Germany: 12/08/2015(Prague)

Really wasn’t much on the agenda for our last full day in Prague.  One thing was for certain though, we would eat at Cafe Savoy before we left.  So breakfast there this morning was a must.  Let me explain this place.  It is one of those Instagram worthy establishments.  One of the places that, if you’re a foodie like me who finds out where to eat the second you know you’re going to a certain town, you stalk for weeks anticipating your chance to finally dine there.  I’m talking a table full of food that make you look like Marie Antoinette or something. 

My mom and I are always seeking out new bakeries and breakfast places to try out, and Cafe Savoy along with Oddfellows in Seattle are two that I wish she could’ve been with me at. 

I ordered the Savoy Breakfast.  It started off with a basket of 4 kinds of various homemade breads along with French butter and homemade jam.  Next came a “bowl” of Savoy Cafe au Lait that had cinnamon and chocolate in it.  Then a plate containing Prague Ham, Emmental Cheese, a soft boiled egg, and a piece of their homemade nut bread came out.  All for about $7.  Kalin got the French Breakfast.  For around $12 she too got the basket of bread, a croissant, fresh squeezed orange juice, a cappuccino, a piece of extremely thick French toast with apple slices, Prague ham, hard boiled egg, and French fries of course.  Before we left I had to get an apple strudel to go.  Let’s just say we didn’t eat again until about 8 PM when we decided to be brave and try out the “Gold Chicken” restaurant next door to our apartment. 

   
    
    
    
   
After our feast, we went and found the John Lennon wall, searched through some book stores, went and saw a huge national memorial atop a hill in a large park overlooking the city, then chilled until heading to a movie theatre nearby for cheap drinks and a $4 showing of Monty Python.  

   
    
    
   
Tomorrow we take a bus to Munich.  I loved Prague, but after spending so much time in Germany, I’m excited to go back. Our trip is officially half way over. 

Germany: 11/26/2015 (Thanksgiving)

I have spent the past two years away from home on Thanksgiving. Last year because of work, and this year because I am in Germany.  I LOVE Thanksgiving and I do not like being away from family on this day, but God always provides. 

Last year I spent it at one of my player’s homes in Amarillo with the team.  It was such a great and blessed time with a wonderful group of girls.  This year I was able to prepare a Thanksgiving meal on my own for the first time, and serve it to a family as their first ever celebration of the holiday.  

  
Not only that, but this morning the weather was nice, cool, and crisp with the sun shining for once!  The perfect Thanksgiving morning.  I went for a run before beginning my day in the kitchen. As I was cooling off, a man on a bike rode past me. Now this is something that happens 20 plus times a day. People love their bikes and feet around here and I love them for it.   This particular instance was different though.  

You see, I have been here for over 5 weeks now and I can’t remember a single time when someone I passed on the street said hello, smiled, or even acknowledged I was there unless I initiated the exchange.  It is just not something that is a part of the culture here like it is back home.

Well this man smiled and very brightly said “Morgen!!”, meaning morning in German. It made my day.  It is true that a simple hello or smile can brighten someone’s day.  Pass on the love and enjoy life, people!!! 

Anyways, back to the meal.  I timed everything perfectly, as my perfectionist planner self tends to do, and dinner was ready and in the table at the planned time of 6:00.  Everything looked perfect other than the missing roll that Lennart had already grabbed and stuffed in his mouth all in one bite. 

We sat down and I said that before we ate we all had to say something we were thankful for. *pat on the back: I said this all in German by the way*. Paula said she was thankful for the food I cooked and for her birthday coming up next weekend haha.  Lenny, well Lenny was being his usual self, tried to grab a price of turkey with his hands from across the table while we were talking and his dad got onto to him. He then proceeded to cry and complain about being hungry and wanting to eat right then and now.  Kid is 8 and couldn’t wait one more minute. Not gonna lie, this kind of upset me so I said just let him eat. 

Things settled down once he started stuffing his face.  They LOVED the good.  I was so glad and relieved.  Monika picked up the full turkey she had ordered on her way home from work and after eating the one I cooked she said that they will have to cook this again for Christmas because they liked it so much.  

   
 After dinner, Monika, Raphael, and myself spent about an hour drinking wine and talking about movies.  It was a great way to end a different but very very good Thanksgiving. 

Thank you to all of you who have been keeping up with the blog, and keeping me in your thoughts and prayers.  I love you all and hope they your Thanksgiving is a time of joy and happiness as mine was. God Bless!!!

Germany: 11/22&25/2015

11/22

This afternoon we drove about thirty minutes to an open air museum.  The place reminded me a lot of Log Cabin Village in Fort Worth.  It was a park where they had relocated historic German homes, shops, barns, etc, and out them all in one park.  Most of the building dated back to the 1700’s, but a couple of them were older.  One of which was from the  1400’s. 

