Merry Christmas!

Was it a white Christmas in Germany? Well, sort of. We had so much frost that all of the trees turned to white and enough frost accumulated to give the appearance of snow on the ground. Good enough! With bright sunshine and lots of frost, it was a wonderful Christmas morning here in Bann.

Merry Christmas to everyone back home! Jen, Julia, Luke, Reagan and I all wish we could be back in California and are looking forward to being home next year. We made the most of it over here. Luckily, the in-laws are here to help us celebrate this year.

Speaking of in-laws, Chef Gary has been busy making an assortment of Christmas dishes with a Martin family twist. In their family, they shun the traditional Turkey and Ham for all things Italian. Knowing this, I took Gary to the Pronto Italian grocery store in K-town and we bought all things Italian for Christmas eve and Christmas Day meals. We also bought what appeared to be Amaretto as an apertif. Big mistake. I took a shot of this stuff after our dinner last night and nearly lost it. I immediately switched back to Gluwein (the traditional hot spiced wine consumed during Christmas time in Western Europe).

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannakuh, Sweet Kwanza, Good Ramadan, Joyous Winter Solstice, etc!

Lost in Translation

Some things just don't translate well. These cream filled...uh...treats came in white, brown, and black.

A year ago when we were on our way to Bavaria, we passed a moving truck that allegedly owned by Mr. F_cker. I tried to take a pix with my camera phone but he blew by us. Later on, we came across a store called Schmuck's in Munich.

The one below takes the cake. Look past the cute pix of our princess and see the type of Pasta they were selling in Sorrento.

We're hoping to add another video for Christmas. Stay tuned...

20K Roadmarch through Bastogne? "Nuts!"

I shifted gears yesterday from the routine and headed up to Bastogne, Belgium for a little walk through the woods. This wasn't just any walk, though. This was the 63nd Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge and to commemorate the glorious allied victory, they hold a 20K march around Bastogne. The route took us through the very battlefield where many years before, the 101 Airborne Division struggled to hold on to the ville of Bastogne during the surprise German counterattack known as the Battle of the Bulge. Check out some additional history behind this battle which can be seen at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Bastogne

As for the walk, I was accompanied by a Navy Chief Petty Officer from my unit at Ramstein. Not only is he an honorary Californian (spent about 7 yrs at Camp Pendleton before coming to Germany), he also served in Iraq during the Battle of Falluhja. Definitely interesting to get his persective on things which kept my mind off the strain of hiking six hours with a 40 pound rucksack strapped on our backs.

Perhaps the coolest thing about the march was seeing all of the reinactors decked out in WWII garb. There must have been nearly a thousand "troops" in Bastogne yesterday. They too were walking right along with us which really gave one the sense of what it was like to be back there during the battle. Even better, they brought all their toys out as well. During the march, we saw everything from tanks to jeeps to C-47s dropping a bunch of paratroopers overhead. It was too cool. The only thing that didn't exactly replicate the battle was the weather. While it was super cold (a high of 31), the sun was bright and shiny. During the actual battle, there was snow everywhere in the Ardenne forest and the visibility was poor which prevented the Americans from using our superior airpower.

As the story goes, the senior ranking American officer, Gen McAullife, was approached by a German emissary who informed him that he and his fellow Americans were surrouned and suggested they surrender. He replied, "Nuts" and the German were dumbfounded by his reply. Apparently, something was lost in translation. Anyhow, they eventually got the message and the seige continued. As a tribute to this uniquely American reply, many of the hikers ate nuts at the end of the hike. Honestly, I was too spent at the end of the whole thing that the only thing I wanted to do at the end was to have some delicious Beligan beer. Se magnifique!

The day ended with a parade through the main drag through downtown Bastogne. Seeing the American flag and Belgian flag side by side at the head of the parade was too cool for words. Moreover, the honor of leading the parade went to a group of US Army soldiers (the real thing this time). Seeing a group of their veterans from the battle march side by side with American soldiers was also very touching. Unlike some other parts of Europe, the Belgians are still very friendly with Americans and still are very grateful for the sacrifice of our soldiers in December of 1944.

European Christmas Markets

Right about now the temperature is close to freezing just about every day and we are lucky if we have seven hours of daylight. Almost seems like a recipe for depression, eh? To prevent the bah humbug setting in, Germans (and some the neighboring countries) make the most of the moment and put on the best Christmas Markets in the world. When I was in Portugal earlier this year, I saw vacation packages that were created specifically for the German "Christkindlmarkts". Pretty amazing stuff.

Last weekend we decided to forgo the local markets in Landstuhl and Kaiserslautern and headed to Strasbourg, France. Hands down, this place was the most elegant market we've been to yet...not to mention the most crowded. The entire city center/pedestrian district was totally decked out with lights and decorations for Christmas. As you can see in the picture to the right, Strasbourg's version of Notre Dame Cathedral towered over the entire affair which only added to the ambiance.

While decorations and little nick knacks make up the primary merchandise at these markets, the big draw for many people (including us) is the wonderful food they sell at these events. The French are mad about crepes. I picked one of these up and had it filled with Nutella which is a cross between peanut butter and chocolate. Jen and Julia hit up the local botique du chocolat and gobbled up an absolutely delicious eau clair (which I had absolutely no problem ordering since no translation was needed). The highlight of the evening was when we decided to eat dinner at a Le Gruber which was a restaurant that caught my eye the last time I was in town. This place is right in the middle of the action and is known for their decorative red lamps as seen in the picture to the right. This place was so charming! Even better, our waiter spoke English. Thank god. My French is little more than bon jour and merci. We all loved it. The best part about it was that we had a table on the third floor that had a panoramic view of the bustling market below. Needless to say, this one is going to be hard to top.

Joyeux Noel!