Haidhausen Weihnachsmarkt

It is officially that time of year again! That's right, Christmas. No wait you say, you can't have Christmas before Thanksgiving, that is as bad as the stores putting up Christmas decorations right after Halloween. Well, in Munich, with no real Thanksgiving there is nothing better.

In fact, in Munich, Thanksgiving happened to be the official opening of the Weihnachtsmarkts (Christmas markets). So instead of a Turkey dinner, we celebrated by going to our Haidhausen neighborhood Weihnachtsmarkt.

Seriously guys, I don't know if I can take another year of these things watching you drink Glühwein while I just try to stay warm in my stroller!

If you can't have turkey, the next best thing for Thanksgiving dinner is a giant bratwurst and some pommes frites. This is a good way to put on our winter "coats" for the long winter.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and happy holiday season. This season marks a first for us as it is the first of many lasts. We have reached the point in our life in Munich where we realize this will be the last Weihnachtsmarkts we can visit while living here. As a result, we decided to go on a Christmas market's barrage. Until we leave for Colorado for Christmas, we plan to visit as many markets as possible all throughout Germany. Stay tuned as our posts will become quite festive for the month of December.

Munich Walking Tour

After 18 months of living in Munich and hosting numerous friends and family, we've realized we know nothing noteworthy about Munich as we guide our visitors around our temporary stomping ground.

Munich visitor: "What's that?"
Sarah or Jeff: "Uh, a church?"
William: "Da!"

We realized we needed to do something about this! Enter one sunny fall day . . . Jeff, Will, and I decided to become tourists in our town. We downloaded a Munich City Walking tour, packed a picnic, placed our trademark white headphones in our ears and got strolling. It will come as no surprise that we learned quite a bit! We now have the walking tour for any and all who come to stay in our humble abode, so you too, can become worthy of the trivial knowledge of this fun, foreign city.

Will and I in front of one of the old entrance gates to the city (when the city was walled) at Karlsplatz. And I just thought it was a fancy entrance to my favorite shopping street!

The Frauenkirche towers

A Munich sewer plate

Marienplatz
I still get goosebumps everytime I come up out of the U-bahn to see the Altes Rathaus looming above me. I can't believe I live here!

Will eating his lunch in the Hofgarten

St. Martin's Day

Last year when walking home from work, I saw this parade through the busy streets of Munich. There was a horse leading the parade and 100's of kids with their parents holding lanterns in the parade.

This year I learned this is yet another annual tradition in Munich for St Martin's day. It was tough to learn exactly why this saint had a parade:

Jeff: "Hey Sarah, did you know tomorrow is a holiday?"

Sarah: "Another one?  Do you get it off work?"

Jeff: "No, it is St. Martin's Day.  Do you remember me telling you about the lanterns last year?"

Sarah: "No.  What is this holiday for?"

Jeff: "I have no idea, let me ask a coworker."

Coworker: "Yes, I know St. Martin's Day, it is when kids carry lanterns through the streets in a Parade."

Jeff: "But why? What does it signify?"

Coworker: "St. Martin I guess, I don't know."

But we really liked the idea.  Munich is really a fun city that celebrates all kinds of things.  It really helps to constantly have something to look forward to, and St. Martin's Day is just that day on November 11th.

This year Sarah, Will and I joined the parade. Technically we were just going to observe, but we saw our friends and neighbors the Demmlers in the parade and joined in.

The pictures don't begin to do it justice. The hand made lanterns held by the kids were really cool and the sense of community was great!

Tough to see, but here is Sarah and Will with the Demmlers.  Thilo made Louis a lantern that contained a real candle.  Cool stuff!

The horse leading the torch bearing kids of Haidhausen down the neighborhood street.

Just in case you were interested why this occurs, it seems it is a feasting celebration.  How the lanterns fit in is really anyone's guess, but what a fun tradition.  

Thanksgiving

It is true, they do not celebrate Thanksgiving in Munich . . . unless you know Mark, Maren and the Schambecks!  After time in the Palo Alto Technology Office, they now celebrate Thanksgiving every year in Munich to continue the tradition.  So, on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, we went to eat some turkey and hang out again with some great friends (this was the second annual). 

Here is Will making sure Mark stuffed the Turkey okay.  As everyone knows, Will LOVES helping out in the kitchen.

Will, playing with Silvia as she tries to keep him out of trouble.  See that bookshelf behind her?  Very interesting . . . as was the TV, the stereo, the plant (with dirt in it), etc.  You get the idea.


