Alo...

Wow. Another long day of vacation is under my belt. I tell you, this family sure does vacation differently than my own. I am used to days just enjoying each others company...not venturing off on long train rides from dawn until dusk. Wild.

Today we headed out to Rudesheim. I will be honest, I wasnt so stoked for this trip for a number of reasons. First, this is day number 8 of vacation, and I'm kind of ready to get back to the basic schedule. Second, I wasn't really looking forward to the train because we just did that a few weekends ago and it just makes things a bit more stressful. And Thirdly, we had been to this general area of the Rhein twice already and I didnt really understand why we were going back exactly. However, I was to be proven wrong in just a few hours.

We hopped on the train in Grunsdat and made all of our transfers, turning up in Bingen by 1130. Nothing new so far--I've already seen Bingen in previous visits. However, we THEN took a ferry across the river to Rudesheim. This is where the fun begins. The only thing I knew about Rudesheim was that it was the location of the Asbach brewery (Asbach is a liquor that is kind of like whiskey but smoother...and it can get you very wasted. i learned that at the block party i went to a few weeks ago!! wowzers). Anyway, we arrived in Rudesheim and i was stunned at the picturesque little town. The streets were lined with shops and adorable restaurants and wineries. My negative attitude and doubts about the trip were quickly erased--especially at the sight of a specific store.

The Kathe Wohlfahrt store is a Christmas shop that is famous around Germany and apparently all around the world. I walked inside and became a child. It was AMAZING. All of these hand crafted Christmas decorations that were magical. I saw all of the old decor that my mother has had since I was first born--I saw the origin of the smoking santa and the pyramid. I smelled the old incense cones that we havent been able to find anywhere. I saw the origin of the Lion ornament that does jumping jacks when you pull its tail. It was all there--every little thing that I loved about our Oristian Christmas---everything that made our decor unique. I was SO excited.

Those of you that know me understand my obsession with Christmas. It is just one of those things that can make me smile at any moment. I have this love for Christmas that melts my pessimism and makes everything okay. Christmas carols get me through my stress at school and make me feel at home. In fact, I am listening to carols right now. I dont know what it is, but there is a magical sense of compassion and excitement that I get with the anticipation of Christmas, and it is one of my goals in life to try and keep that spirit alive all year round. I found that I am not alone in that endeavor...aparently many Germans feel the same way.

Anyway, after our venture through the Christmas store we ate an amazing lunch and then tasted ice wine. Ice wine is a very sweet wine that is usually served as a dessert wine. Bottles usually run between 70-80 bucks in the states...its good stuff. Anyway, as I understand it, the grapes are frozen while still on the vine and then when they thaw the flavor is much more condensed. It almost tastes like you are drinking white grape juice with triple sec or something. It doesnt taste like wine. Pretty crazy.

After our wine adventure we headed to what looked like an old ski lift. This lift took us over the hills covered with grape vines and up to a walking path. We took the walking path about a half mile through the forest until we came upon a HUGE statue that we had seen from the base of the hills. This statue was built in 1877 after the French-German war. It represented the rebirth of Germany and uses many symbols to emphasize the pride for the German nation. After walking about 3 miles and walking through a supposed "enchanted cave" of some prince or something (names are difficult to remember here...especially when i hear so many in a day), we made it to another ski lift that took us down to a boat...which we then took back to our starting point in Bingen. That ski lift ride was pretty much the most peaceful time ever---remember that mom?? That was our favorite, the peaceful time we had on the ski lifts when we would go up to the Sierra! So great.

Bottom line: we had a big/long day. We got back at 8 oclock w/out having had dinner, so Brian and his friend Pat decided to make a gourmet meal....seriously. Dad, you would have loved it. We started with fresh liverwurst spread on german wheat bread. Then we had garlic stuffed olives and cream cheese stuffed marinated red peppers. Then we had tomato cream soup. and THEN we had malitochin (sp?). Its like raviolis w/ pork and spinach, but the dense consistency and thick noodle wrapping makes it taste more like a potsticker. Its SOO good. Dont worry everyone...I have learned to cook a lot of this stuff---and Im sending home boxes of seasonings and ingredients so that I can share this amazing food with you all.

I guess I will leave it at that for now. Tomorrow morning we are getting brunch at a Brewery in downtown Kaiserslautern and then taking it easy (i hope) for the rest of the day. I swear, I have never eaten out this much in my life. And they wont let me pay for a dime of it! I mean, I feel like a princess or something...ridiculous! Monday all is back to normal-- Jen's mom Darlene and her niece Kathryn take off for Alabama and we begin the week as usual. Of course, then I will be off to Bavaria...the traveling has really just BEGUN!

Take care...I love you all...
bean.

ps...if any of you are interested in visiting let me know. alex is the only brave one so far!!!!! YEEHAW!

pps...today i pet bambi!!! I swear it was bambi and his family--we went to a deer park or something. it was great...i got to feed them and touch them. they are such beautiful creatures. i dont know why anyone would walk to kill something so innocent. ok...peaceout.