Edelweiss Lodge and Resort

You know a picture is worth a thousand words...well that sure makes this an easy blog post.  See ya next time.  Just kidding.  If I start slacking Jess is going to revoke my blogging privileges and then I'll have to return to my old form of stress relief -- bullfighting on acid.  That's not a healthy lifestyle for any family man; so without further ado I present to the world, the Kelly family vacation (or ba-cation if you are a Mendez or Liam) to the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch, Germany.

Just minutes before we left Bamberg, the snow started falling...

...and it didn't stop the entire time we were there

Tombstone is one of Liam's favorite movies so it's been hard keeping him away from the poker tables lately.  After he took most of my money on our first night at Edelweiss, he challenged me to a spelling contest, won the rest of my money and talked trash repeatedly to me saying, "You're no daisy at all."  Unbelievable.   If you don't understand the preceding context then follow these steps:  

step #1. Be ashamed of yourself for not knowing the best Western movie ever made;

step #2.  If you're thinking that it's the movie Wyatt Earp with Kevin Costner, go ahead and slap yourself twice; and

step #3. Rent (or buy, if you're not a communist) Tombstone and watch repeatedly and enjoy.

Mommy and Liam take time for a pic during their sledding escapade

I know all the Grandparents are wondering how Liam is adapting.  Can't you tell that he just hates it here...?

He decided to be a gentleman and use some of his poker winnings to buy his mommy and daddy dinner on the last night.  

Weihnachten in Nürnberg

You don't necessarily have to be a criminal justice major or a  die-hard John Grisham fan to know that there were some pretty important trials that went on here in the latter part of the 1940's, but Nürnberg (or Nuremberg) is a big time city with all sorts of history and entertainment to offer.  It is the home of such famous folks as Ernst von Bibra, Johann Phillip von Wurzelbaher, Hartmann Schedel and of course the renowned Kaspar Hauser.  Okay, I don't have a clue who any of those guys are but Wikipedia mentions them so how can you argue with the the world's most reliable research resource.  The Nürnberger Bratwurst is a tasty little snack that is pretty much a breakfast sausage link.  I guess this is the first place that decided to downscale the large Bratwurst as we know it, but I'm not impressed with their ingenuity.  Sorry Europe -- American Waffle Houses and little crappy local diners have these delicious treats too.

Anyway, the whole point of this post is to show our experience in Nürnberg during their Christmas Market.  Germany as a whole is a pretty big Christmas fan, and we had been told that Nürnberg is the place to go to get in the spirit. The Rairidons (Steve, Myra, Killian and Liam) have become very good friends of ours and the kids like getting together to play with each other's toys so we all packed in the car and headed out for a day in Nürnberg.

We stopped for lunch at a place called S'Baggers.  I'm not sure what the name means or refers to, but it was an awesome kid-friendly place that kind of reminded me of Fuddruckers mixed with a Benihana (or insert your favorite Hibachi restaurant here.  Jess just told me that she never heard of Benihana).  Pretty weird combo I know but watch the video and you'll see.  

That is actually the "other" Liam on my shoulders.  He hasn't changed that much.

Ahhh, there's our Liam, enjoying the bustling town.

"To the Christmas Market"

We don't know this person but we just wanted to show you a typical Glühwein stand.  

This...is...Awesome!  Fröhe Weihnachten everyone!

Klein-Venedig

Without further ado, here is a tour of our beautiful city, Bamberg.  We are already proud of what we've learned about our new home, especially with the vibrant history and rich culture surrounding us everywhere we turn.

To begin the tour, we need to explain the post's title:  Klein-Venedig.  German for "Little Venice," Klein-Venedig is a term used to describe Bamberg (primarily this little stretch in the downtown area).  A few journalists back in the 1800s believed the Bamberg area reminded them of a little taste of Venice, Italy.  Based on my time in Venice, I can agree with the analogy... except, thankfully, Bamberg doesn't smell like a saltwater lagoon. But with the two flowing waterways, rows of houses peppering the river, and buildings nestled on and around the river that give the area an appearance of a floating city of canals, parts of downtown Bamberg do make it feel more like a low-lying waterbound town than a city boasting a rolling landscape of "seven hills" (more on that tidbit later).

