Kleines Künstlern

Martha, Frieda, and I spend a lot of time together. And a good portion of that time is spent drawing, painting, and craft making. I love this bonding time. It's so great to color alongside them, help them when they need it, and spark their creativity. Art was a really big part of my childhood, and I'm always glad to pass it on to others. Especially in an electronic age when it's more exciting to color on your touch screen than it is to actually get paint on your hands. I love electronics, don't get me wrong, but when it comes down to it... I would rather have a pencil and paper any day. But I'm rambling. Point is, I love all this creativity that the three of us make together. It's been so cool to see how their artistic talent has grown over the months I've been here. I hope even after I go home they continue their desire to be creative. If I could leave one impression on these girls, that would be it. Use that imagination. It's there for a reason.

Now like any proud parent/sibling/etc, I feel the need to show off my favorites of the kiddos ever so awesome artwork. Which you will "ooo" and "ahh" at like the good people I know you are. Or else. (haha).

Martha. First drawing we ever did together. (crayon, marker, and colored pencil)

Frieda. Can you guess what her favorite color is? (watercolor)

Martha. This was during her Harry Potter craze. (marker)

Frieda. "Das ist ein Straße!"(marker)

Martha. She and her friend dressed up as witches trick-or-treating. (colored pencil)

Frieda. (watercolor)

Martha. Part of my Christmas present. (colored pencil)

Frieda. I spy a hand print! (watercolor)

Martha and Frieda. This is a Christmas cat... whatever that is haha. (marker and pencil)

Martha. The Easter bunny on his rounds. (colored pencil and marker)

Frieda. One of my favorites of her drawings. (pen and colored pencil)

Martha. A rainbow! (marker)

Frieda. (colored pencil)

Martha. This is my absolute favorite of Martha's. (watercolor)

Frieda. Reminds me of the world. (watercolor)

Martha. Self portrait of her kayaking. (watercolor and colored pencil)

It's a little ridiculous how proud I am of Martha and Frieda. My little art proteges, aww. Doesn't matter if they never pursue art later in life, I'm glad I was here to nurture love of art early on. Because life without art (or a love of it) would be a dreary place.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Sometime in the past month it hit me that I now consider Karlsruhe my home. Which is crazy to me. Especially considering when I got here I felt like I was in an alternate universe. I absolutely love living here. But don't get me wrong, I miss home a lot. Not a day goes by that I don't dream of sand between my toes, the ocean breeze, and diving into the salty waves of the Pacific. The ocean and I will eventually be reunited, so I don't worry too much. But living here for only a short time makes me want to treasure what I love here so much. So I thought I would give you a list of some of my favorite things (that I've experienced and seen so far) in Germany.

1. Karlsruhe Schloss & the Schloss Gartens
My absolute favorite place in Karlsruhe. The castle isn't grandiose or anything, but it's adorable. But then again I'm probably partial; I love that it's yellow and grey, which are colors I've always wanted to paint my future house. But it's not just the castle that I find amazing, I love the castle gardens as well. They are ridiculously picturesque. Lots of green grass, a lake, and hundreds of huge ancient trees. A perfect place to sit and think or drink in nature.

A beautiful view of the castle from the castle grounds.

2. Friends
I have been so blessed with an amazing assortment of friends while living here. They make living far away from home easy. I love the mix of cultures (Chilean, Brazilian, Argentinian, German, American, Irish; just to name a few) because it makes anything we do like three times as fun and adventurous. We do lots of fun things like shopping, having card nights, going out to bars, going on day trips to nearby cities, and so much more. I so deeply enjoy all the time I get to spend with them.

Nacha and I striking a silly pose.

