November 26-December 2

Monday, November 26th

The day dawned with wet slushy rain and snow mix. The girls took the bus to school. I ventured out later in the morning onto the wet streets with my bike and got a big grocery haul from the Aldi. I'm anticipating my parent's arrival mid-week, so I wanted to make sure I didn't have too much shopping to do once they're here. At Aldi I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were selling Raclette machines! We always eat Raclette meals in the winter because it's so warm and cozy, but the apartment here didn't have one and I didn't really want to spend much on kitchen gadgets. This one was only 14€ though, and I just couldn't pass it up! It might even come along with us to Bettmeralp for our ski trip over Christmas since our family tradition is to have Raclette on Christmas Eve. The rest of the day was quiet, just staying home: laundry, cooking, and practicing. I took the bus to Frauenchor rehearsal at the church in Perlach.

Easy dinner! Raclette cheese with potatoes, bread, meats, grill vegetables and salad.

Tuesday, November 27th

I spent the morning working on my blog and practicing. After the girls got home in the afternoon, we bundled up in scarves, gloves, hats and heavy coats, and rode our bikes to the Marienplatz for the Münchener Weihnachtsmarkt which just opened last weekend. We wandered through the stalls, had some warm drinks and the girls had their dinner (Bratwurst und Semmel), and soaked in the atmosphere. It was really cold though, so we soon were forced to head home due to cold toes and fingers!

Eating dinner while looking at the Krippe in the Rathaus' inner Hof.

Wednesday, November 28th

I met up with my usual group of expats for a brisk early morning walk in the Englischer Garten and had time for coffee with them at the Königin Café afterwards. Then after a brief stop at home to grab my lunch, I headed out to the airport via bus and S-bahn to meet my parents who were arriving on Icelandic Air. I was so excited to see them I forgot to take pictures! We had a quiet afternoon at the apartment--we might have taken a walk or something, I can't quite remember! I made them dinner to share with the little girls and then I took a bus to have dinner with my new book club. We met at the Maison Massard. The book we'd read (The Little Paris Bookshop) took place in France, so we were going for French food... It was a lovely evening with new friends, witty conversation, and really good food.

In other news: ME left today for a 3 day, 2 night Sozialkunde Klassenfahrt (Social Studies class trip) with two of the tenth grade class sections (the other 3 sections had gone earlier in the week). They stayed at the Jugendherberge Obermeierhof in Jettenbach, about an hour's drive from München. The students participated in a variety of workshops with guest speakers and debate-style exercises, taking a variety of different political viewpoints on a topic. They also hung out, ate and played together, so she enjoyed herself and got to know some of the other students a little better.

The little bit of wet snow still hanging out on the ground in the Englischer Garten from earlier this week.

I was the first to arrive! The others were delayed due to problems with the S-bahn. But I wasn't sorry! The waiter was very attentive and the atmosphere was lovely.

I ordered a fish filet with potatoes and some sort of vegetable puree. It was delicious!

Thursday, November 29th

Mom and Dad are jet lagged--they slept longer than they thought they would, so missed seeing the girls off to school in the morning, but it gave me time to run to the corner Ihle Bäkerai to pick up fresh Semmeln for their breakfast. Then we took the bus into the Innenstadt to do some sight-seeing: Marienplatz, Frauenkirche, St. Peters (climbed the bell tower!), coffee in Rischarts Café am Markt overlooking the Viktualienmarkt, Bratwurst for lunch at one of the stands in the Viktualienmarkt, then walked home through the Glockenbachviertel (the neighborhood just north of us that we're on the edge of).

Later in the afternoon, mom and dad went with me to GE's school, the Tumblinger Grundschule, for my scheduled Elternsprechstunde (parent-teacher conference). GE's teacher had only good things to say about how she was fitting into the class and how quickly her German was coming along. It was nice that Mom and Dad could see where she is in school--inside, not just outside. After that we ate a quick dinner at home and took the U-bahn into Odeonsplatz to visit the Mittelalter Weihnachtsmarkt (middle ages Christmas market). It was packed, but at least the temps were warmer, so we all had a good time.

Crisp morning light. The recent rain and snow seems to have washed everything clean. The stalls were just starting to prepare to open--it was still pretty early in the morning when we got there. (That's Dad taking photos of the Marienplatz.)

This joint is *packed* in the evenings! It was pleasant to walk through it during the morning before the rush.

Sunny view from St. Peter's church bell tower. We could just make out some Bavarian Alps through the haze in the distance.

Green roofs of the Weihnachtsmarkt stalls.

Frauenkirche and Altes Rathaus.

Coffee break (and a chance to warm our toes and fingers!): Rischart Café am Markt.

Walking through the Viktualienmarkt... I never get tired of the colorful displays of fruits and veggies!

Festive lights decorate the city shops almost everywhere you go!

The "ancient" Glühwein stand.

Glühwein in a ceramic cup!

Good grief... yes, it's real!!

Fairy ornaments!

My own little fairy peaking through the ferns.

Opa is treating: Hot crêpes with Nutella!

