Christmas morning was filled with the cries of “When can we open presents!” The older children stumbled out of their rooms, slowly making their way down the spiral steps while the two younger ones could hardly contain themselves. We started slowly opening the gifts with Will designated the “gift elf” distributing packages in an orderly manner. After an hour of this leisurely pace, we still had a mountain of boxes to wade through so we paused to get the Christmas turkey into the oven.
This was the year of jewelry; the girls were showered with baubles and gems and they gladly put on an assortment of items and began to look like living Christmas trees. We aren’t out of “noisy gifts from relatives” phase quite yet and Will received a remote-controlled helicopter which has proved the claim “Indestructible!” It continues to fly around, making landings in unusual places (like the lit candles on the table). We are happy the batteries eventually need to be recharged.
The meal was titled “Thanksgiving Redux” and we enjoyed turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie and a variety of desserts. Late in the afternoon, we took a walk around the village and enjoyed seeing the Nativity scenes displayed in homes and shop windows. So we say, “silent night, holy night.”
Author Archives: Kristen
Fire makes it better
We recently stumbled upon a delicacy of the German Christmas Markets…the fire bowl drink (feuerzangenbowle). A friend mentioned the stand on the other side of the Danube River in Regensberg so the family made its way wandering through the cobblestone streets in search of the elusive concoction. When we stumbled upon a long line of eager patrons waiting patiently for their drinks we knew we found something special. The drink comes served in a special cup that allows the sugar cube to rest on the side while the liquor is poured generously on top of the sugar and drink. Then, the magic comes when the server takes a small blowtorch and lights the drink on fire. We were duly impressed. So much so, that on subsequent trips, we made a beeline for the stand, passing up any imitations along the way. We thought this was a Regensberg specialty but are happy to report that Munich hosts a Fire Bowl Square right near the Old Town with several stands dedicated to the drink, and includes a 20 foot tower of copper with fire flaming out from the center. All we can say is “bring it on!”
German Christmas Markets
Starting just after American Thanksgiving, German villages and large cities play host to Christkindlmarkts…the traditional seasonal markets featuring handcrafted goods, fresh baked goods and live music. We were able to visit several of the top markets this year: Dresden–the oldest market in Germany; Stuttgart–the largest market in Germany; Esslingen–a medieval market featuring pirates, wenches and lots of street performers; Nuremberg–voted “the best” market; and Regensberg–a collection of 4 markets in one city. Each has their specialty but all have one draw in common: gluhwein, a hot mulled wine served in commemorative market coffee mugs. You pay a deposit for the cup allowing visitors to choose which cups they want to collect. (most cost between 2-3 euro) A spin on the gluhwein drink is “feuerzangenbowle” literally translated “fire tongs punch”. This drink is mulled wine with a sugar cube doused in alcohol and then lit on fire. Not only is it tasty on a cold winter’s night but adding the flame on top makes it irresistible.
Off with her head!
The kids pose with their favorite beefeater, Tower of London
Elaborate wall etchings by Tower of London prisoners
Prisoners of the Tower of London added their names and designs to the prison walls
Tower Green, view of Tudor buildings across the lawn
Tower Bridge
Every war museum needs a WOW factor; this definitely carried some weight
Where would you put a plane on display…the ceiling of course!
Tim ready to see what the British have to offer in the war museum
Piece of the Berlin Wall in London at the War Museum
Our walk to the Tower of London included a stroll along the river with great views of Tower Bridge, which we thought was London Bridge. Actually, London Bridge is the huge bridge for vehicle traffic a ways from Tower of London and the one you see from tower of London is named, appropriately, Tower Bridge. The afternoon’s weather held out and we made our way over to the Imperial War Museum where we saw WWII planes suspended from the ceiling, tour a very cool spy exhibit where we got to see tricks and tools of the trade. They also had a very well-produced exhibit on the Holocaust; it was so sensitive that children under the age of 13 were not permitted to attend.The photos were graphic and I appreciated the caution they took to protect little eyes.
Still not tired of walking yet, we were determined to find Platform 9 3/4 of Harry Potter fame. After some confusing directions from train personnel and the Rick Steves’ guidebook, we located the shopping cart and snapped a picture of Lauren almost traveling through the wall. Each of the kids took a turn, and I’m happy to report that all of them are muggles.
