Christmas Markets in Germany

This post is being written with a little bit of planning and a lot of haste. I am presenting at our school's Tuesday Morning Club next week about Christmas Markets. I thought it would be easier just to share about them via my blog and I will be able to share with you, future traveler to Germany and family and any potential visitor during this season, as well as those who live here now. Christmas markets are something I LOVE about the Christmas season here. They do not have Thanksgiving here, and now that St. Martin's is over (another blog post about that, I believe), they are decorating and gearing up for Christmas everywhere.

Last year there was a touch more magic to the Christmas market season because we were able to attend a few Christmas markets in the SNOW. This was at the beginning of all of the glorious white stuff, so it was still quite magical. (It lost its power when it was still snowing in April. We had literally one small snow the year before!!) We attended the Düsseldorf market and the market at Schloss Dyck in the snow and FREEZING temperatures. Just be truly prepared, stock up on the Glüwhein or Kinderpunsch, and dress warmly!!! 

Düsseldorf usually has one of the first markets to open, so it is always the one I go to first.  Because of all the construction going on downtown, this market is divided up into lots of little markets with themes. It is nice, but certainly not my favorite (and not just because my wallet was stolen there last year.) It does have its moments, however, plus a really nice big Ferris Wheel to watch it all from high above.

A typical stall at the Düsseldorf market

This felt like Narnia!

My oldest at the market.

Never thought I would capture the cartwheeler in snow!

People decorate with these paper stars in their windows for Christmas - so I had to get one!

The infamous smokers!

The cool trees that provide shade in the summer and just look funny in the winter.

Because of the size of the Düsseldorf market, you can find a great variety of items - it is just really spread out. Thus making it more difficult to find the good stuff. We went to this market with a good friend visiting last year (thanks for making time to see us, Rob!) and enjoyed the roasted chestnuts and Glüwhein in the cold. 

Later that weekend we went to one of my favorite markets, Schloss Dyck. It is extra special because it has a Krippenspiel. What is that, you may ask? Basically, it is a live Nativity! But not the kind you just come and see the Nativity - instead, we walked through candle-lit woods to come upon Mary & Joseph heading to Bethleham. Then you meet an Angel sharing news with the shepherds. Further down the road, you run right into the wise men. Then finally, baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph in the stable in Bethleham - singing traditional German Christmas hymns! (For a taste of that, go here.) The castle is cast in softly changing lights to your left the entire walk. It honestly feels a little magical - and last year in the snow??  Even more so. The vendors at Schloss Dyck are great, too. French soaps, homemade woodworks, knit items - I felt like they were a bit more unique than what I saw at Düsseldorf. But it is only open for 3 weekends, so take advantage while you can!

We arrived to a gorgeous sunset.

This is how you need to dress.

It was a heavy wet snow - and it was beautiful at this palace in the woods.

Lots of lights, fires, candles, lasers...

This is Mary and Joseph - the trek to Bethlehem was especially cold that year.

Gregorian chanting accompanies the sudden appearance of the angel. (Prepare your little ones - in the dark this can be quite suddenly startling!)

Winter wonderland!

They were freezing...the other boy was already at the car!!!

Schloss Burg is another one of my favorite markets. It is only one weekend, and this year it falls on Thanksgiving weekend. Not the best timing for us Americans celebrating over the weekend, but if you can make it, it is well worth the little drive. The coolest thing about this market is not only that it is within the castle walls - it is INSIDE the CASTLE!!  I didn't take many pictures because I was trying to keep up with the rowdy crew I was with, but it was so neat to move from room to room in the castle, down narrow outdoor passageways and winding staircases, through bedrooms and meeting rooms. The vendors had some great items, and it was a fantastically fun time. Some really good lunch food as well!

Need dental tools anyone???

Schloss Burg 

A great find for her little one!

Inside the chapel at Schloss Burg - better in person, I promise.

The only other market I have visited is in Essen. It is a great market, a lot of variety, easy to get to (just take a regional train to Essen or park at the Essen Hbf), and apparently beautiful at night. I went during the day, so missed all the lights at night, although they did look like they would be nice during the day. This market is great because of its vendors - you can get some legit shopping done here, making it a worthwhile market just for that alone. (They had a medieval market, with people dressed and cooking medieval food, selling products. Very cool.)

I intend to go to a few more markets this year (Aachen, Koln, Oberhausen). But sometimes illness gets in the way and I have to resign myself to just the little local one in Kaiserswerth - but at least they have the Glüwhein! Invite a friend and enjoy the markets!

