Giving Thanks

Since Thanksgiving is an American holiday, everyone in France, including my family, was at work, school and going about their normal day last Thursday. The American expat community and friends celebrate with a community dinner the Sunday following Thanksgiving, so I decided that we would join them and have Thanksgiving dinner then.

Several American mothers were asked to come in and speak to the English classes for the French students to explain some of the ways we celebrate Thanksgiving and why. I spoke to a group of 3rd graders and explained how my family celebrates Thanksgiving today. I told them about how my family was gathering with aunts and uncles and cousins to share a large feast with wonderful dishes like, turkey, sweet potatoes, dressing and greens and more. For us it is a special occasion and we take time to tell each other what we are truly thankful for. We also pray together and thank God for his blessings. After questions were answered, we served pumpkin pie and the children sang a cute song about not wanting to be a turkey. (I had never heard it before, but I guess it was about Thanksgiving)

Leaving the school, I begin to think about all of the wonderful memories that I had of Thanksgiving, of family and friends back home and I decided to fix a meal for the family. As everyone started coming home, they were surprised to find me in the kitchen baking turkey, mashing potatoes, cooking cabbage (I still can't find greens here!) and preparing to bake a sweet potato pie. Daniele was the most surprised of all. I didn't think she cared as much, but then again, this is her last Thanksgiving at home before college. I was really glad I changed my mind and cooked dinner. Sitting around the table for the first time all week with the entire family was a blessing and we shared with one another what we were thankful for. We all have so much to be grateful for.

Here are some pictures from our community dinner last Sunday.

Father and son fishing

John and Preston have been long overdue for some father and son time, so Preston took him fishing last weekend. They went to a local lake that also has a stocked pond with trout. This was John's 1st time fishing, so it was a real treat. They left early in the morning and were back by mid afternoon with 8 large trout! I was impressed that they were so big! Icouldn't wait to taste the catch. Preston and John cleaned the fish and fried it for us for lunch the next day. The pictures say it all, It was great!

Le Puy en Velay

Le Puy en Velay is known for its lentils, lace and green liqueur, Vervaine, as well as for having a medieval renaissance festival once a year. The festival is called Le Roi de L'oiseau or the Bird King festival. Each year the locals as well as visitors dress in medieval costume and the entire town is transformed to medieval times. There were peasants and street musicians as well as people in velvet gowns attending parties and dancing. Lauren had a costume from last school year and John had a sword, so they were ready to participate. Preston tried to rent costumes for the rest of us, but thankgoodness they were all rented out! I was perfectly content to walk around and observe.



In the past, the festival centered around the Bird King contest. The person that shoots the most birds with a bow and arrow would be crowned Bird King and would not have to pay taxes for the year. Although the contest is still held as part of the festival, they shoot targets instead of birds and the prize is no longer free taxes. Believe me, Preston asked.


It was great to walk around the cobblestones and see the women washing in the fountain or hand making lace. We watched several exhibitions at the base of the cathedral and sampled the local food. We ate fruit pies, crepes and drank hypocrat, a spiced wine. Of course we had lentils and a verveine flavored dessert for dinner at a quaint little restaurant. It was a fun day for all of us, especially John and Lauren. They had a great time pretending to be a lady and a knight. John didn't have a complete costume, so we bought him a few pieces before the night was over.

We had such a great time this year that I hope that we can go back to the festival again. I might even go all out and rent costumes for the whole family!

Just Don't Quit!!!

I bet you think we have lost our minds, climbing in the trees like that! I can hear my mom saying now, "Just because some French people climb trees, does that mean that you have to too. So if they start jumping off bridges...." We actually had a really great family day. It was John's birthday and we wanted to do something, well, different.

We went to Parc Ecureuil or Park Squirrel, just outside of Clermont. Now I have NEVER been on a ropes course in my life, but I was willing to give it a try. After a brief explanation, in french, and a short walk through of how to connect our harness to the ropes, we were off, ON OUR OWN, to climb. There were patrols stationed throughout the park, but basically you were on your own. The first course we did was a green level course that all of us were old enough and tall enough to handle. It was about 3 to 6 feet off of the ground and not too challenging once we got the hang of it. The first time we went through it took us about 30 minutes to complete it. You begin each section of the course by connecting yourself with two hooks to the upper rope. Each time you move from one section to another, you must unhook your harness, one hook at a time, and reconnect to another rope. The entire time you are connected to a rope and standing on either another rope or a platform or something. Believe me, you are secure! Once we convinced ourselves of that, the second time we completed the same course in about 10 minutes! There is nothing like knowing what to expect next. Even the zip-line at the end was not as bad the second time around.

After lunch, we allowed Lauren and John to climb the orange, childrens' course twice. It was a nice break for us big people and enough of a challenge of them. Lauren had a tough time swinging into a rope configuration that looked like a spiderweb. She was really scared, but we told her, "Just don't quit", and she did it! John's problem was not being scared enough. He would not slow down. He actually slipped and scratched his leg on one of the parts because he was trying to run! But like I said, it was very secure and he was connected to the upper rope the entire time. He thought he was spiderman and really enjoyed the ropes course.

Well, Daniele, Maya, Preston and I decided that we would do the Blue course. This was the course after the "easy" green and we knew that we didn't want to do the red or the black courses. Surely we could handle the green since it is rated for 11 year olds! First of all we started 10 to 15 feet off of the ground and I am sure we went as high as 20 feet! That is high when all you have is a couple of hooks connecting you to a rope! Although you know that you can't fall, it sure looks and feels like you can! That little tarzan swing that Lauren had was nothing compared to the one we had. You could not just lean over and grab the next, you had to swing. Let me tell you, there was a lot of jungle calling and screams that day. To make it worst, there was a group of young kids impatiently waiting on us at every station. There really is no way to pass one another, so they had to wait. We were not going to get through this course in 10 minutes! Each part got progressively challenging and we seemed to get higher in the trees! At one point, Maya would not move. She wanted to get down, but there was no way to get down. She had to finish the course. So we all had to encourage her and talk her through each stage. We just kept saying to her, "Just don't quit!" She took her time and although she was scared, she did it. By the time we got to the last station, the zip-line, we were so happy to see the end, we jumped on it with no hesitation. Needless to say, we didn't do THAT course again!

