July in Germany

Hi All,

Wow! Hard to believe that we have been here nearly 7 months now. We have done so much and there is sure to be much more to do and see before we leave here. My update for July follows. Hope you enjoy reading about our adventures.

July 5th Rhein AFlame Tour:

Rhein AFlame is a celebration held each year along the longest stretches of the Rhine River in Germany. It is a festival termed as a "Fire, Water, Light and Culture" festival and runs Spring through Autumn. It features a different stop for each day it is held and began back in the 1930's.  War and indifference brought the festival to a halt for a time however, it was revived in the 1980's to the spectacular show that it is today.

Our tour began with us bringing 250 of our new friends aboard a cruise ship. We were treated with a welcoming toast onboard and had time to wonder the ship before our BBQ dinner was served. There was also a band that played country music, while we cruised up and down the Rhine River.

When it got dark, we stopped to see the fabulous fireworks displays, illuminated castles and the ships that were lit up sailing the river with us. If you love fireworks and castles, this is a great way to experience them both. Beautiful Scenary despite the rain that occurred: Tell me what you think.

Very Dark I know but look at the castle!
Beautiful!

Pretty Spectacular!

Cruising the Rhine River



Then, the Luxembourg Blues and Jazz Rally, the weekend of July 19th, with Visits to the American Military Cemetary and the German Military Cemetary.

Luxembourg, a country in Western Europe, is bordered by Belgium to the West and North, Germany to the East and France to the South.  The official languages spoken there are French, German and Luxembourgish (which I figured was a cross between German and French).

It is headed by a grand duke and is the world's only remaining grand duchy country and also is member of the European Union, NATO, OECD, the United Nations and Benelux.

It is a very old city with lots of old buildings and cultures but it keeps up with modern times easily enough. You can bike through the town, drive, call a taxi, bus or take the train. Oh yea, walking is also an option.



View from atop the Viaduct that
connects the town

As with most of the European cities that we have visited so far, Cathedrals and places of worship are everywhere. Some are still in operation but most are memorials to what had come before.  They all have one thing in common and that is their grandure and beauty. Luxembourg did not dissapoint.

The "Holy Citadel"
in Luxembourg



After touring the city with our local guide, we stopped to have lunch and see some more of the sites. We then proceeded to our hotel room and took a bit of a rest to get ready for the festival, later that evening.

The festival began about 7:00 pm and featured music and bands from all over the world. There were European styles, American Styles and everything in between. I even heard some Polka being played at one point. 

Best part was that you were free to walk through the streets and listen to any and all the music you wanted to. Of course, the beer was flowing and was really good! Was a fun time to just relax!!  

Next morning, we ate breakfast and headed back to Germany by way of the "The American Military Cemetary" and the "German Military Cemetary".

American Military Cemetary in Luxembourg:

There was a very surreal feeling as you entered this monument. The grounds are beautiful and full of greenery and statutes with memorials of the war and those who gave their lives. There is a small chappel there as well were you can go and worship. Seems hard to believe that this was so long ago.

Gateway to the American Military
Cemetary - Luxembourg

Markers for the Lives Lost
Each one had the Soldier's Name

Memorial to American
Lives Lost

Grave
General George S. Patton
Stories told he wanted to be
buried with his men.


 




After our visit to the American Cemetary, we went to the German Cemetary and were very surprised to see the contrast between the two. Here, you truly get the feeling that you are in a Cemetary.  It sits way far back from the main road and it is positioned in a grove of trees. There is a walkway to go in to it and the markers are ordinary. 

 

Walkway in to the German Cemetary

Grave Markers of the German Cemetary

German Cemetary

 

Both cemetaries were interesting and beautiful in their own ways. Needless to say, time for reflecting was all about.

 

 





In between our USO tours, Sterling has been working and I have been taking care of our apartment, writing, reading, working on embroidary and exploring the city we live in. I actually drove out of my comfort zone this past weekend and was very proud to say that I did not get lost!! Yippee!!

We look foward to August were we will be touring to Worms, Germany for wine tasting and to Prague for Labor Day weekend. More about that later.

