Travel Review 2: Trier & Worms, Germany

Here is Part II of my travel reviews of the places we visited with my parents while they were here! I sometimes forget how incredibly wonderful {& not normal!}it is to be able to travel like we can.  This happens because it has become so common for us, for our friends here, & for all those in our community!  When we ask friends what they're going to do for the weekend, you often hear things like, "Oh, we're going to head up to Paris!", or "I think we're going to take the train to Amsterdam!"  What a blessing!

So, in order to make you all feel like you've done a bit of traveling too, I want to share with you a bit more about where we've recently been.  Today: Trier & Worms, Germany.  Both of these places were fairly close to where we stayed when visiting the Mosel River Valley in early April.  Trier turned into a quick afternoon trip while Worms was a stop during our drive back home.

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Trier, Germany

This wonderful city claims to be the oldest in Germany, having been founded around 16 BC.  The city itself is now quite modern, but amongst the new buildings you can see some huge Roman ruins!  We parked in the Alt Stadt {the Old Town} & began to explore.  First, we went to the Porta Nigra & got our tickets for walking around inside.  What a huge & incredible structure!  It was so interesting to me that it was right in the middle of the Old Town's busiest area, with cars zooming by just feet from the entrance.  What a feeling to be in something so very old while the latest in modern technology was right outside the window.

Don took this picture.  Isn't it wonderful?!  What an eye he's got :)

Trier also has many beautiful Churches & ruins in other parts of the city that we didn't get to visit.  We couldn't take all day to explore here because we had an afternoon wine tasting scheduled back at S.A. Prüm!  There is a Roman bath house, amphitheater, bridge, etc. along with a Jewish cemetery, & many monasteries too!  I think it would be very easy to spend a few days here!  And on another note, Karl Marx was born here in Trier.

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Worms, Germany

We made a quick stop here in Worms after reading that it is where Martin Luther appeared before the Diet in 1521.  The Diet of Worms was "...a general assembly of the Imperial States of the Holy Roman Empire..."  Martin Luther & the Protestant Reformation were under scrutiny here from 28 January to 25 May 1521, & this hearing was referred to as the Edict of Worms.  In the end, "the Edict declared Luther to be an obstinate heretic and banned the reading or possession of his writings."

We visited the Cathedral of Worms, which dates back to 1110.  It was of a very different style than many of the other Cathedrals we have visited since it is much much older & in the Romanesque style.  Unlike, for instance, the Cathedral in Prague which was covered in ornate carvings & golden decorations, the Cathedral of Worms had a very solid, heavy & serious feel about it, without much in the way of ornamentation.  The building was huge, too!  About 16 stories tall!  It was hard to get a great picture that really showed the scale!

And so, now you know a little bit more about some of the places we have visited recently!  And so far in my quick Travel Reviews, I haven't even mentioned any places outside of Germany!  It really would take a lifetime of dedicated traveling to see the world, wouldn't it?  Or even just to see Europe!

Of all the places in the world that you have never visited, where would you most like to go?!  For me...right now, I would say somewhere tropical such as the Seychelles, Mauritius, or the Maldives!  But, we will be in Croatia in Ten Days!!!  I cannot wait for our relaxing tropical vacation, just the two of us!

Happy Travel Dreaming!

Too Much Fun To Post!

Good Morning from Germany! The sun is shining, our yard is growing more grass every day {Hallelujah!}, & Don & I are having an awesome time with my parents.  I can't believe they've been here a week & a half already!  Where has all the time gone?  I wish they could be here longer, but there are chances that that might actually happen because of all the ash in the air.  What a crazy world we live in, huh?  I hope that none of you have been stranded in an airport due to this natural disaster fiasco!

We had a fabulous weekend in Prague!  And Don & I did something especially cool that I can't wait to share with you all!  You'll think that I am making it up, but then I'm sure you'll wat to try it for yourself!  More on that later :)

Here are just a few pictures from our adventures so far with my parents!

Well, I'm off to walk the ponies & then to spend another exciting day with my parents!

My Parents Are Here! ...Off We Go!

My parents are here! Oh, how happy my heart was to see them come through the Arrivals gate at the airport!  And isn't it wonderful that no matter how long you are away from your family, as soon as you are back together it feels as though no time has passed?!  It's so easy & comfortable right from the get-go.  Ah, family.  I missed you!