At the end of the day, I was very proud of everyone in the family. Not only did we have fun, but we tried something very different and challenging and we met our challenge! I reminded the children that sometimes life is like that ropes course. It can be scary and challenging, but God is our harness and no matter how difficult things get, we can't fall. We will finish what we have started if we Just Dont Quit!

Celebrating 15 years of marriage!

I can't think of a more romantic place in the world to celebrate my 15th wedding anniversary than here in France. Preston and I were able to spend 3 nights and 4 days in the Atlantic Loire region of France without the children! We are so grateful to our good friends Matthew and Kim for staying with the children while we were away. We had a wonderful time just relaxing. We went to Chateau de la Bretesche in Missiallac, France. It is a resort with a beautiful chateau and several other amenities like a lake and 18 hole golf course. Cooler fall weather was starting so it was the perfect temperature to be outdoors. We were able to take leisurely bike rides and relaxing walks around the property. Although we did not stay in the privately owned chateau, we were able to "visit" it. Actually, the official tour season was over, but the hotel receptionist told us that if we happened see the gate open, then we could just go in. Fortunately we were able to get in, but we were only able to see the inner courtyard. Just seeing the outside of the chateau was impressive enough. It was beautiful. There was also a spa in the hotel were we both enjoyed spa treatments and sitting by the indoor pool.

The main idea I had for this getaway was relaxation, but we also enjoying eating great food. We really enjoyed the Michelin 1star restaurant on site. For two nights we enjoyed long leisurely meals with at least 4 courses and wines to match. The area has some of the best seafood so we also went to the nearby coastal town Le Croisic, France. There we enjoyed more basic, but just as delicious foods like mussels and fries. The weather was great the entire weekend so we did a lot of driving to see the landscape of this region that is so different. This part of france is marshy and where a lot of sea salt is gathered by hand. We also visited a village that showcased thatched roof houses that are popular in this region. I purchased a few pieces of pottery that was locally made too. On the way home Sunday, we stopped in the Loire region to visit one of the most famous chateaux in france, the Chambord. It was very impressive on the outside.

It was a wonderful getaway with a theme of rest and relaxation and we certainly accomplished our goal. I am looking forward to more adventures in the coming years and I am very grateful for our wonderful marriage.

C’est la rentrée!

C’est la rentrée or It's the re-entry, is a term used in France to indicate the official first day of school.  The first day of school is the same day all over the country and this year it was September 2, 2009.  While every school aged child in France returns to school, it is also the time when most of France returns to work after the month long August vacation.  

It was a literal re-entry for us as well since this is our 2nd year here in France.  I guess I feel like a sophomore.  I kind of know what to expect.  I know which grocery stores I prefer and where to buy school supplies.  I know lots of families at the school and most of the teachers.  I have a doctor and vet and I know lots of good restaurants!  So I can help "freshmen" with lots of questions figure things out.  But there is a lot that I still need to learn about life here in France and a lot more French language to learn.

Preston has hit the ground running and has had several trips already and many more scheduled for the rest of the year.  Fortunately he enjoys his job and is doing well at it.  But we are so busy during the week with homework and activities that it is not so bad when he is away.  Besides, we still have weekends together as a family.  Preston and I were able to take off for a few days alone and celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary, September 10th.  More about that trip in the next blog!

Lauren and John are actually taking more French this year, but they don't seem to mind.  The only subject that they have in English now is English grammar class.  So science, math and social studies are completely in French this year.  They didn't lose much french over the summer and both are doing well in their classes.  In fact, I was trying to speak French with Lauren at dinner and she tells me in French, "Mama, I don't understand what you are saying in French because your accent is so bad!"  Like I said, I have a few more things to learn about French.

Maya has had a great start to school as well.  She has joined the choir at school and this year she has decided to take guitar lessons.  She is very excited and can't wait until she can sing and play some of the songs that she has written.  

This is Daniele's last year of high school (sniff, sniff) and she will be returning to the states in August 2010 to begin college.  I am so happy that she is able to have this experience.  Attending school in Europe has given her many great opportunities.  Last year she attended Harvard University Model United States Congress in Brussels, Belgium.  And this year Daniele has already been on one fieldtrip to London, England.  She went for 1 week with 30 other 9 -12th grade students for a bi-annual school trip to experience the London Theatre.  They saw 5 plays or musicals, visited Oxford University, the Natural History Museum, and many other monuments.  She loved London so much, that she thinks she wants to move there in a few years!  

But, the biggest change for me this sophomore year is that I will rentree or re-enter a traditional college setting in order to pursue more in depth French language study.  That's right!  I am going back to school after 13 years!  I will take 15 hours of French class per week.  My goal is to accelerate the pace of learning basic French grammar in order to use it in conversation.  I start class October 12th.  I am a bit nervous and I know I will be very busy, but I also know that I will get a lot more exposure to the language and will learn it faster.  That is still one of my personal goals, conversational French.  

Here are some of our pics from the first days of school and Daniele's London trip.

Going back home

This summer, the children and I decided to return home to the US for 7 weeks.  We had not been home for 10 months!  The children were ready to see friends, eat at IHOP and just relax for the entire summer without speaking French.  Preston had work responsibilities until August, then he would be off for one month.  That's right, ONE MONTH.  August is the month when the entire country of France is on vacation!  Just about everyone in France is off of work.  Stores are closed and services are very limited during this time.  Basically, you can't get anything done, so you might as well go on vacation too!  Vacation time is one of the many benefits of living here in France.

Since we had not been home for almost a year, we wanted to see everyone we could, eat everything we missed in France and catch up on our tv shows.  For the past year, the only shows that we really watched were the ones that we could find on Youtube.  Although we have CNN broadcast in english and many popular US tv shows are dubbed in French, it is not the same.  I mean, the joy of watching tv is that it is mindless entertainment.  And watching depressing world events or translating old episodes of "Friends" or "My Wife and Kids" is not mindless!

So with our mission clearly stated, we began our summer "vacation."  Here are the numbers:

7 weeks

13 cities

Jackson, Mississippi

Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Atlanta, Georgia

Orlando, Florida

Irmo, South Carolina

Greenville, South Carolina

Albemarle, North Carolina

Charlotte, North Carolina

Milledgeville, Georgia

Byron, Georgia

Hilton Head, South Carolina

Dominican Republic

Edisto Beach, South Carolina

And tons of friends and family!