   

   

  

They also had a walk through building that looked as if you were in a German town but you were indoors.  The mannequins were a bit creepy, but it was a neat interpretation of what a German city looked liked during French rule, Nazi party rule and then after WWII. 

   

   
It was very cold today, we even got some snow on the drive home, but I’m glad we went. 

11/25

It is the Wednesday before thanksgiving.  It snowed here again yesterday for a while. It did not stick though.  Paula is sick so she has stayed home with me the last two days. 

 Tomorrow I am cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the family.  I have never done this before on my own so I am excited and nervous about it.  Mainly nervous because they really don’t understand Thanksgiving.  I had mentioned it way back when I first got here and before I realized that dinner isn’t a big meal for them.  I had to make sure I told them this when she asked me about Thanksgiving again a few weeks ago. 

They also don’t ever eat turkey in Germany so Monika special ordered one from the butcher. I went to pick it up today and they didn’t have it so I got a huge turkey breast.  I told Monika this when she got home and she said I was supposed to tell them I was picking it up for her. She did not tell me this beforehand.  Miscommunication is a daily occurance around here.  I can make do with what I got though. 

I also searched and searched the store for canned pumpkin purée.  None to be found. So I made a pumpkin pie from scratch, not a bad accomplishment for my first time ever making a pumpkin pie.  Shhh… Don’t tell anyone that crust is store bought though. 

 I baked the pie today to get it out of the way. Hope it tastes as good as it looks.  I will be cooking the turkey, bacon wrapped green beans, mashed potatoes, bread, and gravy tomorrow.  Wish me luck. 

Germany: 10/21/2015

This morning I slept in until around 9:30 and decided to grab the house key and go for a morning walk.  I discovered a little more of the town, and headed home to cook breakfast.  The children are at school and the parents are at work so I have the house to myself.  This is GREAT except for the fact that I can’t seem to unlock the front door.  At this point I can’t figure out if it is me or the door.  Frustrated, I walk some more and return to try again.  I finally make it inside, not sure how, and make eggs and toast with coffee, black I might add. The bread here is ten times better than any bread back home by the way. 

After breakfast I decide to go to the park by my house for a run.  

   
The weather is about 50-55 degrees so it is perfect running weather.  I ran a few miles around the lake and through the beautiful park only to arrive home and discover I STILL can’t open the door!!  This is when I decide to really go exploring and venture through basically the entire village of Gluel. 

I find a gorgeous church, a grocery store, and many cafe’s, gelato shops, and businesses. 

   
   
After about 2 hours of walking I head home in hopes of eating lunch before picking up Lennart from school.  Still no luck getting in that dang door so I hang out in the back garden until I walk to get him.  The plan was to go get gelato on our way home, but the money was inside the house. 

By the time I got him and returned home, Paula was home and let us in as well as showed me how to properly open the stubborn door.  I am now able to open it about 1 out of every 5 tries, so progress is being made.  

We finally or our gelato, which other than the real deal I had in Italy, was the best I have ever had.  Dark chocolate gelato for around €0,85 or $1 a cone…can’t beat that!!  

Paula has two friends over after school so I helped them study for their English vocab test they have on Friday.  One of them was a very good English speaker and it was nice to be able to almost fully communicate with someone. 

Once Monika returned home from work and grocery shopping we headed to the “mall” to look around and allow me to get some cash and bus passes.  When 7:00 hit so did my hangriness.  I typically never forget to eat, but today with all the chaos of being locked out I realized I had only had breakfast and ice cream all day.  I needed food and I needed it ASAP!  Here’s the thing though…Germans don’t really eat much of a dinner, and they don’t eat much meat at all.  That could be a challenge, I love me some chicken. Lunch is their main meal.  On the first night we had some bread with proscuitto and a little cheese, tea, and some sliced tomato with what I believed to be plain yogurt, still not sure.  

A typical German dinner looks similar to this or on occasion may contain a hot soup.  My stomach was praying for soup tonight and it must’ve been my lucky day because that is exactly what was going to be prepared.  Monika made a pumpkin and potato soup, something I have actually been wanting to try for a while, and it was accompanied by some amazing bread, of course, and some cucumber.  It was all very delicious and I ate way too fast, something my empty stomach did not like.  

Hopefully tomorrow goes a little smoother.  I can’t wait until Sunday.  I heard about an English speaking Baptist Church in Cologne that I plan on attending and hopefully meeting some other American/English speakers that can help me out on this journey.  I believe meeting people will be key to a successful experience here in Germany.  

One. More. Week.

This morning was my last long run of half-marathon training and I couldn’t be more happy about it!!  12.5 miles in the books this morning, fueled by Mexican food and junk from the night before.  Let me tell ya, you would not think that enchiladas, s’mores, wheat thins, and chex mix would make for a very good “night before a long run” meal, but I have found that the more junk I eat the night before, the better my run is the next day.  So Seattle, I will be roaming your streets in search of s’mores Friday evening, prepare yourself.

Meal of champions right there.  Move over Wheaties.