Hanging out with mom and getting ready to eat some turkey.

The table, ready for the turkey.

And, das Vogel (the bird).  

Once again, we had an amazing meal with some really great friends.  We feel so lucky to be a part of their tradition and will remember it I'm sure during our future Thanksgivings next time we are in Colorado, Oklahoma, California, or ???  And of course, we can't wait for the day when our German friends can come out and celebrate Thanksgiving with us again in the US.  Consider it a standing invitation.

Weekly Playdate

Many of our favorite Gymboree groupies no longer attend Gymboree on a weekly basis anymore, but we sure missed our camaraderie, connections, and fun times together, so we decided to create our own good times by hosting rotating weekly playdates.
Every Monday afternoon someone's place is host to anywhere from 3-10 kiddos, plus moms. It's fun to catch up, share funny and frustrating parenting stories, and just watch this little guys sprout up before our eyes.
One blistery Monday in December it was privilege to host!


Will sharing his playmat with two lovely ladies: Elle and Holly

Busy, busy!

Thanks Will, for taking time out of hosting to pose for this pic!

Luke, I am your father . . .

We were driving home the other night and I was playing with Will in the car. He has always loved lights and I think although the rest of us are not thrilled for the short days and long nights, he doesn't really mind. After all, that is when all the lights come on.


This is one of his favorites that Grandma and Papa brought him. It is a light up glow stick. This pic is funny because he looks like a Jedi with his light saver. May the force be with you!

Aaannnnnddd . . . ACTION!

Random videos of Mr. Animation.

Spoon and a bowl exploration.

Your stock tip of the day: Buy Kleenex.
Our sincerest of apologies to Motel One of Berlin. Some parents will do ANYTHING for two minutes of uninterrupted packing!

If it's not bolted to the floor, he'll use it as a walker.

This one's my latest favorite.
Will is so receptive to new words and tricks when reading books or in the tub, so of course this educator mommy seizes the opportunity as much as possible.
Tonight's lesson: Blowing kisses
William loves us, but can't stand giving us kisses even though we repeatedly try everyday. Perhaps he would be more receptive to giving affection if it was blown and not cheek to cheek? Ummmm . . . you be the judge.
Turn up your volume otherwise you'll miss how Will morphs his any semblance of blowing a kiss into the youngest Darth Vader impression ever.

Gone in 60 Seconds

Here are a series of iPhone photos taken when William was about 11 months and just discovering his new-found sense of mobility. Crawling, check. Pulling up, mastered. Curiosity, on overdrive. Caffeinated formula, perhaps?


1:15 p.m.
Why were these boxes piled so neatly in the hall when they're much more fun thrown open to reveal my playtime confetti?

1:17 p.m.
Who knew I could rock climb up the front of the dresser and use my monkey arms to rip off the last delectable sticky note labeling the drawer contents? Not Mom.

1:19 p.m.
After being stripped of my sticky-note sucker, I turned my last burst of energy in finding a hiding place from the lady always intervening in my quest for apartment domination.

1:30 p.m.
Naptime. Not for me, but for mom. Mission accomplished.

iPhone fun

My iPhone camera hasn't been as busy as of late, solely because it seems many of my photos only result in a blurry William. Is it the slow iPhone 4 software or just a busy, constant-motion subject? I'll let you decide . . .

11 months
Being a city-dweller now, my kinderwagon is my car. If you happen to see William and I rolling through Haidhausen, chances are his ride will be shlepping groceries, recycling, dry cleaning or any other random errands of the day's calling. This September day especially made me smile because we had double groceries (bag hanging off handle and heavier items in basket underneath), it was a surprisingly warm(ish) day resulting in my sweatshirt thrown into the sun shade and Will tossing his blanket aside, and we were pleasantly surprised to retrieve a mommy to mommy care package at the post office from my dear friend Karie Evans in North Carolina (We're still milking the Costco bag of Cheerios). Will and I were quite a sight to be seen!
Car, schmar. Who needs four wheels when three are sublime?

11 months
William catching Uncle Pete up on the latest celebrity gossip in People Magazine.

11 months
Whenever I get the chance, Will and I hit the park on the way home from running errands. That way the little guy gets duly rewarded for tagging along on all my household duties. Once at the park, any boredom of waiting in grocery lines is quickly forgotten.

11 months
So. Cal representin' at the Oktoberfest parade. Thanks, Auntie Sheri!