3. Changing Seasons
I feel like I talk about the weather on this blog all the time, so I'm dreadfully sorry, but it's amazing. Being a California girl is great, but I don't really get to see the seasons change. Here in Germany, I would have to be without my five senses to not notice the seasons changing. There is nothing more glorious than getting to watch this occur. I arrived in Germany in the midst of stark blue skies, cold crisp winds, and burnt orange leaves. Then I survived the ridiculous cold temperature drops, rain, bare looking trees, and everything being covered in white. Just when I thought I would never be warm again, the world came to life. All of the sudden everything was green and colorful. Sun and rain played hide and seek. I can only imagine what Summer will bring me.

4. Drinking Age
In the States, because I am not 21, I cannot legally drink. Which is utterly ridiculous. I think the U.S. needs to take a leaf out of other countries books and lower the legal drinking age. Here in Germany, you can start drinking stuff like beer at 16, and then when you turn 18 you can drink hard liquor. I find this to be much more reasonable. Since I am 20, I can legally drink here. Which has been strange and liberating all at once. I love it. But it does kind of take the specialness out of my 21st birthday (which is oh so soon), and that really is a bummer. But I think I'll survive the disappointment.

My friends and I having some wine after a yummy Chilean dinner.

5. Food
If you've ever heard the stereotype that all Germans eat is bread, meat, and cheese, then you know what I eat haha. But honestly, as much as I eat bread, meat, and cheese... I do love it. Especially in the many combinations it comes in. Probably my favorites are Käsespätzle and Maultaschen. But what's really stolen my heart here is all the foreign food. Before I came to Germany, I had never eaten Turkish food. But now, let me tell you, I am in love with it (oh, kebaps why are you so delicious?). And there are some fabulous Asian food places here that I am constantly craving. But I think what I've really loved the most is all the home cooking that my friend Nacha makes. It's this delicious blend of Chilean, German, and her own creations. All this food talk is making me hungry for dinner!

6. Walking, Biking, and the Straßenbahn
Now as much as I miss my car, I really love the how I get around Karlsruhe. Mostly I walk or bike to and from places. Which is great because I get exercise and get to enjoy the outside world all while going somewhere; something I can't do in a car. If it's raining, or I have a farther destination to reach, I take the Straßenbahn (street cars, kind of like the metro in LB). The Straßenbahn is great, but I often get lost because I take the wrong train (typical me). I'm not the most skilled when it comes to public transportation (I blame So. Cal's lack of good public transport).

Sebastian the Bike.

7. No Sheets
I know this seems random and strange. But you see, here in Germany they do beds and bedding differently. Most beds are lower to the ground, which freaked me out at first, but now I'm used to it. But what I really find fascinating is that they don't use sheets. Yes, there is one on the mattress, but there isn't one to sleep with. Usually you just sleep with a down comforter. Which at first confused me. But then I fell in love with the idea. You see, I move a lot when I sleep. This usually means my sheets, blankets, and comforter get all messed up in the night and are always a pain in the butt to fix the next morning (well, on that rare morning I decide to make my bed). Here it doesn't matter how much I move, because fixing my bedding is like crazy easy. So great.

8. Biergartens
Biergartens are quintessentially German, and I love them. While they share similarities, each restaurant has it's own personality. My personal favorite is Badish Brauhaus (four stories of amazingness). But no matter the biergarten, they are all a great place to get yummy, cheap food and enjoy a great time with friends. 

Me, Bernie, and Gabriel drinking beers at the biergarten Cafe Bleu.

9. No Contract Cell Phones
In the States it's the norm to have a cell phone contract. Which of course is bloody expensive. And you are bound to a phone company for about two years. Fun... not. In Germany, cell phone contracts are not typical. In fact most people here just use prepaid SIM cards. Which I think is so darn brilliant.

10. Spielplätze, Parks, and Green Spaces
I could go on forever describing all the green spaces that Karlsruhe has, and I haven't even seen all of them. I so enjoy that the city has provided so many places for it's population to relax, play, and soak up nature. The playgrounds here are ridiculously cool (much better than the ones back home), and I love playing on them almost as much as the little kids. The parks, big or small, always impress. Green grass, plants, trees, and cool structures everywhere. I especially love the parks with lakes in them. Can't wait to go swimming in those this Summer. Another thing I really love is how in what otherwise could have been a place for concrete, the city has created a grassy area where wild flowers often grow. It always makes me happy to see that even though I live in the city, I get to see so much nature around me.