In the following pictures, you can see our view as we drive downtown.  In the first picture, the sign in the foreground introduces Bamberg and lets you know that, thank God, there is a Burger King just ahead.  Beyond that sign, you can see a billboard listing the various Partnerstädte, or sister cities, that Bamberg has throughout the world.  One of those cities?  Esztergom, Hungary, the city after which our humble little street is named.

Letting Liam tear up the streets

One of the main drags downtown.
The store on the right, Karstadt, is much like a Macy's

The historical buildings here are wonderfully maintained.  The buildings are some of the oldest in Germany, as this city was one of the few to remain untouched by the battles of World War II.  Bamberg appears in records as early as A.D. 902, and the city cites A.D. 973 as the year of its founding, making it almost 1,040 years old.  The roads are a mix of modern pavement and uneven cobblestone, and the city maintains the expected European pedestrian-friendly atmosphere in balance with the hustle and bustle of a large city.  For comparison's sake, Raleigh, N.C., has approximately 400,000 residents -- Bamberg has around 70,000.  But while Raleigh's population density is at 2,800 people per square mile, our city holds more than 3,300 people in that same amount of space.  Though it is on the small side, the population gives you the feeling of a busy, ambitious place.

The Altes Rathaus, Bamberg's original city hall, was built in 1386 and renovated in the 1400s.  It looks essentially the same now as it did 600 years ago post-renovation.  The Altes Rathaus was strategically positioned where the Obere and Untere Brücke (Upper and Lower Bridges) cross over the Regnitz downtown.  The location and building were intended to symbolize the union of the middle class and the episcopal counterparts in Bamberg.  Today, the 44-member city council meets elsewhere, but the building remains one of the most important historical and architectural pieces of eye candy in the city.

The Altes Rathaus

On another bridge down the way from the Altes Rathaus, you can see evidence of an interesting romantic tradition the city has embraced for years.  Locals and visitors alike have participated:  lovers purchase a basic padlock, write their names/initials on it, attach it to the cables of the bridge, and throw the key in the Regnitz. The intended symbolism is obvious. 

However, a genuine concern has arisen regarding the bridge cables -- these sweet little padlocks are rubbing against the cables, corroding them and weakening them slowly but surely.  Logically but tragically, the city has voted to cut off all the padlocks.

As I mentioned before, Bamberg has seven hills enriching the landscape.  While its lower downtown area demands a comparison to Venice, the rolling hills call to mind Rome and its seven hills.  Some people even call Bamberg "Franconian Rome" (and, of course, proud locals call Rome "Italian Bamberg").  The seven hills of Bamberg include Cathedral Hill, Michaelsberg, Kaulberg/Obere Pfarre, Stefansberg, Jakobsberg, Altenburg, and Abtsberg.

Cathedral Hill is in the heart of downtown Bamberg, and it sneaks up on you like any good hill should do.  You turn a sharp right, and BAM!

You see the beautiful Bamberg Cathedral.  The Cathedral is home to the tombs of Emperor Henry II (who founded the Cathderal in 1004) and Pope Clement II.  We have yet to go inside the Cathedral, but it's kind of a no-brainer -- the place is guaranteed to be gorgeous.  The original Cathedral, consecrated in 1012, was partially destroyed by a fire towards the end of the 11th century and was rebuilt in its current late-Romanesque style in 1237.

Atop Michaelsberg Hill sits the Michaelsberg Abbey, a fantastic historic site (built in the 12th century).  The Abbey is no longer an active monastery, but the church on site is still used as an ancillary church to the Cathedral.

Another view of the Regnitz.  In the distance, you can see Michaelsberg Abbey

The city's highest hill, Altenburg, is just outside of our neighborhood and boasts an amazing castle.  I still can't get over the fact that we have a castle within view of our home.  Ridiculous.

Our very own castle!

Bamberg is brimming with beauty and excitement, and during the Christmas season, everything is amped up a notch.  The streets are full of costumed entertainers as the Christmas market attracts local performers and visitors of all kinds.

