4th of July in Munich + WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS!

The 4th of July is probably my favorite Holiday of the year. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas (God Bless you, Jesus) but there is something about the 4th. Obviously Germans don't celebrate this Holiday but that didn't make it feel any less special! We did a trip to Munich and celebrated like we normally would with beer, food, soccer, lakes, summer weather, and fireworks! Okay, the fireworks were for the German team winning the quarterfinals but I will get to that later.

Munich is about a 4 1/2 hour drive from Baumholder. It is the farthest place we have been so far and the only place in Bavaria we have traveled to. The drive was super easy until we got into the city. There were a ton of people, lots of cars, and itsy bitsy streets. This is why I made Taylor drive. We stayed at Litty's Hotel located right by the City Center and the train station. It was clean and nice for a one night stay. The bathroom was in the hall shared by three other rooms but it wasn't an issue.

After we checked into the hotel we set off into the city to explore. We didn't really have a plan (shocking!) except to see as much as we could before the 6pm Germany/France Quarterfinal game! We saw some cool buildings and churches (clearly we have to go back at some point and do a more educated tour) and ate lunch at Nurnberg Bratwurst Gloeckl. You can never go wrong with a brat. We sat outside and ordered food while they gave us a bunch of bread and pretzels to go with our beer. Taylor dug right in and was down to the last pretzel before realizing you pay for every piece you eat. Oh well!

After lunch we found the Hofbrauhaus. They serve food there but mostly people go there to grab a liter of beer because of the history it holds. The Hofbrauhaus was a big beer hall where the Nazi Party held functions and declared policies.

By this time it was getting close to game time! We were hoping to find a big public viewing of the game but nobody could point us in the right direction. We finally asked a pedicab driver if he knew where a big viewing was and he said there was one by the lake (in the Englisch Garten) and he could take us there for 25 Euro. We thought that was an insane price but we hopped on anyway. Worth every Euro! We were able to see a ton including a river where people surf and the Chinese Tower.

We got dropped off at the viewing where it was 20 minutes till game time so it was already packed. We walked around trying to find a seat but nobody would let us sit with them. They wouldn't even scoot over a little so we could cram in. We found a seat in the very back but the tents were coving our view of the screen. Obviously it wasn't going to clear anytime soon so we found another pedicab and went back into town. He dropped us off at a bar where they were showing the game outside. Still no seats but at least we could stand to the side and see!

Well, you all know the rest from here so I don't think I need to describe how much fun we had! The entire World Cup experience while living in Germany was something we will never forget!

For fun, here are more pictures of us celebrating with our friends during the World Cup! These were all taken at the Celtic Knot, right here in Baumholder! After Germany won, the streets were filled with cheering and chanting, sparklers, and people driving around honking in their cars yelling and singing! Why can't it be the World cup every year?!

Germany in June!

The last time I made a post was the day after Taylor went under the knife for his knee. Things have been a little slower (travel wise) with recovery but certainly not dull!

His surgery went really well and he was walking a week later. They removed some bone spurs including a piece that literally looked like a piece of popcorn (mmm...popcorn). His two weeks off were spent recovering and doing physical therapy while I pampered him with homemade meals and foot massages. Okay not really, but I sure did spoil him!

Kusel, Germany

We were also able to still get in a few day trips during the month! Kusel is a town right next door to us and a few weekends ago they had a renaissance festival at the Lichtenberg Castle. You know, nothing makes you feel more like you are in the 1300s than a medieval festival in an actual medieval castle! We enjoyed giant brats and instead of having beer we had mead which is made by mixing honey with water and fruits and spices.

Cochem, Germany

Just recently a good friend of mine moved here to Germany! They are stationed at a base only an hour north of us so last weekend we got together. I ran a 5k with her at Buchel Air base and then the next day we got the whole gang to go to Cochem!

I have been wanting to go to this town ever since I head about it and I am so glad we did finally! Cochem is a traditional German town nestled in the green hills along the Mosel river. It was a rainy day but that didn't take away from the beautiful river with shops, restaurants, and vineyards running up and down it with a castle overlooking you. I can't wait to go back on a sunny day and see a bit more!

World Cup!

Unless you have been living under a rock, you should know the World Cup started a few weeks ago! I think it's safe to say, it has taken over my life. The vibe here in Germany is incredible! The other night I met my German friends in town at the Celtic Knot and we watched the game together. There was a ton of yelling, "DANKE GOD, DANKE GOD!" but really, danke god because I think some chairs may have been broken and through the window if Germany lost.

Don't worry, I was still committed to the USA winning! Taylor and I both had our hearts broken last night after the loss to Belgium. I woke up this morning quietly still chanting, "I believe we will win..." while fighting back my tears. Fortunately for us, we have two teams now! On Friday we will be going to Munich early in the morning to explore and then later that night we will watch the Germany/France game! I heard it gets pretty rowdy at those public viewings so we will be there in our Germany attire with beers in our hands doing as the Germans do!

Memorial Day Weekend in Cologne!

Our Memorial Day was spent organizing the house (since our furniture finally arrived!) and taking a little road trip to Cologne, Germany!

Cologne is only 2 hours away but we wanted to enjoy the full day and night there so we booked a room. We booked through Airbnb which is a website for people to rent out lodging. They can rent out full houses, apartments, or just a room! This was our first time using this site and it was incredible. We paid $50 for a room right in downtown Cologne where a hotel room in that area cost double that.

We stayed with a girl named Sophie who was in her 30s and taught music at the University. She was extremely friendly and helpful and had a small but nice apartment. After we chatted for a bit and she gave us a key we took off to explore the city.

