Prague Blog

This weekend, David and I flew to the Czech Republic to spend a few days in Prague. As usual, we took the earliest flight possible to have a full three days abroad. Luckily, we’ve both gotten pretty good at sleeping on planes and we were out before the flight even took off at 7:00.

We landed a couple of hours later and took a taxi to our hotel, the Ventana. We loved our hotel! The staff was so friendly and helpful, and the location could not have been any better. It was directly behind the Church of Our Lady before Tyn in the Old Town Square on Celetna Street, first a Bohemian trading route and then the royal procession route for coronations in the 1300s. And the rooms were huge! Our suite had a living room downstairs and then a loft above with skylights, a giant bathroom, and a cool canopy bed.

Church of our Lady before Tyn

After checking in, we needed brunch! We walked to the Bakeshop, a great bakery just off the square known for its sourdough. David had the potato leek soup with sourdough bread and I had a sourdough bagel with vegetable spread and an American-style brownie for dessert.

Then we walked to the Old Town Hall and climbed to the top of the tower for some great views of the Old Town area. Very little has been built in the Old Town since the late 18th century, so it’s pretty neat to compare our photos to old paintings and see that the square looks pretty much exactly the same!

We made it back down from the gallery just in time to see the Astronomical Clock go off at the hour. The clock was designed in the late 15th century and it’s rumored that the clockmaker was blinded afterwards to prevent him from recreating his masterpiece elsewhere (just like with the Russian church architects – harsh)!

The clock is practically impossible to read. Its purpose was to display the orbit of the sun and moon around the Earth (since back in the day everyone believed the Earth was the center of the universe). The outer ring tells time, but it’s old Bohemian time. The third ring of the clock with Roman numerals tells time as we know it. And the clock is painted blue to represent periods of daylight and the movements of the sun and moon through the 12 signs of the zodiac. Really confusing! Each hour, the figure of Death, a skeleton, chimes a bell and then the apostles appear one-by-one. Last, a trumpeter at the top of the tower plays a song. The show was okay, but we were expecting something more like the Glockenspiel in Munich. It was a bit anticlimactic.

We then walked to Josefov, the Jewish quarter that was once the small ghetto where Jews were confined. We bought a tour package and started off at the Pinkas Synagogue, which is a memorial to the over 77,000 Jewish Czechoslovakians that were killed during the Holocaust. The names of the victims cover the interior walls.

The synagogue led to the Old Jewish Cemetery outside. For over 300 years, this small piece of land was the only burial ground for Jews. There are 12,000 gravestones squished together but over 100,000 people buried in the area, which means people were buried up to 10 layers deep. Next to the cemetery is the Ceremonial Hall where the Jewish Burial Society artifacts are stored. We also visited the Klausen Synagogue before crossing the Vltava River to the Little Quarter.

David in his kippah

Ceremonial Hall

We crossed using the Charles Bridge, Prague’s most famous landmark, modeled after Rome’s Ponte Sant’Angelo. The statues lining the sides did remind us a lot of Bernini’s statues lining the Roman bridge.

We stopped at a small café on Kampa Island, a quiet section of the Little Quarter, so David could have a glass of the local beer, Pilsner Urquell. Then we crossed the island to see the Lennon Peace Wall, a famous graffitied garden wall.

That evening, we had dinner at Bellevue, which came highly recommended from TripAdvisor. David opted for the two course meal, while I went for the full three. There was a five-course menu but that was going to be way too much food! We started with an amuse bouche of a beef ragout-stuffed deep fried olive. I don’t normally like olives, but since it was fried, it was good! I had the homemade ravioli carbonara to start and David had the scallops. My ravioli were swimming in walnut butter and I was warned not to use my knife, but to eat the ravioli whole so the cheese inside wouldn’t run out onto the plate. It was so rich! For our mains, David had the suckling pig and I had the veal loin. His suckling pig was the most tender piece of pork I’ve ever had, but the veal stole the show. It was on a bed of creamy potatoes with onions caramelized in port and a garlic emulsion. For dessert, I managed to finish off crème brulee with whiskey cream and a chocolate cigar. I didn’t feel bad about any of it, because I knew I would burn it all off the next day!

Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early for our bike ride out to Karlstein Castle.

For those of you that I talked to before the trip, you know that I was really, really nervous about this excursion for a couple of reasons. First, it’s literally been 14 years since I’ve been on a bike. I didn’t even know if I would remember how to ride a bike, let alone trek out to the forest on one! Second, the ride was scheduled to be about 4.5 hours long and 30 miles start-to-finish. Now, since I joined my first gym a couple of years ago, I’ve been pretty good at keeping up my workouts. I even joined a couch-to-5k running club that meets once a week during lunch.

However!

I was just back in Texas for work for three weeks, which totally messed up my routine. I basically worked, ate my way through Austin and El Paso, and hung out with friends and family. So my workout schedule went to hell. I got out and played basketball with some coworkers one night, which turned out to be my only workout. So the week before Prague after I got back from Texas, I did some spinning to try and prep. But I wasn’t sure that would be enough…

The good news is 1) it turns out riding a bike is just like riding a bike; once you learn, you never forget and 2) the distance from the city center to the castle was only 22 miles, not 30. Whew!

Look Mom, I'm riding a bike!

I eventually took off the helmet and even stood up

22 miles was still a lot for us to handle, though. Honestly the worst part was the bruising on our bums! Our arses were sooooo sore from sitting on that tiny bike seat for 4 hours. We did take a few breaks in some of the small villages along the river to take pictures and learn some history, but it was a lot of riding on cobblestone streets or in the woods, where the paths didn’t exist so we were bouncing up and down on uneven, rocky ground.

But it was still a lot of fun! It turns out Prague is a big party city and none of the other tourists wanted to get out of bed early on a Saturday, so David and I were the only ones that showed up for the bike ride. So we ended up on our own private tour with a guide and a guide-in-training. And the weather was gorgeous! All weekend it was sunny and in the mid-60s. Overall it was a great way to see the city and the Czech countryside.

Vltava River with cinder blocks from the iron curtain in the middle

Karlstein Castle is a medieval castle retreat hidden away in the woods above a narrow valley. Charles IV had it built in the mid-14th century as a country retreat and treasury for the crown jewels. Today, the jewels are stored elsewhere and only the floor with the audience hall and king’s bedchamber is open for viewing.

We had lunch in the village in the shadow of the castle, where we filled up on carbs! David had a giant potato pancake stuffed with spicy meats and I had the beef goulash with bread dumplings. On our way back down the valley, we stopped for kolaches. Central Texas is home to a large Czech community near La Grange, so Katie introduced us to kolaches years ago in college. It was pretty cool to be able to try them locally. In the Czech Republic, they’re shaped more like pizzas but the taste is the same. I think I may even like the Texas version better, since you’re not left with fruitless crust at the end.

Thankfully, we took the train back into Prague. Once we got back to the city center, we walked to the Powder Gate, one of the original entrances to Old Town, and the adjoining Royal Court which is now the Municipal House used for exhibitions.

David just got a new camera as his early birthday present, so we wandered around the city taking some night shots.

When we got back to the Old Town Square, the place was packed for the opening night of the Easter Market.

The Easter Market was a lot like the European Christmas Markets we love. There were trinket stands set up around the square selling authentic goods like hand-painted Easter eggs, beer steins, Bohemian crystal, and wooden marionette dolls. For dinner, we chose local specialties of roasted pig and langose. Langose is fried dough, like pizza bread, topped with garlic butter, cheese, and ketchup. It was delicious! For dessert, we had trdlo, or trdelnik. It’s a donut-like pastry in the shape of a large bracelet covered in sugar, nuts, and toffee. While we ate, we listened to an all-girls choir sing Easter songs from the stage.

On our last day in the city, we had breakfast at the Café Louvre in New Town and walked back across the river and uphill to Prague Castle, in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest castle in the world.

