Life

We are engaged!

When we just returned from our travels I was so exhausted with the jet lag that I didn't put much effort into the blog entry. . . plus I wanted to tell as many family members in person before I put it in print but it seems that there will never be enough time to get around to everyone so guess what. . . Justin and I are engaged! We actually got engaged while we were in Italy. We attended the Christmas blessing with the pope in St. Peter's Square and the event was incredible. There was so much anxiety in the air and it was almost like a rock concert. The pope would first say "Is Spanish" and then all the Spanish speaking people in the crowd would yell and hold up signs and flags and then wait for their sentence of blessing wishing them hope and peace for the new year. Then he would move on to the next language and the whole process would repeat. Of course Justin and I had to shout when he said "In Engligh" :) Towards the end of the blessings it started to rain so Justin and I were standing in the middle of thousands of people but huddled together under our one umbrella like we were the only people there. At the end of the ceremony the basilica plays the beautiful church bells that are only rung on Christmas. It was at this time that Justin propossed. . . standing in our own little world in the middle of Rome with the Christmas bells ringing in the background. It was perfect! I cried of course when I saw the ring which is the ring I have also wanted. . . it was my great grandmother's wedding ring.

River view in Florence during our last night in Italy

Copy of Michelangelo's David

Duomo in Florence

Fountain in Rome

Pontevecchio bridge in Florence

Ruins of Pompeii

Christmas dinner in Rome

Pope during Christmas Eve mass

Inside the basilica

Roman Colosseum

Christmas

I completed my amazing student teaching experience on December 16th. I learned more from the parents, students and teachers at Sembach then I ever could have imagined. I greatly miss the beauty and sincerity of Germany and hope my life brings me back there someday.

After completing my student teaching, Justin joined me in Germany for two weeks of traveling. Michelle was extremely gracious by offering us her place to stay while she was in the States with her family for the holidays. Justin and I had a wonderful time. We spent the first few days in our rental car driving around villages in Germany, exploring the wine route, viewing castles on the Rhine River and wandering through several Christmas markets. Later in the week we joined a tour for 5 nights to Italy. Italy was also great. In the week we were there we spent time in Pisa, Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento, Naples, and Florence. We were extremely fortunate over Christmas to get tickets to see the Christmas Eve mass with the pope inside the basilica and also attend the Christmas blessing in St. Peters Square the next day. We especially loved the sights along the bay of Naples, and were astonished by the beauty of the Duomo in Florence. The trip was a wonderful way to spend Christmas together.

Kirchheimbolanden Christmas Market

My first Christmas market! Michelle and I spent time this weekend at a nearby town starting our Christmas celebrations. When we arrived the town square was already packed with people. The market is a time for all the local townspeople to gather for Christmas greetings and the entire center was filled with groups of people laughing, talking, and hugging. We immediantly headed for the wurst stand for dinner and then bundled up and headed up and down the cobblestone streets looking at each booth. After a little while of "window" shopping we headed one of our favorite ice cream cafes for some hot chocolate. Then we purchased the very traditional cookie on a string (sorry I don't know the name) and some handmade snowman decorations. We especially enjoyed singing to the Christmas music playing (we even heard an Elvis song) and looking at all the shops covered in lights.

London

London was amazing. Michelle and I arrived in the early afternoon and rode the train from the airport straight to our hotel. The first night we set out to see the new Harry Potter movie and found a great little theatre a few blocks from our hotel. The next day we headed straight for central London and signed up for the double-decker bus tours. This worked out great since you are able to ride around all day on the buses and get off and on as many times as you like. We didn't stay on at first because after just a few stops we spotted the London Hard Rock cafe. We had lunch in the Billy Idol booth and were able to spend some time in the gift shop before returning to our bus tour. Although it was a little rainy and VERY cold during our tour we were determined to stay in the very back seat of the top of the bus for the best pictures. The next day we arrived early again downtown to get theatre tickets at the half-price theatre booth. We were able to get great seats to the Blue Man Group which was a hilarious show. We had no idea what to expect but we had a great time. They had an amazing band which Michelle was obviously excited about. On Sunday I was also able to spend time in the National Museum and enjoyed seeing Van Gogh's Sunflower painting. On our last night we spent some time people watching at Picadilly Circus and walked down Regent Street mingeling with all the people doing their Christmas shopping. The street was covered in white and blue Christmas lights. Overall, I had a wonderful time laughing and wandering through the streets of London with Michelle. Unfortunately, my digital camera was out of batteries so I will not be able to post London pictures at this time. . .