Layla & Lucius have two new best friends.  They played all night & snuggled lots too!  Layla usually barks at "strangers" so much that they probably don't even want to come into the house!  But she didn't do that with my parents!  It wasn't until they'd been here about 45 minutes that she barked {a teenie bit!} at my Dad.  Silly girl, she knew by that point that he was nice!  Then, of course, she put her head under his hand & gratefully accepted all the petting & sweet talking that followed.  Lucius was Dad's constant play buddy, bringing him his favorite heavy-duty ribbon {which used to be part of a braided toy that my Mother-In-Law sent!} & beginning a game of tug-of-war.  My Dad was so sweet; he re-braided the ribbon.  I think this just made Lucius like him even more!  My parents are fans.

Well, I won't be writing for the next few days because this morning we head on our wine trip!  It's going to be so relaxing & yummy!  The drive will be gorgeous!  And we're planning a few little trips around there, too:

Bastogne, Brussels.  The Battle of the Bulge took place here, & my Dad's father fought in it during WWII.  What an experience it will be to visit this incredible place.

Trier, Germany.  The oldest city in the country, founded on or before 16BC.  As you can see, there are many Roman ruins here.  We are definitely going to make a stop & check it out!

Worms, Germany.  Most famous for Martin Luther's stand against the Catholic Church in 1521.

So tell me...what are your plans for the weekend, dear readers?!  I'll be back to posting on Tuesday...unless, that is, we have another busy day planned!  Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Winter Street Style: Stockholm

On of the things that I have really noticed in Don & my travels is the different clothing styles across Europe.  It's interesting, I think, to compare the styles, to think about why people dress the way they do, & even, as I just considered in Stockholm, the fact that for many places & people, the style of dress is born of functionality & practicality.  Not just fashion.

In the States, we always look to Europe for our fashion cues.  But now that I'm here, I'm starting to think that Europeans' styles actually make sense, & then they make them look good.  For instance, skinny jeans.  They're big in Europe, so they're the big fashion thing in the States now, right?  Especially skinny jeans with tall boots!  A cute look.  But here, in the wintertime with snow & slush all over the ground & walking or public transportation being the most common way to get around town, well...  You wouldn't want long jeans that would get wet!  Or short shoes that the snow & slush could creep into!  So Europeans, being smart, tuck their jeans into tall boots!  But this then becomes fashion, & jeans & shoes are adapted to make the look a stylish one.

In Stockholm, I really noticed this.  Except...many of the girls wore only leggings with a long shirt or a very short dress, complete with a winter coat {many of which were very cute fur {faux I'm sure!} coats}, hat, gloves, & of course the boots.  But not always tall boots!  How did they stay warm?!

Photos Courtesy of Refinery29.Com

I can honestly say that I've never seen winter fashion done quite like this.  Sure, these pictures I posted are from a fashion trend website, but really, I saw plenty of girls dressed just like this!  And I didn't see much in the way of colors, either.  My white coat, red purse, & magenta scarf made me stand out a wee bit!  But you have to figure out how to look good even when it's freezing outside, & the Swedes sure have done it!  What do you think of these looks?!

Back From Frozen Scandinavia!

Brrrrr, was it cold in Stockholm! The temperature actually wasn't all that different than here in Germany, but since Stockholm is made up of a series of small islands, being near all that water made it feel much much colder! Brr! But we bundled up in multiple layers {even long underwear!} & did a lot of exploring!

Our hotel, The Hotel J, was absolutely fantastic!  Decorated like a Nantucket yachting club, pretty much!  Our bathroom had a footed tub {love!} & even a heated floor, which was wonderful for our cold feet!  The staff was so nice & helpful, even made us sandwiches to take with us when we left bright & early Monday morning.  If we go back to Stockholm, I would definitely stay here again!

There is so much to write about our trip, but I will try to make it short & sweet!

Friday, we arrived in town around 2pm, I'd say.  We caught the bus to our hotel, which was an easy 10 minute trip from the city center.  We checked in {& I gushed about how much I liked it & how well I'd done again at picked a hotel for us!  I have skills!}, bundled up a bit, but not nearly enough, & headed back to the city for some exploring!  This was definitely the coldest night, & windy too!

We were pretty hungry, so we ended up eating at a BBQ place!  Strange, I know.  You'd think that Swedish Meatballs would have been our first choice!  But BBQ sounded so good & we hadn't had that in a while!  I got the ribs, & Don had lamb.  It was delicious!

After our day of traveling, we were a bit tired so we decided just to make one stop before going back to the hotel.  We went to the City Casino!  haha  {I have to tell you, we each bought what's called a Stockholm Card, which gives you access to all city transportation as well as over 80 museums & hot spots in town!  Well worth it.}  We aren't gamblers whatsoever, but seeing the casino seemed like a fun idea!  It's Swedish law to register anyone who enters a casino in the country, so they took our picture & everything!  And after all that, the casino wasn't all that cool... Oh well!!