WHEW!!!!  It was a full schedule, but we enjoyed it!  We ate at the Cheesecake Factory (no cheesecake in France), Carrabas, PF Chang's, Monterey's Mexican, Chick-fil-a (several times), Bone Fish, Zaxby's, Cracker Barrel (no big breakfast places in France), Hyman's seafood (shrimp poboys) and finally IHOP.  There were several other resturants that we visited, but these were the restaurants that we missed the most.  However, the foods that I really missed were the homemade dishes.  BBQ ribs and chicken, macaroni and cheese, fried Misssissippi catfish, greens, lowcountry shrimp boil, shrimp and grits, cornbread, homemade pound cake!  MMMMMMMM....these are the dishes that cannot be found in France!  It tasted so good to be home! 

As far as friends and family, we were really blessed by how many people we were able to see!  I was able to catch up with high school and college friends.  We visited our old neighbors and church family in North Carolina.  In Columbia, we were able to participate in VBS at our church and attend Sunday as well as Wednesday night service.  The children were able to hang out with their school and neighborhood friends.  It was soooooo good to see people and be welcomed back with open arms.  Here are a few pictures of the people and places that we visited.

We were also able to take one week to spend with our individual friends alone.  Preston went to the Dominican Republic with college friends, I went to Charlotte, NC with long time girlfriends, Daniele stayed with her best friends in Columbia, SC, Maya and Lauren stayed with the Bower's Family in Columbia, SC and John went to Hilton Head, SC with his best friend.  We spent our final week in the US at the beach in Edisto Beach, SC.  I really do miss the warm water and the sand of SC beaches.  It was a great way for us to relax before returning to France.  My parents, my sister Lea and her family, my sister Jocelyn and my brother Lee joined us for the last weekend to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary.  It was the perfect way to end our summer vacation.

But as much fun as we had, we will NOT do this next year!  We were blessed to have this opportunity to see everyone, but we were worn out!  In fact, before the end of our tour, all of the children were ready to go home.... to France!  Finally, they were calling France home.  So, the long visit back to the US accomplished many things.  We were able to see some of our favorite people, eat some great American foods and visit some of our favorite places.  But most importantly, we were gone long enough to miss our lives in France.  We were ready to go back home.

London

Just before we went to the US for our summer break, we spent the last weekend in June in London. Fortunately there was a heat wave in London at the time, so it really didn't rain much. In fact we had sunshine and the "heat" was very mild compared to the humid heat of the southern US. We had perfect weather for our quick overview of the city. Honestly we could have stayed an entire week because there is so much to see. We took a double decker bus tour and saw many famous sights like Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus (a big square like Times Square) and Big Ben. We didn't get to see the palace guards with the big hats since it was not a day for the changing of the guard ceremony, but I took a picture of the guards on horseback.

However, the highlight of the trip was seeing the musical "Wicked". This was the first musical that we had attended as a family and we loved it! It was the "untold" story of the "wicked" witch of the west. As I watched the lead played by a young, black English girl, I couldn't help but think about Maya being on stage one day, somewhere in the world.

As far as the food goes, we were told that there is great Chinese food in London. So we ventured to China town and had peking duck. Delicious! Of course we had fish and chips with green peas. It was a short trip, but very sweet and the perfect start for our summer vacation.

June 2009, a very busy month!

Here are two links to Youtube videos of my talented children. They all worked really hard to prepare for these performances with their classes. Let us know what you think!

Video of John and Lauren at Kermasse

Video of Maya's choir concert

The past few weeks, we have been really busy with end of the year activities at school, church and everywhere else. We had a choir concert, Kermasse (school carnival), and our church picnic. Clermont's professional rugby team, ASM, also made it to the French rugby finals and that event was a huge game and party. This was the same weekend that we had visitors from the states, shout out to the Bowers' Family. Whew! I am tired from just writing all of that! I have also been to garden parties and birthday parties, all the while doing my regularly scheduled activites. Daniele and Maya also had final exams, talk about a busy schedule! But we had such a great time with our friends, showing them our new home and city and of course taking them to Paris and back in one day! Thank you so much for visiting!

Although things are busy and a bit crazy, the hardest part of June is saying good bye to friends that won't be returning next year. Since there are so many people from around the world that live here temporarily, every June is filled with goodbye parties for many families that have become apart of the community. In 10 short months, I can say that we have gotten close to several families that will be leaving. So it is with this life, but we are thankful for the experience and the time that we have had with these wonderful families. Here are a few pictures from over the last few weeks. I plan to continue posting blogs during the summer, but hopefully I will see most of you during our US tour!

Another long weekend

For this past long weekend, we stayed home.  I wanted us to take a break from all of the road trips and visit more of the sites in and near Clermont.  As much as I love to travel, I needed a break, or at least a chance to rest before the big summer trip back to the states in June.

So Thursday, we went to the Michelin Museum, L'aventure Michelin, located here in Clermont-Ferrand. We really enjoyed learning more about the history of the company and the innovations it has contributed to the tire industry. The children had a great time because most of the displays were interactive and written in French and English.  Preston was able to show us some of what he has done over his 14 year career with Michelin. A friend of ours, Laurie, was also with us for the visit to the museum.  I could only take pictures in the lobby, but the museum is really quite impressive and well worth a visit.

We took a day trip on Saturday to the Dordogne Region, about 2 and 1/2 hours south of Clermont. We specifically went to the Gouffre de Padirac. The drive was beautiful and the weather was perfect. We drove through cute villages and winding roads along the French country side.  We were almost to our destination when we ran into a traffic jam of sorts.  As we were coming around a corner, the road was completely blocked by sheep moving from one pasture to another.  It was fun to watch the sheepherders and the sheep dogs try to move the herd up the road.

Finally we reached the Gouffre de Padirac.  A gouffre is a large chasm.  It was enormous!  We took the stairs all the way down.  Once you descend, you go to the underground part where there is a lake whose only source is rain water.  A river flows underground as well. We did part of the tour by boat and part on foot. There are huge stalagtites and stalagmites, made from the water depositing calcium over the years.  It was fascinating because there is no natural light, therefore no vegetation.  Our tour was in French, but our guide said that she would also do it in English.  Well her English is like my French, very basic.  So she would go on and on about some interesting facts and the group would nod or laugh.  Then she would turn to us and say one sentence like, "This is a lake of rain water".  Fortunately, my comprehension of French is better than my speaking, so I got most of what she was saying in French.  But at least she tried to speak English.  Again I couldn't take pictures once inside, but I scanned a picture that we purchased of us on the boat.  Although there was an elevator, we decided,  ok I decided, that we would take the stairs back up. We rewarded the children with icecream afterwards.

