Germany itself is a fairly small post, simply because we repeated a lot of things while there. The reason for the repetition is because it was great, so I apologize if this post seems short.
Monday morning saw us flying out of Leeds-Bradford airport to Dusseldorf-Weeze. We took a bus from the airport to the train station, and then a train from Kevelaer to Dortmund where we would meet our good friend Kerstin. After wandering around trying to find wi-fi to contact her, we ended up calling her and finding her quite near to where we were, fortunately. We took the train to her house and in the afternoon got acquainted with the lay of Dortmund.
We went to the art museum called The "U" and from there saw the biggest Christmas tree in any Christmas market in Europe! Stephen and I immediately fell in love with the Christmas market. Kerstin had us tour around a few building, and we saw Dortmund from the top of a church and got an art/history lesson while in the same church. We ate curryworst, and potato cakes and went home pleasantly stuffed, albeit a little wet as it started to rain. We picked up a few groceries on the way home to bake cookies to take to our friend Chrisi and her family that would host us Wednesday night in Nuremberg.
Kerstin had class the next day, so we treated ourselves to a sleep-in session, and then walked down to the football stadium in Dortmund and back, to just meet her coming home from class. We had a nap, and then Stephen and I sneaked off to the Christmas market to buy Kerstin a thank-you gift, flowers, and groceries. It was to bed early that night because we had to get up at about 5 the next morning so we could get to Nuremberg.
So 5 we rise, and we were packed and ready to go to catch the train for 6:30. We slept as much as we could on the train, and were met by Chrisi at the Nuremberg train station. We spent the day touring the old town of Nuremberg, the Christmas market, and the Kaiserburg Castle. It was really a great day, and I tasted my first chestnut. It was nice to taste, but had a bit of a strange texture. We learned so much, but as night began to fall, we found that it was time to head back to Chrisi's house.
Once there we played a few card games, and then I had a nap, as it turned out I was catching a bit of a cold. When I woke up it was time to feast. We had a marvelous supper of what I can only describe as pancake-like fajitas. It was AMAZING. You put meat and vegetables and cheese in the "wraps" that were for the main course, and fruit in the ones for dessert. We had great food and great conversation the entire night. Stephen and I were so impressed that Chrisi's parents were both fluent in English, and her grandmother joined us for supper as well, and while she did not remember much of the English she was taught at school, she lit up when she asked "Canada?" I absolutely adored our time spent with the family, it was a lovely atmosphere, and we also were privileged to experience Feuerzangenbowle (sugarhead wine). The Feuerzangenbowle is gluhwein (mulled wine but better, for anyone who knows of that) that has sugar suspended above it, then has rum poured over the sugar and then lighted. It is a dreamy drink, and I am a little sorry that we don't have such an experience in Canada, but it was lovely nonetheless. We finished the night talking and playing cards and then back to bed to be up early once again.
It was up again early the next morning so that we could catch another 6am train. We made it back to Dortmund in time for Kerstin's class, so we went home and slept while she was a diligent student. Kerstin napped when she came back and we freshened ourselves up and packed so that we would be ready to leave the next day. That night we enjoyed a traditional meal of sauerkraut and sausage as prepared by our lovely hostess. We settled in for the night talking and reflecting on shared memories, but then again it was time for sleep as another early morning greeted us the morrow.
Early morning saw us say good bye to Kerstin at the Dortmund train station, to go back from whence we came. It was lovely to meet and make a friend while waiting to board the airplane named David, one year older than Stephen and myself, who played card games with us and taught us a great deal about trains and the systems that run them.
On the whole, Germany was such a lovely trip, and we really got into the Christmas spirit by visiting there. I only wish Canada was temperate enough to host Christmas markets such as we say there, but there is no way it could be done in Saskatchewan, not unless they wanted the markets in August!
It was so lovely to see so much of Germany, and there is no denying that the company was fantastic. I really can't wait to see more of Germany in the future, as Stephen and I have many, MANY friends who live in other parts as well. It is a country that I cannot wait to explore more, and hopefully see the castle that was used in Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang called Neuschwanstein Castle.
Tschüs, Deutschland, danke schön!
Pictures will be soon to follow, but for now, I hope you enjoyed our adventures here... Not as lively for us as some places, no tampons up Stephen's nose like in Sweden, but all the same a perfectly lovely adventure that finally boosted us into the Christmas spirit. On that note, I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas yourselves, and that you were surrounded by beloved family members and friends, and stuffed to the brim with good food!
Love,
Janean X
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