two leading up to the holiday we had a bit of leverage using the old “The Easter Bunny is listening/watching”. Brilliant. Amazingly, this persuaded her in several instances to listen better to Mommy and Daddy. We put out carrots for the bunny on Saturday night and on Sunday morning she found this:
Happy Easter!
Yes, the basket included a note from the Easter Bunny reminding Quinn about good behavior. Gotta pack it in wherever you can! The Easter Bunny also left a pink microphone for Quinn which may have been the best/worst (depends on the day) idea ever. More on that later.
New fishy washcloth! You can see the microphone in the background.
Stickers!
Finally...some candy!
P.S. The Easter Bunny is still watching 
One right after the other. Geez, sorry for the long absence. I can’t believe it’s been so long since my last post! Wow, where do I even begin?! So to (hopefully) avoid boring you all to tears, let’s just do the “in a nutshell” rundown of what’s happened the last couple months.
March was a hectic month. It was on track to be super busy from the beginning, filled with volunteer commitments, birthdays, baby showers etc. Then we found ourselves taking an unplanned trip back to the States when my Grandmother passed away. This was tough. But, really what I want to focus on is how grateful I am that we were able to make it back (2 days after finding out!) to Ohio to be with family and attend services. It was so worth the mad dash to get home. My Grandma J was amazing and truly a friend to me. Being there to celebrate the life she lived and spend time with others who knew and loved her was so important. There was no other place to be at that time, other than home with family.
Quinn with her Great Grandma Jacobs
We finished out the month with lots of activity. Here are a few snapshots/moments from March:
Quinn at a friend's first birthday party.
Love the "can do" attitude, but we still need a touch more practice on pulling up our own pants.
Swagger...part 1
Swagger...part 2
Okay, so the site I use to edit/resize (mostly just resize- I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to editing!) is not working at the moment. So, I’ll stop for here now but will be back soon with more recent pics including Easter and a recent weekend trip to Bamberg, Germany!
Making it to Gummersbach, Germany has been on our ‘to do’ list since moving here. Seeing the town from where your last name originates is a must do. Never mind that our American way of saying the name is barely understood here. Or that Quinn thinks our last name is just Bach. Yes, better to ignore those little details. So moving on. This was our weekend and so we set out on Saturday to explore Gummersbach.
On our way to Gummersbach!
The town is about 1 1/2 hours away from Oberursel, which made for an easy drive. Quinn was surprisingly good in the car, although come to think of it…she did have an ENTIRE bag of gummy bears to keep her occupied. We pointed out the signs indicating how much further till we reached our town and before we knew it, we had arrived. The only plan we had was to eat lunch at the Gummersbach Brauhaus (a local brewery), so we parked the car and set out to see the town. And it is a town. Small for sure, but cute and charming as well.
In the States, people stumble over the name Gummersbach. It doesn’t exactly… roll off the tongue. That coupled with the fact that it’s fairly uncommon (I don’t know any Gummersbachs other than Joe’s family) makes it so much stranger to see it attached to shop names and city banners. As we made our way through the town center it was a bit funny to see “Gummersbach Sports Offensive” and the like.
Map of Gummersbach
Since it was FREEZING, we quickly ducked into the Brewery I mentioned to have lunch. After warming up there and enjoying a local beer, we moved on to see a bit more. We looked for the perfect spot to get the obligatory “family photo in front of the Gummersbach name”, but sadly, never really found it.
entrance into our lunch spot
The brewery....decorated for carnival.
Das Brauhaus menu
Once we felt we had seen enough, we got in the car and drove to Cologne to spend the night. This was only about a 30 minute drive and left us with enough time to walk around the city a bit before having dinner. Again, the frigid temperatures held us back a bit, keeping us from a more in depth survey of the area. Our hotel was very near the Cologne Cathedral which is breathtaking. I want to revisit the city just to have another look at this amazing church. It took over 6oo years to build and one can see why. The amount of detail is mind-boggling. I can’t even begin to imagine how the plans for such a structure looked…and before all of the architecture/planning software of the modern age.
part of the Cathedral at night....impossible for me to capture entire building without being very far away.
Another view of the Cathedral- still only part of it and also from a different side.
Part of Cathedral during day...loved this massive arch over what I presume is the main entrance.
one of the archways/smaller entrances...those are all detailed statues lining the arch.