We then drove on to Rocamadour, France. It is a city built into the rock. It was fantastic! We started our tour at the top, walking down to the village. After a little shopping, we walked up to the cathedral.  In medieval times, many religious people made a pilgrimage to this city because it is believed that a man who knew Jesus and witnessed the deaths of Paul and Peter was a hermit in this area.  There had been reports of miracles and healings.  It is still the 2nd most visited religious site in France.  Again, an elevator was available, but I decided that we should continue up another set of stairs to the castle on top.  By this time, my children were really tired of me and my effort to add exercise to our entertainment (exer-tainment!) by walking up so many steps throughout the day.  But they survived and we had a great day and a lovely weekend close to home!

Hiking into Puy de Pariou

Since we have been here in France, one thing is obvious, French people are very active outdoors. Here in the Auvergne Region, we are surrounded by beautiful volcanoes and national parks just outside of the city. The weather is very agreeable for outdoor activities as well. We are in the middle of May and there are still cool breezes in the air. It is not hot and humid like in South Carolina. But the warm weather is not the only time when French people enjoy physical activities outside. When it snows, many people enjoy skiing or snowboarding. Now that it is warmer, more and more people are on bikes, taking walks and jogging. There are many trails just outside of the city with clearly marked paths for all levels. And get this, it is May and there are no bugs! Mosquitoes are one thing that I don't miss about the South.




Daniele and I walk most days for about 45 minutes for exercise and Preston has purchased a new toy, a road bike. He pretty much does this without the family since I am not much of a cyclist and the kids are too embarassed to be seen with him in his outfit!






Sundays are very popular days for family activities like hiking the nearby volcanoes. So, this past Sunday, we climbed our first volcano and had a picnic lunch in the crater. Puy de Pariou is a dormant volcano and is apart of a chain of volcanoes here in the Auvergne region of France. It took us about an hour and a half to climb to the top and descend into the crater for our picnic spot. I was very excited about the hike, but the children were a bit reluctant. We were all out of breath by the time we got to the top, but it was worth it. The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze in the air. In fact, the higher we climbed the cooler it got. We had to put on jackets once we reached the top. It was a challenge for us, but we are all glad that we did it! The view was excellent and eating lunch in a volcano? How cool is that!

Later Sunday night, we went to a very good restaurant in the village of Chateaugay called Le Vigosche. It was excellent. The specialty of the restaurant is local food from the Auvergne Region. Auvergne food is typical french country food meaning lots of meat, potatoes and cheese. We loved the Truffade salad which is potatoes and cheese, with bits of bacon. Preston had the duck made with peaches and I had fish. The house dessert is the Pain perdu aux pommes caramel which is French toast, apples and caramel. Delicious! The restaurant atmosphere was lovely and very family friendly, including a children's menu. We had a wonderful French dinner and a fantastic day!

Mother's Day, Fête des Mères

I have been intrigued by her every since I saw her from a distance soon after we arrived here 10 months ago. We have passed her on several trips, but have never taken the time to stop. She is only about 15 minutes outside of Clermont, near the village of Veyre-Monton. So two weeks ago, we decided to go see her up close...the Vierge de Monton. It is the biggest statue of Virgin Mary that I have every seen! I don't know why, but I love it! It is white and sits on top of a hill. She is holding baby Jesus in one hand. I guess I like it number one because it is so big, it cannot be ignored. Secondly, it reminds me of Jesus' humanity and diety in one when I think of her and His conception.

As I prepare to celebrate Mother's Day twice, May 10th in the US and June 7th in France, I think about what kind of mother Mary must have been. The struggles that she went through as she cared for, taught and nurtured her son, the son of God. She must have had wonderful expectations of him, her 1st born. Did she ever think that maybe he would be a great king or a great leader loved by all, instead of him being crucified and mocked? Did she ever think of his future and imagine a wife for him and the grandchildren that they would give her instead of the short 33 years of his earthly life? Or did she always have the insight and wisdom to know that his ultimate sacrifice would be the salvation of the world?

I believe that Mary was a great mother and his biggest cheerleader. She believed in her son and trusted God with her life and his. She was able to let Jesus be the man that God intended him to be, not the son of her dreams. She was not an overbearing presence in the bible, but she certainly was an important part of Jesus' life. As I raise my children to go on to do great things for God, my prayer is that God's will be done in their lives, not my will. I pray that I may be an important part of their lives, their biggest cheerleader and supporter, but never a hinderance to their call by God and the plans that he has for them. Mother's Day is a great time for me to reflect on the importance of my call to care for, love and nurture the children that God has given to me.

Paris with Paula

Paula enjoyed her 3 days in Clermont and they were very relaxing. After shopping, eating and recuperating from our Barcelona trip, it was time to go to Paris. Paris is a beautiful city and is full of history and great things to do. Since this was Paula's first time in Paris and she didn't know when she would ever return, we tried to see everything. We saw the Eiffel Tower, a Moulin Rouge show, took a boat tour along the Seine, saw Notre Dame cathedral, did the Louvre in 1 hr, saw the Arc de Triomphe and walked down the Champs d'Elysess in 40 hours. I think we set a personal record!

When we first arrived in Paris, we went straight to the Eiffel Tower. Afterwards, we had dinner and then we went to the hotel. Paula, Preston and I were going to the Moulin Rouge late show. We didn't take the children, but we could have since the minimum age is 6.  When we arrived for the 11 pm show, there was a line around the corner and up the block.  People were dressed up for an evening out to a cabaret show.  It is a Las Vegas style show with singing and dancing in elaborate, revealing costumes.  There were probably 60 women and 10 men in the production.  Everything was in French, so I am not quite sure what the show was about.  In between some of the dancing, there were three different acts, a juggler, a vantrilloquist and acrobats.  Before it was over, they did the famous French can-can, but they didn't sing the Lady Marmalade song!  

The next day we took a Navette batobus  on the Seine River for our transportation around Paris.  From the base of the Eiffel Tower, we sailed to other sights, first getting off at the Notre Dame.  This was my first time seeing the Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris and it was beautiful.  After lunch, we went to the Louvre. We got there a 5 pm and they closed at 6 pm. So we did the 1 hour tour. Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory, Napolean's coronation, and whatever we passed along the way. Finally, we took the batobus to the Arc de Triomphe and walked the Champs d'Elysees. We were exhausted. Sunday morning Paula's plane left and we returned home to Clermont. It was a great springbreak. But I needed a vacation after this vacation!

