Ladenburg Snow
I awoke one morning and lo and behold, snow was covering the ground in Ladenburg, Germany. So I thought it'd be a great time to take my camera and tripod and take a few shots.
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Monday, January 5, 2009
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Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year's in Germany
Spending New Years in Germany was a trip. First of all, they have fireworks everywhere, but the odd thing being is that the large fireworks are not done by city professionals like they are in the States. Instead, every German lights their own full size fireworks wherever they want. This creates a very interesting atmosphere where one can spin 360 degrees and see fireworks everywhere one looks, creating a panaramic view of colorful lights. Oh, another interesting thing about German fireworks is that they purposely light fireworks towards you. This is freaking insane. The 6 of us were standing underneath the water tower enjoying some champagne and the German couple directly adjacent to us lights and throws a firecracker towards us. I think they eventually felt bad about it because they gave us a few large bottle rockets for our own enjoyment.
Another interesting thing we noted regarding the Germans is their lack of excitement for anything. They didn't count down to New Years, they didn't scream "Happy New Year", they didn't have kazoos, or poppers, or anything. All they did was light fireworks. The only way you could tell that it was midnight was by the increase in frequency of fireworks. That was it. No hoot and howler; no screaming "Frohes neues Jahr"; nothing. "Nope, we'll just light more fireworks. In the meantime, us Americans were in the corner yelling our heads off; counting down from 10 at the top of our lungs; giving each other hugs and toasting to 2009. It was very clear that the Germans were just...stoic.
Anyway, Cindy and I had a wonderful time and experience during the German New Year. It's simply wonderful to have such great friends with whom you can share these moments with.
From left to right: Diana (Fellow American soldier and neighbor of the Reeves), Stephanie, DJ, Jonathan (Stephanie's brother), Cindy, and Nick.
The adjacent Germans lighting off a large bottle rocket.
DJ showing Cindy how to properly light a German bottle rocket.Ladenburg, Germany
During a afternoon during the Holidays while Cindy was visiting, we decided to take a little photography walk around Ladenburg. The town is conveniently located next to the Neckar River which generates a great place to take some photos. Enjoy!
Look at the cute couple just walking down the pathway 
A landscape shot in a field adjacent to the Nickar River.
Christmas in Germany
The next best thing from spending the Holidays with the family is to spend it with friends! We were very fortunate to receive and invitation from such wonderful friends to spend Christmas and New Years in Germany. It's so great to have a real christmas tree, the smell of christmas baking, and decorations to adore the home. Among the creation of many sugar cookies and sweets were the assembly of the almighty doughnut snowmen. I've never made snow men from sugar doughnuts, and I'd have to say, it was quite fun. The snowmen ranged from faceless doddies to wheelchaired vixens to the infamous Abominable Snowman. Other festivities included a large Christmas dinner and trips to the German Christmas Markets.
A wheelchaired vixen made of delicious powerded doughnut holes and candies.
Everybody pitching in on the cookie decoration extravaganza.
Everybody sitting down for Christmas dinner.Heidelberg, Germany
So it's been a little while since we last published a post on our blog and the reason being that there was not much to take pictures of in the Netherlands. Seeing that we had friends from the States that are currently stationed at a US Army post in Germany, we delightfully spent the holidays in Ladenburg, Germany. Ladenburg is a quaint little village where Karl Benz, the father of Mercedes-Benz, first started making automobiles and built the first car garage. Our friends, DJ and Stephanie Reeves, live in a 3 bedroom apartment located inside a court surrounded by ancient Roman walls. Down the center of the court is a main street full of trinket shops and restaurants.
Ladenburg is located fairly close to the city of Heidelberg which was one of the only cities not bombed during WWII. During Christmas the city hosts Christmas market which is similar to a swap meet but with wooden booths and better items. There they sell all sorts of Christmas goodies and treats and you can also get Glühwein which is a spiced red wine served hot. They also sell lots of trinkets and all sorts of bratwurst.
One of the main attractions in Heidelberg is its castle. Heidelberg Castle sits on top of one of the surrounding mountains and has survived there since 1650 and is now a large tourist attraction.
Cindy and I sitting in one of the lower windows from Heidelberg Castle.
A view of one of the statues in a town square with Heidelberg Castle in the background.
A view down the main steet in downtown Heidelberg.View Slideshow
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