Haarlem

 I think the very best Christmas present was my parent's offer to babysit so Bill and I could get away for a night. This was our first overnight in Europe sans kiddos. And while we love taking the kids everywhere, it was a nice change to be able to have a leisurely meal, not push our massive double stroller down cobblestone streets, change diapers anywhere and everywhere or chase 2 toddlers through ancient, serene churches.

We hopped on the train and headed to Haarlem, Netherlands. It's similar to Amsterdam, but smaller and more quaint. America's Harlem got it's name from here when New York was the Dutch colony New Amsterdam.

Our first stop was to visit the ten Boom House. The ten Boom family owned a clock shop in Haarlem which was run by the father and his two eldest daughters. They all lived in a house attached to the clock shop and for years during the Nazi Occupation they protected and hid many Jews. They had a secret room built in one of the bedrooms where they could hide 6 Jews at once. When the Gestapo raided their house on the 28th of February 1944, they did not find the Jews in the hiding place, but arrested the family anyway because of a suspicious number of ration cards. The father and eldest daughter died during their imprisonment, but Corrie, the other daughter, survived her time in Ravensbruck concentration camp. Her memoir The Hiding Place, which later became a movie, tells her families' story and of her great heroism. After being released from the camp she spent the remainder of her life telling her story and spreading her faith.

Entrance to the ten Boom house. 

At the age of 91 Corrie died in California on her birthday.

The ten Boom living room.

The secret hiding place that was built in Corrie's bedroom.

Entrance to the hiding place was a small hole in the closet.

After our visit to the hiding place we enjoyed the rest of Haarlem.

The Grote Kerk (Great Church) was built over a span of 150 years (1390-1540)

It is remarkable on the outside and the inside-

At the age of 10, Mozart played on this magnificent organ in 1766 during a tour of Europe. 

It has over 5,000 pipes and the lions at the top are holding Haarlem's coat of arms.

Ships like these helped make Holland the top sea-trading nation in the 1600s. These three ships hang from the ceiling. 

Grave of famous Dutch artist Frans Hals.

Big thanks again to my mom and dad for making this visit possible and for holding down the fort with 2 kids and 2 dogs! 

On a completely unrelated note, we found out last week that our request for an extension was approved, and we will get to stay in Germany an additional 6 months. We are thrilled for many reasons, but mostly because we are not quite ready for this adventure to be over! 

Christmas 2013

Before Christmas my gym hosted their annual party for the kids, complete with a visit from St. Nikolaus. He calls each child by name to come sit on his lap and then talks to them about how they have been naughty and nice (with some input from mom and dad), and gives them each a treat. It's been so fun to celebrate some of the holiday traditions in another country.

"Hmmm, not sure how I feel about this guy."

"Can someone get me a translator? Just tell me, bad or good?"

"Well, he gave me chocolate, so I must be doing something right."

Jake's shy face.

We also took the kids on the steam train ride with Santa Claus which we have done every year. 

Jake decided he needed to bring his new stethoscope (thanks Auntie Duds) to make sure Santa was in good health.

"Allboard.........." is what Bria says for "all aboard."

Shaking hands with Santa.

Jake loves this bread man that they give the kids at every German event. 

We were so lucky to have Grammy and Grandpa back again for another Christmas in Germany. Here's a recap of our Post-Prague Christmas in Heinsberg.

Jake showing Little Sis how it's done.

Passing on the secret of the Trumble family Christmas cookies to yet another generation.

Not sure if it was the Belgian beer or all the activity, but time for Grandpa's nap. Casey misses her napping buddy.

Watching "The Polar Express" on Christmas Eve. 

"Twas the night before Christmas..."

Santa found us in Heinsberg. 

The first present Bria opened was new butterfly rain boots from Auntie Linds and Uncle Tim and she refused to take them off all day. 

Check out my straw glasses.

New Scotch glasses and shirt. We only had a few Chevy Chase moments this year. 