Test anxiety

I was in the upper school today and notice students bent to their papers today, taking a test. I literally felt a little of the anxiety creeping in- you know the feeling. A small lump in your throat, dry mouth, heartbeat thumping, sweaty palmed anxiety we would feel over the hopes we would be able to regurgitate what we had learned, and even occasionally apply that knowledge to a new situation. That made me reflect on school for my younger boys here. I haven't really shared a lot about the boys' school situation here. They are in an international school that uses the IB curriculum throughout the entire school. At this school, that means no homework or tests in elementary school. NO HOMEWORK??? I know that is what you are saying- whether from envy or disbelief! I LOVE the no homework policy for the younger kids. They are really so overwhelmed with the 7 hours in school. The no homework policy allows time for them to take a break in the afternoon, do all their after school activities directly after school, and we can have family dinner every night. I know. EVERY NIGHT. Quite frankly, the pace I will be returning to in the US makes me nervous. I remember the days of Chick-Fil-A 4 nights a week, practice and games at different fields, and a husband on the road. No thanks. Although we have our moments of stress here, it usually involves how to be in two places at once with only one car. (Yeah for public transportation!) And of course, Stuart and/or I over-committing ourselves. I would love to say we are cured of that, but that would be a lie- we are still learning the hard way. But back to school thoughts. I do recognize that my boys are not moving through their material as fast as they would in the US, particularly math. However, I have also noticed a broader understanding of the material as well as a significantly greater ability to communicate their understanding. They spend a lot of time analyzing, understanding, and reflecting on their learning. They also make connections to things they already know, helping them remember what they learn and further apply it to their own lives. Public speaking and writing skills are emphasized across the subject areas. So they begin to work on technical writing as early as kindergarten! They also do their first presentations in K5. All of these things I LOVE.

I recognize they will have to move back into the US system. And the younger two may indeed be behind in some subject areas. But I think the exposure to other cultures, their ability to be articulate, contributing members of a group, as well as their second (& third for Silas) language abilities will make up for the first few months back when we are struggling through homework and catch up work. In addition, they have become independent and responsible thanks to catching public transportation to and from school, relying on their own wisdom when/if they miss their stop. (Happened to Zee yesterday!)

I really miss the US- but I don't miss the frantic pace of life, and the constant attempt to beef up the kid's résumé starting in kindergarten. I think the biggest plus for me though is in my boys- particularly my middle one. He is transformed into a much calmer, confident, and motivated learner. He is much improved at public speaking. And he likes school.

We were so lucky in the US to have a great preschool and fantastic teachers in the elementary school we were in- but their hands (at least in the public elementary school) were tied when it came to what material they had to cover and even in some of the ways they had to cover it. And the testing...well, in a kid who failed his hearing and vision screenings in kindergarten because of the people around him, does he have a chance in a test taking situation with kids all around him? He was handicapped before he started- the test was testing only how well he could calm himself down and tune out the noises around him, not his actual reading comprehension. However, his nervous system has matured now, he has more confidence. I think he will be ready to enter that world when he hits 6th grade.

So I am truly thankful for this time of education for the boys- for my oldest to thrive, for my middle to gain confidence, and for my youngest to continue to love learning. I'm glad they don't associate learning with test anxiety and the possibilities of failure. I know that tests are a necessary evil (Silas has a Spanish test tomorrow), but I am grateful for the elementary school policy that protects our little ones.

I have no proper conclusion and I am tired, so this is it. This post all started with those middle years students test taking and ended with me wanting to create a post entirely on my phone. Yeah! Done! (Editing not so easy on the phone- please ignore all poor grammar and spelling- although it may be my own fault, you should still ignore it!)

Of Hounds and Horses...or Von Hunden und Pferden

This could possibly be my shortest post ever, but I must get this off my mind.  There are many things I have had to adjust to here, and some are things I think are actually good (stores closed on Sundays being an example).  However, I will not EVER be able to accommodate in my mind one thing about their dogs and horses here.  Okay - so they LOVE their dogs and horses here.  I recognized this when we moved here and I had to step aside on the sidewalk for the horses.  Then I read In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larsen, and he mentioned it as significant in 1930's Germany.  But it goes back further than that.  There is even a Wikipedia entry on all the dog breeds that have originated in Germany.  Really, they LOVE them.  Here's the thing:  they love them so much, they allow them to, ummm, how to say this delicately, basically poo all over the sidewalks and then do not clean it up.  Now, some times, they do clean up the horse stuff, but they never clean up after their dogs.  It is considered natural (which, of course, it is) and part of the environment.  Which makes every step you take on a sidewalk an often perilous journey.  Now consider following a 6 year old who is often so caught up in is own imagination, he has no notion of where his feet are moving.  


Now I know why they remove their shoes upon entering a house.  Super important when you consider where those shoes have likely stepped.  


I have accepted this as something I cannot change, but it does NOT mean I will ever like this.  like, EVER.  


This post will be without pictures for self-explanatory reasons.  ;-)

Weather (Wear your raincoat)

Written by Silas and Luke




If you ever come to Germany BRING A RAINCOAT!!!!!  If you don't bring a raincoat you will suffer the wrath of rain.  Seriously, I didn't bring a raincoat to school one day and I got soaked to the skin.  It is also much colder.  On a typical Dusseldorf day you will need boots, raincoat/winter coat, winter hat or mutze, gloves, thick socks, long-johns, jeans, and maybe a scarf.


Luke's bad soccer weather experience


I played soccer in fourteen degree Fahrenheit, and very windy.  I couldn't wear a winter coat.  Basically I got a cold from playing.


