Gotta Have It

Ack!

Hubby and I went furniture shopping this weekend. Last year, we bought a cabinet, TV stand, sideboard and a coffee table. There was a final cabinet in the set, but we decided to wait to make sure we had plenty of room for it.

Then the uncertainty of his job made us hold off. It’s 8-10 weeks from ordering the furniture until it’s delivered. We wanted to make sure we’d still be here.

Once we were sure, we talked about ordering it. It was around Thanksgiving and we were planning a trip back to the States for the holidays. We’d wait until we came back.
We may have waited too long.

The salesman was unable to place the order through his computer program on Saturday. He has to call the manufacturer today to see if it’s possible. I should hear sometime today or tomorrow.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Now heading out to get some lamb. I’m going to try lamb stew for the first time this week. If it turns out good, I’ll post the recipe on Friday.

How did your weekend go?

Making Do

I love living in Germany. I really do. But sometimes, I miss the convenience of shopping in the States.

I was looking for some dried violet flowers to make some potpourri. I was able to find all kinds of places that sold dried violet leaves. Not what I needed. I found 2 places that looked like they carried it. One appears to be out of business as both phone numbers listed on the website are disconnected. The other wouldn’t return phone calls or emails.

What is even more frustrating for me is that I know I already have some. In storage in Texas. I remember buying them. I just wish I could remember where I bought them. I’m almost positive it was at some health food store that sold bulk herbs, but that’s all I’ve got.

It won’t be the end of the world if I can’t make the potpourri exactly as I want to, although I will admit that it tweaks the little touch of OCD that I have.

So I’ll have to placate myself by planning another trip here in Europe to remind myself one of the greatest reasons for being here. I am planning a cruise in August. I’ll leave Stockholm, dock in Estonia and St. Petersburg. Short but fun. I’ll be able to add 3 more countries to my list of places visited.

What helps you get over small disappointments?

Delivering Christmas Cheer in Germany

Thank you to Lillian Grant for stopping by on Friday and sharing such an interesting story with us. Thank you, dear readers, for stopping by and saying hi.

The winner of a copy of Lillian’s new release, Happy Birthday Nancy Tobin, is:

FiremanPat

Congrats, FiremanPat. I couldn’t find your email address so could you please email me at riley@riley-quinn.com. I’ll get your copy out to ASAP.

So what did your weekend hold for you? This time of year seems to find people so busy.

We started delivering Christmas gifts to the neighbors. I say start because we learned another difference between Americans and Germans last year.

When we lived in Texas, we were in a fairly new neighborhood and as a result, we met our neighbors as each family moved in. Being near a military base, most of them were friendly and we did cookouts and parties together.

At Christmas, I always baked goodies and put together a gift bag for the neighbors. We’d go to each door, ring the bell, wish them a Merry Christmas and give them a gift. They’d say thank you, Merry Christmas back and we’d go on our way to the next house.

So last year, I put together gift bags and one night after hubby got home from work, we thought we’d run gift bags around and then eat dinner. We only had 4 houses to visit. No problem, right?

At House 1, the neighbors were gone. So we left their bag inside the doorway for them.

House 2 is where our master plan began to unravel. Instead of a quick stop, we were invited in. Wine was brought out. Then another bottle of wine. 2 bottles of wine, several schnapps, and 2 hours later, we left.

At House 3, again we were invited in. This time it was beer. 2 beers each, 2 schnapps each and 1 hour later, we left.

Keep in mind, this is 2 bottles of wine, 2 beers, lots of schnapps (which is powerful stuff here in Germany. Think tequila) all on empty stomachs. I was drunk and we still had one more house to go.

We popped into our own place and ate a quick snack of sausage, cheese and crackers in which I proceeded to slice my finger open while cutting the sausage. Then on to House 4, which happens to be our upstairs neighbors and we KNEW that would be a long visit. It was.

Moral of the story: We needed more than a quick visit to deliver our goodies. Friday night, we were invited upstairs. We took their gift. Today, we visited House 1 & 2 and tomorrow we’ll hit House 3.