Bria's new doll house (please take note of the rain boots and her X'mas dress).

Jake finally got off his new plasma car so Bria could give it a try (thanks Fays!).

Jake's new wheels, after only a few rides he has mastered balancing.

Thank you to all our friends and family near and far for making this a very memorable Christmas. It was so great to have family here to celebrate with us, but we were also thinking about all the Kelehers at Glen Hollow that we couldn't be with.  

Prague

Before Christmas we met my parents in Prague to get us in the holiday spirit. It's hard to find a place that my parents have not visited, so we were excited to help them cross one more item off their bucket list. Prague did not disappoint, the Christmas decorations, the architecture, the food and drinks definitely put us in the mood. Bill now ranks Prague near the top of his "favorite cities in Europe" list. It's been twelve years since I visited Prague, but in that time I did not forget it's beauty. Prague remains unique as it is so unusual to visit a city not totally destroyed by WWII bombs.

We stayed in a fantastic apartment in the Jewish Quarter of the Old Town just a few blocks from the Old Town Square and with a balcony view of the Jewish Cemetery. After the mild winter we have had in Germany, Prague was cold, but we didn't let that stop us!

                        First day in Prague, checking out the Christmas Market in the Old Town Square.

    Trdelnik was so yummy! It's made from rolled dough that is wrapped around a stick, then grilled and         topped with sugar and a walnut/toffee mix.

                                                     Check out the skewers we had for dinner.

Charles Bridge (Karluv Most) named for the Roman Emperor Charles IV who ruled in Prague in the 14th century.  

                                    Very rare to get a family photo, here's one on the bridge.

                        Our little travel guide in the making, she did not want to let go of this book.

                                       The highlight for Jake was riding the tram to the castle.

                                            Not sure how he feels about the castle guard.

                                          Outside of St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle. 

                                                     Beautiful stain glass windows inside.

                                                                           St. Vitus

                          Inside the church they had a nativity scene made completely out of bread.

                                                               Nativity scene with straw.

                                                        View of Prague Castle at night.

                                                           Hanging out in our apartment.

                            The astronomical clock; pretty impressive for a 14th century clock.

                          The bottom portion with the zodiac signs was added in the 19th century.

 Wenceslas Square- The "Good King Wenceslas" that we sing about in the carol was the 10th century Duke of Bohemia. After his murder in 929 he was named a saint and is remembered as an icon of Czech unity.

                                              The outside of our apartment building Brehova.

                                             We loved the intricate detailing on the building.

View of the Old Jewish Cemetery from our balcony. From 1439-1787 it was the only place in Prague where Jews were allowed to be buried. The tombs are layered seven or eight deep totaling almost 100,000 tombs. Due to time, and the settling of the ground, the tombs are now crooked.

                                            Old Town Square and Christmas Market by night.

 On our last day I made reservations at a place that claimed to have "themed family brunch." I really didn't know what to expect, but decided to give it a shot. The theme that Sunday was "Christmas," and it exceeded all of our expectations. It was at a restaurant on a little island and when we entered the tent, they put a glass of champagne in my hand, took us to our table, and the kids immediately left to play with all the toys. They had 4 babysitters and tons of crafts, games, music and activities for the kids. The adults enjoyed a 2 1/2 hour meal and the kids had an absolute blast. I will tell you the last time Bill and I had a 2 1/2 hour meal was before the kids were born. We were the only non-locals there so I am so glad to have stumbled upon such a great find. There is money to be made with this idea and I hope it catches on!

                                      My sister says minus the hair, this could be my baby picture.

                                                                      Inside the tent.

                                                          Tree decorating for the kids.

                                      "I don't understand anything you are saying, but that's cool."

                                         "Dad, leave me alone, I have to get back to my toys."

                                              Hmm, preview of her teenage years perhaps?

                                   This is what we were doing while the kids were busy playing.

What a memorable trip with Grammy and Grandpa in a wonderful city. Now back to Germany to celebrate Christmas!