Paris Day 4 Invalides, Tuilleries Garden, Orsay

We had a harder time getting up today, but it had snowed and was really pretty outside.  We headed out, this time by bus, to Hotel des Invalides and Louis XIV's personal church - the Dome Church where Napoleon's tomb lies.  The sun was shining and it was fun to do a little travel "above ground".  Of course, the people were much more fashionable here than in Germany - women wearing makeup and chic coats vs. granola looking women in parkas!  It was fun to notice the differences.

The destinations today were lower on our list but didn't disappoint.  Invalides was built by Louis XIV as a place for wounded and homeless veterans and is huge and at one time housed 6000 soldiers.  It still houses around 100 soldiers as well as the Musee de l"Armee (War Museum).  As we all know Louis liked opulence and the Dome Church is considered the Versailles of churches.  It is over the top!  The surprise of the day was how much we all enjoyed the War Museum.  We began thinking we would indulge Jay a little but to their dad's delight we had to slow down for the girls!  It was very well done and we only went through the section on World War I and II.  Lots of war clips, dioramas, uniforms and all in English for the most part.  We also went to a documentary movie about Charles de Gaulle - as one American travel writer said "I never knew he won the war for the Allieds!!"

From there, we decided to go to Place de l'Concorde and Tuilleries Gardens back across the Seine.  We felt the girls were ready for some age appropriate fun and had heard that there might be some things open in the park despite the weather.  To their delight the in ground trampolines and the merry go round were open.  That was a huge hit along with an English language bookstore (had to drag Scout out) and most of all the ferris wheel ride that Dad indulged in.  As Dayna put it, "Dad, just don't think about how much it costs!"  The three of them went up and Dayna took some great pictures from the top of the Champs Elysees including one toward the Arc with the modern city skyline in the background.  They loved it except Jay got a little motion sick!!  From there we went up the Champs Elysees to see the beautiful lights along the boulevard, ate some dinner and then thought about calling it a day but decided to go for a trip to the Orsay Museum rather than squeeze it in the next morning.

The Orsay is housed in an old train station and is a great "little" (by Paris standards) art museum.  It was the night it stayed open until 10:00 so again it wasn't crowded at all.  Amazingly the girls hung in there and we saw some of our favorite artist's work - Monet.  Jay is also shown with his art tutor - Van Gogh!

On Friday, we packed up and did some major league souvenir shopping (guess what one of things purchased was...)  and then caught the train back to Tubingen - definitely the way to travel!!  Once home, we were greeted by about 5 inches of snow and more pouring down!  Great trip and the girls were troopers!

Paris Day 3 Louvre and Notre Dame

I'm finally catching up with things.  The girls are back in school and Jay is just finishing up 3 weeks of intensive German at a language school.  He can now converse with the girls a little.  The girls keep thinking they'll have their own secret language when we get back but now maybe Dad can crack the code!!



Anyway, back to Paris.  This blog also serves as my travel log so even though we've been back for 3 weeks I've got to catch it up!  So, if you want to skip Paris, check out my next post!

On the third day in Paris, after freezing on Day 2, we chose to make it an indoor day!  We had read the guidebooks which tell you to buy a Museum Pass (let's you into all the major sites and to skip ticket lines) so we breezed right into the Louvre.  It was busy but not unbearably crowded.  The Louvre's beginnings were in the early 1300's and a succession of French kings kept adding on and remodeling.  Some of them actually made it their residence but as a building it was used for quite a number of purposes.  Today it is immense - the world's largest art museum.  The architecture was amazing, everything from 900 year old frescoed
ceilings to I M Pei's amazing Pyramide entrance with circular staircase and elevator cylinder in the middle!  It was substantially more art than one could view even in several days unless you ran through.  I believe I read that they is something like 12 miles of artwork on display.  Needless to say, with two kids in tow, we took some guidebooks and hit some of the highlights.  Jay returned that night and toured an Etruscan wing but forgot the camera.  The kids recognized a few things and actually enjoyed it quite a bit.     We even got a personalized Get Well wish for our friend Matt from Mona Lisa!