We didn’t have time to see everything, so we did the shortened castle tour. Our first stop was St. Vitus’s Cathedral, where Good King Wenceslas is entombed. Also inside are the crown jewels, which hardly ever make an appearance outside their hiding place.

Next was the Royal Palace, which was built in 1135 for the Bohemian princes. The spark that set off the 30 Years’ War happened here when more than 100 Protestants marched into the palace and threw two Catholic governors out a window 50 feet above the ground. Amazingly, the governors landed in a dung heap and survived! But that was enough to set off a huge war in Europe.

We also saw the ancient prison, Dalibor Tower. That place was truly awful. Most prisoners were kept in tiny dungeon rooms and left to starve to death, or wait out their executions. We also saw St. George’s Basilica, where St. Ludmilla is buried. The Czechs have a bloody history involving terrible royal families just like the Russians. Ludmilla was strangled by her daughter-in-law and Wenceslas was murdered by his brother inside St. Vitus’s Cathedral!

On our way out, we walked down Golden Lane. This is a picturesque street where the castle guards lived. Some well-known writers lived there also, like Franz Kafka. The brightly colored houses are now mostly gift-shops. A few have been reconstructed to give visitors an idea of what the homes were like hundreds of years ago.

We continued walking uphill from the Castle to the Strahov Monastery. We saw the library, which is 800 years old and home to thousands of books. Outside the main hall there are display cases filled with unique findings, a pre-cursor to the modern museum. The cases contain everything from armory to a narwhal’s tusk, which was believed to be that of a unicorn.

The monks still live at the monastery and also brew their own beer and wine! So for lunch, we grabbed a table in the small restaurant next to the library. David tried a couple of different beers while we ate. And then it was time to book it all the way back downhill and across the river to pick up our bags and head to the airport.

To see all of the pictures from our trip, click here.

Countryside Castles

Usually for Valentine’s Day, David and I are lame and don’t do anything. But this year, we decided to do all kinds of fun things since I’m leaving for Austin soon and we won’t see each other for three weeks.

On February 14th we both left work a bit early and met up in Covent Garden to see Jersey Boys. This was probably a mistake. We were both so exhausted after long days at work that we struggled to stay awake during the show. It was all right, but we were expecting more with all of the rave reviews we’ve heard. Personally, it was overrated. The songs were great, but there is just way too much history in 40 years of the Four Seasons to fit into 2½ hours.

Later in the week, David and I rented a Zipcar and left the city for a weekend in the English countryside.

The streets in England are so narrow. 

Our tiny VW took up this whole road.

As you already know, I’m a big history buff/nerd. I’ve read almost all of Philippa Gregory’s books about the Tudors, and I never missed an episode of the Showtime series. So this weekend, we went to Hever Castle, the Boleyn family home, and Leeds Castle, a favorite of King Henry the VIII’s.

Hever Castle

Getting out of the city on Saturday morning wasn’t as frightening as the last time we rented a car and drove through London, but the traffic was just as bad. Next time, we’ll have to wake up extra early and try to get out while everyone else is still sleeping.

Usually Hever is closed during the winter months, but since it was Spring Break in England, the castle and grounds were open. I didn’t realize how large the grounds were. There was a huge lake and Italian gardens, even a maze and jousting field. During the summer, the estate holds jousting competitions with “knights.”

This hedge has been shaped into a chessboard

The Castle is a small building surrounded by two moats. After the Boleyns were disgraced and Anne’s father died, it passed into the hands of Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII’s fourth wife. Ownership transferred around until the early 1900s when William Waldorf Astor bought it, restored the castle, and created the lakes and gardens.

The lower rooms were all historically preserved, where we could see Anne Boleyn’s room and the guest bed where Henry VIII stayed while visiting, but the upper floors were all dedicated to the Astor family. The Astors are the famously rich family that came to America in the late 1700s and established their fortune. 100 years later, they became the richest people in America. You may remember from the movie that John Jacob Astor was the wealthiest man on the Titanic and went down with the ship. And the family is also famous for owning the luxurious Waldorf-Astoria hotels.

