Happy Thanksgiving!!

This week was another busy one for the Archers. On Monday, Henry had his first day of preschool, or "kindergarten" as they call it here. After we packed his lunch it was off to start a new chapter his life. He did not hesitate to join in the play activities with the other children. After I took a few minutes with his teacher and the school administrator, I left for home (although we live next door). Since it was his first day, he only stayed for 2 hours, so I walked over to pick him up at 11 AM. He was so proud when I picked him up. He kept telling me "Look Mommy, this is my school!!". We then walked home and shared the lunch I packed for him. The next morning he could not wait to go back. He stayed for a little longer, but I still prefer to pick him up before lunch, he is a good lunch date.

On Tuesday night we had the opportunity to see the Mannheim Adler Eagles. A friend of mine is married to one of the players, so we sat in the "family" section and enjoyed all the VIP perks. At first, Henry was a little overwhelmed with the 15,000 screaming fans, but by the end of the game, he was screaming along with them. The people of Mannheim take their hockey quite seriously. I would not want to be a hockey referee for all of the money in world. It was fun to hear the fans chant cheers in German (even though we had no idea what they were saying) and to watch Henry enjoy the atmosphere. During game breaks they played music, just like in the states, and during one game break they played "Old Time Rockn' Roll", so Henry felt the need to get up and dance. He stole the show for a moment.

On Thanksgiving morning we packed up and drove to Paris for a long weekend. Our trip was uneventful and we were ready to start exploring as soon as we put our luggage down!! The first evening we walked to the L'Arc de Triomphe. It was only about 4 blocks from our hotel and was a spectacular welcome to Paris. From there we strolled up and down the streets, did some shopping, took in the sights and had a bite to eat. We were pretty overwhelmed and tired, so we called it an early night and headed back to the hotel.

The next day we bought a 2 day subway pass which we made good use of. The only complaint we had about the subway (and Paris) is that they are not stroller friendly. The entrances and exits to the subway were primarily steps (and a lot of them), so John and I ended up lifting Henry in his stroller up and down steps several times a day. By the end of the second day we had it down to a science. Anyway, on the second day we took the subway to the Eiffel Tower. It was a bit windy that day, which made it very cold, so our trip to the top was somewhat abbreviated. We did however stay long enough to take in the magnificent sites the landmark had to offer. I posted some pictures below.

After heading back to the hotel for a warm up and a quick nap for Henry, we were off again to Boulevard Haussmann, a popular shopping area. The Christmas window displays are quite extravagant and a popular attraction for families and children. They exceeded our expectations. Henry enjoyed the displays very much and hated to leave. After more walking and dinner, it was time to head back to the hotel again.

On Saturday we decided to visit the Louvre. We went early and were glad we did, by the time we left it was quite crowded. Like the rest of Paris, it was a bit overwhelming. Our first stop was, of course, to see the Mona Lisa. I had a perfect plan to take Henry's Christmas photo there, but I would have had a difficult time removing the roping that kept visitors 15 feet back and asking everyone else who was there to see it to step aside while I got the perfect shot, never mind the 4 security guards on each side of the painting. I guess I will have to think of another plan. Any suggestions?? We quickly toured other displays and exhibits before having to leave, but we plan to return again before our time here ends.

After another quick nap and bite to eat we walked to an area where Paris was having their Christmas markets. They were so crowded it was difficult to see what was being displayed and since Germany is known for their grand Christmas markets, we decided not to spend any extra time there and headed to another shopping district. This time we went to Avenue Montaigne. The streets were lined with trees filled with red lights making it feel like Christmas. As if we needed another reminder that we were no longer in Iowa, these shops were it. As happy as I am to be pregnant, I was a little disappointed I could not partake fully in the shopping experience. We still looked through the stores, the doormen were very accommodating helping us through, stroller and all. I posted a picture of Henry in Louis Vuitton shopping.

On Sunday we headed home. We passed Disneyland Paris on our way home. There was a steady stream of traffic heading there, even on a cool November day. We will have to include that in our next visit. Enjoy the pictures below. Love and miss you all.

An Early Thanksgiving Celebration

A Few Thanksgiving Photos

Henry was hungry!!
A picture of the crowd
Another picture of the crowd

This week was pretty quiet for us in Germany. By quiet, I mean no big outings. We are resting up for our Thanksgiving (and anniversary) trip to Paris. But, even through we did not do any major sight seeing, we did manage to stay busy.

Henry had his first appointment with his German pediatrician this week. Like my physician's appointment last week, his was very different from what we are used to. Her office is located in her home, so we rang her doorbell when we arrived, after she answered, she escorted us to her exam room. The room was very large, it included an exam table, a play area for children and her desk/office. She also had all of the necessary modern health care equipment as well. Henry was very well behaved and cooperative, not at all scared. After telling my mom about the appointment we decided the calm, less stimulating atmosphere must have made a huge difference. Anyway, her exam was very thorough, she even tested his hearing after learning he had an ear infection a couple of years ago. He was a little confused when she asked him to play "football" and kept kicking him a soccer ball. I finally said, "Play soccer Henry" and he kicked the ball back. She giggled after realizing we were having a small communication problem. Amazingly, Henry was sad to leave her office.

