Siegburg, Germany

Adam and Ute live in a town named Siegburg.  It's about 23 miles from Bonn.  It is a lovely town with a great downtown area.

Adam and Ute's backyard

 

There is an Abbey called Michaelsburg Abbey.  It was built in 1069!!!!!! (really- that is just crazy thinking about how long ago this building has survived).  It  is perched high up on a hill (about 130 feet) overlooking Siegburg. It was originally founded for the Benedictine monks but was closed in the 1800s.  Then it got even more interesting- it was used as an insane asylum, a slaughterhouse and a military barracks.  (Interesting use of space I might add- those creative Germans!!)
Then, in the 1940s it was closed again by the SS and its monks were kicked out. It was heavily bombed during the war years.

We visited this abandoned Abbey- kids were excited to be up so high and see the sights but I was more excited to see any remnants of the insane asylum (no such luck).  Oh well....

Kids with Adam and Ute

View from the top of the Abbey

Kids have been spending time playing with all of Adam's toys (he loves model airplanes- not the kind you glue together but the kind that come with batteries and controls and are the size of a six year old).  He also has this simulator program on his computer which Christopher has been glued to.  Then he takes the kids to the air space and lets Chris control this $300 "toy plane".....guess what Chris now wants for Christmas??!!  (Adam- thanks a lot, Christopher-NO WAY IS THAT GONNA HAPPEN!).
Thank you to Adam for also driving on the AUTOBAHM (highway) at 112 miles per hour (180km) for my son....THAT'S something I had to hear about for hours....and when my son was told why we don't go that fast at home...his answer was  "I want to move to Germany- they can do EVERYTHING here!"

 

Adam driving and I am taking the picture and praying at the same time!

We spend the evenings sampling different wonderful red wines from all over Europe and eating delicious cheese....staying up till 1am some nights (we as in myself, Adam, and Ute...just in case there was a question about who is present).  Kids go to bed around 10pm because it is still light outside till then.  Of course....this does not mean they wake up any later....7:30am my alarm clocks are up and ready for the day.  Me?  I need about 3 espressos to wake up. 

Buses, Trains, endless packing....

Well- taking two kids to the center of town for some leisurely shopping and coffee drinking was a very unrealistic dream.  Instead of walking through wonderful Hamburg and enjoying the sights, we rushed through the stores....stopping only for seconds so I could at least snap a quick picture of them to show them one day.  THEN we got to spend the majority of the day riding in every SINGLE bus there was- in a circle-around the center of the city.  I do not exaggerate here- we rode a normal bus, a bus with two sections, a bus with three sections.....I am pretty sure people thought my children have never been out of the house before.  I am also pretty sure I now know every single inch of the center of Hamburg.  Memories of National Lampoon's European Vacation were flashing through my mind "Hey- there's Big Ben again!"

The following day we got on the train to Bonn to stay my cousin Adam and his wife Ute.  The train ride was a success.  Though it was four hours long, the kids were occupied by lots of coloring, some iPod touch time, and asking me at every stop- "are we there yet?". The weather here is much better than in Hamburg right now so the kids are happily playing in the garden.  We will do some sightseeing soon and I will post some more later.

Complaining moment- OK- so I am allowed one (or two, or perhaps three) complaints right?  Here they are (in no particular order of importance)

1.  living in two suitcases for the last week and a half with the kids has been a nightmare BLAST (insert sneer here). 

2. BOOT- I HATE THIS BOOT.  WHEN I RETURN TO THE USA I WILL HAVE A BOOT BURNING CELEBRATION.( don't care that it is half plastic and would release horrible chemicals into the air at this point)


3. My kids are starting to drive me CRAZY.... (this one will win me the mother of the year award for sure!)

Ok- enough complaining- life is good, family is great!  Pass the wine please!!!!

Happy 4th of July!!!!

The kids have adjusted to pretty much vacation life- going to bed later, sleeping till 9am (YEAH that's right I said 9am and that is a record for my kids who are usually up at dawn), and eating lots of delicious food that they are not allowed to have at home (ice cream and German chocolates and cookies every day).  The one thing my Aunt and Uncle can do is spoil my kids like crazy. The weekend was filled with trips to the butterfly garden, feeding Japanese carp the size of a  small shark,  and the petting zoo.

