Our Alsatian Adventure - Christmas Markets (part 1)

On Saturday we took off on yet another European adventure. This time heading to France, Germany and Switzerland, all in just 4 1/2 days. Thankfully where we were heading we're all within an hour to 2 hrs drive of each other so while three countries may seem daunting, it's really not. The only thing I wasn't looking forward to was the cold, after more than 30 years in New England, you would think it wouldn't bother me, but after two nice and mild winters I didn't know if I could go back and with the way I packed you would think we were expecting sub freezing temps for days rather than "mild" temps in the 30s. However the forecast called at least for some snow and so we packed accordingly. The boys were especially excited for this part!

We landed in Basel, Switzerland mid afternoon on Saturday and Aidan was bummed to see no snow on the ground.

Our fab rental car...

It looks tiny from the outside but on the inside it was actually quite spacious!

We headed straight out to visit some friends. To us, this was a major highlight of the trip. These are people we've been friends with for almost 2 1/2 years and yet had never met in person. How did that happen you ask? Well when we found out we were moving to Barcelona, our friend Dave suggested we contact his brother Paul who at the time was living in Basel (now in France) about life abroad. And a friendship was born. Paul and his wife Aimee have been a bountiful resource of information and reading their blog was also inspiring. I'd see what they had going on and feel like, well ok, they have xyz happening so if they can do all of that then I can handle abc which by comparison is easy.
Anyways when we decided to do the Christmas market tour we decided we absolutely had to visit with Paul, Aimee and their kids who are a year older a a year younger than Aidan. They were gracious to let us Tay with them for part of our trip and were the ultimate hosts. The moment we walked in the door it was like old friends seeing each other for the first time in years. We all just clicked.
The kids immediately got together and I loved that there seemed to be no tension between any of them. Aidan and Fiona were like bff's in minutes and he told me later that he reminded him of his friend Sophie who moved to the UK this year. I didn't realize how much he missed her. the kids did a little gift exchange which was sweet. The boys brought Seth and Fiona each a caga too from Barcelona, our Christmas tradition. And they gave Aidan and Liam a new game that they can't stop playing (great choice!). And of course the adults all had local alcohol to exchange :).
Aimee is an amazing cook and had prepared five outstanding courses, all accompanied by the appropriate wines. As with most meals in this part of europe, meals can last hours and this was no different and just enhanced the dining experience. We started off with a cheese fondue that was served in what looked like a shed outside but was actually an outdoor enclosed dining space complete with fireplace. And damn it was cold out compared to bcn!! After relaxing for a bit we moved on soup, a butternut squash, that was equisite. By the time the meal came, I had perhaps had a few too many glasses of wine which could explain the headache I had by then and by now I should know better and how to pace myself, especially after traveling. Regardless the beef stew with mashed potatoes was fabulous and just melted in your mouth. But we aren't done yet. We still have the cheese course (and I love French cheeses!) and dessert!
So yes, a fantastic way to start off our trip. Great conversation, delectable food, kids getting along...really can't ask for more. And so a huge thank you to Paul and Aimee for hosting us!  Of course, I took no pictures the first night... shame on me!!

Sunday morning I woke up early and was actually excited that there was some snow on the ground. Ok I was so excited to tell the kids that I basically was stalking their room til I saw Aidan stirring and I immediately pounced. I told him it was snowing (mind you it was barely a coating at that point) and he bounced out of bed to the window. He was grinning from ear to ear and looked like a kid on Christmas. Who knew he missed snow too? Guess sometimes you have to lose something to appreciate it.

So of course he wanted to wake Liam as well. I made him wait a few minutes but finally gave in. Liam, too, was excited and couldn't wait to get outside. Good thing I packed their snow pants! We walked over to the main house and they had their tongues out catching snowflakes and Liam announced he would be eating ALL of the snow with the exception of yellow and brown snow (whew!).

Snow across the street from Paul and Aimee's house

Aidan super excited looking out the window!

Must eat ALL of the snow!!

Running over to the main house to have breakfast

The 4 kids barely made it thru breakfast before begging to go outside. So off they went. Eating, throwing and running thru what was now maybe an inch or two. Regardless, it was snow and they were happy. And for me it was nice since this was the first time I didn't need to be out there with them. Ahhh the joys of them getting older.

Breakfast time!

