Gelukkig Kerstfeest!
Merry Christmas (just pretend that it's still Christmas, since I'm posting this late)!
We were excited to have my (Ruth's) family come visit us for our first Christmas overseas. Derek, my brother, had spent the fall back-packing through Africa and finished his trip with us in Amsterdam. My parents and sister joined us two weeks later. To fully immerse ourselves in the Christmas festivities, we took a train to Cologne, Germany where the Christmas markets are in full swing. Every city in Germany hosts it own Christmas markets, which essentially are hundreds of outdoor booths that sell handmade items and the tastiest street food! Imagine the aromas of hot chestnuts, sugared almonds, grilled sausages among many others. We especially enjoyed the spiced wine, gulwein, a great way to keep warm while strolling the different booths. There were six different Christmas markets in Cologne itself, and the most impressive one was in the main square right in front of a Cathedral.
Katie & Ruth browsing
The main market in front of the Cathedral
Brent enjoying his sausage and potatoes.
He looks sad, but he's just serious about how good it is.
You can almost make out the smoke coming through his mouth
Christmas itself was pretty low-key, which isn't a bad thing. We attended a Christmas eve service at the church Brent and I have been attending. Our congregation has met at that church building continuously since 1607! They are affiliated with the Church of Scotland, so it was interesting to sing Christmas carols to completely different tunes than the ones we are familiar with.
We also started a new tradition of a Christmas eve day boat ride. It was more than a little cold, but a wonderful way to show off our new hometown.
Brrr!!
The day after Christmas we were off once again. This time to Prague in the Czech Republic. Prague was the only Central European capital to escape the bombs of the last century's wars, so it is well preserved. Looming atop the main hill is Prague Castle, the roost of Czech rulers for over a thousand years. It's huge and is considered to be biggest castle on earth. At the Castle is St. Vitus Cathedral which was built over 600 years starting in 1344.
St. Vitus
Prague is known as the golden city of 100 spires. Easy to see why- there are churches everywhere. We went into so many churches, we couldn't keep track of them all. Many of them were Baroque in style- so over the top.
St. Nicholas Church
The overall beauty of Prague is enhanced by its location, nestling on a sweeping bend in the river Vltava and dominated by a hill crowned with its huge castle and St. Vitus Cathedral. A classic, picture-postcard view that cannot fail to impress.
View of the city from the monastery
We visited a working monastery in Prague with some amazing treasures within its wall! There is a Cabinet of Curiosities that holds the remains of the now extinct Dodo bird. Trust me, it's grossly weird looking. They also have a library that holds over 160,000 old and rare volumes. In the picture below, at the end of hall, is a golden cage near the ceiling. In it was kept prohibited books. Only the abbot had the key, so you had to get his blessing to read these dangerous books- including works by Nicolas Copernicus and the French encyclopedia!
One of the monastery's libraries. I felt at home!
One of my favorite memories was Derek and I getting up before dawn to be on the Charles Bridge and see the sunrise over the city. The bridge was built by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV in 1357 and during the day can be packed with street vendors and tourists. Derek and I had the bridge to ourselves. I loving finding quiet moments on our travels for reflecting. This bridge has been standing for seven centuries. The first stone was laid in 1357, on the 9th of July at 5:31 (135797531).
Charles Bridge at Sunrise with the Castle in the background
Ruth, Brent & Derek pondering deep thoughts in a tea house
Another beautiful city. We had such a wonderful time with my family here and were sad to see them go! Missing you all and wishing you joy and peace in the upcoming year.
We were excited to have my (Ruth's) family come visit us for our first Christmas overseas. Derek, my brother, had spent the fall back-packing through Africa and finished his trip with us in Amsterdam. My parents and sister joined us two weeks later. To fully immerse ourselves in the Christmas festivities, we took a train to Cologne, Germany where the Christmas markets are in full swing. Every city in Germany hosts it own Christmas markets, which essentially are hundreds of outdoor booths that sell handmade items and the tastiest street food! Imagine the aromas of hot chestnuts, sugared almonds, grilled sausages among many others. We especially enjoyed the spiced wine, gulwein, a great way to keep warm while strolling the different booths. There were six different Christmas markets in Cologne itself, and the most impressive one was in the main square right in front of a Cathedral.
Katie & Ruth browsing
The main market in front of the Cathedral
Brent enjoying his sausage and potatoes.He looks sad, but he's just serious about how good it is.
My favorite thing we bought at the markets was this smoker. What is a smoker, you ask? Well, in Germany a treasured holiday decoration is a wooden figurine that you put lit incense in so it looks like smoke is coming out of it's mouth. We bought a snowman one, but they have almost every type of profession represented (didn't see any accountants with a ten key, though). :)
You can almost make out the smoke coming through his mouthChristmas itself was pretty low-key, which isn't a bad thing. We attended a Christmas eve service at the church Brent and I have been attending. Our congregation has met at that church building continuously since 1607! They are affiliated with the Church of Scotland, so it was interesting to sing Christmas carols to completely different tunes than the ones we are familiar with.
We also started a new tradition of a Christmas eve day boat ride. It was more than a little cold, but a wonderful way to show off our new hometown.
Brrr!!We are lucky that we have a working fireplace in our apartment, so it makes for a cozy atmosphere. However, finding firewood in the city is not so easy. Brent found that a gas station in the city that sells packs of wood. A few times Brent has ridden his bike back from the gas station with several packages of wood precariously tied onto the back of his bike. He ended up renting a large werk fiets. Not so easy to navigate, but he did great and some Dutchies were impressed.
St. VitusPrague is known as the golden city of 100 spires. Easy to see why- there are churches everywhere. We went into so many churches, we couldn't keep track of them all. Many of them were Baroque in style- so over the top.
St. Nicholas Church
View of the city from the monasteryWe visited a working monastery in Prague with some amazing treasures within its wall! There is a Cabinet of Curiosities that holds the remains of the now extinct Dodo bird. Trust me, it's grossly weird looking. They also have a library that holds over 160,000 old and rare volumes. In the picture below, at the end of hall, is a golden cage near the ceiling. In it was kept prohibited books. Only the abbot had the key, so you had to get his blessing to read these dangerous books- including works by Nicolas Copernicus and the French encyclopedia!
One of the monastery's libraries. I felt at home!
One of my favorite memories was Derek and I getting up before dawn to be on the Charles Bridge and see the sunrise over the city. The bridge was built by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV in 1357 and during the day can be packed with street vendors and tourists. Derek and I had the bridge to ourselves. I loving finding quiet moments on our travels for reflecting. This bridge has been standing for seven centuries. The first stone was laid in 1357, on the 9th of July at 5:31 (135797531).
Charles Bridge at Sunrise with the Castle in the background
Ruth, Brent & Derek pondering deep thoughts in a tea houseAnother beautiful city. We had such a wonderful time with my family here and were sad to see them go! Missing you all and wishing you joy and peace in the upcoming year.
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