In addition to all this impromptu neighbor visiting, we had hubby’s work Christmas party and then a co-worker’s Advent party this weekend. Lots of fun, lots of socializing.

We’ll also get a lot of the same over the next 2 weeks. We’re heading to Texas to visit hubby’s family and see all our friends for the holidays. We fly out of Frankfurt on Wednesday (good travel thoughts please as there have been a lot of cancellations lately) and straight into Dallas. We’ll be there until after the first of the year.

So what about your weekend? What kept you busy?

Saturday's Disappointment

First things first, Autumn Shelley won the copy of Blood Diamond.

Second, I had wanted to post pictures of the Nuremburg Christmas market today, but that’s where my disappointment comes in.

When we go to Nuremburg, we take the train. The station in our town is only 2 blocks away and it’s an hour train ride. Same amount of time to get there as by car and the 2 of us can ride on a Day Plus pass for less than 15 euros. Totally worth it when you consider gas prices (which are higher than in the States, even for those of us on base), wear & tear on the car, parking prices, and general driving nuisances.

Anyway, hubby had to work this weekend, but he got off work around 3. We decided to go when he got in. We got up to the station, bought our ticket, no problem. We’re on the platform waiting for the train and minutes before it’s supposed to arrive, it cancels.

My German isn’t good enough yet to catch everything said, I just know that train isn’t coming. So I go up to a man about my age or so and asked if spoke English. Generally, my age and younger usually speak it pretty well. He said yes and I asked about the train. He said it wasn’t coming and we’d have to go through Bayreuth to get there.

Okay, not the best option as it doubles the ride, but do-able. So we’re on our way. When we get to Nuremburg, it’s almost 7. There is drama in the train station there. Not sure what was going on, but the polizei had the middle section of the station cordoned off, they stood there with automatic rifles and police dogs to make sure no one crossed. As the Queen of Nosy, I’m dying to know what happened, but don’t know where to look so I’ll be asking my neighbor where I can find out.

Anyway, we exit the train station the back way and head over to the Irish pub near the station where our friends, who arrived around the time we were supposed to, were waiting for us. Or so we thought. We got our wires crossed and ended up meeting at the big church in town.

We meet up with them, get some sausage sandwiches, some gluhwein for hubby, hot chocolate with amaretto for me. Pick up a few things we like to get. Walk towards one end of the market until we see it peter out and then head back toward the center.

That’s when we got our surprise. The vendors were closing. It was 8 o’clock on a Saturday night and they were closing early. It was a disappointment. We didn’t have enough time to purchase everything we wanted to and see everything.

And, lovely readers, that is why I have no photos for you today. Everything folded up before I could snap them.

How did you spend your weekend?

Pictures from the Regensburg Christmas Market

Today, pictures of a Christkindl Markt, as promised.

On Saturday, I went to Regensburg for the day. They actually have 3 different markets. There is one that is arts & crafts. These booths feature things like stained glass items, pottery and other handmade items. Beautiful stuff.

There is the regular market located in the middle of town. And then they have the market that is on the castle grounds.

There are several carousels at the Christmas markets.

The red and white striped tops are common. Those are mostly what you see, regardless of the city. The only place (so far) that I haven’t seen them is the market on the castle grounds.

Gluhwein, anyone?

Speaking of warm drinks, I have a new favorite. I had a hot chocolate with a shot of amaretto in it at the market. It is OMG good.

This is one line of vendors. Instead of all individual booths, they set up one long one with dividers and each vendor gets a section. In the middle of town, there are about 4 of these long stretches.

These last two pictures are taken at the market on the castle grounds. It’s a bit more spread out and easier to navigate. There aren’t quite as many people either, as it costs to get in.

Since this is one of the Christmas markets I went to last year, I noticed that all the vendors get the same spot every year. That makes it easy to go back and find one you’re interested in. Lucky for me.

What did I haul off with for the day? We got a wood and wheat star to hang on the door, I got a Tibetan singing bowl and of course, the goodies. Lebkuchen, spiced almonds, bratwurst and the hot chocolate I mentioned.

It was so cold and very windy, but a good day.

German Christmas Markets

Yesterday was Thanksgiving in America and as we are currently living in Germany, we weren’t able to spend it with family as we would have liked to. So what did we do?