Barcelona, Baby!!!

WARNING:  This is a long blog with a 7 min video at the end.  What can I say, it was my 1st trip to Spain!

Throughout this blog, I have links to many of the pages that I researched to prepare for our trip. Just click on the highlighted and underlined words for more information.

As you can see from the pictures in the previous blog, Spring break, it was rainy and cloudy, but that would not stop us from having a good time. We just grabbed our umbrellas, hats, rainjackets and kept it moving. There was so much to see. Barcelona is the capital of a region know as Catalonia. In fact, people in that portion of Spain speak Catalan and Spanish. The area is so beautiful, close to the sea and the mountains. It has inspired many artist and some of Spain's most famous artist come from this area.

Antoni Gaudi was a very unique architect and certainly ahead of his time. He was born in Catalonia and his architecture is known all over the world. His buildings are so creative and are works of art. His work gives Barcelona a look that is like no other city. As I began researching what to do and see in Barcelona, I learned at lot about the work of Gaudi. La Sagrada Familia, the church that Gaudi was commissioned to design, is a great example of Gaudi not following convention. It is very different and strange looking as far as churches go, but a sight to see none the less. It is also interesting that it was started in 1882, but has never been completed. The work continues as funds are raised through donations and tours.

Gaudi's buildings were built in the late 1800's and early 1900's and are Art Nouveau style. Other buildings that we saw were Casa Mila and Casa Batllo. I enjoyed the fantasy that Gaudi's work brings to the city and the boldness of his ideas. Parc Guell was my favorite display of Gaudi's work. The park overlooks the city and exhibits many structures, including Gaudi's personal house. Many musicians and artists were there entertaining and the park was full. It was a great day, with lots of sunshine and we really enjoyed listening to one instrument in particular, a wok-looking instrument called a Hang. We liked it so much, we the bought CD.

My next favorite part of Barcelona was Las Ramblas. We enjoyed rambling down Las Ramblas, a major street in Barcelona. Daniele, Paula and I enjoyed shopping for one of a kind jewelry, hand-made and hand painted pieces. Preston liked the art work and the street performers were plentiful. La Boqueria, a market on Las Ramblas was a great place to buy fresh fruit.

On Good Friday, while walking down Las Ramblas, we were able to see part of a processional of a religious brotherhood. This is a traditionl that is common throughout Spain. They were wearing the traditional Capirote, or cone shaped hood and robes. Unfortunately, the KKK stole the look from this catholic tradition. I am not sure why the brotherhood wears them on Good Friday. Nevertheless, the processional actually gives me something else to think of when I see hoods and robes now. Besides thinking of all the people that have been terrorized and killed because of hate, I can think of the brotherhoods that wear them on Good Friday in Spain and remember that Jesus died for me because of His love!

Easter Sunday was really rainy, so we stayed in and cooked a big breakfast in our apartment. Later that evening, we attended a flamenco show. We had great seats close to the stage and the children were captivated. The intensitiy and the passion of the dancers was evident. The show was held in a restaurant in Poble Espanyol, a display of spanish architectural replicas. We met up with two other expat families that we knew would be in Barcelona at the same time for the dinner and show. Friends, food and flamenco, a great way to end our time in Barcelona!

Tossa de Mar, Spain was our last stop before heading back to Clermont. It is a small village on the beach that has parts of its original 12th century wall in tact. We had lunch, walked along the beach and took lots of pictures. The weather was not warm enough to get into the water, but it was sunny. Instead of sand on the beach, there were actually tiny pebbles. This was very different from South Carolina's sandy beaches and warm water.

Well, after all that reading, here is the video.  You can also see it fullscreen on Youtube by clicking the following link to "Barcelona, Baby!"

Spring Break

For springbreak, the children were out of school for 2 weeks. We decided to take one week to travel since Preston was off as well. Preston's sister, Paula, was also on springbreak, so she met us in Barcelona. She would be our 1st family member to visit us! She found a great price on a ticket from Newark, NJ to Barcelona and from Paris back to Newark. This way, we would spend the first 5 days in Barcelona, 3 days in Clermont, and the last 2 days in Paris.

So, we put the 7th seat back into the car, packed a barf-bag kit for John and headed south. On the way down we crossed Viaduct de Millau, the tallest vehicular bridge in the world. It is taller than the Eiffel Tower and it was impressive. The scenery was different in this part of France, the Languedoc region. It is amazing how different the landscapes are in every region of France, considering this is a small country. Each mountain range has a different look as well. God is so creative! We stopped for lunch then continued our trip, crossing the Pyrenes Mountains, into Spain. Our next stop was Barcelona, baby!

When you visit, be prepared to bring stuff!

Ok, technically, Gigi is our 1st visitor. But we have had several of our friends to see us here in France and even one family member, all associated with Michelin. They have been a great support to us and certainly we are glad to see familiar faces from time to time. We have had the pleasure of having many meals with friends who can relate to working and living in Clermont. In fact, Preston is out entertaining some of our visiting friends/Michelin people tonight. One of the great things about them coming is that they often bring us much missed goodies from the states like:

Little Debbie Honeybuns for Lauren
Carmex chapstick for Maya
Aunt Jemima syrup and Pancake mix for John
Ebony, Essence, O, Time, etc. Magazines and Twizzlers for Me
Grits, Texas Pete Hotsauce and Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce for Preston
Spree candy, Wheat Thins and Jergens Lotion for Daniele
HP Ink for our printer

Preston's cousin Shon even gave Preston his 1st haircut here back in September. Ever since, Preston has been doing it himself!



Although we have found suitable substitutes for many things, there are just somethings that there is no substitute for. Thank you Shon, Steve, Shelia and Brian for all that you have done so far. I look forward to your next assignment here and our next "package."

Our First Visitor!

Thank you so much Gigi "Trailblazer" Campbell for spending a wonderful week with us in March. It was our pleasure to host you here in Clermont and to discover parts of Paris with you as well. We spent 2 days in Paris visiting the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Sacre Coeur and other sites. We were too excited to have a familiar face with us. Having Gigi here was like a little bit of home. She even brought us gifts from our church family in Columbia. We really miss you guys too!!! Gigi was a great guest, trying new foods, going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and driving the countryside around Clermont with me. We had lunch with some of my friends and did a little shopping in Paris as well. See, we know how to treat guests right and we are looking forward to many more visitors, hint, hint! Here are some of the pictures from Gigi's visit to Paris.

