From Europe to Africa in America - A Sisters' Expedition

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Magdalene and Katharina, I have just finished reading through your report and I have greatly enjoyed it! I think that it is wonderful that you two are so close and that you still travel together.

Your bonus reports were also very enjoyable to read, I love to travel and so seeing your pictures helps me add places of interest to my long list of future travel destinations.

 

[lovealldisney]

Thanks I'm sure he will love this when he see's this!

These were so good!

Yum! Are these the ones we ate?

I bet all the American tourist were buying these!

I so wanted to buy a wooden nativity when we were there. But when I saw the price I nearly fell over.

We bought smokers for Christmas presents for quite a few people! I even bought myself one. It's a little pig and the smoke comes out his nose.



Thank you so much Magalene for the market pictures! This makes me all the more determined to come back to Germany to visit during Christmas.

 

[eandesmom]

Oh my WORD I was so behind, I had no idea. Seriously girls, I think you got on an updating craze right when I went "dark".

Dark into the world of work, playoffs, entertaining and vacations I guess. Life. And that impromtu visit to your neck of the woods in what....2 weeks? I finally told the E's tonight, I wanted to wait until after Christmas as I knew they'd be bummed. They did think it was neat I'd get to meet one of my DIS board friends while there though!

SO much to comment on!

I cannot believe I was that far behind and that OUT of it that I missed the BIG news!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is so very very wonderful! You will love staying at an Epcot resort, I know I'll have a hard time not staying there....very grateful the girls trip will be as I know the next family one will likely not be.

I am paying close attention to all the DVC questions as well, I have many of the same ones! I think I need more info on that waitlist response from Marv....

I love the advent calendars. We have always had some kind of iteration of one. Traditional ones, as you sent Glen is what I grew up with, more recently some not so traditional but fun Playmobil (yes, very German that) ones for the kids with a Playmobil toy in each box and then most importantly (to the kids) homemade ones that my mom makes for every one in the family that involves a piece of candy per day (either Hershey's kisses or Reeces peanut butter cups) that you eat per day to "count down".

I of course, am still behind by a good 2 weeks and my 12 peanut butter cups look rather sad next to the 5 depleted ribbons around it!

We actually started doing an advent wreath this year with the kids each Sunday, which was a new and wonderful tradition.

Your trip looks really COLD so far but love the culinary tour, would like to try that sometime.

Ok, back to reading...I think I still have 10 pages to go!

 

[eandesmom]

Lamb lettuce?

Hmm....now I really want to know what that is!

I must say, you two eat like birds. I'm deathly afraid of being the typical American cow eater if we dine together in Nuremburg! Magdalene will be able to regale all with just how very much Cynthia eats.....

1/2 a cinnamon roll, 1/2 a muffin....

hmmmn.

On the subjuect of chips I must say, if you didn't try those Sun Chips (the multi grain ones) you must. I am a huge fan of multi grain chips. Well, any chip really but those can delude me into thinking they are semi healthier.
Plus they do taste rather good!

You did have a very similar soggy DHS day, though mine was quite a bit warmer I daresay.

I do like the dueling umbrella pictures!

Last but not least, I love the dirndl picture and the lovely sweet tree Katharina!

I may need to take a picture of the pickle on my tree, I am looking at it as I type, thinking of you both and hoping it was the merriest of Christmases for you both.

 

[lisa25]

I am also planning for a trip to disney...thanks for sharing this useful information with us.

 

[nodnol]

I hope both of you had a wonderful holiday! I LOVED the Christmas Market pictures! I am going to send the links to my Mom. I recognized the little wooden decorations that have the spots for candles which make the wheel on top move to make it rotate...oh wow, that's a BAD description! I hope you know what I'm talking about! Anyway, we had one of those growing up! I was fascinated with it as a child and always playing with it-which made my Mom yell at me. I never understood why she was so protective of it, but I do now!