Well, I wanted to see the new Harry Potter movie and it was playing in Nuremburg. We had friends that asked us over to celebrate with them. So, we went to the first showing of the movie (and had a private showing) and then went to our friends’ house.

While we were in Nuremburg, we noticed that they were setting up for the Christmas market there. It started this afternoon.

If you’ve ever been to Germany in late November into December, you’ve probably been to one. If you haven’t, these are a tradition and most large cities have one and most smaller cities have a variation. Some people even plan vacations to Germany to coincide with the Christmas markets.

Christkindl markt as they are called here, are booths set up all over the pedestrian zone of the city. The booth vendors are a combination of food and goods.

Gluhwein (pronounced glue-vine) is a mulled red wine that vendors throughout the market sell. It’s common for people to sip this warm drink while exploring the offerings. There are other variations, such as a cherry gluhwein or a spiked apple punch.

Then there is the food. There isn’t much that isn’t offered. Sausages of all kinds, toasted nuts, pastries and other baked goods, schneeballens (from Rothenburg, if you remember that post), chocolate covered fruit, fruit bread, and lebkuchen (laib-kookin), which is a Christmastime specialty consisting of a gingerbread-like tasting cookie that is soft and chewy. It’s really good and hubby loves them.

As for the goods, they run the gamut. Handmade Christmas ornaments, advent candles, other Christmas decorations, pottery, jewelry, slippers, handbags, leather goods, things carved from wood, just about anything.

It feels a lot like walking the fairgrounds at a county fair in the States. They are a lot of fun and last year, we went to several. In doing so, we learned that not all Christmas markets are created equal. So this year, we have a plan.

We’re limited because we’re heading to Texas for the holidays and because hubby has to work one weekend. So, tomorrow I’m heading to Regensburg. They actually have two going on. There’s one in the pedestrian zone and one on the castle grounds. It was really nice last year, so we’re hitting that one again.

On the second weekend of December, we’re heading back to Nuremburg. We only did a quick pass-through last year and only saw a small bit. It seemed really nice and since then, I’ve been told they have one of the nicer markets. The following weekend, if possible, we’re going to try to hop over to Rothenburg. They are kind of the Christmas capital of Germany. We may have to wait until next year for that one.

So I’ll be taking some pictures tomorrow and at the other markets and sharing later in December. Have you been to the Christmas markets in Germany? What did you think? Would you plan a vacation around them?

Hope you all had a great turkey day yesterday and a fun weekend coming up!

Back in the Land of Writing

If you stop by regularly, you’ll notice I’ve been absent for a couple of weeks. Sorry about that. Real life intruded, in a big way, and I was mostly offline for most of that time.

Remember a couple of months ago when I mentioned that hubby and I would be staying here in Germany for another 3-5 years? Well, in order for that to happen, he has to switch companies to the one that won the new contract for his job. We had decided that would be the best option for us.

Then, at the 11th hour (read two weeks ago, contract ends November 30), his current employer gave him a job option within the company to keep him on board. It wasn’t so great financially for us and required us to move to Alabama. We weren’t thrilled with the idea and after talking with some lovely online friends about the area and the bottom line financially, we decided to pass.

That’s when his VP brought out the big guns. Made him an offer that, in the end, he wanted to take. It required a move back to the States, while we waited to hear back from this guy with an actual offer letter, I had to proceed forward as if it were a done deal.

So I got Peanut into the vet to get her shots early. Rabies shots have to be at least 30 days old before a dog is allowed into the country. I called the movers to get an estimate. They stopped by. Between all the errands and little things that it takes to move from one country to another, I was online about 30 minutes a day. A record for me! LOL

After all this running around, when we finally heard back from the VP, he said all those positions that he had offered hubby had filled up over the weekend, the same weekend hubby had called and emailed the guy. The offer was off the table.

We talked about it and decided to stick with our original plan. So, the dog’s already got her yearly shots, albeit a month early, so it wasn’t a total loss of time and energy. Hubby will keep his eyes peeled for something else as I think he’s getting tired of working in the military contracting business.

