Colmar, Colmar and more Colmar

We loved Colmar so much we thought we'd share some more pictures with you. As you can see, Colmar was decorated to the brim for the holidays. Even days after Christmas (when we arrived) Christmas markets were in full swing and carols could be heard playing in the distance. Paul and I stepped inside one of their larger cathedrals and were able to enjoy a little bit of a holiday organ concert. As I walked around this magical little city, I had almost forgot that Christmas had already come and gone.

Frohe Weihnachten from Colmar!

After leaving Metz in Lorraine we traveled to the Alsacian city of Colmar. This city combined the wonderful cuisine of France with the fairy tale architecture of Germany. Colmar was cozy and just the perfect place to wander around and browse local shops. Paul and I decided that this was definately one of our favorite French cities. Hopefully we can share it with some of you!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year. Paul and I enjoyed Christmas dinner and games with a family in our new ward, and then attended a squadron Christmas party later on that evening. As none of our belongings from the states had come and there was nothing keeping us home, we decided to do some traveling on Pauls 4 days off. First we drove to the French city of Metz, located about an hour from us in the Lorraine region.

Our Weekend in Trier

These are more pictures of Trier(small city just a stones throw from France). These were street performers that played some sort of old German organ instrument.
These are the Roman baths just outside of the city center. The bath complex is massive as its one of the largest sites in Europe.


This is another example of Roman architecture/ruins in Trier. This is called Porta Nigra or the Black Port. Paul and I really enjoyed Trier and on our way home we decided to have dinner and dessert in Luxemberg(since neither of us had been there and it was only 20-30 minutes away). Luxemberg was so much fun because they speak french and that meant we could communicate(or Paul could) and they had a really beautiful old city center. The architecture felt very french and the food was the same. We had the best dinner to date and found a fantastic Patisserie! We hope you enjoy the photos and have a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Markets in Germany...

On Friday Paul and I went to the Heidleberg Christmas Market which was beautiful, and then to Trier and their Christmas Market on Saturday.
This is the Trier city center.

Goodbye Grandma Baier

Last week on Thursday the 6th of December, Grandma (Mary) Baier passed away in her home in Newark, NY. To all of us who knew her, she was a funloving, energetic, and caring person. She loved her family and most of all her grandchildren, whom she called her treasures. Grandma loved music and passed on this love of music to so many around her. We will all miss her very much. For information on her viewing or funeral services contact either Tris or Debbie Baier at 315-331-3724.

Guten Tag from Germany!

A big I'm sorry for not blogging earlier! Things have been really crazy over here. We have been in country a little over a week, and Im happy to say that we have found a home and moved in yesterday. The first week Paul and I spent the majority of our time looking for a home. We had looked at 3-4 a day and last Friday we viewed a town house in a quaint little town named Enkenbach and decided that this felt the most like home. It was probably the smallest place we looked at (its around 160 square meters), but because of the lovely town, wonderful location and English speaking landlord we decided that this was the place for us.
Paul and I made a trip out to IKEA yesterday and stocked up on a few essentials, as our stuff from the states wont be in til the second week of January. Because of our place not being furnished as usual, Paul and I have decided to get out and travel during the holiday season. We've started the holiday season by traveling to the surrounding towns and planning trips to some of the larger cities to see their Christmas Markets. We have been to two so far and are planning to go to two more this weekend(Heidelburg and Trier). These are the perfect way to feel the Christmas spirit as most of them have large Christmas Trees surrounded by Carolers and an abundance of good food(roasted chestnuts, mulled cider, hot sausage, and sweet pastries).
In closing-Paul and I feel incredibly blessed as we have found a wonderful home, and have met wonderful people here. We are excited to start this journey here in SW Germany and would look forward to hearing from or seeing(how exciting would that be!) any of you. Happy Holidays!