For now, take care and you are in our hearts always.

Love

Sterling and Deb 



.



June Updates for Sterling and Debbie

June Updates from Germany and Beyond

 

Wow! Hard to believe that June has come and gone already. I started off the month by assisting the USO with our "Mobile Canteen". We set up and served Hot Dogs, Popcorn and pop to the high school seniors who were practicing for their graduation day.  Reminded me of the days with North King County Little League when I would run the "Roach Coach" for games and events. Fun time!! 

 

Two days later, was our wedding anniversary. We spent the day with good friends, exploring castles,  and treated ourselves to a fancy dinner on the town. Nice and relaxing time. 

 

 On June 7th, we headed with the USO for a trip to Champagne and Reims France.  Our guide was a person who taught Military History at Westpoint and is now here in Germany to teach and explore Europe. The USO is very lucky to have this man as a Volunteer guide and I was very fortunate to help him with this trip.  So off we go!

 

Champagne and Reims France is known for its excellence in the creation of fine wines and champagne and also for its military history, featuring World War I and II. Reims is situated near the Marne River in the Champagne-Ardenne region and has witnessed many french kings, invading armies and even Joan of Arc.

 

1914 was the start of wars between the French and Germans in this region with the Americans adding to it in 1918. The Germans recaptured Reims in 1940 and were there until General Patton and his men, drove them out in 1944.

 

We visited the "Museum of the Surrender" (Musee de la Reddition) which was the headquarters for General Eisenhower's "Allied Expeditionary Force" in 1945 and saw the actual room where surrender documents were signed by the German forces on May 7, 1945.

Plaque Above the Surrender Room

 

Outside of the Museum of Surrender



After the Museum, we drove a little bit away and found an astonishing site in the Our Lady Of Reims Cathedral. History boost that this is the coronation site of 29 French kings and is magnificant in its grandure and architecture. There is a peaceful and surreal feeling when you enter and you marvel at all the alters and the height of the the ceilings. The Stained Glass throughout is wonderful and there is truly a feeling of peace within the cathedral. Candles are avialable for you to light at any or all the alters that you wish.  I loved this cathedral and hope that we can go back to visit again.

 

Outside of the Cathedral

Inside Ceiling of the Cathedral



One of the many alters in the Cathedral

Front Door View from the inside of the
Cathedral. Check out the Stained Glass.

Next, we ventured to the Pommery Champagne establishment were we went on a guided tour of the dungeon. This is were the champagne is stored and it is a very dark, cold and long way through the bottom of the building. We also saw sculptures and decorations on the walls that were done when the establishment was first opened.  We finished our tour here with some tastings of the very good, very expensive champagne they make and were allowed to buy what we needed.

Champagne Cave and sculpture on the wall
 

How the bottles are stored.

The tour finished up on the way back to Germany by visiting a couple of the sites that  military fighting actually took place.  You can still see where some of the bunkers were trenched and get the feeling that you were laying in one. Eery. There is also a cemetary not far that commemorates the lives lost during the battles fought.  All in all the trip was great and we had a wonderful time, learning and exploring this part of history.

 

On June 12, I started my journey back to the States to attend our son, David's Gradution from Central Washington University. I took the bus from our apartment, down to the train station, which took me directly into the Frankfurt Airport. Nice and smooth transition and guess what, no traffic or parking issues to deal with. Got To Love it. I boarded the first leg of my flight on Emerites Airline and landed in Dubai about 6 hours later. Then, I got on the next plane for my final ride into Seattle. The flight was long but Emerites Airline is the best for these kinds of flights. They were very nice and the aircraft was designed for long ventures. I had a glass of Champagne in my hand while the rest of the passengers were loading and a blanket a few minutes later with dinner and more wine. Woo hooo.  I was met at Seatac by Kristen and Ewan on Friday afternoon when I landed. We then drove to North near home and we attended my Nephew, Rowdy's graduation party. Afterwards, we drove to Ellensburg to spend the night and attend David's gradutaion the next morning.

