WELCOME TO GERMANY!

 

After two years of looking forward to our assignment to Germany--including a year of German language studies--we finally landed in Germany! 

It was a bit of a crazy experience arriving from Utah. Our flight in NYC was canceled and we were going to have to stay in NYC without any of our items (they were in suitcases somewhere). As soon as they announced we had canceled flight, I RAN (literally ran, dodging all the tourists going the other way) to the customer service office. They were able to put us on a flight that left in 5 minutes from when we finished and we went to Zurich for a few hours then on to Frankfurt. 

We were not sure our bags would make it. But most of them did. Only two did not. It was a miracle! The two missing arrived a few days later, they were broken up, but they made it! So did we! 

We have spent the last week trying to settle in. We go walking the neighborhood looking for grocery stores and the best bakeries. We are becoming connoisseurs of all the parks around the area too. We have found some amazing parks to expound our energy!  

Koala Bear has become really great with making art out of whatever mediums she has--post it notes, q-tips, blue tape...all of it!

We always stop and read the "Stumble Blocks" marking the jews who lived in buildings before and during the war. These blocks commemorate the people that lived here and where they went and how they died. They are sober reminders of the past. 

We took a quick weekend trip to Rüdesheim--a small wine vineyard village along the Rhein River. It was so iconic and cute. We all loved being outside. 

We explored the small streets lined with family run stores and restaurants. 

The vineyards are beautiful. The line both sides of the hills along the Rhein. In Rüdesheim you can take a cable car up the mountain to the forest along the hills. We did that then walked along the ridge to another small town called AssmannHäuser (translation: Ass Mass Houses). Talk about an interesting place to say you are from! haha

Then we took ski lifts down to the river and road a boat up the Rhein back to Rüdesheim. It was a beautiful day to be outside in nature. 

We were so happy when Big Al showed up! He had come over on a boat while we were on our road trip through the Western United States. Europe here we come!!