We raced on to Notre Dame via the subway to catch a 2:00 guided tour in English.  It was freezing but the church was a little warmer.  The cathedral was built in the 1100's so it is nearly a thousand years old but beautiful.  It was one of the first churches to be built using "flying buttresses" as support for the immense walls - these supports of course are topped with a new adornment for that era - gargoyles!!  It was too cold for Quasi Modo but the gargoyles were still standing at attention!  The tour guide got a little more windy than Dayna could take so she and I went on a photo taking extravaganza of the famed round or "rose windows".  Karissa remained glued to the tour guide along with Jay and because of the tour we got to go into the altar area that the normal public doesn't get to.  The windows are fabulously beautiful even without bright sunlight streaming through.  Unfortunately, because of the weather we didn't get to climb up to the bell tower which was disappointing but not unusual - they open it when they feel like it from what I've heard!  The upside - absolutely no lines or crowds!!

Within a few blocks (and a couple of souvenir shop stops) we were back in our cozy warm apartment for some dinner.  Afterwards, Jay headed to the Louvre and the girls and I walked next door to the Centre Pompidou with its amazing "inside out" architectural design (everything that is normally hidden is exposed - pipes, escalators etc.) and its Musee National d'Art Moderne.  The escalator ride up is pretty cool as you look out over Paris and at the top you get a great view of the hourly light show on the Eiffel Tower (photos courtesy Dayna).  The girls decided they preferred the modern art over the classical art of the Louvre.  One of Dayna's favorites was this awesome "wedding dress" designed with spray paint and junk (click on the picture to note the baby dolls embedded up near the neckline!).  To each his own but it was fun to expose them to some different things and we even saw some Knoll pieces and a tribute to Florence Knoll!  Another great day.

Paris Day 1 and 2

Fearing that the 3 week school break with cold weather in a 600 square foot apartment might put us over the edge we decided to venture to Paris to check it out.  It wasn't exactly "springtime in Paris" but we considered our options and decided that there were just too many other places we want to see in the spring and early summer.  Besides, we wouldn't be outside that much and it's supposed to be in the low 40's in Paris in January, right?  NOT!!  It was icy cold and damp but hey we were in Paris so who cares!!  We made a very smart decision and took the high speed train from Stuttgart - it made a 6 1/2 hour drive by car in around 4 1/2 hours.  It was definitely the way to travel considering that with the snow we never would have made it in 6 1/2 hours and it was oh so much less stressful.  We read, ate, played games, listened to books on tape and watched the scenery.  The seats are much like airline seats with a tray table and it was a really smooth ride. 

We arrived Monday the 4th and headed to our fully equipped apartment (very common in Europe for families as most hotel rooms come with only one bed) only about 5 blocks from the Seine and Notre Dame Cathedral.  We headed down to the cathedral which was all lit up with a large Christmas tree in front.  They call Paris the City of Lights and it was especially lit up with all the added Christmas lights.  On our way home we passed the Hotel DeVille which had twinkling light all over it and a large outdoor ice rink in front with people skating in the cold night air.  There were antique carousels as well. It was really festive.  I thought that the Hotel DeVille was a hotel!  Duh, when the building was named the French used the word Hotel for "any building seeing lots of visitors".  It actually is the equivalent to city hall!  A really beautiful introduction to Paris in spite of the cold!

On day 2 we decided that it was going to be the warmest day forecast (a whopping 34 degrees) so we would do the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe (the two outdoor sights).  We figured out the subway (called the Metro) and headed to the beautiful tower built in the late 1800's.  The tower was absolutely beautifully designed and an amazing engineering feat.  Unfortunately, due to the weather we could only go up to the first and second (about 38 stories above ground)viewing platforms.  The top was closed but we had been told that the best views were from the 2nd platform.  The view overlooking Paris was amazing and it was actually sunny.  What a crowded city!  Jay and I now know why they fear the swine flu so badly - everyone is packed in like sardines everywhere!!  The girls enjoyed the tower in spite of the cold and then we headed out by foot to the Arc de Triomphe about a mile or so away.  About halfway there, we realized how slowly one six year old can walk when cold and hopped on the Metro again.