As the Christmas pyramid has caught not only your eye, Magdalene asked me to take a picture of mine. But I have only a very little one, it is actually my nativity scene, I got it from our mother:

But my MIL has the real thing, so luckily DH found a (very dark) picture of it. It is about 80 cm high and has several stories and a nativity scene as well. The good thing is that you can use tee candles to light, not so expensive. It was turning while the picture was taken, so it is a little bit blurry...

And Katharina, the dirndl picture is fantastic! I love your cute little tree, and I did spot the Hidden Mickey! I also really like all the windows in your apartment too, that is such a nice feature of an apartment making it feel so bright, cheery and spacious-one which ours is lacking in!

I like the windows too! But wee need to get some curtains for the summer, the windows are facing south and I guess we will need to keep the sun out on a hot summer day. No air conditioning....

 

[Flossbolna]

It looks like nodnol has taken over the thread! Thanks Katharina for keeping our readers entertained! But I still owe you some replies, so I better get started with them!

You got diet coke? Well, there's your problem. Diet = nasty.

But definitely try a root beer float next time. I think you'll enjoy it!

Healthy?? Healthy doesn't belong on vacation!

Ok, I think I get your food taste: if it is unhealthy it tastes great!

And thanks for the smiley - I had a good laugh about it!

Well, I'd probably go with theme and cost as the priorities, which makes Newport Bay the winner. But breakfast for our trip was Pop Tarts in the room, so that didn't matter as much to me.

I kind of lean in that direction as well... I think I wrote it before, perhaps the best way to deal with breakfast is to get something from the shop at the train station. They might even have better coffee there - DLP sells the same Nescafe stuff that WDW has...

It's not stupid, I think I would feel the same way at DLP. Do you know French?

Katharina had it in school and I once had a four weeks intensive course in France. So we both know some basics, but can't really speak it. I sometimes think we would enjoy DLP much more if we spoke French as good as English...

Thanks for the tip on cutting them up. Hmmmmm maybe i'll only bring over a few instead and save the rest if there that good!

I hope everyone liked them? Did I mention that they were from the bakery which I pass on my way to work? When I bought them they told me that I should not eat them that evening because they were too fresh to be eaten.

Malts are a very American thing I think you either like malt powder or don't. Have you ever had Malted Milk Balls candy? They are made with malted milk powder and would give you an idea of what it would taste like in you malt drink.

Oh and don't get me going on the Spezi, this was our favorite drink while in Germany. I wish they sold Mezzo here!

We do have a few malt flavoured things here, there is a drink called Ovomaltine, but it is a hot drink. I know that in England they have something called Horlicks which is a malted drink and then there are Maltesers which I think are malt flavoured as well. I kind of like it. I think it will be interesting to taste it in a cold drink!

You know that Club Cool has Mezzo Mix? I think you need to plan to return to WDW soon, it's still cheaper than a trip to Germany!

We used to put candy on our tree growing up too!!! And sometimes gingerbread cookies!

Yes, gingerbread cookies are common on Christmas trees as well.

Happy Holidays,
What a hard decision you have. Hotel New York reminds me of the Swan/Dolphin resorts. I enjoyed our Swan/Dolphin stays since the hotels were close to Epcot and had nice smelling soaps but the decor was a bit harsh for my taste. Newport Bay reminds me of Port Orleans and I really like the decor of Port Orleans. If I were staying at Disney I would probably choose Port Orleans over Swan/Dolphin. However, since you have not stayed in Hotel New York and since their rooms are supposed to be in better condition and since the walk is shorter... I think Hotel New York would be my choice if I were making the decision. No matter where you stay I know you will enjoy the hotel.

Kate

Hi Kate, thanks for your input! You are absolutely right about Hotel New York reminding you of Swan/Dolphin: they were designed by the same architect and built around the same timeframe. And I really liked your comparison. I have never wanted to stay at the Swan/Dolphin. While it has a great location and looks like a lovely hotel in every other place, at WDW I want to have the full Disney experience. And I think this is why I hesitate about Hotel New York...

