Strasbourg, France

Where does the time go? It seems like life has quickly become routine here in Germany. Henry is in school everyday, John is working, and I am staying busy with various activities as well as providing a taxi for Henry. It is amazing how within a few short months we have managed to fill our calendars with activities and commitments that we never thought we would have in a foreign country. Our church has given us an opportunity to meet many amazing people. Most are military families and are used to moving and meeting new people and getting involved in new situations. I have joined the MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group at our church and the Heidelberg Spouses Club. We meet a couple of times a month for lunch or we take small day trips to various places. Next month we are having a "diamonds and denim" dinner with our accompaniment of our spouses. John and I are both looking forward to it.

This past Saturday we enjoyed a day trip to Strasbourg, France. Strasbourg had been described to us as the "best of Germany and the best of France" in one town. It is located just across the French boarder, about 16 miles west of the Black Forest, which is only about and hour and a half from our home. Fortunately, the weather has been mild here, so outdoor activities are not out of the question, you just need a jacket and a great pair of walking shoes.

Strasbourg is best known for its several midevil churches, but the most famous is the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Strasbourg which houses a famous astronomical clock. The highest sphere of the church is 142 meters high, which is 466 feet. It was hard to get a picture of the church because of its height, but I did manage to get a couple of shots. There are stairs that go to the top of the steeple that consist of 329 steps. We did not tackle the stairs yesterday, being 8 months pregnant and having a three year old is not a great combination for extensive stair climbing. We plan to return this spring when my parents are here, so we may try it then. Surrounding the church are many quaint shops and restaurants. There are several chocolatiers and bakeries as well as many clothing boutiques and shoe stores.

Strasbourg is located on a river that flows into the Rhine River which hosts many boat tours and cruises. We did not take a boat tour yesterday, but it is definitely on our list next time. Strasbourg is also home to the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicine and many other European institutions. John actually got to visit the European Parliament a couple of months ago which he said was amazing.

Below are a couple of pictures of the church, the clock and the city. As I mentioned earlier, we left the house without a plan, so our next visit will be more thought out and organized.

A Quick Update

First, let me say STAY WARM to everyone at home!! My Dad told me about the wicked temperatures sweeping across northern Illinois and Iowa. It is funny to see people here walking around in parkas, boots, scarves and mittens when the temps are in the 30s. If they only knew. We did, however, get about two inches of snow yesterday. It was really pretty and Henry enjoyed it. At his school, they play outside for about 45 minutes daily. Today when I picked him up, his teacher commented on how much he loved the snow - eating the snow!! Like my mother says, he is all boy!

John is out of town this week for the first time since we arrived in Germany. He traveled to South Africa earlier this week and will return home Saturday. We are used to him traveling, but not so far away. I think he was much more nervous about leaving us than we were about being here alone, although I hardly feel alone. Between Henry, JD friends, and talking with family, we manage to stay very busy.

Last Saturday night Henry had a "party". Some friends celebrated their anniversary with a quiet dinner out, so we had the opportunity to watch their girls, Abigail and Samantha. Henry was thrilled to have them over. He introduced them to a whole new world of toys. The girls enjoyed playing with his tractors, farm animals, trains, pirate ship and dinosaurs. Henry was exhausted by the end of the night and ended up requesting to go to be before they left.

Happy New Year!!

We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Our New Year started out with a bang. We should have been warned when a couple of days before New Year's Eve, the store adds advertised pages and pages of fireworks, and not just sparklers, these fireworks looked big, too big for unlicensed use (that was John's past product liability work talking). Anyway, when the time came (midnight) the sky lit up with fireworks as far as we could see. It was really spectacular - and loud. In addition to the loud bangs and booms, church bells were ringing and people took to the streets partying. When I went to check on Henry, he was sleeping soundly with a blanket pulled over his head. It all lasted about 45 minutes and then we went back to bed. We did watch the ball drop in New York the next morning and celebrated New Year's U.S. central time with friends via phone. Later that afternoon we celebrated the New Year with two other JD families who had stayed in Germany over the holidays. It was a lot of fun and we got to watch the Iowa game, which was a nice reminder of home.

John was off work last week and returns tomorrow. Today is a federal holiday here, so we are enjoying one last day with him home. We have taken the opportunity to catch up on many errands, spend some extra time at the gym, and test out our new VW minivan. Yes, our van finally came in. It is much smaller than vans in the States, but if you saw the streets and parking here, you would understand. It will be nice for traveling and to have extra room when the baby comes.

Lastly, but certainly not least, today is my sister's birthday!!!! Happy Birthday Aunt Sissy!!!! We miss you terribly and wish we were home celebrate with you. Henry says, "Surprise, Happy Birthday!".