 

Ewan Getting Ready to Watch His
Uncle David Graduate

David in Line Walking to Graduation
Ceremony!



Proud Graduate!!!!

Proud Graduate and His Proud Mama!
Sterling was celebrating with a bier at the
Wiesbaden Festival!!!

After David graduated, we went to lunch to celebrate with the family. Nice time for all. Next day, we were on the road again from Ellensburg to Bellevue, where there was a graduation party for both David and niece Catherine. It was alot of fun!! Thank you Libby and Family for hosting and for thinking of David. That was really nice of you!

 

Aunt Mary and Aunt Margaret with David.

David and Catherine opening their Graduation
Gifts as their joint party!!! Woo Hoo!!!

I spent the rest of the time in Seattle, visiting friends and family, babysitting Ewan and shopping with the kids. Was a lot of fun but now, it is time to get back in to Germany mode. 

 

Stay tuned for my next blog, which will feature the month of July!!

Much Love to you all.

Sterling and Deb

 

 



 

Busy Month Of May for Us in Germany.

Time to catch you up on what we have been doing lately.

Sterling has been working very hard, leaving for the office about 6:30 am and returns between 5:30-6:00 at night.  He works long hours but continues to enjoy the people that he works with and Germany.

While he is at work, I stay busy wondering around the city and locating different places to hang out. I also take care of the house and the little things necessary such as finding out about things we need and resolving issues as they arise.  I also still volunteer with the USO and spend about 10 hours a week, working in the office or researching different places we might like to explore.  This time is in addition to the time I spend on the different tours.

The weekends are time to play and we have fun exploring the area and other parts of Europe. This month has been particularily busy as you will see:

Rhein River Cruise on Mother's Day with the USO, May 11th:

Sterling I were aboard a river boat that took us up and down the Rhein. While we had previously travelled this stretch of river by car, it was fun to see it from the water. I did not work this cruise so we both were able to relax, enjoy the scenary and the visit with the other members of the cruise.

Pretty View from the Boat

Along with the cruise, we stopped to look at a Castle called Rheinstein. It is on the side of a mountain and you can see it from the river. Hard to walk up to becuase it sits very high and there are alot of switchbacks to get there. Sterling was brave and went up. I watched him go and took pictures from below.



Rheinstein

We also stopped and were able to shop, eat and drink in Rudesheim. Rudesheim is very quant, old and small. Lots of shops but mostly pubs and eateries. We had been there before and really like the atmosphere.  We found our favorite place to have a beer and waited out the storm that had decended upon us. When it lifted, we found a couple of places that were selling some very pretty things. Loved walking around and seeing what shops were open and what they had to offer.  Fun trip and we enjoyed it alot. Will do the cruise again but probably as a wine tour next time.

Euro Disneyland in Paris, France, May 17th with the USO:

 

Our next adventure was to the "Magic Kingdom" in France. I was working this tour so it was fun to have Sterling along to see what it was all about.  We left Weisbaden by bus at 1:00 am and after driver's stops and eating, landed at the park about 8:00 am. By the time the park opened at 10:00, we were all ready to go and have a great time.  And that we did!!!!

 

Disneyland Paris consists of a Movie Park and a Theme Park.  Sterling, Marshall (The Tour Guide) and I (The Tour Escort) went to the Movie Park first and visited some of the attractions. It was fun to see how they create some of the stunts they use, like a pit of fire. 



Prop of a fire pit. You could feel the heat from it.

 The guys ventured on to a ride that took them very high in the air and dropped them down a few times. I waited from the ground as this ride would have surely not been good for me. (I know I am  lightweight).

 



Sterling and I at the front of the entrance to the Theme Park! So Beautiful.

When we finished at the movie park, we made our way to the Theme Park and I was amazed at how beautiful the entry way was. Just like you see on the commercials. We went to a couple of the attractions here like the haunted castle and made our way around the park by train.
By this time, it was getting late in the afternoon, so we found a place that served beer and I plopped for the rest of the day. (Escorting a tour with no sleep and in the heat, had taken it's toll on me).  While the guys continued to wander, I watched the people that were coming by and found a sovenier stand not far. I was also intrigued by the Steamboat the was circling the River in front of me.

