Some Bulldog pride & a few reflections.....

So after 'dropping the ball' in the beginning of the year with ordering school shirts for the kids I finally ordered them before the holiday break..they just arrived.  They are the Robinson Elementary Middle School Bulldogs (RBEMS) I felt horrible because when I go to pick the kids up at school in the afternoons on Fridays & other alloted spirit days a good majority of the kids had them on.  Somewhere I missed the initial email/memo.  But that brought me to some other reflections about living abroad in general & not being too hard on myself since when the kids started school we had only been in our base apartment two days.   Received our  express shipment with all their school clothes, supplies, coats etc. a week after we moved in & they started school. (Despite my best intentions & planning to have it early)  We had one computer, Kirk's laptop & a very empty apartment with army loaner furniture...which you can compare to any furniture in your dorm room commons area from college.  All of this after we packed out of our house mid July & spent a month plus in hotels.

I've always considered myself a 'glass half full' kinda gal.  And we couldn't contain our excitement about  snagging an overseas set of orders which we had dreamed of since we were first married.  I, literally, am still pinching myself 6 months later & say to myself "we are really in Germany".  So many experiences have been extremely positive & fantastic.  But there can be struggles & adjustments.   Arriving is very disorienting there is the check in process, having to take a new drivers test, figuring out where you will live (literally a ground hog day experience with housing), getting the kids enrolled in school & oh yeah that minor thing...you don't speak the language?!  But we embraced & dove in head first with mass transit & getting out into the culture/exploring.  Fortunately our positive attitude & desire to embrace a new culture rubbed off on the kids & made the transition much easier for us.  That coupled with lots of advice from good friends who have been here before & a wonderful sponsorship experience.  However, I won't lie to you & say it has been super intimidating at times getting out there.  It took me 3 months before I felt comfortable to drive?! And suffering from test anxiety all my life I had no idea if I'd even pass the drivers test.  The germans are a very reserved people.  They don't always say "hi" or talk/smile at you in public like we do so that takes some getting used to.  But I have effectively learned common phrases especially "excuse me" &  "I'm sorry" while traveling with the kids.

All this being said you can still find yourself with the "grass is greener" syndrome.  The  things we are all starting miss is our house & yard.  I think we all miss the square footage, our media room, the grill out back & man do I miss opening the back door so I can let  our dog, Reggie,  outside when needed.  I have to admit I miss running to Wal-mart just because or if I needed something.  The kids miss their friends on our old street.  Kirk misses flying.  And I miss the ocean.   I never took my walks on Rocky Point & Joseph Whidbey Park for granted staring at the snow capped Olympic Mountains & the San Juan Islands in the distance.   Even recently poor Brynn says she wished we never moved...that is not surprising & good that she is expressing herself.

 We chose to live on base instead of out on the economy so the kids would be surrounded by english speaking friends & have a comfort zone.  I love that they walk to school ever day & the both love their school & teachers.  They are thriving in their classrooms.  Again, back to the Bulldog pride:-)  On the bright side it's great when the sun is shining & you can send the kids out to play at the park next to our building for hours & listen to the laughter & voices of children through our windows.  Especially after a dark winter where people can stay pent up inside their apartments.  A kind of hibernation  if you will.  It's also fun that Kirk can go grill dinner & we run into our neighbors to stop & chat.  Or that we live in a stairwell building & always have the comfort of someone close if we should need or ask of anything.  Our neighbors downstairs (now moved as of a few days) greeted us so wonderfully & let us 'pirate' their internet, as it takes forever & a day to get set up here,  so we could use the computer & set it up so we could watch shows while awaiting our tv, computer & main shipment.  And lastly we are up on a hill north of the city surrounded by beautiful vineyards..how can you beat that?!

No matter what we are SO grateful for this experience.  It has pushed our comfort zones at times but mostly been so positive.  I think that if you focus on the positive & relay that sometimes people think it's an easy transition.   When in fact it is a lot of work.  Our hope is that the kids leave more open minded to change, new languages, culture & experiences.  I think we will too.  And a good friend told me this experience would make us closer as a family which is so true.   Not only is Kirk home but we spend a lot of time together without stateside conveniences  & distractions.  And of course you can't beat the travel...what an amazing opportunity!  Speaking of which, we've had wonderful weather & sunshine this weekend & how cool is it to say "Let's go to France" tomorrow??!  Tomorrow we head to France a little over an hour away for a day trip & to experience something new & make some wonderful memories....standby for the next post....