Some dude brought his Shetland pony downtown...
Totally commonplace

Bamberg's city band, rocking out some Christmas tunes.  Liam especially loved the "crumpets" (trumpets)

Not sure if you knew, but Santa plays the accordion

Enjoying lunch at one of our new favorite haunts, the Casa Italia

Liam sipping on some Heiße Schokolade (hot chocolate)

And what would a good 21st-century tour be without a video?

So there you go, a tour of Bamberg, Germany.  But we didn't do it justice -- you need to come out here and see it for yourself!  And if you make it out to our side of the pond, we happen to know a few good tour guides, wink wink.

Yes, that's a 1-liter flask of wine right there. And no, I didn't hog it all.

Kreuzberg Monastery and Braurei

After my return from France, I really have a new appreciation for my unit of assignment, the 173rd Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team.  I am very fortunate to have outstanding senior officer leadership that provides unique opportunities and experiences aside from the typical "icebreakers" and "leader development" crap that you get from most units.

Again, the officers of the 173rd STB got together for some team and morale building (ok...beer drinking) activities.  Early on the morning of 16DEC, we reported to work in civilian hiking attire as directed.  We boarded a bus and traveled to the Rhön Valley where we dismounted in the falling snow to trek to the mountaintop village of Klosterkreuzberg.  This is an historic site that houses an age-old brewery that was completely operated by monks until 1985.  To make a long story short, it's a hell of a hike up to this place and the reward is a nice meat and cheese plate along with some world famous Weihnachts-Bock (Christmas Beer).

Yet another good time in Deutschland.  Airborne!

Smart Genius

Right now I am developing a little "action plan" for my days with Liam to ensure we're tapping into all his capabilities and not just letting opportunities pass.  Don't worry, I'm not drilling him with PSAT questions (yet), but I am going to take advantage of the fact that this kid loves to learn.

To make this plan, I turned to resources that track children's average developments in all general skills areas, and I just came across something that about made me pee myself.  According to the development tracker put forth by PBS, most kids ages 2 to 3 are able to sing the ABCs but don't recognize independent letters.  Few children  recognize the graphic design of familiar letters, and even fewer children by age 3 know the names of letters or are able to recognize uppercase letters.

Since Liam was 20 months old, he has been able to recognize and name the letters of the alphabet out of context.  I could point out any letter and he would say the correct name back to me.

Since Liam was 21 months old, he has been able to name an animal or word associated with a letter when we name a letter to him.

In the past few weeks, Liam has ramped up how often he plays these letter games independently, pointing out and naming letters in books, on clothes, on billboards.  He also will walk around and say, "A. Alligator. RARR!  B. Bear. GRRR! C. Cat. MEEOWW!"  And just this morning he proved that he not only proficiently recognizes uppercase letters but also is beginning to recognize lowercase letters.

He's not even 2 yet.  See why I'm making an action plan?  This kid has got a big ol' brain and needs all the exposure he's willing to accept.  And I'm just the mom for the job.

The video clip below is from 7 Nov, over one month ago (so when Liam had just hit 20 months).  Damn genius.  Love love love!

Happy TurDuckEn Day!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We were obviously in the minority over here in celebrating a holiday I'm surprised people in Germany even know about... our landlady gets a serious gold star, though, as she was kind enough to stop by in the morning and wish us a happy Thanksgiving.  She barely speaks English, but she pays attention to holidays that matter to others and offers courtesies above and beyond most people.  So kind!  When we first moved in, she gave us a bottle of champagne, a box of truffles, and a set of Kinder chocolates for Liam.

I digress. Our holiday was beautiful!  Zeke and I did some prep cooking a few days ahead of time, so on the Big Day, we didn't have to sweat as much as usual.  Zeke started working on his creations around late morning, and I joined in around noon.  We concocted some coleslaw, delicious cranberry sauce, a corn-broccoli bake, some sweet potatoes (built on the fab recipe from the lovely Grandma Toni), some crazy stuffing, and a TURDUCKEN.  Yes, that's right, a Turducken.  Ground sausage stuffed inside a chicken breast, stuffed inside a duck breast, stuff inside a turkey breast.  Five pounds, no bones, and the five of us (we enjoyed the meal with our friends Jeff and Felisha) annihilated it (and we had the best gravy that Zeke made from the Turducken drippings. Very healthy, too, I'm sure).  Jeff and Felisha brought over the best homemade chicken and dumplings in the history of chicken and dumplings, plus some rock star desserts -- a marshmallow-frosted chocolate cake, a chocolate pie, a pumpkin pie, and an apple pie. A whole dessert for each of us, just about. Ridiculous and perfect.