The Dom Cathedral was the first thing we wanted to see. On our way there we walked through crowded streets filled with people, shops, and food but could see the cathedral the entire time because of how huge it was.

The inside was of course beautiful but we were pretty amazed just staring at the structure from the outside. Even more breathtaking (literally) was the tower climb. Yep, another tower climb. Another tower climb with even more spiral stairs. I actually stayed at the top of this one for a lot longer than the one in Rothenburg. Even though it was higher, the platform was a lot bigger and I didn't feel like I was going to fall off! The view was totally worth the hike.

We built up quite an appetite walking so we made our way to a few restaurants and then the Love Lock bridge! The restaurants were tasty and the beer was tastier. The Fruh restaurant is a popular brewery in town with little .2 liter glasses of  Kolsch beer always coming around. We found out after a few that they won't stop coming until you put your coaster on top of your glass. Now we know!

The Love Lock bridge was a very fun experience. There are thousands (over 40,000 to be exact) of padlocks hanging on the Hohenzollernbrücke bridge. Some locks are painted, some are engraved, some big, some small and after you hang your lock you are supposed to throw your key into the Rhine river for everlasting love. So, that's what we did! I know, I know, it sounds incredibly lame but give us a break! When in Rome, eh?

By this time it was evening so walked to find a place to have dinner. We sat outside close to the river and watched street entertainers while enjoying the long sunlight and warm(er) weather. We noticed as it started getting later that more "crazy" people started to come out. There were a TON of bachelor and bachelorette parties going on. Apparently its a very common place to have one! Each party had matching shirts and outfits and went around doing fun pranks to the bride or groom-to-be. I won't go into details but at one point I was chosen to wax a strip of hair off a bachelor's inner thigh.

Once it became dark the streets were full again but this time full of people sitting at restaurants watching Champions League soccer on the TVs outside. We sat down and watched as well. The last event I wanted to do for the day was see the cathedral at night so we walked that way while talking and laughing with some Germans. I always assumed that people could tell we were American just by looking at us or at least by the way we spoke, however, everyone asked us where we were from and then were surprised that was said America. They were super eager to speak English to us and we were happy that everyone seemed to love us!

The rest of the weekend was spent organizing our place again. We have it feeling pretty homey at the moment but it can still use some work!

As most of you know, Taylor had surgery yesterday on his knee. It went very well! So for the next few weeks we will be taking it easy on the traveling and recovering his knee back to full strength. BUT, I still need to blog and show pictures of our day trip to Idar-Oberstien, my fun day in Metz, France and how we are adjusting while living here in Germany. Stay tuned!

A birthday weekend in Rothenburg,Germany!

Today is the old man's 28th birthday! Instead of buying him a present I decided to surprise him with a weekend trip to one of the best medieval towns in Germany... Rothenburg!

Rothenburg is about two and a half hours from Baumholder so we got there around 8pm Friday evening just in time to catch the sunset. We arrived at the huge wall where our GPS kept telling us to turn right. We made about three u-turns driving passed this small arch with cobble stone beneath it before we realized that is where you actually turn in. Taylor drove down the narrow street with people walking up and down them making the road even smaller until we finally found our hotel.

I booked two nights at the Gasthof goldener Greifen which is located right in the center of the town. The old city wall still stands circling the entire town with city gates, arches, old-timber homes, cobbled streets and tons of color that makes you feel like you are in a fairy tale dream!

As it became darker, the streets became emptier so we wandered down a bit and found the Roter Hahn and ordered some food. The food was delicious but even more impressive than our sausages and sauerkraut was the liter of beer Taylor ordered, for himself.

The next morning we got up and enjoyed our complimentary breakfast that included bread, butter, and different kinds of cheese and meats - now that is my type of breakfast! The first thing we wanted to do was walk the city wall. We did so for about 20-30 minutes and realized it was going to take a long time to walk the entire thing so we got off and walked towards the big tower which is located in the market square.

Located in the market square is the town hall (Rathaus) and a very tall tower. We walked into the open door facing the square where immediately we saw stairs going up. We were curious (and who doesn't love a spiral staircase?!) so up we went. After looping around for a bit we found ourselves in an empty area on top of the town hall that leads you to the tower. From there, you climb more stairs but this time the stairs are wooden and get more narrow the higher you go. About 6 flights up we made it to the top where a lady sits in a small booth and takes 2 euro from you to climb the small wooden ladder that leads you outside for the view.

Now, the next few pictures were taken courtesy of Taylor. I did the 3 flights of the spiral staircase, the the 6 flights up the narrow wood steps, paid my 2 euro, climbed the small wooden ladder, crawled onto the 2 foot wide platform, looked over the edge and said, "I'm outta here!" Totally worth it!

The rest of the day was spent wandering the streets, looking in shops, eating food and going to the crime museum. The crime museum was packed with floors and floors of ways the medieval criminal was treated straight down to a baker who baked his loaves to small.

(Oh! Did I mention we have a new gnome friend? His name is Wolfgang. Be on the lookout of him in some of our pictures on future trips!)

At 8pm every evening there is a Night Watchman Tour. I am not a big tour person but I heard this was  the type of tour made for people like me! They were right! The tour starts in the market square where you met the Watchman. You then follow him around the town while he tells interesting  information with clever jokes and humor. We laughed a ton and also learned a lot about the old medieval town!

I can't believe this place is less than three hours from us. At one point Taylor turned to me and said, "Are we in a dream right now?" I am assuming we will be making a trip back there again at some point!