A croissant ... I mean a telescope...

Out in the snow!

Going sledding...

Not much of a hill but they didn't care

Conspiring

Eating as much snow as possible

One happy kid :)

After playing in the snow everyone retreated back inside for some hot chocolate with not just whipped cream but sprinkles too, very nice touch Aimee! We chilled by the fire til it was time to go to lunch at a local eatery. Lunch was fabulous as we expected and we were just thrilled to have some form of meat two days in a row. Red meat isn't all that great in bcn so whenever we go to France we jump right on that bandwagon! The kids did some coloring and were all really well behaved thru the entire meal. I'm not sure where my kids must have been at that time because these children were clearly imposters!!

Yum, hot chocolate!!  Aidan with his new BFF, Fiona...

Sadly the time came to say goodbye to our friends, for now. The plan was to meet them on Wednesday for lunch before our flight headed back to Barcelona. Aidan was very bummed to be leaving his new friends which for me was actually a nice turn of events. If you recall this summer, he was very unfriendly to Zach and Haley when we did our France/Italy trip. Even though we had told him we were only staying with them one night, the memory of a 7 year old can certainly be selective.

On to the next part of our adventure in the Alsace. Strasbourg! This is where the apartment we rented was located and I absolutely could not have asked for a better location. Literally steps away from their famed cathedral, we are at the heart of Christmas right here. The street was a pedestrian one so we had to park the car away from the apartment but as we walked towards it we were just in awe of the old Alsatian structures and of course of this massive cathedral. It is the 6th largest church in the world standing at 466 feet tall. While other cathedrals have stood on this site, the current structure, known as Cathedral of our Lady of Strasbourg, began to be erected in 1176. Yes that is about 900 years ago. Aidan said that it reminded him a bit of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and while that church is stunning in its own right, this one is about 800 years older!

Walking up to the Cathedral.  Our apartment was less than a block on the left from here... great location!

After getting the tour of the apartment from the owner, Josh set forth to find a store for necessary provisions. I went off with the kids to start to explore the insanely crowded market right down the block. Now the markets in Barcelona are nice but they just pale in comparison to these, and the market by the Cathedral has been in operation since 1570. We waited a half hour to get two pretzels and a hot cider. It was just that crowded. But while the booths in bcn focus on nativity scenes, caga nets and caga tis, the ones here had crepes, hot cider, mulled wine and lots more yummy snacks. There were booths with handmade toys and beautiful ornaments. They had Christmas village pieces. I don't own a Christmas village but being here made me want to own one! The kids were amazingly really into wandering the booths and the town. They loved exploring!

The people in Strasbourg go all out with the decorating of buildings!

Our building is the one with the vines on the right - and a great view of the "teddy bear" house

next to us!

There were lots of these little trains around the markets selling roasted chestnuts

Liam likes twirling...this was a cool picture since it looks like the wind twirled with him!

Eating a fresh pretzel

The chestnut guy let me take his picture

The building on the left was probably one of my favorites. You can't tell from this picture (but I have some daytime ones) but the windows all look like the panes are made from the bottoms of glass bottles.  I can't even  imagine how old this building is... stunning!

Some of the market in Strasbourg

Checking out some of the booths

Cathedral in the background

A very smiley Aidan

I'm pretty sure they aren't supposed to be up there, after all there were no stairs and they had to climb over the railing... oh you Americans!

Very cool chandelier lights along one street

A close up of the light

Huge Christmas tree in the center of town

Sneaking around to the back of the tree

We made it down to the center where there was a 20 meter tree standing over yet another market. By now we were in search of Josh who had been gone well over an hour. Eventually we found him and we headed off to dinner. We tried to get out of the touristy areas but apparently this time of year it's all touristy. We ended up in a pub figuring its hard to go wrong with comfort food. But it was just ok and Liam actually fell asleep at the table, a sure sign of a fun but long day. So after dinner we headed back to get a good nights rest in order to be ready for our next big day - markets in GERMANY!

After dinner fun 

Liam loved the teddy bears in the windows!

Julie

Holiday Fiestas

Yes, it's that time of year again - for end of the semester parties and concerts for the boys.  Each of the boys had a concert and a party to celebrate the end of 2011 and to welcome in the holiday season and the long 3 week holiday break!

On Tuesday Liam and his classmates put on a performance for the parents in the music room and it was absolutely adorable!  They sang several songs and did such a great job!