Trying to get to Hogwarts at Platform 9 3/4
London Calling
Skies are clear and British flag waves proudly on this perfect London day
We promptly made our way to the British national museum, free to everyone and home to the most famous rock, The Rosetta Stone, which was key to deciphering hieroglyphs. We could have easily wandered forever in this large building but we made the wise decision to rent the children’s audioguide which led our kids to the most “important” pieces of their collection.
Rosetta Stone; funny, I always thought it was round.
-
- Parthenon frieze
-
- “Night at the Museum” Big Head
-
- early religious cartoons poking fun at boy Jesus
After the museum, we made our way to our hotel. We stayed near the North Greenwich Tube stop at a Holiday Inn Express. We were happy to find a Pizza Hut nearby with a family special; it was just what the Rietkerk family needed.
Our Stop–Canary Wharf sign
Volvo–It Rolls
Tim behind the wheel
In October, Tim and I went north to pick up the newest addition to the Rietkerk family: a Volvo sedan. The Army ships one vehicle with the family when you move overseas. We donated the trusty gold Honda Accord and shipped the Honda minivan. For the past 3 months, the van has been great. It’s taken us as far north as Denmark and south to the Czech Republic. With more than 115,000 miles on the 2006 model, we thought now would be a good time to purchase another vehicle. Being in the land of “no speed limit”, every soldier’s dream is a super fast car. Most choose the BMW 300 or 500 series in black. In fact, there are so many of these models on military bases, it’s hard to believe they are something special in the States. Tim and I were first taken with the BMW, but after careful research (and the 50th anniversary special Volvo was offering) we decided to purchase the Volvo S-80, a 4 door sedan, in the classic dark blue Volvo color.
When you purchase a Volvo, you can have it delivered to the dealer OR you can opt to take factory delivery up in Sweden, which is what we did during the last weekend in October 2011. The deal goes like this: if you elect to pick up at the dealership, you will pay a $600 delivery fee. If you go to the factory, Volvo pays for your trip up north and then you drive it back home. Tim was able to get leave approved for the trip to Sweden and on Monday, Oct 31 we boarded a train in Parsberg (a 5 minute drive from our house) to Kiel, via Regensberg and Frankfurt. The train travel took 8 hours but was thoroughly enjoyable. No distractions to our reading selections, we stopped at the Starbucks in Frankfurt for a little snack and then enjoyed a picnic lunch with bottles of wine on the train.
Once we arrived in Kiel, it was a 10 minute walk to the Stena Line ferry where we checked in, received room keys and hit the buffet.
The ferry left port at 7:30pm and traveled across the Baltic Sea overnight. We arrived in Gothenburg Sweden at 9am and left our luggage in our cabin, which we would return in the evening. We were warmly greeted by our Volvo driver who whisked us away to the factory, about 15 minutes from the dock. Once at the factory, we were the first to check in and our car was rolled out in the delivery waiting area. We were like first time parents, oohing and ahhing over the shiny new toy. Our Volvo rep Leif took us on a tour of the bells and whistles of the car and then let us take over and take it on a spin on the test track. Lest you get too excited, the track is about 1/4 mile long and limited to low speeds. We’d have to wait to test the power in the engine until after lunch.
At 11:30, we enjoyed lunch in the restaurant which featured a traditional Swedish meal: meatballs, potatoes, gravy and lingonberries. Better than IKEA! Then, it was time for our factory tour. Sorry, no pictures allowed but it reminded me of the Disney movie Wall-E or the ride “Cars” at Epcot: lots of robots doing very detailed work. When we did see humans, they were surprisingly young; I don’t think we spotted anyone over the age of 50 on the floor and most looked like young adults. Impressive tour though. They kept emphasizing that every Volvo is created with specific customer specifications. Every vehicle is pre-ordered and built to match the end user’s desires.
We left the factory at 3:30 and drove around the city enjoying the sound system and bluetooth capabilities. Once on board the ferry again, we made our way back to the buffet. After a restful night’s sleep, we disembarked with the car and headed south to Lupburg. We made it home in 8 hours and thoroughly enjoyed driving the car on the autobahn. Tim got the car up to 110 mph, a thrilling prospect after many years at speeds half that. We are going to enjoy traveling to new places in this car. 
A Moveable Feast 