After groaning our way away from the table, we proceeded to watch silly movies and eat desserts until we were too full and tired to see straight.

Here's a little clip for you -- happy TuDuckEn Day!!

Normandy Battle Staff Ride

A Battle Staff Ride (BSR) is basically a euphemism for "Officer field trip" or even more simply stated, a damn good time.  That's not to say that it is not an educational and professional event.  GEN George C. Marshall began taking his officers on horseback tours of the Civil War battlefields (namely Gettysburg) in order to allow the officers to relive the battles that shaped our nation's history.  They would be required to analyze the strategy and tactics of the day and develop their own plan to fight the enemy.  It is very much the same today, however, the Army doesn't feel it is appropriate to give us horses anymore.  I know--BS.  Anyway, it is an extremely unique experience and opportunity to learn about warfare--especially with the heavy budget cuts going on right now in the DoD.

The trip itself consisted of three days.  Day one was focused on the British 6th Airborne Division and their parachute assault on 5JUN1944 and amphibious assault of Gold and Sword Beaches on 6JUN1944.  On day two we visited the Utah Beach invasion sites of the US 5th Army, and the contributions of God's finest creation--the US Army Paratrooper.  On day three we visited Point du Hoc, the location where the 2nd Ranger BN made their famous assault on the heavily fortified cliffs.  The rest of day three was spent on Omaha Beach discussing the legendary and bloody assault performed by the 29th Infantry Division, 1st Infantry Division and the 2nd Ranger BN.  The "Dog Green" sector of Omaha Beach suffered the most American casualties and is the focal point of the movie Saving Private Ryan.  

We ended the day and the trip in the American Cemetery that overlooks Omaha Beach.  The groundskeeper at the cemetery gave us the tremendous honor of retiring our nation's Colors.  I was fortunate enough to be part of the detail that lowered and folded the flags that fly above the graves of over 9000 WW2 Soldiers that gave the ultimate sacrifice.  All in all, it was nothing short of spectacular.  I certainly can't do it justice from a few pics and a blog entry, but it puts everything in perspective--the American military is pretty badass.  Yeah, you're welcome World.

To add to your perspective, I think the following entry is required.  It is kind of a motto or mantra of my former unit, the 82nd ABN DIV, but it pretty much explains how American Paratroopers are able to survive against all odds--you know like being dropped 20 miles away from your actual drop zone, struggling desperately to find a weapon because yours was lost during the jump, and walking mile after mile just to link up with two other Paratroopers so you can go kill the enemy with your bare hands.  Anyway, we call this the rule of LGOPs (little groups of Paratroopers) and it's the basis for living a glamorous life of carnage and debauchery:

After the demise of the best Airborne plan, a terrifying effect occurs on the battlefield.  This effect is known as the rule of LGOPs.  This is, in its purest form, small groups of pissed off 19 year old American Paratroopers.  They are well trained, armed to the teeth, and lack serious adult supervision.  They collectively remember the Commander's intent as "march to the sound of the guns and kill anyone who is not dressed like you" - or something like that.  Happily they go about their day's work.

The following pics are mostly chronological in order of the sites we toured as I described above. 

Here rests the first Paratrooper KIA from the British 6th ABN.  They were assigned the very first objective of securing Pegasus Bridge which allowed the Allies to advance inland on the days following D-Day.

101st ABN DIV memorial overlooking Brecourt Manor.  This was the site of the battle portrayed in Band of Brothers where 12 men, led by LT Dick Winters, cleared the artillery cannons in the trenches.  It is interesting to note that the impromptu plan devised by LT Winters is still Army doctrine for how to assault and clear a trench.