On their way to the music room!

Liam loves the stage :)

Hi Mommy!

For videos of the concert, click the links below (Liam is 2nd on the right):

#1 - http://youtu.be/z7PcGGeuSl4

#2 - http://youtu.be/daua6CelCEE

After the concert we headed back to the classroom where treats were all set up for the kids.  But the big surprise was a visit from Santa!!  The kids were so excited that Santa came to see them and to bring them each a little toy. 

Getting ready for snacks with friends

You can't really see Liam's face but it's one of "Wow, Santa's here!"

Liam getting his present

On Thursday night, the elementary school did their annual holiday concert at the Clinica Planas.  It was a little chaotic getting to the auditorium.  We left the house around 5:50 (only having gotten home from school at 5) to take a cab up to Clinica Planas.  However, General Mitre, one of the main roads here, was absolutely bumper to bumper.  It was annoying that the cab didn't seem to think he should try one of the side roads and then I finally asked him to do it - he had to look at his GPS to figure out where to go... really?  I've lived here two years and I could tell you.

Anyways, so we got to the concert late and they had already started.  Thankfully since Aidan is in 2nd grade we made it with a few minutes to spare since kindergarten was already on the stage.  Whew!!  It was a great concert and the kids loved seeing their friends outside of school.  Considering we had to drag them out of the house, it was interesting that we also had to drag them home from the concert since they wanted to stay and play!

Aidan is in the light blue shirt 3rd from the left.

While I'm sure you would have loved to have seen the entire hour plus concert, I only recorded Aidan's class.  His class sang "Shalom Chaverim" - to watch the video click here: 

http://youtu.be/cwswAT0zQok

Liam, Logan and Ariana

Playing nicely while they wait for the concert to end, though I did notice the boys leaving Ariana out occassionally... but not because she was a girl, but because she didn't have any ninjago legos with her...only a snowman.  Ah boys!

Today was Aidan's end of year holiday party.  For me it started off a little rough.  For some reason I thought it started at 3 but a parent happened to email me about something and then mentioned she'd see me in an hour.  But that's not possible because it was only 1PM.  But yup, I was wrong, the party started at 2 and shame on me because I should know this.  Why?  Because I'm the one who sent the email to all the parents to let them know when it was!  So I scurried there via cab because the kennel didn't pick up Jake til 1:30. 

The party started with the kids reviewing their journals about Japan which they've been studying for the last 7 weeks.  Yesterday I volunteered to do one of the Japan centers in the class where the kids got to do things from trying chopsticks to making rice balls and even trying origami.  So it was fun to see what they've learned based on their journals.  Then it was time to have the party which was very casual with some snacks brought in from the parents.   

Best buds - Santi, Aidan and Max

The boys with the class turtle, aptly named Turti

And finally after school today we headed on down to Vistaprint for their Holiday View.  As many of our neighborhood friends may remember from Josh's Lexington days, every Friday night Josh would say he was working late.  In fact, he had the View, which is an end of the week little get together sponsored each week by a different department.  There is often food and beverages and depending on the time of year, some entertainment.  I always would laugh at him when he'd say he's working late because after all these years, you'd think he'd know that I know he was going to the view. 

Anyways, tonight's View was a holiday one and all the little kids were invited.  It was a fun time and the kids opened up a bit more than I expected with Aidan even playing a rousing game of foosball (yes there is foosball and table tennis set up in their offices... oh and don't forget the wii!).  Liam wasn't as social but seemed pretty happy overall and for me it was nice to get out and socialize beyond my group of friends.  It was all in all a nice way to start our vacation.

Though speaking of vacations, I will put in this one aside because it was amusing and something I will want to laugh about years from now - Liam still sleeps in a pull up.  When I went to say goodnight to him I said it smelled a bit and did he poop.  At first he denied it but then he came clean.  When I asked him why he didn't listen to his body and go in the toilet, he responded that his body was on vacation and that's why he didn't listen to it.  Yeah, it's going to be an interesting 3 weeks of Christmas vacation for sure!  We're off to Basel, Switzerland in the morning!!  I probably won't update the blog til we get back because I won't be able to upload the pics since my laptop is staying home and I can't transfer them to our ipad but keep an eye out next week for more!!