TREX



We had a great time visiting Euro Disney and will probably go again. Next time, we are planning on spending more than just a day. There is way to much to see in that short of time. But for now, we can cross that off our "Bucket List".

Me and My Sovenier



Pottery Shopping in Boleslawiec Poland (on our own)
Memorial Day Weekend May 23-26

 

 

Pottery Shopping in Poland is AMAZING!!!! 

 

I had heard that pottery shopping in Europe was the best and that has been so true so far!!!!  I acquired some amazing pieces on my trip to Italy last month and Sterling and I had a great time Memorial Day Weekend.

 

Our trip started with our long 5 1/2 drive to Boleslawiec Poland, about 635 Kilometers away in the Southern portion of Poland. The trip itself was very interesting as it was raining most of the way there.  In one spot, we almost had to pull of to the side of the Autobahn as it was raining so hard we could hardly see.  But, we made it and checked in to our very interesting and quaint motel, called the Hotel Garden. 

 

The Hotel Garden is situated not far from the main part of Boleslawiec.  We think it used to be a chinese place because it has alot of decor that depicts this era.  Not so new but the rooms were adequate and the food was really good. Not bad for an overnight trip.

 

We came away with lots of cool pieces to display and use.  We are planning a trip to the Ceramics Festival in August. This will be fun because the vendors that we visited in May, will be there all in one place.  We will have more time to shop as we will not be driving all over.  Should be a great trip and we will blog about it when we return.

 

So, that brings you up to date through the end of May. Next Blog will be June and the first part of July!!

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 







Ceramic, Leather and Pewter Shopping in Nove, Italy, April 24-27, 2014

Nove, Italy Shopping Trip 

Located in the Province of Vicenza, Nove is in the North Eastern Region of Italy along the Brenta River. (an 8 hour driving trip from Weisbaden).  The tiny industrial looking town and its surrounding areas, is renown worldwide for its ceramics and pottery so if you are looking for beautiful scenery, you will get some but not alot.  However, with its more than 100 ceramic shops you are sure to find something that you will want to bring home.  There are also several vineyards, and other interesting places to explore.


Our Trip started on Thursday night about 6:45 pm. With stopping in Stuttgart to catch our big bus and a couple of rest and drivers stops along the way, we landed in Nove, Italy about 5:45 on Friday Morning.  We ate breakfast at the hotel we were staying at and then it was off to find the treasures we came searching for.



I purchased two of these mugs @ Larry's

Our first stop on Friday was at a shop called Ceramiche Larry S.K. G. and was located about 30 minutes from our hotel.  The shop has been around for awhile but did not disappoint. We were able to explore the beautiful works and purchase what we wanted to take home with us.    

A sample of the ceramics found at Ceramiche Larry's

 

 



Our next stop was to a shop called Ceramiche Edelwiess snc and is a new stop for the USO. Inside, we were greeted by the very friendly staff and oodles of ceramics done in all kinds of colors and styles. The wares are very pretty and pristine. 



My Ceramiche Edelwiess Purchase

 



Loved the Variety and Colors of this shop.

 



 

Lenox stuff from la Ceramica. Pretty Cool. Huh!



 

Next, we were off to a very large shop called la Ceramica VBC.
This shop is famous for supplying such companies as Tiffany, Lenox and
Williams Sanoma. It was fun to see all the things they had. My specific want for this shop was to purchase some Lenox pieces.
I was not disappointed and came away with dinner plates and coffee mugs.
Loved the colors and think they will be great when we have guests.
See if you agree.


All through our shopping all morning, we had heard about a famous Italian Ceramic Piece called a "Chicken Pitcher". Seems that its origins dates back to the Renaissance Period of the Republic of Florence. Legend holds that chickens warned Giuliano, brother of Lorenzo the Magnificent, of an attempt to attack and kill him. Seems that Giuliano was so grateful that the chickens warned him, he asked that there be chicken wine pitchers constructed and gave them to fellow citizens for good luck.  I purchased my "Chicken Pitcher at a shop called Nove Ceramiche and here it is.