Hidden stairs in the garden

After walking through the home, we wandered the grounds for a while. There were archery classes set up on the lawn next to the castle, so David and I decided to give it a shot (pun intended). I have no upper body strength, so shooting arrows was a lot more difficult that I thought it would be. David was pretty good, though. He was determined to take out the bear in the background, but he didn’t make it. He did get a wild boar and deer for us, though!

Pretending to be Katniss Everdeen

(I definitely would’ve been one of the first to die in the Hunger Games)

David as Legolas

That evening we drove through Kent and stayed at the Black Horse pub. Many countryside pubs also serve as bed and breakfasts. We had never stayed at a pub before, but they’re super-cheap and there’s great food just steps away, so it was nice and convenient. We had a delicious dinner that night and a traditional English breakfast in the morning. After our meal, we drove a few miles down the road to Leeds Castle.

The Black Horse Pub

Dried flowers hung from the ceiling inside the pub/inn

Leeds Castle is said to be the “loveliest castle in England.” The actual building was nice, but it’s the grounds that make this place so pretty. There are over 500 acres of parkland surrounding the castle. It’s so massive that you can take a Segway tour around the grounds or even zip-line through the forest. There is also a large hedge maze with an underground grotto and an aviary full of exotic birds.

Leeds Castle

The last owner, Lady Baillie, was an American heiress that imported black swans from Australia to wander through the numerous ponds and streams. She was the first to introduce the black swan to England, and now the swan is the symbol of Leeds Castle.

We toured the inside, which is also a mixture of old and new, but the best part of Leeds was definitely being outside and wandering around the park.

In front of the Norman ruins of the original castle

Stop looking at me, Swan!

This peacock was strutting his stuff for the ladies

It's snowdrop flower season in England

David and I need to start renting the Zipcar more often to see more of England. This was a great, relaxing weekend in the country before I head back to America for work.

Happy Chinese New Year!

To celebrate the start of the Year of the Dragon, this past weekend London hosted festivities in Trafalgar Square and Chinatown.

David and I made it into central London in time to see the Chen brothers, who hold the Guinness World Record for highest pole jump in the lion dance. 

 

After watching some of the performances, we walked from Trafalgar to Chinatown, admiring all of the red and purple lanterns, and kids wearing masks and playing with homemade crafts.

Decorated Metropolitan Police Truck

A wishing tree.  The idea is to make a wish and throw the bag back to the tree.  If it lands on a branch, your wish for the new year will come true.

 

I made it! 

Amazingly, we were able to get a table at HK Diner for lunch in the heart of Chinatown.  We ate spring rolls, special fried rice, sweet and sour pork, and kung poa chicken with tapioca bubble tea.

In the evening, we met up with our friends John and Michelle to watch the fireworks back in Trafalgar Square.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

The 12 Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas, David and I flew from London to Minneapolis/St. Paul to be with my family for the holidays. Both of my parents grew up in Minnesota so almost all of my family lives there. This year, my parents and both my sisters (and Emily’s boyfriend, Kendal) were able to make the trip back home, as well as most of my cousins.

A couple of years ago after we flew in, my family started the tradition of eating at Mickey’s Diner near the airport for dinner following our flights. This year was no different, and because it’s impossible to find good, greasy diner food outside America, we thought Mickey’s tasted better than ever!

There's nothing like a bowl of steaming chili

and a grilled cheese/bacon sandwich to warm you up!

On the second day of Christmas, my mom’s sisters and most of her nieces and nephews met up with my family at Macy’s for our biannual walk through the winter wonderland. Every year, the downtown department store brings a children’s story to life through gorgeous displays. We’ve been going to this since we were babies and have seen past exhibits like the Nutcracker, Harry Potter, and Cinderella. And the best part is, at the end you get to meet Santa!