Th dog park near my apartment.

11. City Living
To me, "the city" has always been a magical place. I think this especially due in part to my upbringing in the suburbs. So I'm delighted to get to live in a city for a year. There's nothing quite like having everything nearby and easy to get to. I also love all the tall buildings (even though most aren't over 5 stories high). I even get to enjoy living in one of those "tall" buildings. So much about city living is really new and interesting to me.


12. Getting Airmail
I have always loved getting mail that isn't bills or junk mail. And being far away from home makes me love it even more. It's so exciting to open my mailbox to find a letter. Or get a package delivered. Always makes my day. I even bought a box to keep all the letters I get from my friends and family. So would you please, please, please, write me a letter and make me a very happy girlie?

Me with a letter from Juliette :)

My letter box. Isn't it pretty?

I am amazed by all the wonderful things that Germany has to offer! And there is so much more. It totally kills me that I won't be able to see and experience it all. Oh, to have limitless time and money to travel and explore. Someday.

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!

My great-grandmother lived into her nineties and died when I was in Jr. High. So I have a lot of solid memories of her. The first few things that come to mind when I think of her are: poodles, piano, Lamb Chop, and turkeys. An odd assortment to be sure. But they all are associated with very strong memories of her. Poodles because she always had a pet poodle before she got moved into a nursing home. I remember taking them for walks with her. Piano because she is the first person who taught me how to play. She would make me put my hand on the Bible and pray before we ever played anything. Lamb Chop is a special one because it is my very first memory. When I was two-years-old she gave me a Lamb Chop stuffed animal for Christmas. My very first memory is of holding that stuffed animal and thinking how absolutely wonderful it was. Turkeys. Well that one just makes me laugh. In her later years I remember her starting to tease me at Thanksgiving by going: "What does a turkey say Ashley? Gobble, gobble, gobble!" It never failed to make me laugh. She was just so silly. So, whenever I think of Thanksgiving now, the first thing that comes to mind is a gobbling turkey and my great-grandma. Which always makes me smile.

As November rolled around this year I was starting to get slightly heartbroken. I couldn't handle the thought that I had just missed out on Halloween and now would be missing out on Thanksgiving too. That's like half the holiday season right there. It made me super homesick thinking about all the fun I was missing out on. Now, of course, I had made my own sort of Halloween here in Germany. I was determined to do the same thing for Thanksgiving. I knew it would help me not focus on being so homesick. So I asked Christiane if I could make dinner for her and the family on Thanksgiving Day. She said okay, and I immediately got to planning.

I of course went to my trusty aid (Google) and went searching for Thanksgiving recipes. And my Grandma Marmion gave me me a couple to choose from. I soon found all that I was looking for and started to make a shopping list so that Christiane and I could get all that was needed.

My Original Menu

1. Pumpkin Pie

2. Stuffing

3. Turkey

4. Green Bean Casserole

5. Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

6. Salad

7. Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

After a few trips to a couple different stores it became apparent that I wasn't going to be able to get my hands on certain American products. Many we could find a substitute (like using sunflower oil instead of vegetable oil), but many there were just no substitutes for. Like pumpkin puree. So I had to switch up my menu a bit.

My Official Menu

1. Apple Pie (couldn't find pumpkin puree)

 2. Stuffing

3. Chicken (not a turkey in sight)

4. Green Bean Casserole (I ended up having to make my own French onions for the top)

5. Sweet Potatoes with "Marshmallows" (we had to resort to the German version of them which were pink) (this is my Grandma's recipe, so unlike the others it has no link to the actual recipe)

6. Cranberry Salad

(note: I vetoed the mashed potatoes and gravy considering we didn't want to be eating too many potatoes)

Thanksgiving came. And then all of the sudden I realized that I was cooking an entire Thanksgiving meal by myself. And I don't consider myself the most amazing cook. I just about died of laughter at that moment as I realized that I had actually decided to take on something this ludicrous.