Henry and I are enjoying are daily outings to the gym. As I mentioned in earlier postings, the gyms here (or at least in Schwetzingen) are very nice. They have a nice play area for children and Henry cannot wait to go (he also hates to leave). Last week, I overheard some women there speaking English, I mean really good English, so I figured they were American. After introducing myself, one of the girls said she had seen me there the previous day and knew I was American because my gym clothes were not head to toe Lycra. After meeting them, I learned two were actually Canadian and one was American. They too were in Germany as a result of their husband's employment, only their husbands played hockey for the Mannheim Adler Eagles, a professional hockey team. All were very friendly and have young children. We exchanged emails and plan to get together soon. When I picked Henry up in the daycare after my workout that day, he was playing with one of their sons - cute how they latched on to each other.

John had the opportunity to visit the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France this week. He said it was very impressive. There was 27 members of the European Union represented speaking approximately 24 different languages. There were 785 people present representing 7 different political parties. Can you imagine?

On Friday night we had our Thanksgiving celebration with the other JD ex-pats. It was held in a quaint restaurant in the nearby town Schwetzingen. Dinner was very traditional: turkey, corn, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy and a couple of different meats I did not recognize or try. There was not, however, any stuffing. I think that may have been a little over the top for the the German chef. Although I missed having it at the time, it is probably a good thing there was none - I would have compared it to my Mom's (which is great) and became more homesick. Henry had a great time, ate a lot and played with the other children until he practically fell asleep running!!

On Saturday morning we woke up to a thin blanket of snow covering the ground and trees. It was very pretty, so we decided to take a drive. I voted for a drive to Zweibrucken, where the nice outlet mall is, and Henry agreed with Mommy, so we were off. The hills and mountains covered with snowy pine trees along the way reminded me of a movie seen. In addition, there were darling little villages (towns) nestled in the valleys with smoke rolling out of their chimneys that really made us feel like we were in another land. Henry enjoyed the trip as well as there were many windmills along the way.

We are looking forward to the next week. Henry will start school on Monday, we leave for Paris on Thursday to enjoy the weekend and when we return our good friends and previous neighbors will be in town for a couple of days.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!! Happy Birthday to John's Dad on Monday.

A New Doctor for Mom, a Party for Henry and the Zoo

This week was another week of firsts for the Archers. Although Henry has not officially started his new school, he was still invited to celebrate in the St.Martin's Day celebration hosted by his "kindergarten". St. Martin's Day is celebrated in Germany and throughout Europe on the 11th day of the 11th month at 11 minutes after 11 o'clock. St. Martin was known as the "bishop of tours" and is remembered for his exemplary way of life. He lived in the 4th century when he was a Roman soldier who was later baptized as an adult and then became a monk. This holiday is primarily celebrated by children and people in rural Europe. The children make illuminated paper lanterns that hang from sticks and go from house to house singing songs about St. Martin in exchange for candy and treats, however, most communities now celebrate with local parties such as the one held by Henry's kindergarten in the church yard. Since Henry did not have an opportunity to make a lantern of his own, our neighbors were kind enough to offer him an extra one of theirs, although most of the children were too busy running and playing to hold their lanterns and march in the parade, so the parents ended up holding the traditional lanterns.

The same evening of the St. Martin's day festival, we had a good friend over for supper. He was in Mannheim for business and joined us for a home cooked meal. We enjoyed the evening very much and welcome any visitors who are passing through!!

Henry and I also attended our first John Deere "coffee" this week. Once a month the JD wives get together for coffee (and pastries) and have a chance to visit. It also allows the little ones who are not in school yet a chance to play. As a newcomer to the country, it also gave me an opportunity meet other ex-pats and learn of new things to do and places to go.

On Thursday, I had my first appointment with my new OB-GYN. He was recommended to us by another JD family who had a baby here a couple of months ago. His office is downtown Mannheim and a little tricky to find since there are very few signs or directions posted in this country. After walking around for 20 minutes, we finally found the way to his office, via an unmarked elevator. When we arrived, we were again surprised by the atmosphere inside. He only had one employee, his receptionist, and the office was extremely quite (until Henry arrived of course). After checking in, we waited about 45 minutes in the waiting area (which, from what I understand, is not a bad wait) before the doctor himself came and showed us to the exam room. I was a little apprehensive because I have heard so many stories about how the Europeans like to do everything "naturally" and really push for a "natural" birthing experience. Perhaps if this was my first baby, I might buy into that, however, having experienced the the luxury of an epidural and various pain meds, I know better. I was pleasantly surprised when he was receptive to my wishes for my plan of care. He then performed an examine, did the ultrasound himself (no tech) and then walked us to the door. A bit different from what we are used to. In addition, he spoke English very well as many physicians do in Germany.