There is also a large shopping area which is marked by one of the most popular pedestrian zones in Germany. To the other side of the Cathedral is a charming waterfront area with loads of restaurants and cafes. In the winter it was inviting and cozy, but in the warmer months I can only imagine it is divine to sit outside near the water with a view of the Cathedral and enjoy a local Koelsch beer.
Here is a view across the river- two peaks of Dom Cathedral on the far right.
While walking across this bridge we passed a huge section of love locks.
Here is a little story on the meaning behind the locks . There were parts of the gate that were so absolutely full, they could not fit another lock!
This was just a short little weekend trip, but I am hoping to make it back for another look at the city during warmer weather!
Ain’t that the truth. For reals. People, it.is.cold. Like go to Nuremberg to see your friend who is visiting and buy a new coat cold. Like, eat potato soup every day of the week and layer up! cold.
I know you all know this; clearly it’s making the news back in the States. And oddly enough places where you folks live were having unseasonably warm weather while we were are freezing our behinds off. Literally. I bought a longer coat.
But the thing is, walking is part of our daily routine here. To run our basic errands or grab a quick bite to eat, is easier done by foot than by car. And we simply don’t have the space to ‘stock up’ when the weather gets bad. It’s not really feasible to avoid going out when the weather becomes a bit much to contend with. So,what do you do then? You bundle up like crazy and get on with it.
These pictures don’t really show how cold it has been. But, let me just say…it’s a tad nippy.
Quinn is relatively un-phased by the cold...little arctic bear
snowflakes distorted by the flash OR ice sabers piercing us with their coldness??
How many weeks till Spring?
Nothing says Christmas like getting your picture taken with Santa. And who on earth is jollier than St. Nick? So, it should stand to reason that pictures with Santa Claus should be a happy event. One reflecting joy, and excitement towards the upcoming holiday.
Or this:
What's wrong with this picture? Oh yeah, we are behind Santa. And Santa looks like he got read the riot act on keeping his hands to himself.
Well, I'm sellin' it hard, but Quinn....she's not buying it. Not to mention Santa is getting bumped from the shot.
Saddest face on earth.
So that was fun. So yes, you were supposed to sit on Santa’s lap. Or, they even had a teeny stool for the kids to sit on in front of Santa. But, seriously the second Quinn got even half a notion of what was to come she started repeating “No, no, no, no.” in a compulsive twitch sort of way. Completely ignoring her very obvious cues that this was headed nowhere good, and fast- I held our place in line and told her she would get a treat for sitting with Santa. When the screams became almost deafening, I walked up (because it was our turn) and tried to place her in Santa’s lap near Santa. In a last ditch attempt to have the requisite photo with Santa I jumped behind him and tried to salvage the moment. Hmmm. Well, considering only half of Santa even made it into a picture and Quinn looks like she’s just realized Santa is really the doctor, about to give her 72 vaccinations all at once- I don’t know if salvaged is the right word for these photos. To me they are hardly totally worth it. Okay, not a great picture ‘with’ Santa…but definitely high school graduation photo collage board worthy. Yeah, these pictures will be out in 2028. And let’s not talk about how crazy that year sounds.
***I wanted to add that these pictures were taken by Jenny Mayfield an American photographer living in Frankfurt. This was at a party hosted by the Mother’s group within the AWCT that I belong to. Jenny is so sweet and patient (obviously) which we learned when we had her take photos of Quinn this fall. Check out her work!***
Christmas is big here. By the end of November Christmas markets are popping up throughout the country and in several neighboring countries as well (last year we went to one in Brussels, Belgium). All the major cities have them, usually lasting for several weeks up through the holiday and sometimes into the New Year. In addition to the large markets, most other little towns will have smaller markets for one day or weekend during the Advent season.
There is a word in German that doesn’t translate exactly into English but which applies to these markets. It’s Gemuetlichkeit, closely translating to coziness, but really conveying the idea of “belonging, social acceptance, cheerfulness, the absence of anything hectic, and the opportunity to spend quality time” per Wikepedia. The Christmas markets are almost magical, and they fully embody this notion of Gemuetlichkeit.
Frankfurt Christmas Market
The market is bumpin'
Market takes place in the historic Roemer Platz.
O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum....that's German people.
The market extended out by the Zeil which is a main shopping area in Frankfurt...hence the department store in the background.
Joe taking Quinn onto the very large carousel.