Saturday, we enjoyed the delicious breakfast that the hotel offers {eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, yogurt, juice, coffee, muffins & rolls, cheese...everything!} & headed out for more exploring!  This day, we did a LOT of walking.  We went to The Vasa Museum, which houses "the only remaining, intact 17th century ship in the world."  It was quite a sight to behold!

We then went to Skansen, which is a location where over 150 buildings have been brought in from all over Sweden.  It's pretty neat to see!  They also have animals there from brown bears & moose to minks!  It was a lot of fun!

We then headed to Gamla Stan, the Old City of Stockholm.  The Royal Palace is here, along with many neat little shops & restaurants.  We were hungry, so we stopped into what looked like a cozy little restaurant with a young crowd.  Chai for me, coffee for Don, & we shared a piece of lasagna.  All for about $20!  Man!  Anyway, we started to notice that there were many...same sex couples there.  Hmm!  Come to find out the next day as we walked past it again that there was a rainbow flag hanging above the sign outside!  Whoops!  It was pretty funny!!

We also rode the Stockholm Skyview at the Ericsson Globe, which was quite the experience!  And Don, being the sweetheart that he is, took me to the City Library.  I'm such a nerd, but I love libraries!  Plus, last week or so I Googled "prettiest libraries in the world" & this wonderful listing came up.  And the Stockholm City Library was listed!  So we had to go!  {Also, The Long Room at Trinity College in Dublin is listed, & I've been there already!  Two down!!}  It was very modern compared to other libraries I've been to here in Europe, but very pretty & quite impressive architecturally!

We did get our Swedish Meatballs on Sunday, in Gamla Stan, & my goodness were they delicious!  Mmm Mmm Mmm!  We went to a bakery & cafe that day also & tried a "typical Swedish pastry" called semla.  I had seen them pictured in the newspaper & displayed in almost every bakery window that we passed.  We had to try it, & I told Don that it was one of our missions for Sunday.  It was good!!

Also, in our typical fashion, we stopped at an Irish Pub.  {We've now been to them in 5 countries!  They've never been anything but delicious, welcoming, & fun!}  A Guinness for Don, a Bulmers Cider for me, & an order of chips.  As our luck would have it, Ireland was playing a rugby match against France that night, so the pub was crowded, full of energetic & friendly Irishmen & woman.  I'm now convinced beyond a matter of doubt that one cannot enter a good Irish Pub without having a smile sweep across their face.  What a cheery lovely place to be!

All in all, our cold Swedish weekend was absolutely fantastic!  We did our usual "winging it" & as always, it turned out very well!  We saw the top spots in town, & even rode the ferry!  It was a relaxing weekend for us both, & we loved having the time together without any distractions.

We decided that it would be a lot of fun to go back to Stockholm in the summer when the sun shines longer & the days are warm :)  I wonder how different the city would feel then?  Boats on the water, flowers in the windows, outdoor seating at the cafes...

But we have too many new countries to visit for that now!

We've Now Skied in Austria!

ustria!  Yep!  We skied there on Saturday!  {Well, I skied as best as I could & Don snowboarded like a pro!}  We were invited to spend a few nights in a cabin some friends rented for the weekend, & we're so glad we took them up on the offer!  We stayed in Garmisch, which is on the Germany Austria border in the Alps, & absolutely gorgeous!  Wow!

It's clear to me now that I am not really meant to ski, but I can do it!  And I bought myself some cute Burton clothes to make it a bit more fun :)

Don's Promotion & The Nurnberg Christkindlmarkt!

Here are some recent pictures that I've been meaning to share!

First, a few from Don's promotion to 1st Lieutenant!  His commanding officer said some wonderful things about Don & his contributions to the Battery so far.  I was beaming!  I'm so proud of you, baby!!

Next, a few pictures from the Christkindlmarkt in Nurnberg!  We went over the weekend & it was so much fun!

By the time we left the Christkindlmarkt, it was getting very crowded, not to mention rainy!  So we were there at just the right time.  The gluhwein, which is a hot spiced wine, was absolutely delicious & kept us nice & warm!  We also had sausages {oh so German!} & potato pancakes with applesauce!  Mmmm!

Has anyone ever been to a Christmas Market in the States?  I wonder what they are like & how they compare to the Christmas Markets here!