Another JD family arrived in Germany this week. They have two little girls, Abby 3 and Samantha 1 and have one on the way (almost the same time our little one is due). They have been in a hotel all week since their home is not ready yet, so they decided to join us for a trip to the Heidelberg Zoo on Saturday so the little ones could stretch their legs and run some energy off. The zoo is open all year and has a great variety of animals. We had to laugh a little when we saw a raccoon on display. Evidently, raccoons are not as plentiful here as they are in the states. We only made it through half of the zoo on Saturday, it is extremely large and it was only about 40 degrees outside (and windy). We bought a family pass for the year, I think it will be a frequent stop this summer as there is a lot of green space, playgrounds and picnic areas in addition to the many animal attractions.

Today (Sunday) we went to the English speaking Catholic church in Heidelberg. It is located in the Mark Twain Village on the Army base. We were made to feel right at home immediately as we walked in the door and were asked to bring up the gifts. After church we had coffee and donuts in the church basement with the rest of the parishioners.

This week Henry has a physical with his pediatrician here. When I called to make the appointment, she answered her own telephone, which threw me for a loop, but many of the JD families take there children to her and are pleased with her care. Henry may also start German Kindergarten (preschool) this coming week. We visited the school last week for about an hour and they said he was welcome to start anytime. The director of the school and Henry's teacher both speak English fairly, and our home is literally right next door to the school, so he should be okay. The JD family who previously lived in this house sent two of their children to this school and were very pleased.

I will post more next week. As we are entering our 4th week here in Germany, I am beginning to miss home, but hearing from you all from time to time is wonderful, thank you for all of the nice emails and phone calls. We also want to send a big THANK YOU to my Mom and Dad for all of their help back home, we couldn't do this without you.

Another Castle!!

It must be fall here in Germany because the sounds of tire irons are filling the air as people are preparing for winter by putting on their snow tires. That is right, snow tires. Evidently, they are a requirement here. My car (which is a rental for now) already has them on and John will put them this weekend. I hope this is not an indication of the snow removal service here. I will keep you posted.

This week was another week of firsts. Henry and I had a great outing one day this week to Zweibrucken, a city about an hour and a half southwest of Heidelberg. A colleague of John lives in the quaint city and graciously invited Henry and I for coffee and then took us to an awesome outlet mall just outside of the city. It was much nicer than most outlets in the states and we had a great time. Thanks for the wonderful hospitality Brigitte!! On that note, everyone at Deere has been so anxious to make us feel welcome and at home here in Germany, thank you.

On Friday afternoon, we again took the tram downtown Heidelberg. After the exciting tram ride, Henry soon fell asleep in his stroller, so John and I enjoyed the atmosphere and sites Heidelberg had to offer at night while he slept quietly. After a nice dinner, we headed back home. It was a perfect Friday night.

Saturday was a beautiful day here, sunny and almost 60 degrees!! John and Henry played outside all day with the neighbor girls and I went to a workout facility nearby. John's administrative assistant, Stefanie, joined me to help me through the process. After a short tour of the gym, which included a full spa, tanning, a restaurant, roof top lounge area and outside lakeside and fountain lounge (a bit more posh than the gyms at home) I met with a trainer to orientate me to the equipment. Since he spoke a decent amount of English, Stefanie left us for her own workout. I told the trainer, who was a young man in town attending Heidelberg University, that I was 5 months pregnant, he seemed to understand and we proceeded. He showed me a few leg exercises, then kept trying to steer me towards abdominal machines and telling how much they would benefit me. I repeatedly said, "No, thank you" and we would move on. Finally after about the fourth time he tried to get me to do some kind of a "crunch" I pointed to my stomach and said "kinder" (the German word for child). His eyes got really big and he started laughing.

Sunday was a cooler, very blustery day, so it seemed appropriate we head out for Frankenstein's Castle. It is only a short distance (45KM) from our house so it made for a great day trip. The Internet link for the castle is: http://www.darmstadt.de/en/sights/frankenstein/index.html. A short version is as follows. The first records of the castle date back to 948. After construction, it was apparently neglected until the 1800's when it was saved from further decay. It sits high in the mountains of overlooking the town of Darmstadt, but also has views of Worms, Oppenheim, Mainz and Frankfurt on clear days. This morning, it was quite cloudy and overcast, so we could not see that far, which was somewhat appropriate for the occasion.