We are now protected from attack.

After the long morning, it was time for lunch and a bit of relaxation before we hit our final stop of the day. We were treated to guess what, You got it, Pizza and Pasta, beer and wine. We all enjoyed the meals we received and were thankful to get off our feet for a bit.

Last place of the day was called Roberto Rossi – Casa del Peltro - House of Pewter, Brass and Copper. It is a place that has all kinds of interesting and very expensive, pewter, copper and brass pieces. Some of the wares here included letter openers and swords with old Italian Army Ensignee, copper and pewter serving pieces and coffee sets, music boxes made of copper and pewter and many other items.
 


Store front Window
 

I purchased a shot glass here and several small turtles made of pewter to add to my turtle collection:




Pewter Shot Glass and Turtles

So we have come to the close of a very busy day of shopping so back on the bus we went to our hotel and some much needed down time.

Saturday, we began our day with a 5:15 wake up call for Breakfast @ 6:00. Yay! We then checked out of our hotel and proceeded to our first stop of the day.

It was a porcelain shop called Napoleon. I think this was my favorite shop of all because everything was so beautiful and we even got to see how some of the things were made.  That was a lot of fun.

Flower Making Demonstration. This woman produces about
70 pieces an hour! Incredible




My purchase here is probably one of my favorite pieces and I think you will see why.  



I probably could have purchased all the Roses they had but this one seemed particularly nice to me.

 

Yes, that is a pink purse and I love it!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





It was not a trip that was totally ceramics and porcelain. We were also treated to leather and wine.  Here comes the leather.
Our leather stop was a place called Nicoli Leather. It was a retail shop with many different styles of handbags and wallets. They even offered the European "Man Purse" which is pretty much as shoulder handbag with big pockets. While I liked the goods in this store, I thought we were going to be visiting a warehouse of sorts rather than a retail store. Fun all the same.






Our Wine Tour was to a winery called Dal Bello. They have been in operation for quite awhile and what was interesting, this was the most "modern" shop of them all. While they had wood barrels for the red and red blend wines, they processed their whites in aluminum barrels and did it more mechanically than traditionally. I thought it was kind of funny since the rest of the city seems to be older and does things the "old fashioned" way.  I purchased 3 bottles of Pinot Grigio and 3 bottles of a Cabernet, Merlot blend. The wines are wundebar and we love the fact that we can add them to our collection.

For my Trademark friends, I also discovered that this winery has a mark in the EU and USA.  I am not sure about any other countries but they display their certificates on the wall of the shop so naturally, I had to take a picture. I hope to be able to go and search the background on them. It would be interesting to see if any familiar names pop up. 


Trademark Certificates in the EU and U.S.
for the Mark DAL BELLO


 

We also visited a place called Elios. It was a ceramic shop that housed two floors of works. Beautiful hand painting and decorating and just a nice feel.

My Beautiful Vase from Elios. It is the focal point
of my entry way

Our last stop of the day was to a Ceramic Museum not far from where the shops were. Want to know of the history of Italian Ceramics, visit this museum called Nove Museo Civico Della Ceramica. It was incredible to see all the works they had displayed. Some dated back to the 1800's and were organized in a way that you could see the oldest to the newest.

I was blown away by the pieces they had and couldn't get over the detail for the times that were being shown. Must have taken the artist a very long time to complete each piece.  Below is an example of what I mean.

Can you believe this piece was crafted in the 1800's?
Gorgeous don't you think?

So, that concludes my wonderful adventure in Nove, Italy. Fun times but very exhausting.  Upon our return home, I slept most of the next day. So worth it though.

Remember this part of Italy when you are traveling about Europe, especially if you are into pottery and porcelain. You wont be disappointed. Until next time.