Pretty self -explanatory I think...

Go Engineers!!  US Army Engineers were the first to step foot on the beaches to make sure that the Infantry cupcakes could advance through the minefields, wire and other types of scary shit that is too much to handle for soldiers outside of the Engineer Corps.  They didn't parachute in, but these guys are still good in my book.

Very famous church in Ste. Mere Eglise where many of the 82nd ABN DIV landed.  Needless to say, this was not the planned drop zone.  The movie The Longest Day depicts a true story where a paratrooper got hung up on the church steeple and eventually became deaf from the constant ringing of the bell tower.  If you look closely, there is a paratrooper on the steeple (not the original one though, but still pretty cool).

Just one of the many beautiful stained glass windows inside the church.  Many of the churches we visited honored the American paratroopers like this.  The people of Ste. Mere Eglise are incredibly grateful of their American liberators...too bad I can't say that for the rest of the country 

The concertina wire here at Point du Hoc is part of the original defenses emplaced by the Germans.

Views overlooking Omaha beach

Representations of both sides honoring their unknown dead.  (Right: Two German Soldiers)

SGT Niland was one of three brothers KIA by the end of D-Day.  The fourth brother was a Paratrooper with the 101st ABN whose whereabouts could not be determined.  Army Chief of Staff, GEN George C. Marshall, ordered a mission to bring him home so that his mother would not have to receive a fourth death notice.  This mission was successfully carried out by a small element of the 2nd Ranger BN.  The Niland brothers are better known to most as "the Ryan brothers" and the element that rescued PVT James F Ryan (Matt Damon) was led by CPT John H. Miller (actual name portrayed by Tom Hanks).

Like I said earlier, most of the Normandy region is very appreciative of the freedom given to them by American and British Soldiers.  I did however have a minor confrontation while enjoying adult beverages one night at a bar in Bayeux, France.  The short version is that he was pissed because a large group of us were apparently conversing too loudly in English.  We tried to compromise on perhaps a mutual language like German.  When we found out that his Deutsch was nicht sehr gut (not very good), we kindly reminded him that if weren't for the USA, he wouldn't have to worry about French or English. So with that I end this blog with a pic to the left honoring the brave fighting spirit of our non-German speaking Allies.  

Again, you're welcome.

Switzerland. In Germany.

About a month ago we went hiking in an area of Franconia coined "Little Switzerland" (the Germans call it "Fränkische Schweiz," or Franconian Switzerland) and Liam loved every minute of it.  Just in case you care, the area gets its name from a few writers and poets back in the 19th century who compared the area's landscape to the beauty of Switzerland.

Travel map of the area from 1912

While that sounds special and fabulous, I've learned that it was common for many areas to be considered "Little Switzerland," so long as the terrain was peppered with mountains, valleys, and exposed rockface.  But as you can see, this area is pretty gosh darn beautiful:

Just your everyday view of the world

At the summit of our 12k-hike

Liam was in great spirits the whole day, pointing out trees, the sun, clouds, sticks, rocks, leaves, sand, dirt... basically anything he could identify by name was shouted at the top of his lungs at some point.  He especially enjoyed the humongoid Great Dane accompanying us hikers.  Liam barked at him several times and loved being able to pet him.

Dog? DOG! arf woof WOOF!

A slight problem developed early on in Liam's relationship with the Great Dane... You may not know this little tidbit, but one of Liam's favorite phrases is "OK."  He uses it to answer questions when appropriate, to ask for things, and to reassure himself in uneasy or questionable moments.

Turns out that "OK" was the release word for the dog. Just perfect.

Liam worked very hard on the hike, can't you tell?

We were able to see one of the 16 castles in the region

One of the unique topographical attributes of this part of Franconia is its extensive collection of caves.  There are 13 named caves accessible to the public; however, there are countless smaller caves and little coves you can stumble upon on a hike.  We explored three cave areas, one of which had an incredibly old stone landing that was used as a fire pit back in the day.

It's difficult to make a fire while actually standing ON the pit, but I'm sure Liam will find a way

Scaling cave walls. Typical experience for a toddler.

A day in the life, folks.  A day in the life.