The Streets of Cologne

Today we went to Cologne, Germany to a chocolate festival and took in some of the sights while we were there.

 The Rhine River

 

"Great St. Martin Church - Constructed from 1150 as a Benedictine abbey church on the site of former Roman storehouses of the 2nd century and previous churches dating from the Middle Ages. Completed in the mid 13th century. Spire dates from the mid 15th century. Parish church ever since 1802."

We are already in awe of the beauty and architecture of Europe. We have had great experiences when we have been out and about - people have been very friendly (except for that guy who yelled at us in German when we couldn't make any of our cards work to pay for parking...oh well - rookie mistake).

Markt der Chocolatiers

The primary reason we came to Cologne today: CHOCOLATE! It was held in front of the Schokoladen Museum and had all sorts of delicious treats, from macaroons to cannoli and everything in between. We have no idea what is actually in the museum because when we thought about venturing in we saw that there was half a million people doing the same thing.

 Naomi's first stop - macaroons. She has been begging to try them since before we left the States, but I kept putting her off, saying we'd get the real things in Europe.  I have to say - I'm not really a fan. But, she enjoys them, so, mission accomplished.

  These pictures don't do them justice, but all of these looked like they were old and rusty.

They did have lots of savory items as well.  We ended up with a potato on a stick, currywurst, and bratwurst for lunch, because what else would you eat in Germany?

 Cooking salmon on wood planks

We behaved ourselves and only came home with 12 macaroons, a dozen or so pieces of chocolate, a bag of mini biscotti, and a fruit cake. While I'm disappointed that my taste buds are acting up, it saved my wallet from emptying.

House Hunting and Finding a Castle

Today we went to see the (only) "government" house that is available to us.  It was okay, but not great.  We are supposed to just accept the accommodations they provide for us, but we don't take too well to being pushed around, so you can imagine how it went when we were told that they would no longer pay for our temporary lodging after the 25th of this month if we refused the house. Thankfully David found some items that were still in the house that made it easy to get his chain of command to back him up when he tells the housing office that we will not be taking the house.

We had an appointment to see another house, but had an hour to kill before we could do so. So, we went and found ourselves a castle. The town we were going to be looking at a house in is called Amstenrade, and they just so happen to have a castle in their little town.

"The original castle, built by Huyn van Amstenraedt, was a castle with three round towers and one square tower. Remains of this square tower are still present in the current square tower, built around 1609."

 This castle belonged to the same family, though sometimes being passed down through a female heir, from 1350-1779 when it was "sold to the Liège banker Nicolaas Willems. Willems demolished the outdated castle, muting the canals, but preserving the square tower. According to the original plans, the new castle would be a U-shaped building, but due to the lack of sufficient funds, the east wing was scrapped." Nicolaas, who was unmarried, died in 1788 and gave everything to his niece, Baroness Victoire de Hayme de Bomal, married to Count Claude de Marchant d’Amsembourg. The castle has been in this family since that time, with the current owner being just 3 years younger than I am. 

We did finally go see the house that is a possibility for us to live in (unfortunately I don't think we're going to find a castle in our price range), and we liked it a whole lot better than the first one we saw, but we are still unsure whether it is "the one". As far as the kids are concerned, there is no question - it has a huge back yard and an in ground pool. The detractor for us is the fact that it is a shared back yard with the owners (a really nice younger couple, but they have no kids).  So, we will keep looking and see if we can find anything else that might fit our needs.

Brunssum, Netherlands

Today after David and I had our driving class so we can legally drive in Europe, we picked up the kids, finally got our NATO ID's, and took a drive around the city that is to be our home.  We still don't have a house, but have appointments to see two tomorrow.  We found a shopping area and were looking for somewhere to eat, so we stopped to explore and managed to find a restaurant, The Gorrison,  that had been recommended to us.

 No, I did not post this picture upside down. There really is a table and chairs on the ceiling.