The Arc de Triomphe was begun in 1806 by Napoleon and finished after his demise in 1836.  It was equally amazing but actually had a better view because you could see the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysees (the most famous Avenue in Paris where all the people go to see and be seen).  We hung around until sunset and got some beautiful pictures of the Eiffel Tower as well as the Christmas lights up the Champs Elysees.  It was especially nice since there weren't any crowds to contend with and the girls were able to see more than people's stomachs!

Christmas and New Years

Well, it has been a while so I'll try to catch up.  Our Christmas here was very different, as expected.  We were all a little out of sorts at not having our regular schedule of things we do but had a good time anyway.  As I mentioned in a previous post the Germans do not put up their tree until Christmas Eve morning and then have their family festivities that night.  Much to Dayna's dismay, we didn't do the tree thing - we just decorated our window sill (it's huge) with greenery, decorations and lots of lights and presents.  We truly had no room for even the smallest tree unless it would fit on the coffee table!

Our apartment complex had a Christmas dinner the week before Christmas which was a lot of fun.  The apartment manager asked people to sing, tell a story, etc. as part of the entertainment.  There weren't a whole lot of volunteers so I rallied the kids in the complex and we did a nativity play.  The kids loved it.  It was very interesting in that some of the people had never heard the story of Jesus' birth before!  Our Chinese neighbors even asked to take Dayna's Kids' Bible home with them so they could read the story for themselves.  Needless to say, our experience here has been eye opening.  As Americans, we forget that there is a whole different world out there.

On Christmas Day we bucked the German trend and had Santa come visit (they don't do that either) so the girls were thrilled when they woke up to a mound of presents.  Karissa was pretty sure that there wouldn't be much Christmas this year - she said she'd settle for an extra big Christmas next year!  We managed to find some things that are disposable or small and they were delighted mostly with their "crafty" items.  Later in the day we joined quite a few people (including our Icelandic friends) at the indoor ice rink.  Christmas Day here is less of a holiday than Christmas Eve!  We had fun and spent the weekend snuggling up inside since everything was closed from Thursday through Monday.  NO after Christmas sales here!!  We also enjoyed some special goodies shipped from home which was a big treat including some homemade cookies ready for decorating - the girls loved that of course.  Thanks to all who remembered us vagabonds!



New Year's Eve is a completely different animal in Europe.  They celebrate in a BIG way.  We were invited to the home of a German couple (from what used to be East Germany) through our Icelandic friends.   People do a lot of small parties at home and then at 12:00 everyone (I mean EVERYONE) shoots off fireworks  at home for a solid half hour at least.  It was absolutely crazy and we could see fireworks in every direction and there was smoke everywhere.  The Germans couldn't believe that we don't do fireworks on New Year's.  Nearly all European countries celebrate with fireworks.  Our Icelandic friends said that the German display was very "small potatoes" compared to the Icelandic fireworks!  We just sat there with our mouths open!  We were amazed.

As you may have heard Europe is having one of the coldest winters in a decade (figures!!).  We had several small snowfalls which kept the girls quite busy during their break.  See the photo taken from our balcony.  Our apartment is unusually warm so we haven't suffered much.  People don't let the weather stop them here.  The Germans have a saying, "There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes!"  They pile the layers on and everyone regularly sports "hat head".  So much for the blow dry and style!!



As the year ended we count ourselves so blessed.  In spite of the beauty of this land, we feel so privileged to be called Americans and to have so many freedoms that we take for granted.  We had dinner with a young family from Bulgaria on "Boxing Day" (the day after Christmas) who studied in the U.S.  With much sincerity, they marveled at the freedoms we have in the U.S., we were humbled by what they had to say.  They shared with us the days of communism in their country when the government would make people work on Christmas Day and then shut off the power at 6:00 pm so that people could not prepare or enjoy any kind of normal Christmas celebrations when they returned from the normal workday.  We just can't imagine those kinds of things taking place in our day but they have and they do continue.  May God bless and protect our country and may we all fight to uphold the freedoms that we do have.  Amen!