Burg (Castle) Hohenzollern, Germany

While walking the path up to the castle I couldn't resist this  shot of glancing up through a 'frozen forest' to the castle towers peaking out above. 

Brynn & Kirk partner up for our mini hike...it was a steep one but so gorgeous. 

    Today it was cold (not unlike any other winter day here)....but we had sunshine.  A bright, clear & nippy day.  Cold or not, when those days happen around here you need to 'strike while the iron is hot' as they say & get out & do something to enjoy that sunshine!  This afternoon we went to this beautiful castle near by, about 30 miles south of Stuttgart, right near Hechingen, Germany.  I've been looking at it & wanted to visit it for some time now & today was a great day  to venture out.  

It's a beautiful castle with old & interesting history.  Home to the Hohenzollern family of Prussia & located near the Swabian Alps at the edge of the Black Forest.  Existing since the 14th Century but destroyed & rebuilt three times, most recently restored again in 1850's.   Often referred to as "The Castle in the Clouds" because it sits on a  hill 855 meters high (a little over 2800 feet).  It's location has been noted as far back as the early 14th century. 

    Arriving it looked so majestic on the hill.  Surrounded in trees blanketed in snow that was hardened & seemed to stand still an inch thick on the branches from a recent snow dusting & our brisk weather.     After parking we walked a steep 30 minute walk to the top.  We toured the inner courtyard, two Churches that reside there & the secret passage or casemates (bomb proof vaulted cellars).   We can't wait to go back & take the tour inside.  

As Alex said it well the view was "Spectacular!"  couldn't agree more

Part of the courtyard

Alex having a little heisse schokolade (hot chocolate) with a king

St.  Michael the Catholic church that is one of the original structures from the 16th century. I couldn't  resist this picture & the light coming in through the stain glassed windows on this statue.  The windows are said to be from the 13th Century.

The protestant Christ Chapel erected by Frederick William IV later in the Castles History. Gorgeous stained windows, painting & resting place to Frederick the Great & his father Friderick William I.

The 'Castle in the Clouds'

Grandma & Grandpa Christofferson come for a visit & some sight seeing

We just wrapped up a little over a week long visit with Kirk's parents who flew in from Arizona, where they are staying during the winter.  We had a very nice visit & the kids were so excited.  While they were at school Kirk spent time showing his parents the local sites, downtown area, Germany's public transportation & the area/vineyards around our base.  We were lucky to have great weather.  We went back to some places we had been before like Heidelberg & Garmisch.  We also got to see some new places like the Wilhelma Zoo  & Botanical Garden in downtown Stuttgart, which is pretty amazing & right down the hill from us.  So well blended into the city you would never notice it was there however once you get inside it is so huge you could spend all day (& then some) seeing the exhibits of animals & plants.  A wonderful blend of new buildings, park area & antique looking buildings from earlier this century.  All within 5 minutes from us?! We will definitely be going back.

 Kirk had a hockey tournament for his recreational  hockey league that he plays with, the Stuttgart Mustangs.  We had fun showing them the Garmisch area & sitting in the stands of the old Olympic Stadium to cheer on Kirk's team. It was great to see him skate again for the first time in 10 years.  We stayed two nights just outside of Garmisch at a local hotel.  On our way home we stopped by the Nueschwanstein Castle so his parents could get a quick photo op.  I had to take another photo of  the castle surrounded by snow because  it looked just like a fairy tale.

Inside St. Peters Church in old town Heidelberg.  I NEVER get tired of going in the old churches.  They are always so  so beautiful.

Gorgeous stained glass in the Church

Kids with Grandpa on our walk up to the castle 

Looking down into old town.  Across the river is the Philosophers path (or  Philosophenweg) on the hill.   It boasts some stunning views of the city & castle

Kids with Kirk's parents at the castle ruins 

Kirk & family before one of his games in Garmsich

Neuschwanstein Castle surrounded by snow

Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart

So this should be my first 'official' post of the New Year for 2011.  Last weekend we were blessed with some very unseasonable warm weather.  It was a  "balmy" 50 degrees that melted the snow.  A drastic change from the temperatures in the teens.  The sun was shining & we wanted to explore.  About 10 minutes from us is Schloss Solitude, which was exactly that a small country castle meant for refuge & solitude.  It was built in the 1700's & only used for a few years for it's actual purpose but very pretty.  It was a fun way to spend the afternoon & neat to see something local.