 Everyone ordered burgers except me.  I smelled French onion soup the moment I walked in and wanted nothing else. Grace and I were supposed to split a burger and my soup, but I took one bite and didn't want anything to do with the burger.  I'm normally not a picky eater, but there's just something about meat that isn't from the USA - it does not agree with my palette. I remember going for 3 years not eating a steak or burger out while we lived in Korea, and that may be the case again here. But not to worry! There are plenty of delicious foods to choose from.

Like their fries. Oh my goodness! The Dutch know how to do fries. They are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle and taste oh so good. They are served with mayo instead of ketchup.

De Pannekoeken Molin, Gulpen, Netherlands

This morning we headed over to base to check out the chapel service.  While it was not our beloved Pastor Derek, it was a good message, and maybe more importantly, we were welcomed with open arms as though we were long lost friends.  What really impressed me was the teenage girls. In my experience, teenage girls can be, and unfortunately often are, very critical and stand offish toward newcomers. Not so today! Two came up to Grace right after service and talked with her to learn more about her and then they all sat together during fellowship time and went together to Sunday School. When Tristan didn't show up to class they even inquired after him, not realizing he was in middle school. Tristan found another boy his age in his class and seemed to enjoy it (and I found out later he even contributed to the discussion!).  Naomi, of course, found her "best friend" and had a great time.  As for David and I, we already feel loved and are excited to be surrounded by Jesus loving people.

After church and Sunday school, we were invited to join others at a Dutch pancake house for brunch. I don't think Grace's phone was working, so we have no pictures of food. :D A Dutch pancake is basically a cross between a crepe (diameter/flavor wise) and a fluffy (think IHOP) pancake.  This pannekoeken is then topped with sweet or savory toppings. Naomi had one that had apples, bananas, and powdered sugar, and the rest of us had some combination of cheese, bacon, tomatoes, and mushrooms.  They did not disappoint!

 A church across the pond from where we ate

 De Pannekoeken Molin

After eating, while the adults were still visiting, the big kids took a walk to Kasteel Neubourg. This castle was built in 1288 but is currently under reconstruction so they couldn't go in. But still - getting to see a castle on your 5th day living in Europe? Yes, please!

 Silly boys

 

 All in all it was a great day.  All of us made new friends and cannot believe that we feel so "at home" already.  I guess that's what happens when there aren't that many Americans in one place (I've heard somewhere in the ballpark of 75 "soldiers" on the entire base David will be working at).

Restaurant Kornmuhle GmbH, Geilenkirchen, Germany

Our first outing, other than grocery shopping, was to a restaurant not too far from the guest house we are staying at here in Germany. We all ordered something different so we could share.  It was all delicious!

Tristan - Lamb with potatoes and vegetables

 Naomi - Goulash

 David - Sauerbraten

Grace - Kartoddelpilkase (Potato with mushroom and cheese)

Danielle - Jagerschnitzel (pork cutlet with mushroom cream sauce)

 The kids got a kick out of being served a coke from a glass bottle

After dinner we walked across the street to a larger grocery store and perused the shelves.

 They have a wide variety of ketchups :)

Our European Adventure Begins

Despite our desire to retire next year, God had other plans for our family.  After years of asking for an assignment in Europe, it was finally granted to us.  We tried to turn it down twice, but when it was presented the third time, we knew that it was God ordained.  So, we said some very difficult goodbyes this weekend and boarded the plane to our new home in the Netherlands.

Grace and her BFF Cassie

"The Gang"

 This is how we've been living for the last 2 weeks, and how we will be living for potentially the next 2 months.

 There wasn't an inch of space left!

 9 suitcases, a rolling duffel bag, a tote, and 4 cats

 Waiting for our flight

 Naomi hasn't been on a plane since we returned from Korea (she was not yet 2), so she was very attentive listening to the details of the plane.

 And we're off!

Though we had hoped to retire in Tennessee, we know this will be a great adventure as our last hurrah as an Army family! Lord willing we will see Tennessee again in 3 years.