 Of course the kids are getting used to life here so their interactions with each other have gone back to "normal".
C: "come get me!!!" (running in the garden)
O: "I can't you are too fast"
C: "that means I won- hahah"
O: "I'm telling mommy- you are gonna get a time out"
C: "NO I'm telling mommy first cause I'm faster and YOU will get a time out"

Both run in breathless trying to scream over each other to tell me how horrible each is to the other. This is when I just start talking to them in Polish and they both get frustrated and huff and puff away...

Christopher even had a sleepwalking incident here.  He opened my aunt's glass cabinet and tried to walk into the glass shelves filled with porcelain.  NICE right?  (I caught him before a disaster requiring us to use German health services happened.)  So now at night I have to put a suitcase in front of the door so at least I will hear him as it topples over.  

On Wednesday the kids and I will say goodbye to my Aunt and Uncle and Hamburg.  We will take a 4 hour train to Bonn to see my cousin Adam and his wife Ute. Although we are so excited to see them, it will be hard to leave this place and my family here.  I am also not looking forward to the repacking I have to do for this leg of the trip.  Living out of 2 suitcases with 2 kids for 5 weeks in challenging.  Bonus- the amount of shoes I have used so far are - 1.  NOT 1 pair, just ONE shoe.  Cause you know- I still got the hot black boot on the other one.  And by the way- I have gotten more stares and odd looks when I am walking around the city.  I am assuming it's cause the boot is weird looking and not me- right? 

Some new and old favorites:  
Alsterwasser (German beer mixed with lemonade-yummy) 
Seltzer water ice tea.  Weird sounding but soooo good.  
Milka Chocolate
Fresh baked bread every day 
Eiskaffee
Sock yarn here rocks (yes I do love my sock yarn!!!)
C & A (clothing store)
H &M (which has kids clothing here unlike most of the ones in the USA)



Tomorrow we head off to the center of Hamburg.  We are taking the subway and buses because the kids are dying to go back on them. Ahhhh the allure of public transportation....I should just buy them a whole day ticket and have them ride the buses back and forth.  

We (me and my Aunt ) are going to enjoy the day shopping, going to cafes, and enjoying beautiful Hamburg Centrum.  (With two kids in tow so we shall see how enjoyable a day of shopping and perusing really is going to be- I may need some Alsterwasser to get through).

Happy July

Even on a rainy cold day Hamburg is wonderful.  My uncle Andrew took us to Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg.  It is the largest model railway in the world and really amazing to see.  We felt like giants descending upon this miniature world.  They even had an airport with miniature airplanes taking off and landing.  The kids couldn't get enough of it.

 

Me- I just enjoyed watching the kids get a kick out of the whole thing- oh and I also liked looking for the "adult" little surprises that were placed in certain places :) (those pictures I won't post hehehehe). Those Germans have a great sense of humor!  

It's quite amazing how quickly the kids are picking up on some German words.  I bet it would take them very little time to become little German speakers. Wish I could learn that quickly.   
 

Here I am stress free and enjoying a beverage (not shown) at my aunt's house.  Why is it that I feel so alive when I am in Europe?  (and NO it's not because of the beverage I am drinking!!!) I love this place- not just Germany but being in Europe feels like home.  A part of me will always belong here.....John can't we just move here???? Pretty please????

Time goes by sooo fast here....

My kids have totally become German/Polish here.  They never know if they should say "Danke" or "Dziekuje" It is quite cute!!!  Time seems to fly sooo fast here- I can't believe it is Friday already.  I don't want my time with my family to go so fast!!!
Every day the kids get to go to a Cafe with us- my aunt and I always get an EISKAFFEE (ice coffee) and the kids get some awesome ice cream concoction. I can't complain- I LOVE EISKAFFEE....

 My aunt Ilona is spoiling the kids, I am getting lots of girl talk and relaxation, and everyone is very happy.

Today we went the the Aquarium- the most favorite part for the kids- the ANACONDA that eats humans....please don't ask what an ANACONDA is doing in an aquarium....I have no answer.... 