Now I can get back to work, concentrate on my writing and school and continue to enjoy the experience of living in Europe.

Krenfleisch

So far over the almost 2 years I’ve been here in Germany, this is my favorite German dish. It’s pronounced crane fl-eye-sh. In my little area of Bavaria, they drop the n and call it cray fl-eye-sh.

Sorry that there are no amounts for the ingredients. This is my neighbor’s recipe and she taught it to me so this is from the notes I jotted while watching her like a hawk.

I hope you like it. If you’ve ever had it before, did you like it? If you haven’t tried it before, let me know when you do. I’m interested to hear your thoughts. Enjoy! Everyone have a great weekend.

Krenfleisch

Beef roast
Crisco or butter or lard (my neighbor used lard)
Salt
Pepper
Celery, chopped
Carrots, chopped
Onion, chopped
Bayleaf
Beef bouillon
Horseradish
Granny smith apple
Whipping cream

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Brown in the Crisco (or butter or lard).

Remove the meat from the pan and add the celery, carrots and onion. Saute the vegetables until they start to soften.

Add hot water, bayleaf and beef bouillon. Return the meat to the pan. Cover and simmer for about 1.5 hours.

Meanwhile, grate the horseradish (if using fresh) and the granny smith apple. (500g of grated horseradish makes enough for 4 people).

Remove the meat from the pan and strain the vegetables, returning the juice to the pan.
Add the horseradish/granny smith apple mixture to taste and whip.

Add the whipping cream to taste and whip. Serve as a gravy over the beef and your choice of dumplings or spaetzle.

A German Kirwa

A Kirwa (pronounced keer-va) is a local festival, usually in the fall. Each region has their own customs and traditions. Speichersdorf had their Kirwa last weekend. On Sunday, we walked down to the Landgasthof Imhof, a local restaurant. All the fun started there. On the previous Wednesday, the ‘grave’ of the Kirwa was put out.

This will stay out all week and was just taken down yesterday.

We started off with a parade. Two young girls (twins) pulled the cart, followed by a band playing traditional Bavarian music.

Then came the young couples. Each couple followed behind, the men carrying a krug of…you guessed it, beer.

The parade went around a loop in town and stopped in a clearing. Once there, the young couples formed a circle and the men put their krugs in the center of the circle.

Then they danced.

After a few dances, the men would take a drink and head back to their ladies for more dancing. Then they headed out and continued their parade.

They made a total of 3 stops, the last one ending where it all began, in the parking lot of the restaurant. They danced some more and then they formed a half circle. Here, the men took turns saying little poems of the happenings in the town over the past year. After each man spoke, the band would play.

After every man had said what they wanted to say, the entire procession posed for pictures.

Afterwards, it was time to move inside for…you guessed it, a beer.

Rothenburg - Schneeballen

Schneeballen means snow balls in German. These yummy treats are a local favorite in Rothenburg.

Apparently back in the day, the people here came up with this ingenious way of using up excess dough before it went bad. Nowadays, it’s a tasty treat that every tourist tries while they’re here. They’ve also devised many yummilicious toppings to appeal to everyone’s tastes.

Of course, I had to try one. Before I did, though, the man at the shop we stopped at was nice enough to make them slowly so I could photograph each step.

He started by rolling the dough flat and then using a cutter that cut the dough into strips, leaving it attached at both ends.

Then he lifted the dough and kind of shook it out a bit.

He packed it into a metal ball full of holes and dropped it into a vat of oil.

Once fried, he opened the ball and deposited it on the table. At that point, it went through the process of being covered by various toppings, although we didn’t get to see that part. We did get to taste the finished product, however.

Behold, the caramel goodie that I chose.

It was crunchier than I expected. I thought it would be more like a funnel cake, but I was wrong. It was good, though. Definitely not something you could eat on a regular basis, especially if you’re watching your calorie intake.

Hubby chose a chocolate-covered ball.

They make them in all sizes and flavors, so you need to head over to check them out.

Ever had one of these? Want to? Maybe I’ll pick some up for a blog giveaway the next time I’m there.

Remember to stop by tomorrow. I’ve got a special guest joining us.

