What a great weekend! My friend Laurel and her two sweet girls came all the way from Belgium to visit us. Laurel and I are scrapbooking buddies and met when we lived in Texas. Through the last 4 years we have kept in contact through email. The girls got along so well and had a great time together. We gave them a true German Christmas experience by taking them to the Deidesheim Christmas market. But first, we had to take them to see a German castle ruin because after all, that is the Frandsen's favorite part about Germany. At the market we tasted all the German Christmas goodies such as lebkuchen (gingerbread), phalz brats, roasted chestnuts, schneeball (? don't ask because I can't tell you), Ramfleck (a version of flammkuchen which is german style pizza), and our favorite apfelringmus (apple rings dipped and fried in batter . . . I know, but they were SO good), and of course kinderpunch (hot drink like wassil that is THE german christmas beverage, the adult version is gluhwein and can really make you warm and fuzzy and dizzy on the inside). The girls enjoyed baking cookies in an old fashioned cabin with an antique oven and riding the carnival rides. On the drive back to the house we saw 3 castles "on fire" meaning the ruin walls were lit up in the dark. The castles lit up at night are just the most spectacular thing! The next morning we went to the Kaiserslautern Christmas market to enjoy more german traditions like damfnudeln (a hot roll dipped in warm vanilla sauce), kinderpunch and more carnival rides. Laurel spoiled us by bringing a Belgium gift bag full of goodies. We can't wait to try them all, the girls loved the waffles. The box of chocolates pictured above are so beautiful that I almost can't bear to eat them . . . I didn't suffer long, right after the girls went to bed Mark and I sat and admired them and shared a few. 'Tis the season for . . . lots of chocolate, friends, Christmas markets and hot Kinderpunch. Laurel and girls, thanks for a great weekend and come back soon! Next time we will look forward to seeing Lee also!
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