This year, Macy’s featured A Day in the Life of an Elf.

All the animals helping the elves decorate for Christmas

And at the end, David got to sit on Santa’s lap for the first time since he was 3 years old... and he didn't cry this time!

After we left Macy’s, we decided to try out ice skating at the Depot. I haven’t ice skated since I was a kid. I was really wobbly at first but I eventually got the hang of it. Because David’s so athletic, he was a pro right away. At one point, Elizabeth, David and I were all holding hands skating around the rink when Elizabeth lost her balance. She brought David down with her but I managed to let go of them and skate off. Only problem was I couldn’t stop. A little kid came skating right in front of me so to avoid a collision, I fell on my back. The kid was horrified and stopped skating, just staring at me. Then his dad came up and yelled at him, “Did you make that woman fall?!” I felt bad, but then it turned out the kid was a mini ice hockey player and easily could’ve gotten out of my way! He just wasn’t paying attention. I am proud to say that was the only time I fell, though!

Ty, Elizabeth, Dad, me, Uncle Bob, Matthew, David,

Aunt Karen, and Lauren about to head onto the ice

On the third day of Christmas, we celebrated Christmas Eve with my dad’s side of the family. We always see a Christmas movie in the afternoon, and then spend the evening eating lots of yummy finger foods and playing brutal rounds of the card game Nerts. At the end of the night, we go to church for the candlelight Christmas Eve service.

This year, we suffered through Arthur’s Christmas 3D since it was the only Christmas movie out. Then we went back to the house where everyone got to meet my cousin’s new baby, Zooey! Erich and his wife Michaela live up in Alaska and just adopted this precious little baby girl. It’s been a long time since the St. Paul Kurzwegs were all back together, so it was really special that David finally got to meet the Alaskans on this trip.

Zooey is almost 2, so this year we broke tradition and went to the children’s Christmas Eve church service instead. All of the little kids led us in carols and for the sermon, the pastor read us Humphrey’s First Christmas, a story about a camel that met baby Jesus.

I couldn't help it when I burst out laughing when the pic of Humphrey and

his dislocated-looking jaw came up on the screen at church! 

The church then gave out free copies of the book. With some of my cousins starting to have families, there was a lot of baby talk during this holiday (but no babies for David and me in the near future – sorry, Mom) and my dad even got in on the action when he snagged a copy of Humphrey’s First Christmas for his “future grandchildren.” Oh boy! We had fun playing with Zooey and getting to share in her first Christmas with her new family.

Zooey fell in love with David once she heard his "Baby Beluga" voice. 

I don't know how he did that for so long...
my throat would've hurt so badly!

On the fourth day of Christmas, it really was Christmas! We always celebrate Christmas day with my mom’s side of the family. We had a big slumber party at my grandparent’s house the night before and then woke up early to open presents from Santa! And this year, David and I decided to actually get each other presents (usually we’re boring and count our trips as presents). Then we had a big breakfast and headed over to Aunt Karen’s and Uncle Bob’s house. There we had our Secret Santa gift exchange, where David and I made out with a Christmas-tree shaped candy dish and a fun new dice game called Farkle. Elizabeth was thrilled with the gift we brought back from England, a warm winter hat embroidered with the Union Jack.

Papa and Grandma with all of their grandchildren

+ David and my Uncle Brian's fiance's girls

Then we had some Italian sandwiches for dinner along with lots of good sides and played more board games, like Mexican Sorry. I love that game but don’t know anyone else besides my Aunt Julie and Uncle John that has it, so we always play when we go to Minnesota. After smoking the guys and drinking maybe a little too much homemade Bailey’s (yum!) we called it a night.

The whole Cocchiarella family

On the fifth day of Christmas, we went tubing with all of the cousins from both my mom’s side and my dad’s side. It was really nice bringing the whole family together! Most couples don’t have the opportunity to introduce their paternal cousins to their maternal ones, but since everyone is from the same area, all of ours know each other and get along great!

