Witnessing Unique Moments in Aachen....

I’m clearly not a professional photographer, but
occasionally I do happen upon a unique moment and try to capture it. The statues above were on the edge of a small fountain along with a few statues that the girls posed with. The photos of the girls were cute, but this one was more interesting to me since this gentleman was actually having a conversation with this “lady.” It was if the statues were begging and he was giving the woman some coins. This other moment happened just after a bridal party emerged from the city hall. For some strange reason, the groom and one of his buddies were sharing a wiener. At least they picked the right stall to stand in front of considering the sign. Best of luck to the bride!

Sightseeing in Aachen...

When I registered for the Aachen trip, I'd obviously forgotten that I’d sworn off bus tours. I figured we’d have much of the day there. Silly me! By the time that slow bus made its way down there, we had just four hours in town. We had just enough time to zoom through the 14th century city hall and the 8th century cathedral before grabbing a quick lunch. This Palantine Chapel, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, is truly beautiful with the most amazing mosaic ceilings unlike any we’ve ever seen in a Catholic church. While it was obvious that all the stained glass in the churches throughout Aachen were modern due to the Allied bombings during WWII, it’s great that these historic buildings still stand.

Christmas Markets...

We were excited when Darlene invited us to join her and Mike at a Country Christmas Fair at a castle outside of Utrecht. Of course, there wouldn’t be room in the car for all of us, so Jimmy cycled the 37 miles (just one way, though, as he took the train back). Unfortunately, there weren’t any English tours of the castle, so we'll have to go back to see the inside. However, the setting was lovely and there were lots of nice booths to look through. One of the shopkeepers got a laugh when the girls each bought a rather sophisticated satin pillow for their beds.
For years, we’ve heard about the fabulous Christmas Markets in Germany, but hadn’t managed to get to one. We were able to get last minute spots on a bus trip down to Aachen, just across the border. We enjoyed eating hot latkes and buying some traditional German decorations, but didn’t think it lived up to all the hype.

Our Mixed-Up Holidays...

Despite not being Dutch, Sinterklaas is nice enough to visit our house as part of his birthday celebration on December 5th. Technically, it’s actually his Zwarte Piets that come down the chimney, toss kruidnoten about, and leave a chocolate letter and a small gift in the girls’ wooden clogs.
This year we got a little creative with interpreting the calendar; that is, we ignored the fact that Hanukkah doesn’t start until December 21st and moved it up two weeks (you know we’ve never been very good at following schedules). Here we are about to dig into a giant plate of latkes (potato pancakes) that Jimmy made using a recipe from Irregardless, his favorite restaurant in Raleigh. The Lizano and ketchup were for the chicken; we stuck with applesauce and sour cream for the latkes. Here’s hoping you enjoy whatever holidays you might celebrate and have a wonderful New Year!

Our Christmas Tree...

The girls were very excited about having their daddy home to help decorate the Christmas tree. Putting the top on was definitely more fun for Ashlynn this year. It also helped cheer everyone up after we found out that due to a date mix-up, we missed the company Sinterklaas party where Jimmy and Veronica were supposed to dress up as Zwarte Piets. I didn’t feel as guilty this year about our fake tree since it made the girls so happy.

Thanksgiving in Holland...

No surprise, but Thanksgiving isn’t a Dutch holiday. It’s just another school and work day here, but there’s one special event, a Thanksgiving service at the Pieterskerk in Leiden. The multi-denomiational service featured some great gospel singers, a surprisingly liberal priest, a Protestant minister, an evangelical preacher and a rabbi. This church has a tie to the pilgrims since John Robinson, the pastor for the pilgrims while they lived in Leiden from 1609-1620, is buried there. That evening we had falafels for dinner, but did get to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving feast over the weekend at our British friend’s who had lived in the US for two years.

Typical Ending to a Nontypical Day...

Jimmy had fun taking photos of how we travel around Holland and in particular how we got home from the Sinterklaas Parade in Amsterdam. Above you see us waiting for the train to head out. We like these nice intercity trains because they have comfortable seats and a table.
After a 50-minute journey, it was time to hop on our bikes for a 15-minute cycle home. You might notice that we don’t make Veronica wear a helmet. Yes, it is irresponsible, but it’s the norm when commuting on protected bike paths. Although Dutch kids Ashlynn’s age also don't wear helmets, until her judgment improves, she’ll continue to protect her noggin.