 

[Flossbolna]

DW and I were actually in line one afternoon for BTMRR when there was a storm approaching. We were worried they would shut it down before we could ride, and as we were the next in line they made an announcement that the ride would close if they spotted lightning. Well we got on and the train pulled out of the station. Right as we got outside it began to pour rain; huge drops!!! I'm glad I still had my sunglasses on so I could keep my eyes open and watch the ride. We didn't stop laughing until after we got back in the station. Some of those drops did hurt though!!!

This happened to Katharina, her DH and me when we were at a German theme park in summer 2009. This was kind of a wild carroussel ride and just as we got on it started to rain really hard and we were dripping wet afterwards, but just could not stop laughing! Luckily this was supposed to be our last ride of the day anyway and we only had about a 15 minute drive home.

Okay, but you can flirt with the princes and see what the princesses do...... I usually just say the first thing that pops into my mind.....a trait which has served me well for a number of years......

Good advise! I think, once I realized that it is much more fun when you actually talk to the characters, I started to enjoy seeing them much more.

I guess we like the food so much because it is what we consider good ole' Southern down home cookin'!!! Plus, it reminds me of childhood days at my Grandparents' house at Christmas, when us kids were relegated to the extra table on the back porch. That table was almost identical to the ones in Prime Time.

Of course, a lot of it is being able to enjoy the theming and having fun. I can understand how you wouldn't like it so much being stuck in a corner and nobody will play with you. Sorta like when you were a child and got in trouble for picking on your poor sweet sister!!! (Right Katharina???)

I think my mistake has been so far that I have always been at PTC for lunch and just had a sandwich. I think I want to try the fried chicken there the next time! And I never picked on my poor sweet sister - she on the other hand...

I bet sitting through a meal there with Marv and Rosie would change your opinion! We would have you in trouble and out in front of everyone having to sing "I'm a little tea pot" before you could say wiener schnitzel!

What a DISmeet that would be!!

What a great tradition! We used to hang candy canes on the tree when I was a kid, but no chocolates. I wonder if they have Blätterkrokant in any of the shops of the German Pavilion since it comes so highly recommended....

I love the look of candy canes - we don't have them at all! But they look very festive.

It will be interesting to see what you report about the seasonal sweets at Germany in Epcot. I am afraid that the unauthentic Karamell-Küche won't leave much space for stuff like that. Someone even mentioned that there no longer is the normal candy store? I can't imagine that this is right??

Hi Magdalina !!!Loved the Story behind the sisters trips !!! Also read that Marv is once again promoting my misbehaving !!I am soooo innocent and he just doesn't understand !!

When we were at 50's I tried my darndest to get put in the corner .. elbows on table , leaving my veggies !!Nothing worked and I so wanted to sing I'm a Little Teapot !!! Our Server did fetch "Grandma" out to talk to us though !!!

In case I don't get on again I am wishing you a Merry Christmas

Hi Rosie, I am glad that you enjoyed our background story! I think it explains why this trip was so special for both of us.

Perhaps you would have had success in having to sing I'm a little Teapot if you had tried some pole dancing!

Thanks for the Christmas wishes!

 

[Flossbolna]

INNOCENT!!???!!

I was expecting that response

 

[Flossbolna]

Splurge away! It will be worth it - the view is really beautiful and it's wonderful people watching.

I am really looking forward to sitting on that balcony!

And, I have to agree. Our package arrived yesterday - THANK YOU!!!! - and two of the Lebkuchen are already gone. They are heavenly with a cup of coffee.

Thank you so much, it was a very unexpected surprise and brought a huge smile to my face! Henry is all about those gummies too. I'm attempting to save some of it for Christmas day...but I am finding trouble resist it all. Sooooo yummy. I took pics and plan to put them on my TR today or tomorrow!