Trier

During her visit, Karen, my NAU supervisor and I decided to take a day trip to Trier. It is a beautiful city filled with ruins and history. According to medival legend, "Before Rome, Trier stood one thousand and three hundred years." It is Germany's oldest city once home of Roman emperors. We had a great opportunity for a walking tour around the city where we encountered many churches, monuments, historical buildings and ruins. We were able to spend time at Porta Nigra, which is the largest surviving Roman city gate north of the Alps. Trier cathedral houses the holy tunic of Christ although it wasn't out for display the day we were there. I just loved wandering through a side room of this cathedral that was surronded in stain glassed windows and allowed for listening to the chanting of the monks. After our time at the church we ate in the city square at an outdoor cafe and enjoyed to music of a marching band through the streets. In the afternoon we were able to see the Electoral Palace, the Imperial Baths, and take a lovely walk through the beautiful fall leaves to the Gladiator Amphitheatre. It is the oldest surviving Roman structure in Trier dating back to 100 AD. The structure of the stadium is still intact including the two entrances. I happened to find the chambers open to arena where the animals were held to be fairly creepy. We also were able to walk underneath the arena where the gladiators were kept. (Also very creepy) Walking through the city was extremely beautiful since Trier is located on the edge of the Mosel River. Overall I really loved Trier and plan to visit the city again during their Christmas market.

The performance under the Bavarian statue Sunday morning

1 Liter of beer!

Katrina and I with a Bavarian lion

Me in front of the "new" town hall

Early morning at the castle

Nyphenburg Castle

A view of the streets. It got a lot busier than this on Sunday.

The Bavarian statue

Our group in a patio of one of the tents

People who couldn't handle the fun

Lisa and Katrina dancing in the streets

Our waitress. . . Isn't she amazing!

Oktoberfest

We left for Munich late Friday night and slept on the bus that evening. When we arrived in Munich we were given a short tour of the city and stopped at the Nymphenburg Castle for a fabulous early morning picture opportunity. After this stop we were taken for a short walk in downtown Munich for more photo opportunities and a look at the "new" town hall which holds the famous glockenspeil that plays out at 11:00 am (which we didn't see because we were at Oktoberfest by then). I found a couple great sites online that show panaramas of both areas if any one is interested in seeing what I saw. http://www.panorama-cities.net/munich/castle.html
or http://www.panorama-cities.net/munich/town_hall.html After our Munich tour we headed to Oktoberfest and appove arrival quickly found a tent and tried our first authentic beers. Since we arrived so early we were very surprised when we left the tent a few hours later and saw how many people were wandering the streets of the festival. We joined right in the crowds and rode the roller coasters, found food to eat and just walked around. On Sunday we also returned to the "Weisn" for more fun. It was a really interesting day because we were able to see the brass band perform on the steps under the Bavarian statue and then march through the streets and into the tents of the festival. It was also a family day so the streets were even more packed then the day before. We had another great day and left before the evening with our tour so we could make it back late Sunday night just in time for a great Monday at school!

Heidelburg/ Bad Durkheim

The last group of pictures are from our weekend trip around the area. We first took the train to Heidelburg and spent the evening celebrating a birthday with a German friend of Lisa's. The next day we found a great hostel near the train station and then headed to Bad Durkheim for what we heard is one of the best wine festivals in Germany. We had a great time at the festival! We were able to shop, participate in a wine testing, and eat tons of German food and desserts. After wandering through the venodor booths, we spent the rest of our time in the huge tents that were lined with tables with a band and a dance floor in the center. We were surronded by hundreds of people drinking, singing, and dancing. It was a great atmosphere and a fun celebration to participate in!