Rothenburg - The Wall

Last Monday, we picked my father-in-law up at the Frankfurt airport and headed straight for Rothenburg. It was a city that both hubby and I had wanted to visit, but hadn’t made it to yet. This was the perfect opportunity.

Rothenburg is a beautifully preserved medieval city. In the Middle Ages, it was the second-largest city in Germany.

During World War II, it was proclaimed to be “the most German of German towns” and German soldiers were sent to defend it. Bombs were dropped over Rothenburg in 1945, destroying 9 watchtowers and 2000 feet of the wall. The American army was ordered to not use artillery in taking the town. The German military commander gave up the town in order to preserve it, saving it from total destruction. After the war, the residents repaired the bombing damage.

The wall that surrounds the city is amazing. Donations from all over the world pour in to help maintain it and the names of those who donate are immortalized on the wall itself.

We walked part of the 1.4 km wall. Every 25 km or so, there was a cut-out. The cut-outs were just large enough for an archer to poke his bow (or gun) through when defending the city against enemies.

There were also smaller crevices in the wall that I’m guessing were used to hold candles during medieval times.

Looking out over the city from the wall was incredible. I could easily imagine those in Middle Ages looking out over their friends and neighbors, keeping watch while they slept.

I’m not a fan of historical romance, but I’ll admit that story ideas were flying as I walked the wall. Perhaps a fantasy set in a medieval-like setting or maybe even a time travel story. I took lots of pictures in case I decide to go ahead with one or both of those ideas.

Of course, another trip back wouldn’t be amiss, either. I foresee several trips back in my future.

The Rothenburg wall is our first stop. I’ve got more for you later this week so stop back.

Have you ever been to Rothenburg? Do you like medieval settings in books? What do you think so far?

MIA

I was missing in action most of last week. Sorry about that. My father-in-law flew in on Monday and we spent the week running around Germany, trying to fit as much in as possible. He left Friday morning so it was a short visit.

The upside to that is that I’ve got some great pictures and fun stuff to share with you this week. I hope the lapse was worth it. We visited Rothenburg, which has quickly become one of my favorite cities here. I already have plans to make several more trips there. We visited the Pottenstein castle. We also visited a few others, but they closed before we could get there so I only got pictures of the outside.

I’ve also got a story about a German game/variety show that we watched on Saturday. The Kirwa here in Speichersdorf is this weekend, so I’ll have that to share with you next week.

On the downside, I received a lovely note from Emmanuelle Morgen, passing on my manuscript. It was disappointing, but she was very nice. She couldn’t connect with it to ask for more, but pointed out that other agents may not feel the same. On the upside of that, I can now apply for PRO status within RWA.

At this point, I’m going to shelf Out of the Shadows and let it sit for a while. Then I’ll go back with fresh eyes and do another revision pass and another pass through the critique partners. THEN I’ll start querying in earnest.

I just love the characters, the book and the series too much to take the chance on sending out to a gaggle of agents without taking this time.

So how was your week? Your weekend? What’s on the agenda for this week?

Pretzels with...mustard?

Yes, apparently Germans don’t eat mustard on their pretzels.

I found this out on Saturday night. We’d gone to a mini-Oktoberfest in the small town of Eschenbach, not far from where we live. Another American couple had gone with us.

My friend asked for a pretzel and asked for mustard to go with it. Now, those of you from the States know this is not uncommon there. Here, it’s another story. The exchange went something like this:

Friend: Can I get a pretzel with mustard?

Waitress: Mustard? Really?

Friend nods yes.

Waitress: Really?

After another nod, waitress leaves and comes back with pretzel. As she hands over the bottle of mustard, she asks again, “Mustard? Really?”

It was an interesting reaction, and amusing. On Sunday while upstairs visiting with the neighbors, I asked them. As soon as I mentioned pretzels with mustard, his nose scrunched up. He said, “Mustard is only for wurst.”

Another cultural difference between Americans and Germans.

I have some good news from last week. On Friday on the FF&P blog, Megan Records from Kensington Books was accepting pitches for paranormal romance and urban fantasy. I had just revised my query letter so I had a pitch. I thought, “Why not?”