Unlike most afternoons, I didn't have to watch the girls. I spent the whole afternoon and early evening cooking away like fiend.

Now, I know you are thinking, "Ashley, you just had to follow some very simple recipes!" Well, let me remind you of these two facts: 1. I was the only one cooking 2. I had to convert from the imperial system to the metric system 3. I somehow always manage to screw up even with a recipe. I just had to trust that my "instincts" would kick in and I wouldn't totally fail at making this dinner turn out yummy.

Towards the end of my cooking Christiane hopped in to help me with the last few things (she pretty much made the sweet potatoes). While she was sitting at the kitchen table mashing sweet potatoes, I was in the kitchen confronting a dead chicken. A dead chicken with it's legs still attached. I was thinking some very vegetarian thoughts looking at that thing. I mean it still had some of it's feathers! Gross. All I could think was back in high school biology when I had to dissect a frog and it turned out to have like hundreds of frog spawn in it's abdomen. Ugggh I will never wipe that image from my brain. Thankfully Johannes stepped in and then prepared and cooked it for me.

With Johannes and Christiane's help I was able to pull it all together and serve my German family a authentic American Thanksgiving dinner. They loved all the food! Johannes enjoyed the homemade French onions the best. Christiane really like several of the dishes; especially the stuffing. And Martha and Frieda devoured the apple pie.

Me and my creations.

I came away from the day extremely tired, but extremely proud of myself and my achievement. I fell asleep right as my head hit the pillow. And no. I didn't have any dreams of gobbling turkeys. Although, that would have been pretty awesome.

Sankt Martins Tag

I love holidays. If there is a holiday to celebrate, no matter what it is, I am so there! So when I heard that I would be celebrating my first truly German holiday, you can imagine my excitement.

Sankt Martins Tag (or in English... Saint Martin's Day), is a day where little kids make lanterns and then parade around in groups (usually you go in a group from your school or church) singing songs. The parades usually end up at big outdoor bonfires where you have bread and drinks. This day is to remember Sankt Martin, a kind and generous man, who was a Roman solider, monk, and then Bishop (against his wishes). He is best known for the legend that he (while a solider) on a cold Winter's night, cut his cloak in half to give it to a beggar. I never really got how the lantern's became a part of the tradition of the day, but I am sure there is a very good explanation somewhere. You will have to investigate that one on your own folks.

This holiday is celebrated on November 11th. Which is strange to me because all my life I have know that day by a different holiday: Veteran's Day (It was also a cool day because it was 11/11/11, but that's besides the point). So, as weird as it was not celebrating Veteran's Day, I enjoyed a very fun Sankt Martins Tag!

So for Sankt Martins you need one thing: a lantern. I was the one who went out to find pre-made lanterns. Which wasn't a difficult task. I found them at Papier Fischer (the coolest paper store everrr). I stood there a good fifteen minutes debating on colors and sizes of the lanterns. Finally I picked two big ones, one red and the other yellow.

The next day the girls, Christiane, Oma (Christiane's mom), and I sat down at kitchen table to make the lanterns. Even though they are "pre-made" you still have to assemble and decorate them. Martha chose the yellow lantern and got right to work. Frieda on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with lantern making. She was supposed to go to her school's parade that day but ended up not going because she was so upset by the whole thing. So I made the red lantern for her because she could use it in Martha's school's parade the next day.

The next evening we went to Martha's school for the parade. A colorful crowd had assembled in the schoolyard: kids in bright colored jackets running around with beautiful lanterns, while their parents chatted and kept an eye on them. After a quick set of instructions from the principle, everyone started lighting their lanterns and heading out into the twilight.

The parade sets out into the twilight.

The parade in motion.

Oma pushed Frieda in the stroller, who was clingy tightly to her unlit lantern. We didn't light it because we didn't want her burning up the lantern on accident. Christiane and I stayed near the stroller while trying to keep an eye on Martha who had bounded ahead of us to walk with her friends.