I probably won't be back here before Christmas, so have a WONDERFUL holiday!!!!

You are very welcome! Aren't those gummies cute?

Thanks for the Christmas wishes!

Magdalina and Katharina,

First of all, I am loving all the updates! Please keep them coming!

Second, I logged into my computer and the MSN homepage had "Holiday Classic: German Apple Strudel" staring right at me. It looks delicious, but I couldn't help but think to come over here and make sure that it really is a Holiday Classic in Germany . . . you know, after that whole German pickle thing!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

I am glad that you enjoy the updates! And I absolutely agree with Katharina's answer to your question! But, an apple strudel is always delicious!

I'd like to wish you both a very Merry Christmas! Have a wonderful holiday! I hope it's filled with family, fun and relaxation! I'm finally able to relax now that the presents are all wrapped and my baking is done! Whew!

Looking forward to your updates too!

Thank you! I hope to post a realy update soon!

 

[englishrose47]

Guten Tag Magdalene.Wie gehts?

 

[brookelizabeth]

I'm using the iPad and i am having trouble quoting, but I'm referring back to the Christmas prymarid. Thank you for the name.

My Moms is a little one too, but very cute. It is simple and just has four or five little people in it. Not sure if its supposed to represent anything? . I really likes yours being the nativity scene!

Your Moms is beautiful! I had no idea they sold such big ones! Very, very pretty.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

I love the marketplace pictures! They're wonderful! And I especially love the little plum dolls and wooden ornaments. If I were there, I'd bought dozens of things!

Katharina, you look so lovely in your dirndl dress. (Is it pronounced as it's written then?) Your tree is very adorable. I must have bad eyesight though since I can't see a hidden Mickey anywhere! Where is it? And I agree with Brook, the windows of your apartment are beautiful. Do they look down onto the street below? The building across is gorgeous!

Ok, I had no idea that it was called a Christmas pyramid. I've seen them before and have always wanted one! Your mother's is beautiful and the other one is amazing! It's so big, larger than any one I've ever seen!

Thank you both, ladies (or should I say sisters) for a glimpse into a German Christmas! I love it! Germany is on my list of places that I want to travel to!

And have a Happy New Year as well! Isn't it hard to believe that 2010 is nearly over?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Thanks for the Christmas pictures! I'm fascinated looking through all of them.

 

[Flossbolna]

And I see you are stirring the POT with a wooden spoon Will you be modeling the drindl !!If so I think that will top Piglet!!!

That would be quite a site!

I am all caught up again (phew!) I think I'd go with the Hotel New York. If it's not much more expensive, and the rooms are in good shape, I'd stay there. I know we never plan to spend much time in the rooms, but just in case you have to due to weather or something, you might be happier in a nicer room. I also think less chaos in the morning with breakfast may be a good thing.

Tracy, great to see you online again! We still haven't made a decision, I need to send an email to our friend and ask her opinion...

Hey Wendy! Your package looked just like mine, except mine barely made it in one piece!! Seriously, it was held together by a rubberband put on by the USPS! But the insides looked almost identical, with the exception of lebkuchen traded out for the straw ornament. I'd LOVE to post pix of the sisters' generosity to our family as well, but with a broken camera and only a Mac to work on- it's a double strike out.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Liesa, I have been meaning to ask: did you only get the straw ornament in your package? There should have been a second one, but considering the state of your parcel, it might have been lost???

 

[Flossbolna]

Merry Christmas!!

What great pictures!! Now I want to come visit LOL!!! YUUMMMYYY those goodies look so good!

What wonderful pics! I love the beauty of the city and the details you took the time to share. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this for us!

Merry Christmas and New Year Blessings!

Magdalene and Katharina,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thanks for sharing the Christkindlesmarket pictures. All the food looks so delicious.

Kathy

Merry Christmas to You and Katarina !!!