The visit was great, but the icing on the cake was a surprise party for my 3?th birthday!
Preston is a very thoughtful husband and he enlisted one of my friends here to help him pull off the party. I wanted to have a party so I picked a date, planned a menu and wrote a guest list. But with everything going on, I decided to just have lunch with friends. Well Preston took it upon himself to throw the party for me. It was good to get together with adult friends and celebrate! I was able to spend time with people that have really helped me adjust to life here. I call them my France survival team. Kim and Paula were not able to make it to the party and were really missed! I really appreciate my new friends for their prayers, coffee talks, lunches and for those that are French, their expertise with the language! I am looking forward to many more adventures with you ladies.

Preston goes to Asia!

Preston had the opportunity to go to Asia on business last month. In fact he was in China on his birthday. He was in Shenyung, China for a week and then he travelled to Thailand for a week. He had a great time in both countries, but he really enjoyed Thailand. In fact, I wouldn't mind a visit to Thailand with in the next few years. The pictures were amazing!

Listen to me! Vacation in Thailand?!! That is certainly a new thought, but I am so grateful for the amazing opportunities that we have had in the last few months. Our horizons have been expanded and our expectations have been exceeded!!! God is so good!

China Pictures:

Thailand Pictures:

Maya is 12!

Maya had a wonderful 12th birthday sleepover. There was a total of 6 girls including Maya. Of course there was pizza for dinner (Domino's!) and the highlight was the Bon-bon cake. It was a two-tier "cake" made only of Maya's favorite candy! I ordered it from the candy store near the school. She loved it! The next morning for breakfast, Preston and I made a traditional American breakfast complete with pancakes, bacon and eggs. Thanks to Shelia, we had pancake mix and syrup from the states! Shelia comes to France every quarter for business and always brings us treats The most requested items have been honeybuns, wheat thins, pancake mix, syrup, lotion, hair products and most importantly, magazines!!!

Now one of my good friends called me crazy for having the sleepover, but honestly it was the easiest one yet. I was a little nervous because we live in an apartment on the 3rd floor. I made arrangements for John and Lauren to stay with friends, so I had 2 less to worry about. I am not sure if it is the age of the girls or what, but these girls played quietly! I guess they are used to living in close quarters and know how to play quietly. However, I have noticed that people in France are generally more quiet than people in the US. In the movie theaters, restaurants, even outside, we are the loudest every where we go! So I guess American sleepovers are louder too, because our 1st French one was not!

Maya is really maturing into a beautiful preteen. She has made some really good friends with very different backgrounds. Maya is doing a lot better with her french and is still a top student in school. We are working on getting her more outlets for her singing, but she always has a song in her heart and she continues to sing all the time. I am very excited about what God is doing in her life as I watch her grow.

Carneval at Massillon

Last Thursday, the children had "Carneval" at school. They were allowed to dress up and have a parade for the parents. The kids had a great time dancing and playing in the courtyard. Sugar and nutella crepes were served for snacks. Here in France, crepes, beignets and bugnes are traditionally eaten during this time of year, Lent season. Most schools held parades on Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent begins. Our school, Ecole Massillon, decided to wait until mid-Lent to have its celebration because the weather is usually better. And it certainly was!

John was Superman and Lauren was a USA cheerleader. The event is mostly for the primary school children, but the secondary kids couldn't resist the party! Maya and Daniele were there to participate and do a little electric slide, macarana and chicken dancing!!! I love to dance, so I had a great time too!

Pictures from Italy, Winter break 2009

Preston has the opportunity to do a lot more traveling than he used to when we lived in South Carolina. In early February, he was in Italy for one week. It also happened to be the first week of winter break for the children, so we decided to join him on Wednesday and make a long weekend out of it. The children and I drove from Clermont to Cuneo, Italy, about 6 hours away . The first 45 minutes were great...then we ran into snow...then John threw up. Here I am in the middle on now where France, 5 hrs from my destination and John is car sick and it's snowing!

We pulled over at the next rest stop, cleaned John up and continued the rest of our journey. Fortunately, the snow stopped and John slept. We drove through the Alps and Italy without any more problems. The rest of the weekend was spent sight seeing, relaxing, eating great food, burning Preston's fingers ("Only in Italy") and enjoying my family. It happened to be Valentine's Day weekend, so many of the museums were free or reduced price. We were able to go to the Egyptian Museum (the 2nd largest in the world after Cairo) and the National Museum of Cinema. The Egyptian museum was excellent! The presentation of the beautiful artistry and skill of the Egyptians was superb. The children were excited because they were able to see things that they had read about. We also enjoyed the National Museum of Cinema because it showcased the history of film making, from moving pictures to the present technology.

Here are some pics from our trip. Daniele took some of the color shots and all of the black and whites. She really took some beautiful pictures.

International Short Film Festival

Every year in late January, Clermont-Ferrand is the host of the Festival du International Court Metrage which is an international short film festival. All over the city, venues show 2 hour sessions of short films (30 minutes or less) from all over the world. I was able to attend 2 of the sessions. The first one I attended was right next door to our apartment at the university. I went with the Chit chat group one morning while the children were in school. As a group, we had coffee first and then walked to the theatre. When we arrived, there was a long line to enter the theater and across the street, police had gathered in preparation for les greves.

I will take a minute now to try to explain "Les Greves". Les Greves is French for the strikes. Strikes are quite common all over France, including Clermont. They are usually well organized and have lots of participants. Honestly, I don't always understand why people strike here, but I know that they happen often, at least 2-3 times per month. Les Greves are when unions get together and protest certain conditions or policies. They are mostly peaceful demonstrations with signs, bullhorns, noisemakers and lots of people. Often if one group strikes, other unions will strike as well in support. The first time I saw the strikes was in October when the farmers were on strike. They brought cows, tractors and pickup trucks to the city and the bus and tram drivers were on strike to support them, making it difficult for people to get around the city. Anyway, this time the public university students were on strike against new policies put in place by French President Sarkozy. They put up lovely pictures depicting him as a criminal.