I, being a total kid, got to carry a lantern! I was quite pleased. I hadn't wanted to miss out on the fun just because I was a "grown up". The lantern that I used was one that Frieda made in Kindergarten. Which of course she never used since she didn't go to her school's parade. And Frieda was carrying the one that I made her the day before. So it was the extra lantern that became mine.

My lantern.

Our parade route was a walk through the park behind the school. Which was a really pretty walk, especially as the darkness fell all around us. We stopped at certain places to sing songs. My favorite song of the night is called, "Ich geh' mit meiner Laterne." It's has quite the catchy tune. In fact, it was stuck in my head for several days after. Another song that we sang was appropriately called, "Sankt Martin."

"Ich ge' mit meiner Laterne" lyrics and notes.

"Sankt Martin" lyrics and notes.

 So, after a good fifteen minutes we found ourselves at a big bonfire. Everyone circled up around it and began to sing again. This was my favorite part of the whole night. It was utterly dark except the fire; and completely silent except for the voices of children and grown ups alike that pierced the night air. I almost felt like I had taken a step back in time. There was something so primitive, yet so beautiful about the whole scene. I wanted to linger in this moment. I was caught up in it's magic.

The bonfire.

Once the last note was sung, everyone converged on the snack and drink table. Martha grabbed everyone rolls, and we munched on them for a few minutes before deciding to go home.

The whole way home I found myself singing "Ich geh' mit meiner Laterne." I didn't want the night to end. It was too magical. Yet, the night slipped through my fingers and I found myself waking up to just a normal Saturday morning.

Die drei Hexen

As an American, if you take a step back from our culture you will find that Halloween is a pretty strange holiday. I mean, come on, think about it. We dress up and go door to door asking strangers for candy, we create creepy houses that are meant to scare us on purpose, and we aren't really celebrating anything in particular. Weird? Most definitely. But fun? You bet.

I was really sad that I couldn't celebrate Halloween here in Germany. People have tried to start it up here, but it hasn't really caught on. Christiane told me that it is such a unique American tradition that it would have a hard time really catching on in other cultures. Which totally makes sense. But even though I couldn't really celebrate like usual, I was determined to celebrate in my own way.

I woke up on Halloween morning really excited. As I styled my hair and makeup crazily, I formulated a plan for the day. It was to be a day full of crafts, dress up, and pumpkin carving.

Martha was on Fall holidays (Yeah. They get a week off just because it's Fall. Why didn't they have this when I was in school?!). And because of the holidays she had her best friend Carlotta (from Freiburg) over for a couple days. The house was full of a lot of energy and happiness, perfect atmosphere for a holiday!

When I walked in the apartment the girls pronounced that I looked like a witch (we talk of nothing in this house but Harry Potter these days). I personally was going for the 80's vibe, but I was totally stoked to be a witch if that's what the girls wanted. They liked my hair and makeup so much that they begged me to do the same for them. I obliged of course. I got the biggest giggle out of the finished product. Big, ratted, poofy hair. Dark brown eyeshadow and some mascara (Johannes thought they looked like vampires haha). Martha got the idea to dress themselves up in "witch costumes." They ended up looking much more wild than I did. But utterly adorable of course.

My 1980's/witch "costume"

The morning and early afternoon consisted of lots of playing pretend. The house was not just anyplace, it was Hogwarts. Martha was Professor McGongall and Carlotta was Hermione. I was not allowed to join in, but I got the biggest kick out of watching them. While they played, I set up different crafts. When they needed a break from playing they would come and do a craft with me. We made ghost windchimes, mason jar lanterns, halloween themed pictures, and paper plate monster masks. Both Martha and Carlotta did an amazing job! I love how all the crafts turned out.

Our ghost wind chimes.

My ghost lantern.

Martha's pumpkin lantern.

Carlotta's lantern.

Martha's drawing of her and Carlotta as witches.