Since it was still close to the Halloween holiday the castle was decorated with all of the classical decor one would expect. Coffins, skeletons, guillotines, and all other scary accessories associated with Frankenstein adorn the castle this time of year. Today, the castle was actually closed for tours because of the Halloween show that takes place during the evening hours, however, since we drove up the mountain, with a 2 year old, managed a stroller to the "front" door of the castle, the gentlemen kindly let us walk around. The show must be pretty spectacular. We saw evidence of pyrotechnics, special effects and it looked like there was going to be some kind of a performance, probably a little too much for Henry. Below are some pictures of our visit and one picture of our favorite little crew back in Iowa!!

Halloween and Heidelberg

We hope everyone had a great Halloween. Ours was not exactly what we are used to. John found a Halloween party in Mannheim, we had no idea what to expect. We dressed Henry in his costume (an alligator) hoping other children would be dressed in costume as well and headed out for yet another unknown.

When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised. The party was in Luisenpark in the city of Mannheim. It is a large area in the center of town filled with walking paths, fountains, a botanical center and a large indoor/outdoor cafe. It was decorated beautifully with orange lanterns hanging from the trees, many jack'o lanterns, and spooky lights. Entertainment included train rides, puppet shows, spooky ghost tales, and music for the children. There was not any candy being handed out, which was unusual for us, Henry did not mind, but John and I kind of missed it. Oh, good news, Henry was not the only child in costume. Many of the children were dressed up. Witches were a common theme for girls and boys were ghosts or vampires - I think Henry was the only alligator. Halloween is defiantly less commercialized here, probably because they have not been celebrating it all that long. Needless to say, we did not trick or treat this year. We thought about taking Henry around to some of the JD families, but many are out of town on "holiday" this week because the international school is on break. On the way home, we did stop at KFC (it was that or McDonald's) for a late supper, that reminded us of home.

On Saturday we headed out for our first sight seeing trip. (It is so weird to get up on a weekend and not have a million chores to do or errands to run! Renting is not so bad after all.) The day after Halloween is "All Saints Day" so most stores and businesses are closed. Restaurants are still open and the trams continues to operate, so we headed downtown Heidelberg on the tram. The tram station is only two blocks from our home so it is super easy to ride. On weekdays it runs every 10 minutes and on the weekends is runs every 30 minutes. The cost is only 2.50 euro round trip for adults and 1.50 euro for children, so it is much easier and economical than driving and parking downtown.

Once we were downtown (it took about 10 minutes after stops), we walked for miles. Most of the stores were closed because of the holiday, but there were still plenty of people roaming around. Oh, the shopping - fabulous- I cannot wait to go back during a time when the stores are open. Christmas markets should be starting soon, and from what people tell me, they are wonderful. I did not bring any Christmas items besides our stockings and manger seen, so I have a great excuse to shop.

Although we did not tour the castle yesterday, we did get a nice view of it. It is called the Heidelberg Schloss (Palace). It is hard to believe it was constructed before 1214 and has survived war, fires and time. It is currently being renovated, but is still open for tours. We plan to return for a tour when we have more time. I think it will take some time just to walk up the "castle trail" to get to the entrance. When you have time, google it, it is very interesting. Below are a couple of pictures.

Heidelberg is an interesting city. The population is only 135,000 people, 28,000 of whom are students at the Heidelberg University which is also very old. It was established in 1712 and is full of history itself. From what I understand, there is still a University prison open for tours. Evidently, when students misbehaved back in the 1700's (partying and being disruptive), they were jailed for a period of time. I bet they didn't have be told twice.

On the home front, we finally got our upgraded cable package (nothing happens quickly around here) so we have a few more channels than CNN international and BBC shows. It is nice to have reminders of home, I love having Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity back, and Henry has missed Playhouse Disney. John and I are looking forward to watching a football game tonight (we should get the noon game at 7:00PM here) - GO PACK GO!!!

We are getting around Germany quit well these days. I have been to IKEA twice now and to couple of grocery stores. Before we left the states, we bought a Navigation system with European maps, which is a lifesaver. The road signs in Germany only indicate what city the road leads to, there is no indication if the road goes north, west, east, or south, so for a foreigner, it can become confusing without navigation. We have also learned that speed limit signs (when there are speed limits) are mearly suggestions. Henry and I have been on the auto ban by ourselves a couple of times, Henry must sense I get a little nervous because the other day he said "Hold on tight" when we were accelerating off the on ramp.

Henry is trying to make friends. When we were walking home from the tram station yesterday, he saw a group of German children and he started waving and said, "Hi guys, I'm Henry Archer". He said it about three times, each time a little louder until one of them finally smiled and waved back. It is hard to explain to him that they have no idea what he is saying.

I am spending time everyday trying to learn German. We have the Rosetta Stone software and it is pretty good. When Henry starts school in January, I will probably also start language lessons with a tutor.

Here are some pictures of the past couple of days. If you put your cursor over the picture, it stops the slide show and there is a caption.

We miss everyone.