I should have taken a picture just of the carousel in all it’s double decker glory. That thing was hoppin’ though so getting a picture was tough. Quinn likes to play this game where you don’t know right up until the things starts moving whether she actually wants to ride it or not. It’s super annoying fun. Yeah, no. Yeah, no, yeah. No. Yeahhhhhhhhhh. Thank goodness Joe has the patience of a saint so he waits and lets her duke it out with herself over making the right choice. And when she says yes, he takes her on. And when she says no after the ticket is bought and we’ve been standing in line for 20 minutes for our chance to ride, he doesn’t even bat an eye.
Quinn and I after the carousel ride.
I’m hoping to make it to the market once more before heading home (next Friday!) to enjoy some yummy treats, perhaps pick up a few trinkets, and of course bask in the undeniable Gemuetlichkeit.
You guys know me by now. Always a day late and a dollar short. Or months behind on blog updates. Yup- it’s who I am, I own it. Anyway, I wanted to just quickly post a few pics of Quinn’s birthday party and Halloween costume.
On Quinn’s official birthday we opened presents in the morning. This year she did more than just play with the ribbon on the package. Which was awesome. She pretty much refuses to look at the camera so I basically have no pictures of her face, but here are a few pics of her on her big day:
Presents from Mom and Dad- minus the tricycle she got two days earlier.
Wow- this looks cool.
new Elmo book and video...
What's it gonna be?! Looks like something good!
New sticker/coloring books
Pink tricycle!
Fair is fair...even Elmo gets a turn
Birthday ice cream!
Having your birthday ice cream is SERIOUS business.
Dig in girl.
This year we did have a birthday party for Quinn. Remember last year?? Poor girl turned one year old and had a frozen birthday cake (and I don’t mean of the ice cream variety) and only her mom, dad, and landlord to share it with. Due to limitations imposed by our house size we kept the party fairly small and invited mostly just neighborhood friends. Quinn was still napping when the first guests arrived which made me a bit nervous about how she would fare with more people showing up and kids running for all her toys. Aside from refusing to wear her leopard print cardigan (whatever Quinn- some girls would love to have one of those!), she was total gem. Kids played, adults chatted, and everyone had cake. Thank goodness for our neighbors who actually took some pictures because Joe and I completely overlooked that little detail. Most of these are courtesy of our friends.
Just like a real host...laughing with her guests.
The cake- well, Quinn's part of the cake. We served cupcakes too.
Some of the party guests...the edible ones
Who doesn't love cupcakes?
Quinn loved picking off all the fondant letters and numbers.
Some of the other kids joining in...
Elmo cake was a hit!
Quinn opening up one of her gifts-a Mickey Mouse teapot set
This turned out to be a cleaning set- another big hit of the day!
Okay, onto Halloween. This holiday is a bit different over here. Some people do celebrate it, but it’s much less common. Kids definitely aren’t dressing up and doing parties at school etc. Certain neighborhoods will have trick or treaters, but again it’s not the norm. All of this also means there aren’t endless costume options in the stores either. Pretty much you can be a witch or a witch with pink hair. Since I wasn’t on the ball enough to order a costume from the States and have it shipped over here in time (which is what pretty much everyone else did) I went with what we had on hand. We went to a party hosted by the American Women’s Club which was a lot of fun and Quinn made an adorable Pippi Longstocking.
Pippi complete with her companion Mr. Nilsson.
Pippi in deep thought. Or silencing her mother. Hard to tell.
HipPip Hooray...
In the weeks leading up to Halloween, Quinn’s braids would stick straight out- literally. They were too perfect. But, as Halloween continued to draw near the braids settled, I guess because they grew a bit longer and therefore began ‘hanging’ a bit more rather than appearing to defy gravity. And you just can’t imagine how badly I wanted to spray her hair red/orange. I mean EVERYTHING in me was dying to drape a towel around her in the bathroom and go to town. But, I got nervous. I even googled “spray color on toddler’s hair” and similar things to see if I was being totally ridiculous. Explaining to people why my two year old had pink hair just didn’t sound like something I was up for, so I opted for a blonder Pippi. Seriously, the things we contemplate as parents. Now, I think it’s funny that I even thought to color my kid’s hair… I mean, I’m sure the day will come soon enough when it will be her idea. And I will be doing everything in my power to keep her in her natural color in tact. Ah, irony.
Hard to believe this was over a month ago and we are already approaching Christmas! Where does the time go?!
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