Our paper plate monster masks.

In mid afternoon Frieda came home from Kindergarten with Johannes in tow. She, unlike Martha, didn't have Fall holidays. All five of us spent the rest of the afternoon outside soaking up the nice crisp Fall weather. Frieda scooted up and down the street on her "bike" (it doesn't have pedals), while Martha whizzed around on her unicycle, and Carlotta tailed behind on roller blades. Johannes and I were pretty much just there for moral support (and to make sure they didn't get run over). For awhile I held Carlotta's hand to help her with her balance, but soon she was zooming around without my assistance. And gosh, I must say I am so impressed with Martha. She has balance I will never have. My disastrous self will not be riding a unicycle anytime soon. But she on the other hand, can fly down the street and turn around and come back without falling. Martha did take a couple spills, but she knows how to fall properly. She definitely did get frustrated towards the end of the afternoon when her falls became more frequent, but with some encouragement from Johannes and I she kept at it. Totally proud of her!

After our romps outside, my little witches and I decided to go buy ourselves a pumpkin. We tromped down to the local supermarket with the girls chattering away the whole walk there. We searched the store but came up empty handed. All the big pumpkins were gone! So the next best thing was to pick out three mini pumpkins and hope that we would be able to carve them. While we were in the check out line, I realized we were garnering quite a bit of attention. I mean, it must be a rare thing two have three witches walk into a supermarket (haha). The checkout guy looked up when he took my money and his mouth just hung open. It was all I could do to not bust up laughing right then and there.

Once we got home we went straight to work. Carving pumpkins is of course serious business. I covered three areas of the kitchen table with newspaper and got out the knives. Yes, I let seven-year-olds handle knives. I (along with Christiane and Johannes) helped them of course! We don't need missing fingers thank you very much! Frieda then decided that she wanted to join in on the fun. Thankfully we just happened to have a extra mini pumpkin lying around the house.

Bernard the pumpkin (my creation).

After some serious carving time, the pumpkins were complete. I got the votive candles and all three girls set the pumpkins out on the balcony and lit them. They took out our lanterns too. As it grew darker and darker the lights became more and more distinct. It was so pretty and eery all at once.

Our creations!

After dinner Martha and Carlotta came to my room to tell me they were going trick-or-treating. I laughed. I figured that was going to be something I missed out on this year. Well, I figured wrong. Christiane, myself, and the two girls headed out into the night to go to Christiane's office. Two of her co-workers were still there so that's were we were we would get our treats.

It was a chilly night and I was thankful I had thrown on a scarf and sweater. We walked for a good fifteen minutes and actually ran across a few other trick-or-treaters. When we arrived at the office, the excitement was running high. The girls rang the doorbell and announced "treat-or-treat!" to Christiane's co-workers. Lots of smiles and laughter followed. We stayed and talked for a few minutes and then we were off again. The girls of course got candy and were utterly happy. Christiane surprised me with a Twix bar. So even I got candy. Which made me really happy too!

Me, ridiculously excited that I got to go trick-or-treating.

Over all it was a great, very eventful day. It may not have been the usual Halloween for me, but I enjoyed myself all the same. Halloween with a German twist... what a treat!

Harry and Me

When I was eight years old I found a book in my mom's hope chest. One of her students (she is an elementary school teacher) had lent it to her so she could read it. But my mom doesn't really enjoy "fantasy" books (and movies) so she set the book aside and forgot about it. In fact, she thought she lost it, and had to buy her student a new book. Well, I found it a couple months later and my mom said I could keep it. That very day I began to read it, and gobbled it up within a matter of days. And suddenly, Harry Potter became apart of my life.

I grew up during the time when the Harry Potter books were being published. Being eight (1999) when I started reading, I was able to read the first three and then I only had to wait for the other four. Of course this waiting took most of my childhood since the last Harry Potter book came out when I was in the tail end of high school. I also had the pleasure of getting to see all the movies in theaters. I guess you could say I grew up with Harry Potter.