 













Also- proof that Germany ROCKS- Trader Joes is here alive and well....

 

Why don't I live in Hambug??? Please remind me....

Apparently the only person who is having a hard time with jetlag is ME.  Kids are just fine.  Me- I'm up till 1am every night and up at 7am.  Small price to pay....

My kids are absolutely LOVING Hamburg.  I am thrilled to be giving them this adventure- I want them to love travel as much as I do and I think they are catching the bug :)

We have spent the last two days trying to use up the kids pent up energy.  We went to my most favorite park in the ENTIRE world.  Planten und Bloomen is a park I discovered when I was 16 years old (I mean it was always there- I just found it then).  I would spend hours walking, reading, exploring this beautiful sanctuary in the middle of a huge city.  When John and I married, I took him there to share this special place.  I took Christopher there when he was 2 1/2 years old.  Today I took him and Olivia there with my Aunt Ilona.  This place is such a special part of my life and to bring my children there now is kind of surreal.  Of course they DID NOT get the significance of my "self reflection".  All they wanted to do was go to the kids playpark part and all their mom wanted to do was take pictures at every step there.  "You are GOING to sit by this Japanese garden and you are GOING to smile damn it!!!!"

After a few hours of the kids enjoying the kidspark, we decided to take the subway/rail to the Hamburg port.  Kids loved riding the subway.  It was kind of embarassing how excited they were- people around us thought I was some kind of weird parent that never took her kids into the city but whatever! Olivia declared that she LOVED Germany.  Christopher said he would love to keep riding the subway all day (really??? I mean are my kids that deprived that riding a subway makes their vacation THE BEST EVER????)

 

At the port we took a boat around the harbor.  It was so fun for the kids.  I absolutely fell in love with Hamburg ALL over again.  I do every time I come here.  I love this amazing city.

The kids favorite German word is EIS (ice cream).  Mommy's favorite German word after all day of walking miles in a black boot in 85F weather is WEIN (wine).

Here are some fun tidbits my kids have let me in on:
- Germany has very small cars
- Ice cream here is soooo much better than at home
- Watching Spongebob Squarepants in German is hilarious ("someone needs to teach him English"Olivia said)
-Riding on trains, subways, and buses are the best things that had ever happened to them
- Hot dogs here ROCK
-WE MISS DADDY  (yeah- I do too kiddos...I do too!)

I love spending time with my Aunt Ilona.  She's like a second mother to me and every moment I spend with her is precious.  My kids already are in love with her (who wouldn't be? She's so sweet!). I am so fortunate...I know....I just wish we lived closer.....

WE MADE IT!!!!!!

We got to the airport and I went to the "special services" desk.  My kids and I were all sniffling from saying goodbye to John, our luggage, and my beautiful walking boot.  The man behind the counter was trying to check our luggage in and when I began weeping that my kids and I are not sitting together...he realized he was dealing with either a crazy woman or just a pathetic one.  Whatever it was- he took pity on our sorrowful bunch.  He let John get a "boarding" pass so that he could go with us all the way to the gate.  Love you Mr. Red Suit Jacket!

We went through security.  So here is the exchange between me and Newark's security officer:

official safety man(OSF):  "Mam...please take off the boot"
me:"My walking boot? OK" and I proceed to unstrap the 20 velcro straps that hold this contraption together.  When it is off, I am balancing on one leg.
OSF: "Mam- are you able to walk through the xray machine without the boot?"
me: "Well....they wheeled me here in a wheelchair and now I am hobbling on one foot soooo what do you think?" (ok- so I said that in my head but whatever) and I proceeded to hop through the xray machine as the OSF kept saying "don't touch the sides!"

Then they proceeded to take the travel size playdough from the kids backpacks cause apparently they were going to use it to make some kind of explosive device.

The flight went pretty well- the kids did great with their own tv screens.  Olivia got 3 hours of sleep and Christopher about 1.5.  Me??  I got two kids laying on me so I watched some really bad movie with Jennifer Aniston in it.  8 hours later we landed tired but happy.

Right now it's 7:20pm here.  I am trying to keep the kids awake till 8pm so that we can try to fight this jetlag....