Front of the Schloss

Looking down the hill &  into Ludwigsburg in the distance where the main Schloss was located

Courtyard

During the tour we were told that many chandeliers were made in Venice Italy at the Schloss

Ceiling Art in the main ballroom/entertaining room

The floors in this room, The Marble Room, were so elaborate. We weren't to walk on them.  they were made with several different types of wood with ebony & ivory.  

Small room with a bed.  The sleeping quarters were actually in other buildings.  This bed was not for sleeping but for napping, which was done often in that period.  Also we learned that they didn't bathe back then either.  They did not want to be exposed to the bacteria in the water.  So they would use 1/2 liter of perfume, per person, per day.  And because it was the time of wigs & make up they would shave the make up off their faces with a wooden type razor each evening.

Froehliche Weinachten!!!

That is Merry Christmas in German....you can also say Frohe Fesstage, or Happy Holidays.  Apparently greetings may vary region to region or even by generation.  Upon returning from Garmisch we had a wonderful Christmas & New year.  Our first Christmas in Germany was filled with traditions both new & old.  Among the new was traveling to the many Christmas Markets, from the simple to the elaborate.  Older traditions consisted of cookie making & reading "T'was the Night".  We were blessed to be all together & have a white Christmas.

Our first Tower that we got at the Christmas Markets in Salzburg Austria

Alex showing off his cookie that he made with his new cookie cutter from on of the markets, it is a skier

Decorating those cookies!

Getting Reggie in the spirit....not sure he was feeling it....

Getting ready to feed those Reindeer

The sprinkling of the food

With no fireplace for the stockings or cookies this year we had to get creative....Santa is magic you know.

Reading 'Twas The Night' with dad

It just kept snowing & snowing

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Germany

So it's come to my attention that I am officially behind on the blog. I told myself I'd post more often, once week or a few times a month & with Christmas & our trip to Garmisch in December the time completely got away from me.  So in the coming days I'll catch up the posts so we are up to speed.

In December we took a trip to Garmisch-Partenkirchen Germany in the Bavarian Alps of Southern Germany right on the border of Austria.   We stayed at the Edelweiss Lodge & Resort.  It is one of the military resorts meant for service members & families.  There are a few located around the world & this one only happens to be a little over a two hour drive from Stuttgart.   We had a great experience at the lodge.  The area itself is just stunning with breath taking views of mountains surrounding you but the services offered were wonderful & we took FULL advantage of those. Some refer to the resort as "little America" & I agree.  It was nice to go down there & get a dose of the American food, language etc.. as much as we love to travel.  They have several restaurants (which we ate at every one), tours, kids programs, a pool/hot tub, fitness center & spa.  There was always a movie playing in the lobby area for kids to watch & a very inviting seating area in the lobby with  a huge fireplace.  We  all enjoyed the pool & hot tub most evenings.  The kids enjoyed the Kids Night Out program for two nights & ski lessons.  And Kirk & I made use of  the spa & some time together for the first time in a while.

We also got out to the local area & explored some of the sites too.  It was such a wonderful trip & we know we will be going back to that area several times.  Here are some pics of the things we got to see...

View of the Bavarian Alps as we were driving to Garmisch

Edelweiss Hotel Lobby decorated for Christmastime

While the kids were enjoying an evening at the Kids Night Out program, located at the Lodge,  Kirk & I got to explore downtown Garmisch, see the Christmas Market & have a nice dinner out together.

Zugspitze, the tallest peak in Germany at about 9,000 feet or 2, 962 meters.  Breathtaking! We took a cable car or the Eibsee-Seilbahn to the top where there is a viewing area, restuarant, bar & ski area.  

Kirk & the kids at the top near the ski area.  In the background is a May pole.

The kids had a blast during two days of 6 hour ski lessons scheduled through the  Lodge at the Hausberg Ski area.  They had  great instructors & both did really well.  It was exciting for Kirk & I to come watch their progress & how comfortable they got on their skis by the end.  Now we can't wait to have a family ski holiday.

Partnach Gorge in Garmisch was spectacular.  A beautiful display in nature of frozen waterfalls & hanging icicles in this gorge carved by rushing water from the mountains.  

Family at Partnach Gorge

On our way home we stopped at Neuschwantstein Castle, King Ludwig's  castle in Southern Bavaria that inspired the  "Disney Castle".  One of the top tourist destinations in Germany.

Kids on the other side of Neuschwanstein Castle