I have read and re-read all the books over and over again. Each time I discover something I didn't see before. There is just something about these books that never gets old. I re-read other books, but not as frequently as the Harry Potter series. I usually end up pulling out the series if I need some comfort or escape from every day life. Books are a means of escape for me, which can be good and bad like most things. But usually I read to remind myself that it is all going to be okay. No matter what goes on in a book, life always moves on; things change and grow. Harry goes through so much shit. But he isn't sitting in a corner crying the whole entire series. Sure he has his moments, like everyone does, but he always picks himself up and keeps going. And in the end, through all the pain and sadness, there is a happy ending for him. Harry always reminds me to keep going. He gives me hope.

Right now I am re-reading the series again (Christiane has all the books in English, yay!). I grabbed them all off of Martha's bookshelves and put them in my room. Over the past week I made my way through The Chamber of Secrets. I just started on Prisoner of Azkaban last night. Why am I reading them right now? Well, if I am completely honest with myself, I am feeling a little home sick. I miss my life. Halloween being tomorrow is totally not helping in the slightest. I feel so very far away from everything I know, love, and feel comfortable around. Not that this makes me regret my decision to come here in the slightest. I know this is where I need to be. And really do love it here. But not having a firm grasp on German has really made it hard for me. So once again I find myself turning to my Harry Potter books. It's really amazing how much better I feel after reading a chapter or two. The sense of panic in my stomach leaves and I am able to truly enjoy being right where I am. Of course it doesn't take away the home sickness, but it lessens it.

Me and three of the seven books (these are the UK editions)

Sometimes I wish I was eleven again, and that I was hopping onto the Hogwarts Express. But then I remind myself that living in a world of witches and wizards wouldn't solve all my problems. As much as my life isn't a cake walk, I have been blessed with so many wonderful people and opportunties. I would be a fool not to see that my life is magical in it's own right. I may not have a wand, invisibility cloak, or a lightening shaped scar; but I do have determination, imagination, and a life full of possibilities ahead me. I don't doubt that many other adventures await me after this one. I just have to be brave and strong enough to welcome them with open arms.

17 Again? Nope.

Last week I had the pleasure of being reminded that I am most definitely getting old. This twenty-year-old body just isn't the sprite youthful thing that it used to be. Kidding... sorta. As much as twenty-somethings have youth and spunk unknown to their elders, we don't have the crazy energy of teenagers. That is zapped out of you quite quickly once you aren't a teenager anymore. This past week Johannes and Christiane's seventeen-year-old niece stayed for a couple days. I absolutely adored hanging out and going on adventures with Lea! It was one heck of a couple days. After which I proceeded to take a nap.

Lea and her family dropped by for a few days before they went on their Fall holiday house boating in France. Everyone in Germany gets a Fall holiday, how fancy is that? But Lea and I had so much fun that she decided to stay for a few days once she was done house boating with her family. This first adventure was before they went house boating, all the rest are once she got back.

On Monday (not this past week, but the week before) we visited was Karlsruher Schloss, which is one of my favorite places to just frolick about. It was a gloomy, cold, and windy day. But I love those kinds of days. Lea and I roamed about the vast castle grounds, including the Hartwald (a forest). I told Lea that one of the things my friends and I love doing is taking pictures when we are on adventures (or when we are bored haha). So I made sure we took a couple pictures while we walked around. My favorites are the ones of us walking on one of the tile spokes that show that the castle is in the middle of the city and most of the streets radiate out from it. After the castle we went to a fancy little cafe and drank absolutely amazing hot chocolate.

Lea in front of the castle.

Me walking on the blue tile "spoke".