Back to the short film festival. We saw several International Films. Some were in English with French subtitles, some were in French and some were in other languges with French subtitles. They were actually pretty good and understanding the storylines was not very difficult. In fact, I had more trouble understanding the British English slang! I did better reading the French subtitles on that film. A few nights later, Preston and I went to see films from or about the continent of Africa . They were also very good. Other sessions were just for children and teens. Maya and Daniele both had fieldtrips to the festival. For 2 weeks, the entire city was full of people from all over the world presenting and watching the films. Well, the Court Metrage has inspired me to make a short film of my own entitled, "Only in Italy!!!" This past week we went to Italy for part of winter break. That is the setting for my first short film.

Enjoy!!!

I can't believe it has been 6 months!

One year ago this month, we told our children that we had accepted an opportunity for Preston to work in Clermont-Ferrand, France. The following are pictures from that breakfast.



The only reason why Daniele is not in the pictures is because she took them. We shared the news with her about 2 weeks earlier. And since she is such a caring big sister and budding photographer, she wanted to capture their raw emotions in pictures.

After months of preparation and anticipation, on August 19, 2008 we arrived in France with great expectation of our new way of life. Well, 6 months later, we have learned a lot about life in France. There is a difference between our Fantasy of what life here would be like, the Reality that we have experienced and the Dreams Come True . Here are our top 10...

#10
Fantasy: We already own the perfect dog! Prince is a French Poodle!
Reality: In France, what we call a Poodle is a called a Caniche. But in Prince's case, there is some dispute. 50% of the time someone comments on our cute Caniche and the other half of the time they say he is a lovely Bichon Frise. Given Prince's spotty past, this is no surprise! But that is another story. Let's just say they are probably all right!
Dream Come True: Either way, Prince loves France and France loves Prince! Everywhere we take him, he is very popular, especially after a haircut.

#9
Fantasy: We will learn about fine wine and cheese!
Reality: There are over 365 different varieties of cheese and approximately 11 different wine regions within France with thousands of different wines available.
Dream Come True: We know more now than we used to and we are having fun learning!

#8
Fantasy: We will learn about French food and French cooking!
Reality: I didn't like to cook before and I still don't like to cook.
Dream Come True: Preston does like to cook and has learned how to make Confit de Carnard (duck). We have purchased and used a raclette (similar to fondue) and we have tried escargot and frog legs! Of course Preston has not given up his love of BBQ!



#7
Fantasy: We will eat French bread and croissants daily!
Reality: We eat French bread daily and croissants once a week.
Dream Come True: We live less than 2 minutes walking distance from a GREAT bakery!

#6
Fantasy: We will travel every weekend to cool places in France!
Reality: We sleep in on Saturdays just like we did at home.
Dream Come True: We take advantage of the long school breaks (2wks off every 6 wks!) to visit the surrounding area and other countries like Italy and Germany. Very cool!

#5
Fantasy: My children will attend a Bilingual International School and have lots of new friends!
Reality: The younger children have made lots of new friends. There are a lot more students in the primary section of the international school than in the secondary school. In fact, there are 15 students in the international school grades 9-12 and only 5 international 11th graders. The International school is apart of a larger private French Catholic school, but Daniele doesn't have classes in French (see Fantasy #1).
Dream Come True: Daniele has emerged as a leader, helping with the student council and Variety show production. She is also more competitive academically. She will have the opportunity to attend Harvard University Model Congress in Brussels, Belgium in March with the school. And did I mention that every 6 weeks the kids get 2 weeks vacation!

#4
Fantasy: We will make lots of new French Friends!
Reality: As expats, most of our friends are expats as well.
Dream Come True: We have met people from all over the world, but it took moving to France to meet some really great South Carolinians!

#3
Fantasy: We will live in an apartment in the center of town.
Reality: Living in town is noisy, especially on weekends, and our 3rd floor apartment has no elevator.
Dream Come True: Our apartment is in a building that is probably over 100 years ago. I love the character of the building, the antique mirrors over the fireplace, the 6 in molding on the baseboards, the hardwood floors, the huge doors that open into the living room, I could go on and on. But as much as I love antiques, I love the new American kitchen!

#2
Fantasy: We will loose weight effortlessly since we are living a healthier lifestyle by walking more and not eating fastfood!
Reality: We have gained weight in pursuit of Fantasies #7, 8 and 9
! As far as the fastfood thing, did I mention we live 3 minutes walking distance from Subway? And you already know that we have McDonald's.
Dream Come True: We really do walk a lot more. I walk about an additional 40 minutes a day when I walk the children to school. Preston walks to work (about 40 min a day) We walk to the mall, French lessons, grocery store, everywhere we can.

#1
Fantasy: We will be bilingual in 6 months since we are immersed in French language.
Reality: If French is a pool of water, Daniele and I are still in the shallow end. We get about 6 hrs a week of French language class. Other than that, there are so many English speakers and French people that know a little English, we can get by. Maya is waist deep, she has about 3 classes that are completely French. Lauren and John are up to there necks in French, with half of each school day with French teachers and French as a 2nd language classes. And Preston is completely underwater. He not only works in French with his team, but he conducts workshops entirely in French.
Dream Come True: Preston really is bilingual. The rest of us are coming along. We really are understanding more and more everyday. In fact, our ability to speak and understand French helped us in Italy last week, where some people speak French as a 2nd language and not English!

The distance between our fantasy of France and the reality of life here is shortened by the unexpected blessings of our wildest Dreams Coming True!


Torino, Italy (Feb 2009)

Skiing 101

We decided that one of the things that we wanted to try while living here in France was skiing. Many people told us about how much more affordable and accessible skiing is in this area. Although we don't get snow on a regular basis in Clermont, we are about 45 minutes from beautiful areas in higher elevations that get great snow. Before Christmas, we went to Super Besse to rent skis for the season. We went with another family from SC that moved here a few months before we did. We had to rent the skis, ski boots, batons for everyone and helmets for the kids. By the time we dragged all of the gear to our van, we were exhausted. Afterwards, the kids had a ball playing in the snow. Even the dads joined in. The moms however, found a very cozy spot in a cafe to sip cocoa and cappuccino. Now that's my idea of fun!

The weeks following the ski rentals were spent gathering the necessary gear for skiing. Thermal gloves, ski socks, long underwear, fleece jackets, ski googles, ski pants, ski jackets, snow boots. I had no intentions on any of us getting cold. After several trips to the sporting goods store, we were ready!