More Christmas!!

Well, the first and most important news is that this past weekend it snowed - oh probably a whole inch and a half!!  The girls were thrilled - Karissa woke us up in a panic because she just had to get outside.  Fortunately the Americans prior to us left us two snow discs.  There is a pretty steep hill in the apartment complex that kept them quite busy.  Also, they got to construct their first real snowman - his name is Greg - very German don't you think?  Of course, Dayna continues to be stubborn about wearing warm clothes - they make her "look fat' - ugh!!  Note, her miserable face!!  Think she'll ever get it?



As I mentioned in my last post - Germans LOVE Christmas but it is in a whole different way than Americans.  It is very much about traditions and seems to be a lot less about the presents.  Unfortunately, like America it is not really about the birth of Christ.



Let's start with the traditions:

Saint Nick visits the children on the eve of Dec. 6th and fills their clean boot left outside the door with fruit, candy and trinkets (see the picture of the girls enjoying this added batch of goodies!).  That's pretty much his sole role.  He doesn't get any credit for the gifts on Christmas, those are from family. The Germans think we Americans are nuts for making Santa look so good!!  We're not sure how we're going to work around the whole "what did Santa bring you for Christmas?" conversation that the girls might have with the German kids.  We're hoping that their German skills aren't that good and we can chalk it up to the language barrier if they get some weird looks from the other kids.

Christmas markets are held in every town.  Each market designs their
own mug and you can buy a hot spiced wine drink call gluhwein and get the souvenir mug.  The market is held outdoors in the old downtown of the city where
there are usually cobblestone streets, fountains and really old
buildings.  It really is pretty neat unless you go on the weekend and
then it's packed!  Each town has their own "flavor" for their market.  Some are more artisan oriented and others are more regular merchandise.  One that we visited was the Esslingen Weihnachtsmarkt (pronounced vy nocks market) which is really unusual because it has a Medieval theme.  The town is pretty with an old Medieval wall and towers.  All of the people selling things were dressed in Medieval garb and they had shows and parades.  We decided to forego buying Jay the authentic Medieval outfit however, we thought it might make him act a little barbaric!  Instead we opted for the Lederhosen like the "shepherd".



Advent and Advent calendars are huge here.  Every child has one. Legos even makes them and everyone else that wants to get in on the $$$$.  One big way that Christmas has been commercialized here!

The Christmas trees are all real and you don’t put them up until Christmas Eve morning!  The girls and I walked up to “the farm” this afternoon where they were selling them.  They are mostly from the Black Forest and are the saddest looking things I have ever seen!! I wouldn’t want to look at one of them for a month either!!  You'll see Karissa and Flat Stanley - the barn on the far right is over 500 years old according to the lady farmer!


The schools call Christmas – “Christmas or Weihnacht”- amazing!!  The kids even have a Christmas church service during school at the neighborhood church.  We sometimes forget that what the American Pilgrims sought to escape was a state run church.  It still exists here and every child goes to religion class (at 3rd grade they switch to a Protestant or Catholic curriculum – prior to that it is general Christianity).    With a huge influx of Muslim Turks over the last 30 years I’m not sure how they react to the school mandating these classes.  We are in the most wealthy elementary school so we don’t have any Turks to my knowledge.  Our neighbors from China are atheist but their daughter goes to the Protestant religion class at school with Karissa!  There isn’t a choice.  Boy, that wouldn’t fly in the U.S.!!

Other than in the downtown area at the Christmas markets, there are really very few Christmas lights on homes or businesses.  I guess it's an American tradition and could result from sky high electricity costs here.

