North American Tour

I will begin my tour of the North American continent today. I start with 6 days in KY, then 6 days in Seattle, followed by 6 hours in cincinnatti, then Frankfurt on January 6th. Perhaps the many plane rides will give me a chance to catch up on blog posts.

In other news, I just returned from a brief (28 hours) trip to Berlin and I can now report that I can not wait to go back and visit the city again, its a pretty cool town. See you on the other side of the pond.

Weihnachtsmarkt!

The Germans looooooove Christmas and celebrate it well. Every Saturday before Advent, nearly every city turns a (or many) pedestrian square(s) into a city of wooden stands for an event called the Weihnachtsmarkt, or Christmas market. Unlike christmas markets in the states that stay open for a few hours on a weekend, German Christmas markets are open every day, even on Sundays when traditional shops are closed.

The Christmas market is more than just a place to shop, its a place to connect with other people in the city. You meet up with friends from across town over a steaming glass of Glühwein (mulled wine) and a freshly cooked bratwurst on a warm Kaiser roll. Instead of sitting by a warm fire, you stomp your feet in freshly fallen snow and warm your hands with the stone Glühwein mug. I have never experienced anything like it in the US and I doubt that I ever will again.
The Germans tell me that every Weihnachtsmarkt is different. At first I didn't believe them because Andy and I visited 7 Weihnachtsmarkts in Germany and all we saw were the same ornaments, the same offers of Glühwein mit suss (hot wine with rum) and the same crowds. Now, after taking the time to visit the Marburg Weihnachtsmarkt twice a week, I realize that the markets really do differ greatly, even markets within the same city! Each market designs different stalls (Nuremberg has cloth and wood stands while Bonn has singing animals) and features a special food or treat that distinguishes it from the rest. (Berlin features currywurst) Some markets, like the Kölner Weihnachtsmarkt in front of the Cologne Cathedral, are placed in absolutely stunning locations.

Marburg has two Weihnachtsmarkts, one next to the 600 year old Elisabethkirche and another next to the 500 year old Rathaus (city hall). The market next to city hall draws college students to the only Glühwein stand open after 8pm while the Elisabethkirche market draws families and the over 30 crowd. The stands in the lower part of the city are mostly made of logs while the stands in the other market are mostly planks. Both markets are charming and beckon me to visit often. Even though the Marburg Weihnachtsmarkt is small and somewhat pathetic when compared to the great tourist attractions of Nuremberg and Cologne, I find that it has a charm unequaled by any other. I love visiting the Weihtnachtspyramid (shown to the right with Maria) and I love visiting the Rathaus at night. I will be really sad to see these markets leave in one week. :-(

I am a horrible blogger

Hi readers,

I am soooo sorry for taking so long to post another entry. Many ideas for a blog post have come to mind, but I never developed the post to fruition. I promise to do better. Since its been a while since I last posted, let me give a few updates.

Update 1: Doctor's visits
Over the course of 8 weeks I had 6 doctor's appointments, 4 ultrasounds, two rounds of blood tests, and an endoscopy and still no idea what is going on. All tests came back showing that I was in perfect health. The first doctor I visited said that the stomach pains and nausea were most likely physcosomatic and told me to take a vacation. The second doctor thinks that I have stones in my ears that cause naseau and the stomach pains were completely unrelated. He told me to come back when the nasuea returns, except not on Wednesdays because his office isn't open on Wednesdays. The nausea has only returned twice in the last month but of course it only comes on Wednesdays (or weekends). For the time being, I am feeling 100% better. In fact, I started feeling better the day before my last appointment. Hopefully whatever affected me is gone for good but if it comes back I now know that I have two (english speaking) doctors I can talk to. In addition, one of the doctor's offices is right across the street from the best bakery in town, so if I HAVE to visit the doctor again, I can always treat myself to a yummy cake.

Update 2: Watching the election in Germany
Like most Americans (and many Europeans) I stayed up all night to watch the election. I started a blog entry (with pictures) but never finished it. I will finish the post later tonight and post it to this blog, just one month late.

Update 3: Andy and Clair visited
My fiance and another very dear friend visited me in Germany during the last half of November. I hope to post a blog entry about the highlights of their visit. It was really nice to have a taste of home.

Update 4: Christmas is here!
The German Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmarkts) are now open. So far I have been lucky enough to visit 7 of them! I hope to visit at least 3 more before Christmas. I will post pictures and thoughts about this fantastic German tradition.

Update 5: I am going home for Christmas
My family had hoped to come to Germany for Christmas but due to the fact that both of my sisters and myself plan on getting married next year, my family can't come. Instead, I will be traveling back to US for two weeks over the Christmas break. Perhaps the break will give me time to catch up on my blog. :-) It also means that I only have 15 more days to soak up all the German Christmas spirit I can.

I should get back to work now as I have a very important paper due in 2 days and 12 hours. I promise to post more often now.