We're on a boat!

We are very lucky to have moved into a neighborhood with incredibly friendly neighbors, something that we have been told is not necessarily typical of Germany. Our next door neighbors have been particularly kind and welcoming to us, and on the 9th we had the pleasure of attending a party for their 30th wedding anniversary, as well as their 50th and 55th birthdays. We were also thrilled to have been included in the neighborhood meeting to discuss the decorating of their house for the party (around here this usually involves a mannequin, pictured below), the decorating party itself, and the un-decorating party. The actual anniversary/b-day bash was a lot of fun and included lots of beer, wine, schnitzel & potatoes, homemade desserts and techno music, all starting at 11am. Below are pictures of the mannequin (an effigy of Rita with her cleaning tools, although it looks more like Michael Jackson), Patrick and Brennan sitting with a table full of our neighbors, and Brennan with his friend Niko.



We were so excited to have a visit from our cousins Bryan and Maria recently, and we loved all of the time that we were able to spend with them! Here are some pictures of us hanging around the yard, biking around town, and visiting our local museum.



While Bryan and Maria were staying with us we took a couple of trips. These are some pictures from a day trip to Maastricht, Netherlands, including part of the old town wall and a modern sculpture of musicians. Brennan enjoyed seeing the ducks and really wanted to join them in the water.





We saw this sculpture of children shooting marbles on a street corner in Maastricht and it's one of the cutest things I've ever seen. There is a spot left open for a 4th player, complete with marbles. What a creative piece of art, not to mention photo op! I asked Brennan to pick up one of the "balls" and he hunkered down with the other "kids," it was perfect!



Here are a few pictures from our daytrip to Koeln (Cologne). FYI, I am not sure how to add umlauts (those 2 dots above a letter) here, so for now I am adding the "e" instead. We stopped at a cafe for coffee and a snack for Brennan upon arrival, then toured the cathedral. We were in time to catch the postlude of a service, which was performed by 2 musicians on an organ that seemed to dangle a mile above us. The cathedral was beautiful and Patrick and I tag-teamed it with Brennan, who preferred to run up and down some stairs in the plaza instead of sightsee. In true German fashion a complete stranger offered him (and we accepted on his behalf) some gummi bears. The "don't take candy from strangers" rule does not apply here, as giving candy to children seems to be a national pasttime.



After visiting the cathedral we walked along the waterfront and ate lunch at a cute riverside cafe. Brennan took a nap in his stroller (amazing!) and we did a little shopping before heading back to our original cafe for more coffee and an ice cream sundee for Patrick.



We also took an overnight trip to Bacharach am Rhein and stayed in a b&b in the middle of town. We had another good cafe lunch and then caught a Rhein boat cruise up to St. Goar. Here are some pictures from around town and another miraculous stroller nap.



Our Rhein cruise was lots of fun and we got to see some great castles, towns and cathedrals from the comfort of our deck chairs while drinking beer on tap. In St. Goar we enjoyed some ice cream and Maria found the Birkenstocks that she had been hunting. Apparently Birkenstock is holding out on the U.S. because this store had an amazing selection and variety of styles. We cruised back down the river and had dinner in Bacharach, highlights of which included a wine-tasting for 4 (sorry Brennan) and an awesome cheese platter. Patrick and I once again took turns eating and running after Brennan, feeling the need to keep him quiet at the nice restaurant, despite the outdoor setting. Another couple with a toddler son shared some books with Brennan and we learned that they, too, were on vacation and that they, too, had pushed their son beyond his bedtime after an insufficient nap. The books were apparently the property of the restaurant, proving yet again how prepared Europeans are for the overly tired children who will be frequenting their restaurants and places of business. Combined with the older gentleman who got a kick out of whistling to Brennan from the next table, this experiance reinforced the message that we have been getting here to relax and let kids be kids. We had so much fun with Bryan and Maria and were so happy that they were willing and able to spend so much time with us!