Lea came back on Sunday with her family, and then they left that evening to go back home. Monday morning we found ourselves trying to figure out what to do. The museums aren't open on Mondays, so we couldn't go there. And other things would take too long (I had slept in a little too late). So we decided to watch the movie 'Bride Wars'. We laughed so much! But for the afternoon we did go on an adventure. Lea and I took Martha to the Karlsruhe Zoo. Now, when I think of a zoo, my mind goes directly to all the trips I have made to the San Diego Zoo and the LA Zoo. Both are huge and have a certain fancy California feel to them. The Karlsruhe Zoo is pretty much the complete opposite. It's really quaint, sprawling but not huge, and has a fanciful quality to it. It is almost like a park. I would say the main focus of this zoo is its botanical gardens (which are gorgeous) and then amongst the gardens, lakes, and rivers are the little exhibits. Another thing that surprised me was that they have animals I would never expect in a zoo because I don't consider bunnies, goats, sheep, Shetland ponies, and ducks to be exotic. There is even a petting zoo within the main zoo. This is where we spent most of our time. Martha was totally enthralled by all the goats. She spent the better part of a half an hour "training" them. It was so adorable; and Lea and I couldn't stop giggling.

See! I wasn't joking about the Shetland Ponies!

On Tuesday we once again found ourselves not being able to go to a museum because they were closed for some reason. But that morning we had more time, and were able to go sort of far. So we chose to take a train to Durlach (a suburb of Karlsruhe) and ride the Turmbergbahn. What is that? Well it's the oldest train in Germany! And it goes up the side of a mountain (more like a hill) where at the top you get an amazing view of Karlsruhe and the surrounding areas. You can even technically see France. The Turmbergbahn was really neat! But when we got to the top of the "mountain", I stopped thinking about trains. We climbed up a old watch tower from like the 1200's or 1300's to get the best view of it all. I was totally floored. The view was so amazing! The pictures I took just don't capture the vast beauty. Lea had packed us a snack (gummy bears and cookies) and we ate those as we basked in the view. It was really windy, but I like to think that it made it all much more epic.

Lea and I in the Turmbergbahn.

Just one of the epic views from the top of the tower.

Once Lea and I left the Turmbergbahn, we realized that we still had time to kill before we went to pick up Frieda from Kindergarten. Lea suggested we go and see Gottesaue Schloss, which was actually about a five minute walk from Frieda's school. The castle isn't really a castle. Nor has it ever been, so I'm not quite sure why it is called one. For a really long time it was a monastery. And then at some point it became a music college. Unlike a lot of old historical buildings, this one is not a museum. This meant we could only look at the outside. Which was fine; it was neat just strolling around the grounds  listening to all the students practicing their music.

Me in front of Gottesaue Schloss.

Lea in front of Gottesaue Schloss.

On Wednesday we finally got to go to a museum! And what a museum it was. I was super impressed by it all; I have never been to a museum like ZKM. I was really excited to go because ZKM is a modern art museum. And I do love a good art museum. But, unlike all our previous adventures we couldn't take the train (because the workers were on strike that day). So it was about a twenty minute walk from the house, in the rain. Great day for the train workers to be on strike right? Ha. The museum is in the same building as an art school, which I thought was pretty darn smart. Lea and I spent the morning nice and warm (as opposed to our walk in the cold, cold rain) looking at and interacting with the exhibits. The main exhibit at the moment is all about crazy modified cars. But the mini exhibits were all about technology. There were iPads, classic arcade games, karaoke, futuristic virtual reality games... the list goes on. It was the most amazing thing to see stuff that I am familiar with, in a museum already. I can already tell I am going to be one of those grannies that takes her grandkids to the museums and says, "When I was your age the iPad was a new fangled idea..." Nothing wrong with that right? Oh geez.

Me playing with bubbles that react to my shadow.

One of the cars from the main exhibit. It was an art piece all about the environment.

All these morning adventures combined with watching my girlies in the afternoon really made me one tired girl. When Lea left I was super bummed that I was losing my adventure buddy; but man, was I stoked to spend the next morning at home in my pajamas. Lea still has that teenage vivaciousness that I can't quite keep up with anymore (though I am pretty sure I talked her ear off). And I adore her all the more with dealing with me: the tuckered out twenty-year-old.