Our 1st time out was January 17th. Unfortunately, Lauren was sick, so Daniele stayed behind and studied while the rest of us took our 1st lessons. We signed up for group lessons that include transportation to and from the slopes and lunch. We left at 8 and returned at 7 pm. All in all the day was successful. I only fell 3 times! And once was because Preston careened into me! Preston fell more than 3 times, but he made more progress than I did. Both John and Maya did ok. Learning anything new is frustrating. The hardest part for me was getting used to walking in the ski boots. Learning to get back up after falling with the skis on wasn't easy either.

The 2nd lesson was on January 23rd. This time the entire family was able to go. Again the boots were really heavy, but getting the skis on was easier and stopping was easier too. In fact, we were able to go to more difficult runs this time, still the baby slopes, though! Again it was frustrating. We were only able to stay for the morning session this time. And that was a good thing for me. I got a little ticked off at the instructor. He was a little too busy flirting with the new student and continued to rush me, the slowest student, along. At one point, the few "les gros mots" that I know came to mind! Preston stopped translating for the instructor after one of my dirty looks. I think I scared Preston.

So far, Lauren hates it, John is the best, Maya likes it ok, Daniele wants to try again, Preston is doing ok, and I am sitting here with my knee propped up because I think I pulled a muscle. I guess I am not as young as I used to be!

2 lessons down, 4 to go!

Proud to be an American in France!!!

The Inauguration of Barack Obama was celebrated around the world, including Clermont-Ferrand, France. We were invited to the home of another American family to celebrate. A good friend of ours and co-worker of Preston from the US was working in Clermont, so we invited her to come and watch as well. We all gathered around the tv as CNN International broadcast the entire event live and in English! The inauguration was shown live in French on another channel as well. What a great moment in the history of the US!

Christmas Day and the rest of the Break

This past week back to school/work was really hectic and I am just now getting around to posting pictures from Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and the remainder of our break. Christmas Day, we cooked a traditional meal with hame, chicken, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, greenbeans, peach cobbler and ice tea. Daniele helped with the cooking and everything was good.




A few days after Christmas, we were invited to have dinner with one of Preston's co-workers and his family. There we had a traditional French meal. First there were aperitifs and champagne. Escargots, oysters, and foie gras are very popular during the holidays. Later that evening we attended a gospel concert with Preston's co-worker and his wife, La Nuit du Gospel We had a great time.

The group was from New Orleans and sang a lot of traditional gospel songs. It was really good to hear familiar, spiritual songs. At first it started out like a concert, with most of the audience sitting. But it didn't take long for the music to move people to their feet. I was standing the entire time, singing along and praising God. Amazing Grace, Oh Happy Day, were just some of the songs. Most of the audience probably didn't understand the words or the ministry from the group, but they did enjoy the music and they knew it was the Gospel, the good news about Jesus. Afterwards, we got to meet the group and the band. I guess Preston got a little to caught up in the spirit and invited the entire group back to our apartment for dinner. He invited 12 people to our APARTMENT and it was almost midnight! Fortunately the group declined, but we had a great time hanging out.



New Year's Eve was pretty laid back. We brought in the New Year with 2 other American families. We decided to bring escargots. It was fun to see the reactions on everyone's face as they tried them.

Zurich, Switzerland Christmas Market

Zurich was the last stop on our tour. The city of Zurich was not our favorite. Let's just say it is not as family friendly as Rothenburg or Strasbourg and it was very expensive. The christmas markets were interesting as well. The first one we went to was outdoors in the historic part of town. It was very eclectic and had lots of vendors of things that were not Christmas, just the things you would find at the average flea market. However, I was able to find one ornament.



One highlight was our visit to Starbucks, but the best part of Zurich for us was the indoor Christmas market in the train station. It featured the largest indoor christmas market in Europe. On display was the most beautiful tree of our entire trip and I am sure the most expensive. It was decorated with 7000 Swarovski crystals of all shapes, sizes and designs. It was absolutely spectacular!

Zurich is certainly better suited for adults and couples. Later that evening, Preston and I enjoyed an adults night out with 2 other couples. We had a fantastic dinner at a Spanish Restaurant. The last morning of the trip was Christmas Eve and it was time to return home. We were looking forward to our first christmas dinner in France and a much needed rest at home. Yes, it's beginning to feel like home.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany part 2

There is more to Rothenburg than christmas markets. And since we stayed 2 days, we were able to visit museums and walk around town. The first museum that we toured was the old prison. We also visited the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum, a doll museum and museum about the history of German christmas traditions. But our favorite historic part of Rothenburg was to walk along the wall of the city. We had a great time imagining what it must have been like to patrol the city. One section of the wall even had canons in place. It was better than being at Disney!

There were lots of Americans visiting Rothenburg, so most of the merchants spoke English, always a plus when you don't know German. We could have stayed here another day, but we had one more stop to make to complete our Christmas market tour.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Visiting 3 markets in 5 days may sound like a lot of traveling, but this is not unusual when visiting Christmas markets. We even know of one family that visited 14 markets in 5 days!  What is amazing is that we visited 3 countries in 5 days!  Now this type of travelling is not particularly the way French people spend Christmas. They spend the break with family and friends, celebrating the holiday season.  But many American families like us travel during the break.  In fact we had dinner on 2 different nights with other families that were traveling. And with so many countries like Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Germany 4 -6 hours from Clermont, how could we stay home!



Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a beautiful little village in the Bavarian region of Germany. In fact, it inspired the village for Disney's Pinocchio movie.  We stayed in a family run hotel. The rooms were very nice and large and the staff was very helpful.  We stayed within the city and were able to walk to the Christmas markets and the other attractions.   Most of the streets are closed to cars to protect the cobblestone.  It is the perfect christmas village. The only thing missing was the snow.

The christmas market itself was smaller than the ones in Strasbourg. But the atmosphere was just as festive. And the food was better. It was love at first sight...the longest hotdog we had ever seen. I am not the biggest fan of hotdogs, but they were excellent. We also enjoyed another Rothenburg specialty, schneeballe (snow balls). They are a pastry that reminds me of a big sugar cookie. Kinderpunsch, warm juice, (either orange or grape) with cinnamon, was very good. As you can tell, Christmas markets are as much about the food as the gifts and the ornaments.

And speaking of ornaments. I found the largest ornament store, Kathe Wohlfahrt. This store was enchanting. If I wasn't in the Christmas mood before, now I was. There was even an artist on hand to customize our glass ornaments.



See my post Our Worst Christmas Tree Ever for more pics of my collection.