Loved the Market pix !!Reminded me of the Open Market in my home town !!It was year round though and you could buy just about anything there !!I spent many a Wednesday and Saturday wandering around the Stalls !!

Magdalene and Katharina,
Wishing you and your family a

Fröhliche Weihnachten - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.​

Thanks for all the pictures of Christkindlesmarkt. It is so interesting to see how other parts of the world prepare and celebrate the holidays.

Magdalene and Katharina,

Fröhliche Weihnachten - Merry Christmas!​

Thank you for the pictures of Christkindlesmarkt - how wonderful to enjoy such traditions and take the time to share it with us! I think many of us would very much like to visit Nuremberg some day during Advent.

Christmas wishes and blessings to your family!

Merry Christmas Magdalene and Katharina!!!

Merry Christmas Magdalene and Katharina!!!! Hope you are both having a wonderful day

Merry Christmas Magdalene and Katharina!​

​

I am Impossibly behind on your TR, but that's not going to stop me from wishing you a Merry Christmas!

Thanks for everyone's Christmas wishes! I hope all of you enjoyed the holidays!

 

[Flossbolna]

What do you call the wooden toy that spins when you light the candles? I brought my mother one back when I was stationed in Germany but I don't remember what it is called!

Thanks!

Merry Christmas!

Jill in CO

Hi Jill, did you see Katharina's post about the toy? It is called a Christmas pyramid.

I wanted to stop by and wish you guys a very Merry Christmas and now I'm officially homesick again Thanks for the lovely pictures - you did the most perfect job capturing how awesome the market is! What I would give for a true Nuernberg brat wurst right now!

Merry Christmas!
Heather

Hi Heather, I was thinking of you when I posted this update because I knew how much you miss Nuremberg! I really enjoyed the pictures myself as well. It is funny how this TR (and teh PTR before that) make me take pictures of every day stuff and I think it will be fun to have those in 20 years or so to look back to.

THAT was a VERY cool tour!! THANKS for taking the time and effort to gather the photos and post them! You know what was really, really neato?? The fact that I recognized so many of the places in your pictures and that I"ve actually BEEN to many of them! I recognize the Beautiful Fountain in them, and is that St. Sebalds? or St. Lorenz in that 2nd one? I'm thinking the latter since that is closer to the walking streets.

Merry Christmas, Ladies!! and thanks again!!

It was really fun to do this update knowing that a bunch of people reading this actually know Nuremberg! I am not sure which picture you mean? The church you see most often would be the Frauenkirche which is directly at the market square, but there is one pic looking along a street (between the pic of the suspended angel and the pic of the sign with an angel on it), that's St Sebald, looking towards it from the bridge over the river, you can see the market stalls behind the houses on the right.

 

[Flossbolna]

Happy Christmas, Magdalene and Katharina.

Thanks for the tour. I loved seeing all the shops. It reminded me of Leavenworth, WA where my ex-inlaws lived in the 70s and 80s. We used to visit often and especially during the winter holidays. At that time it was mainly locals who shopped in Leavenworth but now it has turned into a tourist village and although still beautiful it is much too crowded to be enjoyable.
http://www.leavenworth.org/modules/pages/index.php?pageid=1

Kate

What an interesting place! On the website it says that the village was remodelled in the 60s into a Bavarian village in order to attract tourists. It does look very beautiful and appears to be in a beautiful landscape.

Merry Christmas, M&K- hope it was happy!!! Here's a little photo gift from my American tree to your German one!!

ANd I loved, loved, LOVED the market pictures!! I really hope to see it for myself one day!

Thanks for the pickle picture! It is such a fun ornament.

hi iam kyle i loved the nutcrackers at the market

Hi Kyle, I am glad that you enjoyed the market pictures!

Magdalene,
Thank you for the market pictures! I don't have enough time to comment now but will be back later to do so!! I have to get ready to go to my brothers for Christmas at their house. I know I'm late but I hope you had an nice Christmas. Oh and the Ludkuchen was delish with my coffee this morning.

