Last Monday was a holiday for the kids --Veteran's Day--which hardly feels like a holiday when you really think about all the sacrifices so many people have made for us to walk on this earth! Nevertheless, a day free from school and an opportunity to get out and see the country without the massive crowds a weekend brings. Joined by our dear friends, we journeyed up north to the beautiful city of Wiesbaden, just outside of Mainz and about a stones' throw to Frankfurt.
I fell in love with this old city a few weeks ago when I met a lovely woman selling a gorgeous piano (more on that later!) She introduced me to her beautiful city and I've been back twice since!
Our original day plans had us (that is 2 moms, a baby and 5 kids) driving 2.5 hours out to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, an amazingly preserved medieval German village. Weather changed our plans to shopping and exploring in Wiesbaden. I was a bit worried about the words "shopping and boys" in the same sentence, but they were troopers! We found several shops full of Advent calendars and toys, more shoe stores than imaginable, Starbucks (can you believe they don't serve Pumpkin Spice Lattes in Germany?!) and the mother of all Lego stores with a whole room dedicated to just building!
We could've stayed there for hours. We could've dropped 4 of the kids there and gone off shopping --they never would've noticed we left!
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| I was enjoying capturing a different angle today --just eyes on the world. Can you tell who is whom? |
Upon our return home, our village was celebrating St Martins Day --we arrived just in time to watch the children and their families parade down the street with beautiful homemade lanterns in hand.
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| Our neighbor, Connie, let Zach borrow her old lantern |
The parade was led by a man on horse back dressed as St Martin. The huge bonfire represents the light of holiness brought to the darkness. St Martin was
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| The most famous legend of St Martins' life is that he once cut his cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm, to save the beggar from dying of the cold. That night he dreamed that Jesus was wearing the half-cloak Martin had given away. |
German Kindergarten children sang a few songs about St Martin and everyone had brats & pretzels to eat and the first Glutwein of the season to drink! It was my first opportunity to attend a village fest in my village, and nice to visit with some of our neighbors. St Martin's Day marks the end of the harvest season and the time of year when geese are ready for slaughter. Over the next couple of weeks in November we can find roast goose on the local menus --we are hoping to find one of those restaurants soon to enjoy a taste of German thanksgiving!
Until then....
Linda
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