 

 




 





April Update



Kitchen

Hi All,
Since my last update, we have moved from the Army Lodging Hotel (our temporary quarters) into our permanent housing situation. We were very fortunate to find a nice place like this in such a short time.
When we first moved here, we had an air mattress and sleeping bags to sleep on, camp chairs to sit on, a folding table for our dining room and almost no kitchen utensils.
Our Household goods that we shipped from the States, have since come in and we have the place pretty much set up now. We have ordered a couch, which will arrive sometime next month and need to acquire some wardrobes and lamps. Other than that, we are very comfortable. Hopefully, you can see the pictures attached to get an idea.

Our place is just a scant 10 minute walk on the North side of town. We also live on a bus line, which makes it very convenient for me when I have to travel further out. So yay!! We are settled and happy in our new surroundings and looking forward to changing some of the things we now own to something a bit more European and stylish.

Our deck is big and will be fun to have available this Summer. They are currently working on a remodeling project that will take a couple of weeks to complete. Once that is finished, we will be able to put together the BBQ that we bought and begin the grilling season in style. We are looking forward to many enjoyable times out there. I plan on adding a few potted flowers as well to brighten things up.



Sterling's Office

View From Our Deck

My Office and Spare Bedroom



 

Entry Way



Our Bedroom

 







Living Room

Sterling continues to be content and happy in his new work environment. He has not travelled much yet but, I am sure that is coming in the not to distant future. He is just happy to be experiencing the German culture and of the opportunities that coming.

I have been pretty occupied with the USO. My last tour trip was to Amsterdam last month and I was suppose to be heading to Luxembourg this past weekend, but the tour did not get enough sign ups so I was not able to go. Oh well, there will be more tours in the future and for now, I am assisting in the office of the local USO. I do all kinds of office type work to get ready for the upcoming tours and classes and get involved with some of the other USO Community supported functions. Since arriving in Germany, I have logged about 50 hours of volunteer time and will be logging alot more before we leave. It works well in that I can volunteer when I want to and it gives me connection with other people in the community.

Sterling and I have also spent time exploring the city and other nearby cities. We usually walk in to town so that we can experience the food and drink without driving, as the drinking and driving laws are very strict here. Blood Alcohol levels are much lower than in the States and the local police do not give chances. We just don't do it.  We can also hire a taxi or take the bus if we feel the need but most of the time, we walk.  We look forward to much more exploring of the area and all of Europe. We have plans to go to France, England, Austria and Scotland and I am sure, we will find other places to explore as well.

This past weekend, we were able to log our first round of golf at the local course here. It was fun to be able to play with our own clubs and equipment. We ended up getting paired with a German couple, who were really alot of fun to play with. Not only that, the course and day were beautiful and we intend on going back next weekend for round two. We are also scheduled for lessons with one of the local pros coming up in May.

And in a couple of weeks, I will start German lessons and I am so excited. I really want to be able to not feel stupid when we are out talking with the locals. Also, since we live in the community and our neighbors are all German, it would be nice to understand what they are trying to tell me. YIPPEE!

We are proud to announce that our granddaughter Rylyn's Cheerleading team won the National Cheerleading finals this past weekend, that were held in Chicago. It is amazing what these 9 and 10 year old girls can do. We were able to watch a video of their routine and I had goosebumps when I saw the girls, including Rylyn, doing back walkovers, round offs, cartwheels and many other "professional" type cheerleading moves. They were awesome and I wish we could have been there.

 This her team photo. She is on the far end in the second row.

 

Here she is by herself. She is awesome.

 

While her sister was getting all of the glory, Luke just got plummed tuckered out. Poor little man.

 



And then of course, here is Ewan in all is cute babyness. He is growing so big so fast. I can hardly believe it. Funny, we Skype with Kristen and it seems that while Ewan can't figure out the picture part of things, he hears my voice and wonders where I am.

Ewan at Play and Learn Class. What a bright eyed little boy he is becoming.

 

 

 

Well, that is about it from Germany for now. As you can see, we stay busy and occupied.  We miss our friends and family back home and hope that you will consider coming to visit us very very soon.



Wir lieben dich sehr

Sterling and Deb.

P.S. If you cannot see the pictures, please let me know. I am trying to figure out what is going on with the computer system here. It is a bit challenging and a bit different.

Thanks.