Aren't the lebkuchen delicious?

I LOVE your dirndle picture, Katharina!! Just lovely! Your tree is so sweet too- and I saw the hidden Mickey immediately! It looks like a noble fir- we grow most of the Christmas trees sold in the US right here in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. I have 3 tree farms on my own street in fact.

I had to let you know that we JUST finished dessert, and the marzipan you sent was delishous in our cookie tray of lebkuchen (also given by you (the spices)), the springerle, and some Dutch butter cookies. This morning for breakfast we had some imported marzipanstollen as well, so it was quite a Germanesque day we've had in the food department!!

Mine was a nordmann fir like Katharina's as well. I looked up the noble fir, and those are available here as well, but more expensive. I think the nordmann fir is the most popular tree here because it has very soft needles.

I am glad that you enjoyed the marzipan. It was from Germany's best known brand from the city of Lübeck in northern Germany which is famous for its marzipan.

How funny that you had such a German christmas!

I hope both of you had a wonderful holiday! I LOVED the Christmas Market pictures! I am going to send the links to my Mom. I recognized the little wooden decorations that have the spots for candles which make the wheel on top move to make it rotate...oh wow, that's a BAD description! I hope you know what I'm talking about! Anyway, we had one of those growing up! I was fascinated with it as a child and always playing with it-which made my Mom yell at me. I never understood why she was so protective of it, but I do now!

I am wondering if my Mom's nativity scene is from Germany too, it looks a lot like the one you posted. I'll have to ask!

And Katharina, the dirndl picture is fantastic! I love your cute little tree, and I did spot the Hidden Mickey! I also really like all the windows in your apartment too, that is such a nice feature of an apartment making it feel so bright, cheery and spacious-one which ours is lacking in!

I hope your mom enjoys the pictures! I am sure that the market hasn't changed much since the time she was here, they still use the same booths every year since the 60s.

I can understand why you wanted to play with the Christmas pyramid. All those wooden ornaments were originally meant as toys. They were ornaments and presents in one. So they are meant to appeal to kids. Germany has a long tradition of wooden toys. For example also the wooden animals which made a set of Noah's arch (pairs of animals) which was a toy that was approved for Sunday use by the church since it was a biblical toy.

Did you ask your mother about the nativity? Are those common in the US? I think here most families have one, traditionally it would be placed underneath the Christmas tree.

Magdalene and Katharina, I have just finished reading through your report and I have greatly enjoyed it! I think that it is wonderful that you two are so close and that you still travel together.

Your bonus reports were also very enjoyable to read, I love to travel and so seeing your pictures helps me add places of interest to my long list of future travel destinations.

Hi and I am glad that you enjoy our TR and the bonus updates! I know what you mean about this long list of future travel destinations... For some reason mine seems to get longer every year despite visiting new places...

 

[Flossbolna]

I'm looking but I have to find my magnifying glass

Okay according to Kyle one of the ornaments is Mickey !!

Well done, Kyle!

You look great in your dirndl dress. I think I can see the hidden Mickey, not sure about the hidden Homer. I will have to keep looking.

Look at the cushion on the chair...

I am also planning for a trip to disney...thanks for sharing this useful information with us.

I am glad that you find my TR helpful!

 

[Flossbolna]

Thanks I'm sure he will love this when he see's this!

Yum! Are these the ones we ate?

Yes, you can see that there are two different sizes on the grill. The ones in the front are longer than the ones in the back. We had the smaller ones, those are the Nuremberg sausages, the longer ones are Franconian sausages.

I bet all the American tourist were buying these!

Did you notice that the lables are in English?

I so wanted to buy a wooden nativity when we were there. But when I saw the price I nearly fell over.

They are hand carved that's why they are so expensive. I think many people start their nativity scene with just the essentials and then buy new figures every year to add to it. It is also something that is passed along from one generation to the next.

