MAGICAL MUNCHEN

Winter in Munich is magical.  Small Bavarian villages that resemble the Christmas Villages that sit on your shelf or windowsill are blanketed in frosty shades of white.  Time appears to stand still as you admire the centuries old architecture seemingly frozen in time.  Golden lights flicker inside of small lead glass windows and smoke puffs out of chimneys as in days past.

But life does not stand still.  When the snow begins, the locals are out in full force.  Alpine walkers, joggers, cross country skiers, sledding, ice skating and even bicyclists cover the landscape. 

These photos are all were taken in front of our house that sits on the edge of a city park.  A river runs through the park and a pond that becomes a skating rink is directly across from us. 

A small hill is the neighborhood sledding destination so there are always plenty of families with their hot cocoa watching their little ones sled or ski down the hill.  Sounds of laughter and fun emanate in the early evening air as parents home from work head out of doors for some evening sledding with their tots.

 Rosy cheeked little ones scamper up the hills in anticipation of yet another exhilarating ride down the slippery slope. 

It is the perfect bunny hill for the beginner skier.  Here, a grandmother is teaching her grandchild the proper technique for skiing downhill. 

 (photo by Martin Addendorf)

Here Munchen locals are on the Nymphemberger canal in front of the palace playing a game that reminds me of curling or bocci on ice. ( If you know the name of this game, please leave me a reply.  I have been asking expats and no one seems to know it.)  It is quite popular here and they even play it on the frozen pond across from our house.

(photo by Martin Addendorf)

Crowds of people on the canal in front of the palace.  In spite of the cold temperatures, people turn out to watch the sport and have a brat and bier (or a toasty glüwein).

(photo by Martin Addendorf)

The locals aren't the only ones who seem to make the most of the season.  Check out the swans and ducks in front of the palace.  

They aren't going to let a little snow stop their fun either!

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE

Time to hook up with Joyce for Wednesday's Hodgepodge.


1. Share your Christmas Eve traditions.
     Almost always includes a buffet style dinner.  No gifts.  That's for Christmas morning. Likely will include a church service.  If there are toys to assemble, Christmas Eve is the designated time for engineering & eggnog.  It will always include family and if we're home, a fireplace. 

2. What was the best book you read in 2010? (we're not going to include The Bible here)

      The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid.  A short book about a Pakistani man who decides to leave his high-flying life in America after a failed love affair and the terrorist attacks of 9/11. 


 Our international book club here in Munich ranked it #1 over 11 other books this year.

3. Do you have pets and if so do you allow them on the furniture?

    NO and NO!! 
(But when we retire, yes and yes!).

4. What event from 2010 are you most thankful for?
     A family member and a close friend have both had a scary bout with breast cancer this year and both are now recovered. I thank God for this blessing.

5. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before.
      Nearly erased my carbon footprint from the planet by not driving a car for a full year.  Not recommended for the faint of heart.  

6. Brussel sprouts...friend or foe?
      Friend; I have few foes when it comes to food.

7. Who would you nominate for man/woman of the year? 
  Elizabeth Edwards, hands down
      

8. Insert your own random thought here.

     Is there any good way to re-purpose Christmas cookies?

MERRY, MERRY!

T

It is our first Christmas in Munich and we decided to host a Christmas Open House for all of our new friends and colleagues.  We sent out about 30 invitations and figured that would be about 60 people, if everyone was able to attend.  To our great joy, nearly everyone was able to make it.  Not knowing German traditions during Christmas time, we probably made a few faux pas along the way, but if we did, our German guests were very understanding and kind by not drawing it to our attention.  In fact, they were thrilled to be invited to an American household and to learn about our traditions.

Hubby made out his list of invitees and I made out mine.  It was great to meet the people he has spoken about, but I have not yet been able to meet.  Now, I have a face to put with a name and in the process, I have made many new friends as well.  Likewise, my husband had not had the opportunity to meet any of my friends and he was finally able to make their acquaintance. 

We were both very pleased to bring everyone together in our apartment for an Open House; a very typical American custom that needed some "translation" for the Germans amongst us.  I guess the idea of coming and leaving at will is not something they are accustomed to doing.  It hardly mattered as everyone enjoyed themselves and stayed for the duration which made for a wonderful party.

Both Americans and Germans like food and we did our best to please both palates.  The standard veggie tray was recognizable by the Germans and they commented on it being a standard "American" party dish.  Who knew?

  Sliced sausages and mustards were meant for the Germans, but enjoyed by everyone. 

Christmas cookies are an international favorite that hardly needs translating in either country. 

Everyone enjoyed toasting to a "Merry Christmas" and starting the holiday celebrations. We were thrilled that so many were able to join us in the merriment and vowed to make this an annual tradition.


We have just decided to live in Germany permanently and we look forward to increasing our guest list to include all of the wonderful people we have yet to meet.  This party was so successful that we both agreed that we need to entertain these lovely people on many more occasions in the future.  


One of my friends came up to me and said that he had taken Salsa lessons and knew one of the gals my husband knew from that class.  Munich is a large city of at least one million people so the chances that two people at our party had both taken the same salsa class was rather remarkable to us and made for a great ice breaker.

 Some of the guests who were lucky enough to find a seat!

Have a blessed holiday and may your life always be filled with good friends and laughter!