The original title of this blog was going to be “I’m Dreaming of a Brown Christmas” because there was no snow in Minnesota this year! It was soooo strange flying in and seeing brown, dead grass everywhere. I can’t remember the last time Minnesota had a brown Christmas. It was weird. Luckily the tubing slope was prepared and generated its own snow for us!

One patch of snow for the tubers. 

At least it was nice and warm - a beautiful day!

Because the snow was man-made, it was icier than ever and we flew down the hill.  All of us except Emily, though...

On her first run, Emily somehow couldn’t get down the slope.

She pushed herself about halfway and then gave up and walked back up…

In the end, David won the contest for who could go furthest. And Elizabeth won the contest for worst injury by accidentally kicking a girl in the face! Oops! I also had a collision... As I was spinning out of control down the hill, I smashed right into a little boy just chillin' in his tube at the bottom. Stupid kid – get outta the way! I had bad luck with running into little boys on this vacation.

All of the ladies getting ready to slide!

The whole gang... minus Uncle Bob and Matthew

(I don't know where they disappeared to during this pic)

On the sixth day of Christmas, we drove down to Faribault to hang out with the Lechtenberg’s.

On the way, we had to stop and get some Taco John’s. Taco John’s is kind of like the Taco Bell of the North. The sauce is a bit sweeter, rather than spicy, and every order contains potatoes. The potatoes, called Potato Ole’s, are basically tater tots with special “Mexican” seasoning. For dessert, our favorite is the Tex-Mex apple pie. Prepare yourself. It’s apple pie filling layered between two crispy tostada shells, topped with cinnamon sugar, red hots, and cheddar cheese. It sounds like a disgusting combination but it’s so good! David doesn’t understand our obsession with Taco John’s. I guess you had to grow up with it to appreciate its deliciousness.

Back to the Lechtenbergs!

Lee Ann Lechtenberg was my mom’s best childhood friend. And even though the girls grew up and got married and moved away and had kids, they’ve still always found time for each other and maintained their friendship. Lee Ann and Brad have four kids – Jacob, Charlie, Emma, and Annie. Jacob and Charlie are the same age as Emily and me and we found out Elizabeth was coming the day that Annie was born! We love going to Faribault to hang out on the lake with the Lechtenberg’s.

The winter tradition is to take a late night walk out on the frozen lake to have a bonfire on the island. Since it hasn’t been that cold in Minnesota, it made me really nervous walking across the ice. But everyone kept reassuring us that because there’s no snow, the ice is even more solid. The snow insulates the ice and can make it slushy and melt. I have fallen through ice (luckily only up to my knees!) twice before, and once on that very lake, so I’m always cautious. Everyone was right, though, and it was frozen solid and safe to walk on. This year, we built the biggest bonfire EVER.

David feeding the flames.  This was before the fire became ENORMOUS!

Elizabeth and me.  My hand looks HUGE in that glove.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my mom’s side of the family went to the Mall of America (MOA). When we were little kids, we would go to Camp Snoopy (the amusement park inside the mall) every year! Even though Camp Snoopy has been changed to Nickelodeon Universe and we can’t recognize the place, this year was better than ever! A lot of the rides are new and more thrilling. There’s now a SpongeBob Plunge that tilts riders back until they’re staring at the ceiling, and then drops them over the edge of the rollercoaster before spinning them upside down in giant loops. There’s also the Avatar Airbender, a giant skateboard that throws riders back and forth while also spinning them out of control. That one’s my new favorite! And thankfully there are still the oldies but goodies – the haunted house, log chute, and Screamin' Eagle.

This year we were even more excited because for lunch, we got to pig out on American food in the food court. Even Emily, who lives in Connecticut, was excited to chow down on fast food she can’t get in New England. David was thrilled to see Pita Pit, an old favorite I turned him on to during college. He got a turkey club while I headed to A&W for a root beer float, chili cheese coney, and onion rings. My sisters and I also split a side of Wisconsin cheese curds and hush puppies from Long John Silver’s. It was a hodgepodge of food, but it was so good! There was no dieting or working out during this vacation!