Silas's bad soccer weather experience 


I played a game in the rain, just above freezing, and super windy.  I was not allowed to wear a hat during the game because it wasn't "professional".  All I had on was Under Armour, my jersey, gloves, long-johns, shorts, socks, and soccer equipment.  It was the worst game I have ever played.


One thing I will always be prepared for... rain.  It doesn't rain hard but it rains a lot.


So be ready for Dusseldorf weather if you come here.

5 Things that are not my favorites here...

Well, I started something a while back about things I like and now this is the opposite end.  I would rather not say I don't like these things - they are just different, and things I will have to get used to here.


1.  The shopping carts - I wish I had a video of my first time attempting to use these carts.  I cannot describe it to you well.  The wheels roll in all directions, all the time.  I literally pull and push this thing from the side.  I have come very close to hitting an Audi, a Mercedes, and a Porsche - none of which would have been pleasant.  Now, I just make sure it is not too full, and I have a good handle on it.  German engineering isn't doing us any favors on this one!

The offensive cart!!

2.  The laundry - My washing machine holds 5kg, my dryer 6kg.  That is equivalent to 2 sheets for a double bed.  Or one good handful of clothes.  Or 2 thick large bath towels.  That is right.  For our family of 5.  Although I should not complain.  Our neighbor(who is German) has 5 children and no dryer (which is pretty common here in Germany - they use a lot of energy - which is EXPENSIVE!)  Also, one load of wash takes close to 2 hours - to WASH.  So, laundry is an all day, every day proposition.  Especially with 2 playing soccer in the cold, wet, nasty, muddy weather.


3.  The horn honking - Okay - I know I am from the South.  And we don't honk our horns some times when we should (ie. to save a life, etc)  To demonstrate this, once, at the light coming from Clemson House at the President's house intersection(the back way from our house) onto 93 I sat in a line of cars through 2 lights.  I then got out (no horn was honked during this time AT ALL), walked to the front of the line, and helped the sweet little old lady up to the line she needed to drive to in order to trigger the light.  We then all went on our merry way.  Here, in Deutschland, I think honking the horn is taught in Driver's Ed or something.  Even if you have absolutely no control over the traffic hold up, they will honk at you.  Turning left into the school a couple days ago I was in a line of cars.  I scooted as far over as was possible, but I was still blocking the cars behind me - for approximately 5 seconds.  The man behind not only honked his horn at me(when I could do nothing and was at the mercy of traffic) -  he communicated thru gesture as he was passing me.  I waved and smiled back!  And if you do not have your foot on the gas as soon as the light turns yellow (it turns yellow before it turns green or red), they will also help you along with a honk.  I am adjusting, but at times it still feels really rude.


4.  The prices - everything, and I mean everything, is more expensive here.  Well, except for potatoes and carrots - they are not more expensive, they are cheaper.  And flowers - they are much cheaper.  But clothes, gas, food, restaurants are all significantly pricier, thus limiting our family of 5 from eating out very often.  Even to eat out at a basic Italian restaurant will run us about 60 Euro ($80.36 today).  The only places cheaper - Subway and McDonald's.  And that runs us about 30 Euro ($40.18).  And don't get me started on gas.  75 euros to fill up our little mini-van's tank on Diesel.  ouch.

Yes - you read that right.  Equivalent to about  $6.70!!

5.  My tiny kitchen - once again something I must adjust to - and I am getting there.  But I have VERY little counter space, and basically can only have 1 person in the kitchen at a time to get things done.  Which makes cleaning up after dinner together too difficult.  We have had to adjust our chores accordingly, but we are figuring it out together!

Tiny kitchen in the morning.  I have to use my stove top as counter space!

There were so many more things, but I cannot remember them right now and I said only 5 to start with - so there you go!  Here are some pictures of various things/happenings:

Silas working on his portrait taking.  ( I was waiting for Stuart with the car!)

Another Silas portrait.

I don't know how to capture them all in a picture - especially Zee.  This is his normal pose.

In front of some of the Berlin Wall.

Amsterdam

At the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam

Our paddle boat ride on the canals in Amsterdam.

Atlas, struggling under the weight of the world on top of the Amsterdam Royal Palace

Welcome from this cow who stole the nice lady's shoes (which she needs - her skirt was really much too short, as you can see.)

Welcome!

House boat for sale on the canals of Amsterdam (there are a LOT of house boats on the canals!)

The canals of Amsterdam

The cold North Sea

The North Sea

Guess who?? (He has on pieces from no less than 5 different costumes!)

Silas's outlook on Deutschland

The following post was written by Silas Hayes.


Germany is much older than the US.  This means there are many more castles, history, and older buildings.

It's more crowded so they have much more than one way of transportation.  Like biking, riding the bus, or the tram.

For my Geburtstag (birthday) we went to Kettlerhof.  It was a giant park that had water slides, huge swings, giant climbing area, a toboggan run, and slides!!!!  It also had a climbing wall slide.

 So far Germany has been great.  Yes, I miss my friends and family but I have friends over here too.  I like playing soccer so much.  The school is nice, the food is good, and vacations are great!!!!!!!