To celebrate Christmas most people go to some kind of Christmas Eve church service late afternoon or early evening, eat a festive meal with their immediate family, then open gifts.  Christmas day might include meeting with extended family or just staying home.   They also observe “Boxing Day” – Dec. 26th – ALL the stores are closed (YIKES – no After Christmas Sales!!!) and they might visit with family or friends again.  We’ll have to stock up on food this year as the stores close at noon on Christmas Eve, are closed for Christmas Day and Boxing Day and then the next day is Sunday – stores closed again!!  Practically four whole days without a trip to the market!!!  That will be a first for me!  At any rate, no one really knows for sure what the origin of Boxing Day is!!  Quite funny!

Most businesses are closed for the whole two weeks.  They are renovating the apartments next door and the construction crews won’t even be working!  Definitely different than America!

Karissa's class made a bunch of paper lanterns that were really neat and sold them outside the bakery along with German waffles with powdered sugar, cookies, hot drinks and some other handcrafts.  The kids sang, played violins and flutes too.  They earned over 760 Euros (about $1200) to send to an orphanage in Africa!!  It is not unusual to see people out in the streets playing music this time of year and is really a neat tradition that I've enjoyed.  As far as I know the teachers are expected to play an instrument and they use it in the classroom a lot.  (Dayna sings German songs regularly in the shower!)

We’ll probably have more commentary once we’ve actually seen Christmas!

We are feeling our first wave of homesickness, especially the girls.  Christmas just isn’t the same and I think they are feeling it.  We have a surprise trip planned for them the 3rd week of their vacation (yes 3 weeks off!!).   We’re going to have to keep them busy which can be hard since everything is closing; even the public library is closed for 3 weeks!!  Hopefully we’ll get some snow and that can wear them out.  We plan to take them to the next town to ice skate and possibly an indoor water park that is nearby (most likely along with 10,000 other people anxious to get the kids out of the house!!)



More later!

Christmas Celebrations are Beginning

Germans love Christmas.  Here is it called Weihnacht and the celebrations have begun.

We've been busy.  Last weekend the girls had a gymnastics "recital" where their group dressed up as mice and did a cute little routine including the vault, beam and floor.  They had a ball and you'll see them lined up in front of about 300 people.  To our surprise they had to say their name and how old they were in front of everyone.  We weren't quite prepared but they managed to do just fine although in English!

We've also started getting ready for Christmas with various events.  We made 328 Icelandic Christmas cookies (yes, we counted, hmmmm....wonder if that was before they ate a few or after??) with our friends.  They were kind of a like a spice cookie and the kids had a ball.

This past Friday we went downtown for Tubingen's annual Chocolate Fest (Europeans LOVE their chocolate - it is everywhere and usually in the form of candy, not cakes etc.).  The kids participated in a chocolate making seminar.  We didn't realize that the process took so long to do it right.  You have to get it to the right temperature and consistency for molding.  They managed to make beautiful chocolate bars complete with Gummi Bears (another German invention, needless to say they are not usually mixed in with chocolate!).  Knowing the girls, I'm sure these works of art will never get eaten!  They finished the candy making by letting them use the leftover chocolate mixed with warm milk for a great ending!

Germans love these outdoor festivals and the town area was beautifully lit complete with images of chocolate beans projected onto the buildings.  Jay told me to go for the Chocolate massage but I prefer to eat it, not wear it.   However...... some do wear it.  The attached pictures shows a woman painting chocolate designs onto Marzipan dresses!  (Marzipan is very popular here and they use it for everything.  It is made from egg white, almond paste and sugar and molds really well.)  There were booths full of chocolate everywhere.  Our friend even bought some Chocolate Mustard!!

It was quite chilly and really started to feel like Christmas!! More Christmas festivals to come....  We will go to the Christmas Market downtown next weekend.  A huge German tradition.  The girls can't wait for it to snow and stick!  So far, our weather has mostly been in the 40's for a high and usually doesn't get below freezing at night.  We can't wait to hit those hills with our sleds!  Mom included!