After the MOA, we said goodbye to Emily and Kendal at the airport. Then we changed into our UT gear and headed over to Aunt Julie’s and Uncle John’s to watch the Texas bowl game. For dinner that night, my mom was treated to her absolute favorite – chow mein. It was a great day at the mall, an awesome lunch, an equally delicious dinner, and an okay game. David and I were just glad UT won.

On the eighth day of Christmas, we relaxed! Whenever we go to Minnesota, it’s a marathon to see everyone and fit in all of the traditions like the MOA, tubing, and Mickey’s. This year was no different, but we did have a few days to unwind towards the end of our trip since we stayed longer than usual. On Thursday, we hung out at Papa’s and Grandma’s before meeting up with the rest of my mom’s siblings at a bar and grill, where we ate dinner before seeing Moneyball.

On the ninth day of Christmas, we met back up with my dad’s brother and his family at the MOA aquarium for Tayler’s, my cousin, birthday. We saw the usual fish, lots of sharks in the giant tank, and cute tiny turtles that couldn’t get enough of swimming against the man-made current. We even saw a pregnant seahorse, a first for all of us! In the seahorse world, the men carry and birth the babies. Crazy!

Male preggers seahorse

Shark Tank

Aunt Christine with her first grandchild, Zooey

For lunch, we were able to meet up with our friends from Austin, Jill and Noah. They are both from Minnesota and had driven up with their chocolate lab, Bailey, for the holidays. On their way out of town, they made some time to have lunch with the Houses. How sweet! It was so weird seeing them in Minnesota when they are our “Austin friends.” It was great to catch up. We miss our Austin family!

That night, we had dinner with the Kurzwegs at the Gasthaus. My Uncle Paul met my Aunt Christine when he was stationed in Germany during his Army days. They were married there and then moved back to his hometown in Minnesota. But every year the family visits Germany and they made sure that all of their kids speak fluent German. Dieter even lives there now and was able to take the train to visit us in London last year!

The Gasthaus is a traditional German restaurant where my German family likes to eat way too much food, sing loudly along with the accordion, and order enormous beer steins. What a great way to celebrate having the family together and Tayler’s birthday!

Sonja and Tayler

After stuffing ourselves, we caught the midnight showing of Sherlock Holmes – Game of Shadows. It was pretty good, but not as great as the first one.

On the tenth day of Christmas, we celebrated New Year’s Eve at Aunt Christine’s and Uncle Paul’s. We went over early in the afternoon so the guys could go ice skating out on the lake. They were so happy they decided to skate when they did because later that evening… it finally started snowing!

The family sporting T-shirts and souvenirs Dieter

brought back for us from the brewery he works at in Germany.

Dad and David showing off their moves on the ice

We rang in 2012 with big, hearty bowls of homemade chili and Michaela’s yummy jalapeno cornbread. Then we watched the NYC countdown and toasted with glasses of champagne and lots of hugs and kisses. In Germany, it’s customary to run around the streets at midnight on New Year’s Eve, so a bunch of us braved the cold and took off down the road to celebrate German-style.

The first snow of 2012.  Minnesota finally looked normal again!

On the eleventh day of Christmas, Papa and Grandma made their famous spaghetti and meatballs for lunch. Then my mom got her family together to play card games and poker. David actually won! A whole $9 – yay!

For dinner we headed to Culver’s for old-fashioned hamburgers and frozen custard. I had a sundae with vanilla frozen custard, marshmallow cream, and hot fudge – all toppings I can’t find in London. That night we saw Mission Impossible 4. My family loves going to the movies, and with the flights’ movies added in, I definitely got caught up on some recent films during this trip.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, we packed up all of our stuff and had leftover meatball sandwiches for lunch before heading to the airport. Those twelve days went by way too fast. :( But next year, the family’s headed to London for Christmas and we can’t wait to share our English Christmas traditions with them!