Julie

Keeping Traditions Alive

For many who know me, know that I am very much into anything that we can do on an annual basis - keeping traditions going.  Be it apple picking, chinese food on New Years, trips to the cape, or the holidays - I just love something we can do year after year.  I don't know why I'm so into this but I guess it's because for some reason as a kid I felt like we didn't have enough traditions in our family.  Now looking back, I see that's not true - we just didn't have the same traditions as my friends and for some reason at that time, it felt like that meant we didn't have any traditions at all.  I guess hindsight is 20/20 right? 

As the school year winds down for the holiday break, it's time for us to get to work on some of these traditions.  The kids have school parties and concerts.  We have events with Josh's work as well.  And of course, life doesn't stop while we're trying to balance everything going on this week.  But we have things to look forward to very very soon! 

Anyways, I embrace tradition and for me, the holidays is one of my favorite ways to express this.  One of the hardest parts about moving to Barcelona for me was that I would have to leave many of our traditions behind us, especially around the holidays.  And so last year I did what I could and decided we would start some new ones here in Barcelona.  The kids made their own ornaments since we had left ours behind in the States.  We visited the Christmas markets here in Barcelona.  We went on vacation (again) during the holiday season.  And instead of Chinese food on xmas eve (since we have yet to find decent Chinese food) we ended up in an Irish pub.  On Christmas morning I attempted to make cinnamon rolls from scratch in an attempt to keep at least one tradition alive and you'll be hard pressed to find Pillsbury cinnamon rolls here!  No one died because our traditions weren't the same as before and in the end, we had a great holiday! 

This year we plan to continue with what we have started only we are going to embrace yet another new tradition here - the Christmas Market.  We went to the one in Barcelona last year and I have been this year though the kids have not (yet).  This year we are heading to Basel, Switzerland where we will then continue on to Strasbourg, Colmar and Riquewihr in France and to Freiburg, Germany.  Hitting 3 countries in just about 4 days.  The markets in Strasbourg alone are about 500 years old - talk about some traditions!! The bonus to this is that we also get to meet up with some friends that we haven't actually ever met in person so we're very excited about that too!!  More on that in my Christmas market entry coming soon!

For now, I'd like to share my pictures from the Christmas markets here in Barcelona which I actually had in my last post as well so sorry for the repeat, but I'm thinking it's applicable here too.  As I mentioned in one of my last posts, I wrote more about this last year so if you want the full scoop, check out my entry from last December:  http://megustatuzapatos.blogspot.com/2010/12/our-new-catalan-christmas-traditions.html.  The markets here are filled with artisan treasures which makes the items unique to not just Spain but to Catalunya and even to Barcelona.  We're looking forward to finding some new traditions in Swizerland, France and Germany though I think it's going to be hard to top the caga tio, at least from the kids point of view!

Who doesn't love a figure that poops right?  My kids are now up to 6 of these "fabulous" little guys...

And of course you need a caga tio - anything that poops you a present can't be bad, right?

More traditional, non pooping parts of the market ;)

Until we leave for our trip on Saturday we've got a week full of parties and events at school and at work.  Yesterday we had Liam's holiday concert (will post an entry about that later as I've got video to upload), tonight a work event with Josh and then tomorrow a party celebrating Japan for Aidan (they've been studying Japan for the last several weeks), a concert tomorrow night for Aidan and then his class party on Friday.  Whew, exhausted just thinking about it, but excited for things to come in the next few weeks!!

Julie 

Skating on Thin Ice

Barcelona isn't exactly known for it's hard core winters.  We don't get snow here (ok, 2 inches a few years ago and it was the first accumulating snow in 25 years) and really for the most part the temps here don't go below 50 in the winter with the exception of the early mornings. 

For us to be able to go ice skating outside, that's a special treat.  I'd seen a rink on the other side of the city last year but in part I was too lazy to go and because we don't go to that part of the city that much it was also out of sight out of mind.  So when we saw a tent being erected in Placa Catalunya we didn't think much of it til a friend said it was a skating rink!! 

The kids had both today and this coming Thursday off and so yesterday I went downtown to make sure that the rink would be open today, a holiday.  And since it was, we made plans with both one of Aidan's friends and one of Liam's friends to meet up at 11.  Yesterday there was no line...today everyone and their brother had the same idea as we did.  We sat in line for close to 40 minutes but in the end it was worth it.