So I pitched. And I got a request for a partial, which consists of a synopsis and the first three chapters.

What about you? What news did you have last week, good or bad?

Upcoming

A big thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog during Blogmania and entered my giveaway. I will be drawing the name over the weekend and the winner will be posted on Monday’s post. Please stop back then.

I realized this week that I haven’t really mentioned much about Germany for a while. For those of you that enjoy those posts, good news. My husband has the next 2 weeks off and we plan to take several day trips. Plus, my father-in-law comes for a visit soon and we’ll be heading to new places that I haven’t made it to yet.

I’ll also try to be better at sharing yummy German recipes. I know several of you enjoy those.

I’ve also got a trip to Austria planned for mid-October. Just a weekend, but it will be another new country for me so I’ll try to come back with lots of stories and pictures.

Everyone have a great weekend and I’ll see you all Monday!

What do you have planned for the weekend?

We're staying

I think I’ve mentioned before that hubby’s contract here in Germany is up at the end of November. We’ve been playing the waiting game to find out what we’re doing after it’s over. Hubby’s current employer elected not to rebid for the contract.

We’ve now heard who has won the contract. Turns out that it’s one of the companies that have already made him an offer to stay and work in the event they won.

Hubby’s giving his current employer the opportunity to offer him another position, but it looks as though we may be staying put.

That brings me to our landlord situation. I know I talked about how the landlord wasn’t doing the utility bills correctly and that we’ve been to the tenant association to try and resolve the issue. He met with the lawyer there and she told him what he needed the next time he came in. Of course, he hasn’t been back and we still haven’t gotten the money he owes us.

So now that we have an idea of what’s going on with the work front, we’re going to serve notice that we’re moving out. Here in Germany, we’re required to give 3 months notice unless we are on orders to leave the area. So, we’re going to be moving just before Christmas. We’ll still have to deal with the landlord for a bit afterwards but hopefully it won’t be too painful now that he knows that we are aware of the correct procedure and we know who to go to in order to force the issue if he doesn’t comply.

How was everyone else’s weekend? What did you do?

Medieval Fest

This weekend hubby and I went to the medieval fest in Nabburg.

We've always like going to the Renaissance festivals in the States, and that's pretty much what we expected. Not so.

This fest was located in the middle of town instead of a open field. People still dressed up. Quite a few, actually. They still had people working in the old ways, i.e. blacksmiths, chain maille, spinning, etc. Plenty of vendors hawking their wares.

The biggest difference that I saw was the lack of shows. Basically, once you walked through the town, you'd seen everything.

There is another medieval fest a little farther away. Apparently that one is more like what I expected. Hubby and I don't have time to make it there this summer as it's only going on in July and I leave in 2 days for the States. So, if we're here next summer, we'll check that one out.

The surprise of the day is that I found 2 pair of sandals. I have very wide feet and it's hard for me to find comfortable, cute shoes, but I did there. Bonus.

What about you? Do you like going to Renaissance festivals? What's your favorite part?

The Party’s Over

The World Cup is over for 4 more years. Germany made a respectable showing by beating Uruguay for third place. I had hoped The Netherlands would have won it, but alas, Spain took the Cup.

As I've mentioned before, I never really followed soccer. I had to ask my husband why the neighbors cheered when the ball went out of bounds. If we end up staying here in Germany, I'll definitely have to bone up on the soccer. It's a national pastime here.

Yes, I mentioned IF we stay here. As some of you may know, hubby is a government contractor here. His contract is up in November and his company elected to not rebid the follow-on contract. That kind of leaves us up in the air.

We have options, but it's the uncertainty that is a bummer. Hopefully we'll know something by the end of the month.

On a positive note, I will be flying out next Wednesday to head back to the States. I'll be flying in to Ohio to spend some time with the fam before heading down to Orlando for the RWA national conference. I'm really looking forward to the trip, and I'll have to remain focused. I will be taking the week of conference off from writing, but I need to keep going during the rest of my vacation. I may take that time to plot out an idea that's been brewing lately.