We bought smokers for Christmas presents for quite a few people! I even bought myself one. It's a little pig and the smoke comes out his nose.

A smoking pig sounds very funny!

Thank you so much Magalene for the market pictures! This makes me all the more determined to come back to Germany to visit during Christmas.

Yes, I thought that this update might have such an effect! Did your daughter take any pictures at the Chicago market? Since it has a partnership with the Nuremberg market, it would be interesting to compare!

Oh my WORD I was so behind, I had no idea. Seriously girls, I think you got on an updating craze right when I went "dark".

It did not feel like an updating craze! This still must be one of the slowest moving TRs on the DIS!

Dark into the world of work, playoffs, entertaining and vacations I guess. Life. And that impromtu visit to your neck of the woods in what....2 weeks? I finally told the E's tonight, I wanted to wait until after Christmas as I knew they'd be bummed. They did think it was neat I'd get to meet one of my DIS board friends while there though!

Well, you really are a very busy family! I am glad that the E's were not too upset! You might have to find something special to bring back to them from Germany then.

I cannot believe I was that far behind and that OUT of it that I missed the BIG news!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is so very very wonderful! You will love staying at an Epcot resort, I know I'll have a hard time not staying there....very grateful the girls trip will be as I know the next family one will likely not be.

I am paying close attention to all the DVC questions as well, I have many of the same ones! I think I need more info on that waitlist response from Marv....

Thanks! I am still very excited about DVC. I have received my membership card by now and I think it is the most expensive piece of plastic I ever bought!

And I have an idea why you are interested in the DVC questions, saw your post over there...

I love the advent calendars. We have always had some kind of iteration of one. Traditional ones, as you sent Glen is what I grew up with, more recently some not so traditional but fun Playmobil (yes, very German that) ones for the kids with a Playmobil toy in each box and then most importantly (to the kids) homemade ones that my mom makes for every one in the family that involves a piece of candy per day (either Hershey's kisses or Reeces peanut butter cups) that you eat per day to "count down".

I of course, am still behind by a good 2 weeks and my 12 peanut butter cups look rather sad next to the 5 depleted ribbons around it!

Many families have homemade ones here as well. And there are many with chocolates in them as well, some even very elaborate and more for grown ups than for kids.

Funny that you mention Playmobil - do you know that this is made in a town very close to Nuremberg? There even is a Playmobil theme park there!

We actually started doing an advent wreath this year with the kids each Sunday, which was a new and wonderful tradition.

I love advent wreaths, we used to light the candles every evening and sing advent songs when we were kids.

Your trip looks really COLD so far but love the culinary tour, would like to try that sometime.

The cold really wasn't that great... And yes, do try the culinary tour!!

Lamb lettuce?

Hmm....now I really want to know what that is!

You might know it as corn salad? In England I only ever encountered it as lamb's lettuce. This is the wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn_salad

I must say, you two eat like birds. I'm deathly afraid of being the typical American cow eater if we dine together in Nuremburg! Magdalene will be able to regale all with just how very much Cynthia eats.....

1/2 a cinnamon roll, 1/2 a muffin....

No, we don't eat like birds!! We snacked so much and many of these snacks are sooooo large! Don't worry!!

On the subjuect of chips I must say, if you didn't try those Sun Chips (the multi grain ones) you must. I am a huge fan of multi grain chips. Well, any chip really but those can delude me into thinking they are semi healthier.
Plus they do taste rather good!

I got some multi grain chips here in Germany recently and they were not bad at all. But I still prefer the potato ones... Might try the Sun Chips next time I am at WDW.

You did have a very similar soggy DHS day, though mine was quite a bit warmer I daresay.

I do like the dueling umbrella pictures!

It was rather rainy, normally January is very dry, so this was a new experience for me really.

I may need to take a picture of the pickle on my tree, I am looking at it as I type, thinking of you both and hoping it was the merriest of Christmases for you both.

I would love to see a picture of your tree with pickle!