Chocolate Chip Cookies

This weekend we are visiting on of Will’s coworkers again, the same family from this post: Hiking Trip to Eifel National Park. I wanted to make something to bring and thought chocolate chip cookies would be the perfect “American” dessert to take.

It was a bit difficult to track down some of the ingredients since brown sugar and baking soda are not found in typical German grocery stores. They are, however, carried at The English Shop in downtown Cologne. This is a really neat store that carries all kinds of different products from the UK and United States. I am typically drawn to the baking aisle (more Betty Crocker products than you can imagine!), but they also have snacks, candies, meats, and cheeses to remind expats of home. We also got some Reese’s (eaten before I could get a photo) and some cheddar cheese that I plan to use for mac and cheese this week.

Sprechen Sie Englisch?

“Mein Deutsch ist nicht sehr gut. Sprechen Sie Englisch?”

“My German is not very good. Do you speak English?” This has become my main catchphrase in the last month.

For several years when I was at Pitt, I volunteered with ESL students who came to the USA to study English. We would have a casual conversation group where they could talk about life in America and the challenges of learning and living in a new language. Funny enough, I am now in their shoes.

Moving to Germany without knowing any German has certainly been interesting at times. Many people (even some Germans) have tried to reassure me that “everyone speaks English.” While many people I have come into contact with do know some English, it’s often not enough to communicate the full message of the conversation. My extremely limited German and their limited English, a conversation does not make.

On the bright side, German classes will begin in August at the Volkshochschule (similar to community college) and in the meantime, I will keep plugging away at my Duolingo program. We have also labeled the entire apartment with flashcards and I’m getting really good at the phrases that are repeated ad nauseum on public transportation.

Tschüss!

The apartment has been flashcarded.

Jolly Old London

This past Monday was another public holiday (Pfingsmontag/ Whit Monday) so we took advantage of the long weekend and flew out to London. Will has been to England a few times already and has some family there, but it was my first time. I loved the city, even though it was probably (subconsciously) in part because we could speak English.

We left Cologne early on Friday morning and arrived at our hotel via train, plane, and train a few hours later. After checking in, we rode into the city and explored for the rest of the afternoon. We saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and the Tower Bridge.

Buckingham Palace

Big Ben

"Hello!"

London Eye

Tower Bridge

On Saturday morning, we got up early to go to Platform 9 ¾ at Kings Cross Station. For those of who did not follow the Harry Potter series, students going to Hogwarts School had to cross into the magical world by running head-on into the wall between platforms 9 and 10. You can now have your picture taken at the real train station, complete with magic wand and Hogwarts scarf. I had to wait for about twenty minutes (with a crowd of children), but it was worth it-my childhood has been validated.

Off to Hogwarts!

After getting in touch with our wizarding sides, we headed to the Greenwich neighborhood. We hiked through a park to the point where the Prime Meridian (0 degree longitude) runs through London. On our way back to the subway station, we ran into one of Jamie Oliver’s restaurants called Jamie’s Italian. Jamie Oliver is a chef who has worked in the UK and USA to promote healthy eating, especially in schools. Our lunch was delicious AND healthy! More information can be found here: http://www.jamieoliver.com/ and I can’t wait to try making this at home: Focaccia . On Saturday night we went to the movies to see Maleficent, which I really enjoyed.

Half in the Western/Eastern Hemispheres

Lunch at Jamie's Italian

We finished up our sightseeing on Sunday visiting the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey. All of the churches were closed for Sunday services, so we were only able to see them from the outside. Since we had an early flight the next morning, we headed back to our hotel early and had a traditional Sunday roast dinner at a local pub.

Guard at Tower of London

Westminster Abbey

Several of the main sites

Sunday roast

When we got back to Germany on Monday, it was in the 90s and we are sweating to death. I think we’re settled in for the next couple weeks though. Cheers!

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

This past Thursday was a German Holiday, Christi Himmelfahrt (Ascension Day) and many Germans make a long weekend out of it by also taking Friday off of work. We had originally thought of visiting Berlin or Munich this weekend, but everything was booked solid due to the holiday weekend. We decided instead to visit our French-speaking neighbors to the west in Luxembourg.

We hit the road on Friday afternoon and drove through the German countryside for about two and a half hours until we arrived in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Although we were looking for a “traditional” Luxembourg restaurant for dinner, we stumbled upon a Chi Chis first. Yes, Chi Chis…as in Hepatitis A outbreak and subsequent bankruptcy. I had been going through Tex-Mex withdrawal so we decided to go for it. It was AMAZING. After dinner, we strolled around the city and watched a drum corps performance that was going on in one of the plazas.

On Saturday we drove out into the countryside to visit two castles, Vianden and Beaufort. Vianden Castle was built in the 1100s and has since been restored to its original character. Beaufort Castle, on the other hand, is in ruins and was interesting in its own respect. After a ski lift ride (eeek!) and a crêpe lunch, we headed back to the city.

Before heading back to Cologne on Sunday, we stopped at the Luxembourg American Military Cemetary. This cemetery holds the remains of US soldiers who died during 1944-1945 and General George Patten.

Luxembourg didn’t quite have as much hustle and bustle as Cologne, but it was quaint and we got to parler un peu de Français. Not too bad!

Luxembourg Street

Luxembourg City

Getting in touch with my royal side

Vianden

Ski Lift

Vianden Castle

Beaufort Castle

Luxembourg American Military Cemetary