So what did you do this weekend? How do you feel about Spain winning the World Cup? Do you care? LOL

Germany is finished

So sad, but Germany's bid for the World Cup this year is over. Last night they played Spain.

We got together with the same bunch of folks as before. As vocal and excitable as they were about the goals, they let the players and refs know when they weren't doing as well.

I don't know much about soccer. It was not a popular sport as I was growing up and no one that I've ever hung out with before was big into it. But last night, the boys just didn't seem to be playing as well as they had played the last time I watched them. They did make Spain work for that one goal though, so they didn't do too badly.

Germany does play one more game. On Saturday, they'll be playing Uruguay to determine third place. Then on Sunday, The Netherlands and Spain will duke it out to see who's taking home the World Cup.

It should be pretty interesting. I'm not sure if the neighbors will gather to watch the two final games or not. I imagine they will, but we'll see.

Are you a soccer fan? Out of the two contenders, who are you rooting for?

Happy 4th of July

As you know, yesterday was July 4th, our nation’s birthday. Normally, we all celebrate (I think) with cook-outs and fireworks. Being here in Germany, we still do that as there are enough Americans in the community to celebrate. The neat thing is that the Germans will come out and celebrate with us.

Also, this year marks the 100th year of Grafenwoehr being a military post. There have been all kinds of activities throughout the week, such as a recreation of the first shot fired here  and culminated in a big celebration yesterday.

I work part time at the craft shop on post. As such, I am an employee of MWR (Morale, Welfare, Recreation) and had to work yesterday. It wasn’t too bad. My co-workers and I had to run a food tent selling hamburgers, cheeseburgers and steak. I got to take the money since I don’t have a food handler’s card.

The weather co-operated a bit as it wasn’t quite as hot and humid and it was overcast with a breeze so it was comfortable all day. There were those blow-up things with the balls for kids to play in, food (as I mentioned) and a couple bands, finishing off with a bang. Literally. Fireworks, you know.

One of the bands was a local German band. I didn’t catch their name so I can’t pass it along, but they were pretty good. The other band was pretty cool. They played covers, but the vocals were good and they got the crowd going. The USO brought them in from the States. Maybe you’ve heard of them. The Lt. Dan Band. Yes, Gary Sinise’s band.

Gary Sinise, currently of CSI: NY fame, plays bass in the band. He’s pretty good. Afterwards, some of the soldiers and their spouses got to have their picture taken with him. I wasn’t so lucky, but it was neat that he flew all the way here with his family to party with us.

So, that’s how I spent my 4th of July. How about you? How did you celebrate?

More Soccer

Yes, more soccer. As you probably already know, our guys didn't win against Ghana this past Saturday, so we're knocked out. That leaves Germany for me to root for. And boy, did I root yesterday.

Germany played England and it was the first time I went over to the neighbors' to watch. They had their garage set up like a mini sports bar, with a projector broadcasting the game on their blank wall. Chairs and tables, beer and snacks. Of course, yesterday was a hot day here. We haven't had too many this year yet and the doors to the garage had to be kept shut or you couldn't see the game. Needless to say, I was a sweaty mess by the time the game was over.

I wished I had brought my camera though. When I mentioned in a previous post that Germans take their soccer seriously, I wasn't kidding. The first goal, our host had just gotten himself a new bottle of beer. Germany scores and several of the men start jumping up and down. You can see where I'm going with this, right? You got it. The beer started foaming over so he shook it some more and put his thumb over it to direct the spray.

Then the chanting and clapping started. After they settled back into their seats, they starting chanting the player's name who scored followed by a series of hand claps. And this happened after goal. They also sang a little song at point. It was all a lot of fun.

Saturday I was in Bamberg. We were just walking around the aldtstadt and checking out stores. Got some lace to put across my sideboard, got some dried fruit and fresh cherries. And then we found a bakery.

Bakeries are all over the place but this one in particular caught my eye. They had the cutest display. A soccer match complete with spectators made out of bread. Below are some pictures. I took them through the glass so sorry about the glare, but I thought it was the cutest thing and wanted to share with all of you.

Did you see any of the games this weekend? Who are you rooting for now that the U.S. is out of the running?