Friday, November 30th

Today Mom and Dad are taking off to Salzburg to visit old friends and to see some of Dad's old haunts from his Pax years--probably the last time they'll go. They took the train (it's about 1.5 hour ride), so I accompanied them to the Hauptbahnhof to make sure they got where they needed to go. Then I took the S-bahn out to the airport to pick up our rental car. We are going for a quick one-night trip to Nürnberg for their famous Christkindlmarkt. We booked an AirBnB for tonight and plan to return tomorrow night. ME returned from her Klassenfahrt this afternoon and HR had a tutoring session, so we didn't get on the road until about 3:30 p.m. so got snarled in the Friday rush hour traffic--our 2 hour trip turned into about 4.

We arrived at our AirBnB around 7:30 p.m. and the girls pretty much wanted to go to sleep. J was chomping at the bit though--he loves the Weihnachtsmarkts at night! So, we spoke with our AirBnB host and he suggested we go to the local Markt, just a short drive into their town, Erlangen. We found parking in a big shopping center parking garage and then walked through the pedestrian zone towards the Markt. On the way, we stumbled upon another smaller Mittelaltermarkt where a fire juggler was performing and the crowds were humming with energy. We ended up camping out there since they had huge umbrellas over the tables and it was raining again. We had some food and hot drinks and then headed back so we could get some sleep!

When we finally made it over to the main Markt, the shops and stalls were shuttering their windows! The Markts typically only stay open until about 9 p.m. I guess they've been open since 11 a.m., so that's a pretty long work day!

Saturday, December 1st

Our host had a wonderful fresh breakfast for us in the morning: eggs, sausages, fresh fruit (including apples from his own trees), cereal, and coffee. We chatted while he prepped our food and before we left, he showed us his garden where he grows a large amount of his own produce which he shares with his AirBnB guests. Lovely stay!

Friday was so wet, we feared that Saturday at the Nürnberg market was going to be miserable, but we woke up to fresh blue skies and mild temperatures instead. How lucky! Some of us (the un-named teenagers) even left their hats and layers in the car because they didn't want to have to carry them once it got even warmer. We spent the morning walking through the Christkindlmarkt, then found a stall with Bratwurst and Pommes Frites (French fries) for lunch. Afterwards, we walked up the hill to the Schloss to see the city and Markt from up high. We also walked down the Weißgerbergasse, a picturesque cobblestone street with old Fachwerk buildings on either side. Then we looped back to the Markt, this time buying some ornaments (we'd wanted to scope out all the offerings before buying anything) and some souvenirs. We stopped and sat down for some coffee and hot chocolate in a café at some point... There was so much to see, but by this time--mid afternoon--the Markt was nearly impossible to walk through, so we kept to the outer edges and made our way over to the Kindermarkt where the girls enjoyed watching the huge miniature train race around the tracks. Then we went back to the main Christkindlmarkt for one last snack and drink before heading back to the rental car and the road home.

Outside the old city gate to Nürnberg.

 

St. Lorenz Kirche - Wish we'd had time to go into more of the historic buildings, but we were on a mission! This one is a medieval church. More info.

It wasn't hard to find the way!

The entrance to the Frauenkirche in Nürnberg. This is on the Hauptmarkt (main market plaza where the Christmas Market is held) in the Altstadt.

The Schöner Brunnen in the market square.

The facade of the Frauenkirche over the market stalls.

Inside the Frauenkirche.

ME's LONG hair.

Heading up the hill to the Schloss.

Looking back down the hill at the crowds and smoke rising from the Christkindlmarkt.

Are we almost to the top yet?

Geschafft! Finally made it to the top!

Panorama of the city from the Schloss wall. This weather!! Feels like we've won the lottery.

The front of Sebalduskirche, another medieval church we didn't have time to go into.

Brass musicians playing Christmas tunes outside the Sebalduskirche.

Entering the Weißgerbergasse, a famously quaint street of old Fachwerk buildings and cobblestone pavement.

Weißgerbergasse! So picturesque.

My adventure buddies!

Miniature train and village scene at the Kinder Weihnachtsmarkt.

The sun is going down! The lights are twinkling.

The massive facade of the Lorenzkirche against the twilight sky. Stunning.

Wading through the crowds...

The sun has gone down. We made it back to the gate and city wall.

Happy Advent and Merry Christmas!

The drive home was quick and uneventful. Since J heads out to Florence, Italy for his fellowship at the EUI tomorrow, we decided to have one more night out together. He'll join us later this month for the week of Christmas, but will otherwise be in Firenze until the end of January. The Paulaner Bräuhaus was completely full--over an hour wait if we wanted to come back (it was already 8 p.m.)--so instead we walked down the block to the Greek restaurant, Taverna Merlina Merkouri, at the corner opposite GE's elementary school. The host squeezed us in at the end of the bar and we soaked in the vibrant atmosphere, delicious food, and each others' company.

My guy!

Sunday, December 2nd

It's rainy and cool again this morning. J's flight to Italy leaves early afternoon and the rental car is due back at the airport, so I dropped them both off late morning after enjoying a coffee with J at the Ihle around the corner.

The girls stayed home to do homework and in the afternoon ME had a friend over and they watched Netflix shows while I read in bed and we all wound down a little! Mom and Dad return from Salzburg tomorrow, so I did some laundry and planned for the week ahead.

[J got to Italy without a hitch--even managed to get his small rolling suitcase on as a carry-on to avoid the checked bag fee. He's staying in a rented room in an old villa on the road between Florence and the European University Institute (EUI). Tomorrow he'll go into the EUI and get set up with his work space there.]