burn, sugar hat, burn

Happy Holidays! Brenda and I have had a busy social calendar over the past week on top of her already busy performance schedule. She had three performances in five days with the last one on Christmas Day (they all went very well). On Christmas Eve we continued a 4-year-old tradition; we went to Christmas Eve service and then had delicious baked ziti at the McCown's. Barb's parents were in town and they joined in the fun. It was a great evening, and we are already looking forward to doing it again next year.

On the topic of traditions, last night Brenda and I hosted our second annual Feuerzangenbowle evening. We provided the food - Brenda made some delicious chili and equally delicious Irish soda bread - and Adelin, Ariane, and Adam provided the ingredients for the Feuerzangenbowle. They also gave us our very own Feuerzangenbowle set. When we make the move back to the US, we will be sure to bring the set with us so our friends and family stateside can give it a try. Although, we may have a tough time finding the Zuckerhut (sugar hat) in the US.

 If you look closely you can see the blue flames around the Zuckerhut. You have to pour rum on the Zuckerhut for it to burn. We made sure to keep it clear of our dry Christmas tree.

Brenda received a nice Christmas card this year from the Vienna State Opera. Upon closer inspection she realized she was on the Christmas card!

Brenda is in the top right square picture.

Brenda's next performance isn't until New Years Eve, and between now and then we will be going to a Christmas dinner and to the opera Le Nozze di Figaro. We've also been talking about taking a trip to a German city we haven't seen before, but so far we haven't made any concrete plans. I hope all of you are having a great week, and I'll talk to you next year!

Merry Christmas!

Hey All! Brenda and I were too busy today to write the blog entry but we will post one on Thursday. We wish you all a very merry Christmas and we'll talk to you soon!

Goodbye, Hamburg

Greetings from somewhere in Germany! Don't worry, I'm not lost. I'm on a train heading toward Frankfurt, and we are somewhere between Hannover and Göttingen. This is the last train I'll be taking this fall from Hamburg because I am officially done with my study abroad in Germany. (I am also halfway done with law school. That is a strange thought.)  I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Hamburg, and I look forward to going back to visit someday.

While I was busy this morning taking my last final exam (that seems redundant) Brenda was seeing her parents off at the airport. We had a great time with them; we cooked, we went to a couple of Christmas markets, and we took a trip to Heidelberg. I think they enjoyed themselves too, and I know they especially enjoyed seeing two of Brenda's performances.

 Happy vegetarians in a happy vegetarian restaurant.

Not a bad view from the castle gardens in Heidelberg.

My Christmas break has officially begun and now I can begin to think about shopping for presents. As much as I'd like to, I'm afraid I can't get all of you iPad Minis. I know it was on your list and that you were good this year, but I am a student and Uncle Sam won't give me loans for Christmas presents. Brenda doesn't get a Christmas break because she has several performances over the next few weeks, but she will have some free time in between shows. We look forward to spending a lot of time together and enjoying the holiday season. Actually, we've already started enjoying it. We have a Christmas tree!

Cree 3.0

I hope you are also enjoying the holidays. Until next time, have a great week!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Hello all! We have certainly had a change of scenery in Hamburg since last Tuesday. The rain that Brenda and I were trying to avoid turned into snow, and now Hamburg is covered in a thin layer of white. It's really quite pretty and has certainly helped me get into the Christmas spirit, although the downside is that it's colder outside. I didn't bring any winter wear, but I think I can survive the cold for one more week.

 A view from our Hamburg apartment.

Brenda gradually started to feel better last week, and on Friday she felt well enough to go out and explore more of Hamburg. The Maritime Museum was on my list of things to do before leaving so Brenda and I headed over there. Hamburg has the third largest port in Europe, and portions of the museum were specifically dedicated to shipbuilding in Hamburg. The museum has nine floors and you could easily spend an entire day there. I would highly recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in Hamburg.

Can you tell I was excited to learn about pirates? 

 Brenda with a giant Lego ship.

After the museum we decided to explore more of the various Christmas markets around Hamburg. We sampled the glühwein, discovered a couple more delicious treats, and watched Santa fly over the market in front of the Rathaus. I learned two things about Santa in Germany. First, he can fly backwards. Second, he speaks with an evil demon voice. Brenda recorded some of it on her iPhone so maybe we'll post a little video if I can figure out how.

 Brenda in front of the Christmas market by the Rathaus.

Mmm glühwein!

In spite of having an exam tomorrow I am going to the opera tonight. I would hate to be over prepared. Meanwhile in Frankfurt, Brenda is busy cleaning our apartment because her parents will be arriving tomorrow. If I'm not mistaken, their first flight leaves in about twenty minutes. I hope that all of you have a great week, and I'll talk to you next Tuesday!

even Cleopatra eats Kartoffelpuffer

Greetings once again from Hamburg! I won't be able to say that for much longer. My last exam this fall is two weeks from today. Who wants to think about exams when it's Christmas market season? Not this guy. But before we chat about Glühwein and overpriced crepes, I wanted to give you a report of Brenda's Giulio Cesare premiere on Sunday. The performance was great, the audience loved it, and Brenda was outstanding. The cast and director must have done something right to keep the audience entertained for 4 hours (including two intermissions). Brenda woke up with a sore throat a few days before the performance, but she was well enough to sing on Sunday. She sounded perfectly healthy even if she didn't feel that way. By the way, there are some nice pictures of the production which you can see here.

Brenda has a week in between performances so she decided to come up to Hamburg with me. I'm afraid her sore throat has turned into a runny nose and a cough, but I'm doing my best to nurse her back to health while learning about German Criminal Law. As part of her treatment, Brenda and I went to two of the Christmas markets that are set up in Hamburg. I'm afraid we had to forgo the Glühwein since Brenda is sick and I prefer to go to class sober, but we still enjoyed exploring the various shops and sampling a few holiday treats (i.e. Kartoffelpuffer, cheese crepes, and Dresdner Handbrot).

 One of the Christmas markets in Hamburg is set up in front of the Rathaus. As you can see, it was raining when we were there. A common occurrence this time of year.

Brenda taking a bite of Dresdner Handbrot (a delicious mix of bread, cheese, and mushrooms with sour cream on top). Yum!

I don't have class tomorrow so Brenda and I have tentatively planned a trip to Ikea. We may also meet up with the conductor of Giulio Cesare who lives in Hamburg. He also happens to originally be from Iowa. Small world. On Saturday, Brenda will return to Frankfurt and I will stay in Hamburg. It will be the first weekend in over a month that I'm not going to Frankfurt. Looks like I won't have any good excuses not to study.

I had better go tend to my sick wife. I hope you all have a great week, and I'll talk to you next Tuesday!