For just 8 euros each which included our skate rental we got to skate for a full hour.  Now recently I've realized I'm a bit embarrassed that I say we are from New England and yet my kids had never been on ice skates nor on skis.  I'm rectifying both of these things this year!!  Today we took care of the skates and the kids LOVED it!!  Especially Aidan who wanted to go back after lunch (we did not)!  I guess his rollerblading skills came in handy after all!!  Liam wouldn't give up and I love that about him - he was bound and determined to do it without help and while he skirted the boards most of the time, he did edge his way out occassionally!  Another few times and he'll be doing great!!!

Liam, Aidan and Santi

Aidan and Santi are amazing right away!

Liam sticks to the boards

But sometimes has the courage to let go!  Go Liam!

The big kids in the middle

Stephanie helping Liam along the way

They look so big here!!  When did they get so old???

Chris and Pol taking a spin around the rink

All smiles even when he falls...

Til we hit the meltdown stage... ok, time to go!

We'll definitely be going back before the rink closes on January 8th!

Julie

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year... And No, It's Not Back to School :)

It's Christmas time!!  Yes time for holiday lights and festivals and Christmas trees... and of course, lots of yummy goodies to add to my waistline! 

Unlike in the States, the holiday season here does not officially start until the evening of November 30th when the lights in the streets are turned on.  While they still don't seem super Christmas-y to me, they are still really pretty and festive.  But at least they switch things up each year so that we have different lights on each street each year. 

The lights along Travessera de Gracia (we live less than a block off this street)

Chandeliers along Passeig de Gracia, one of my favorite streets in the city

Closeup of a chandelier

Once the lights were up in the city, it was time for us to start decorating at home.  I still think my tree here, courtesy of IKEA, is a bit on the Charlie Brown side, but given the size of our apartment and general lack of decorations, it will do.  It has not diminished the fun we have putting it all together!  Last year our new tradition was to make some of our own ornaments.  Well, I seem to have lost the bucket with all those supplies (how that is possible when we don't have a single closet is beyond me), so I'm happy to say we have started a new tradition.  Now, when we travel we try to purchase a new ornament in the city or country we are visiting.  New ornaments this year came from Holland, Venice, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Barcelona, Murano, Hydra...and a few more.  Though we didn't find them in every place we went to, it was still a nice reminder of the trips we have taken thru the year and fun to reminisce! 

Liam was more interested in making the ornaments into action figures...and all non precious ones are now on the bottom!

Nothing better than tinsel!

And more tinsel

Liam with his Santa hat

And his Santa hat with Rudolph antlers added to it

Last week the Christmas markets opened here in Barcelona and since I was in need of some caganers and caga tios to send both home and to take on an upcoming trip with us, I was all for going.  That and last year I only made it with the kids so didn't really get to wander around much.  My friend Brenda and I hit up the market on Friday and somehow most of the tourists were gone - though apparently just for that day because the city is PACKED right now so great timing for us!  We went down by the Cathedral to check out all the booths packed with caganers, caga tios, ornaments, decorations for nativity scenes, Christmas trees and more! 

For those who weren't reading last year or missed the entry, let me just refresh your memory on Caganers and Caga Tios.  A caganer is placed in your nativity scene and is shown squatting down pooping, yes pooping.  It is supposed to represent a fertile new year.  I know, I know... only in Spain right?  And a caga tio is a poop log.  He is literally a log and you are supposed to feed him every day starting after the Immaculate Conception and then on Christmas Eve you sing a little song telling him not to poop sardines but to poop presents or turron (a sweet here).  Then you beat him with a stick.  Yup, you read that right...

We have added a new caganer to our collection - a caga tio caganer!  He poops a present :)  And to Liam's amazement, he has a "human butt".  We now own 6 caganers...and yet, no nativity scene.  Just a whole lot of pooping guys (Darth Vader, Bart Simpson, a Smurf, caga tio and 2 traditional Catalan ones)

Some caga tios with adjustable butts - very cool but also very expensive.

More caga tios

We're really looking forward to the holiday season!  Next weekend we are heading to France, Germany and Swtizerland to go check out Christmas markets in each country - and we're going to be stopping in to see some friends in France which should make it even more fun!  So keep an eye out for some scenic posts with postcard like pictures of quaint towns all decorated for the holidays!

Julie