11 months
The tree trimmers arrived minutes before William's morning meal. With so much commotion going on outside the window, I just decided to turn his high chair away from boring mom and toward the action. William happily ate his meal while being entertained and even waved at by the monkey men. WAY better than reality TV!

11 months

How do you turn a Muenchener Kindl into a Spanish bebe? Just add Goldfish shipped from North Carolina! Jeff and I wanted nothing more to enjoy some nice tapas and Sangria in a bay front restaurant in Barcelona, but William was not feeling the fiesta. That's when we pulled out his kryponite: Goldfish. The little orange fellas appeared in pairs and entertained our cutie and his taste buds until our glasses were emptied. THANK YOU Auntie Karie!!

11 months
He's so quick, it's like he's been doing it for years. In fact he's up for the Heisman in drawer-emptying this year. (Fingers crossed!!!) He's so good, he even finds Christmas gifts Dad thought would remain hidden. Whoops!
Hey Will, what's in this drawer . . . ? and this one . . .?


Mmmmmm . . . pasghetti . . .

William Zabel's Beauty Tip #1 - Avocados are a great leave-in conditioner.
If you can't find avocados, simply grab any diced food on your high-chair tray and rub it in. Fabulous!

Berlin

So, the guests are all gone . . . what to do now? Not being one to let the grass grow under our feet, we took off for a long weekend in Berlin! We had heard so much about Berlin we were really excited to go. Plus, Sarah had been there only a couple years after the wall fell, so she was really interested to see how Berlin had changed since then.

On our first day, we ventured to the Reichstag the parliament building of the German capital. Once the wall fell and Berlin was once again the capital of Germany, the country added this amazing glass dome to the top of their classic government building. Travel tip with kids: if you want to visit here, bring your stroller. The line to visit was over 1 hour long, but having a kinderwagen allows you to take the disabled entrance and put us right to the front of the line. Thanks Will!

Here Sarah is feeding Will in yet another crazy location. The really cool part about this glass dome is the symbolism of it. Through the center, the people are able to look down on the parliament as they are making the laws. Conversely, the parliament knows they are always being watched and "looked down on" by the people. After WWII, the German's realized that transparency in government is important to not repeat history.

One really cool thing we felt in Berlin that was quite different from our experience in Munich is the focus on WWII events and tragedies. Sarah and I both feel like anything about Nazi Germany and the terror of this period of history is recognized in Munich, but not discussed. However, Berlin is interesting in that many of the city's monuments, from the Reichstag, to the Topography of Terror, to this moment above really recognizes the problems and issues within Germany during the WWII. Above is a good example. This entire city block of "tombstone" like block in the, "Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe." As you can see, even the name signifies how directly the people of Berlin have recognized the atrocities and wish to never repeat them.

At the famous Brandenburg gate. Zabel family, I challenge you to come to this gate!

Sarah in Pariserplatz outside the famous hotel Adlon Kempinski. She wanted to dangle Will from the window like Michael Jackson did here years ago, but instead, she took the high road of better parenting and took him inside to change his diaper.

The next day we took off on our iPhone tour. We have enjoyed being able to tour the city at our own pace while still learning something by downloading audio tours on our iPhones. Here we are outside one of that largest remaining sections of the Berlin wall. The Topography of Terror exhibit at this section stands at the site of the old Gestapo SS headquarters and is really worth a look.

Of course, a trip to Berlin wouldn't be complete without a trip to Checkpoint Charlie. Today, Checkpoint Charlie is really like Checkpoint Capitalism. Who would have guessed a McDonalds lies right in the old death strip!

Taking a break from the cold and to allow Will some exercise, he practiced climbing the steps at the Westin Berlin. Watch out Nana Bubbles, your stairs are next!

The happy tourists outside the Berlin Cathedral.


Although we really did enjoy seeing the sights and tourist attractions of Berlin, I was feeling slightly dissapointed because so many of my friends had told me how unique, raw and hip Berlin is as a city. It has great art, cool shops and boutiques, neat restaurants, crazy architecture, etc. Until Sunday afternoon, we'd mainly seen another big city with the classic chain shops and western-like capitalistic feel. Then came the best audio tour of our trip and worth a download if you are going to Berlin. The BBC Berlin audio tour called "The Real Berlin," was exactly as advertised and my favorite part of the trip. It took us to some really hip neighborhoods in the former East Berlin. Above you can see one such neighborhood where a condemned building is right adjacent to a nicer apartment building and hip dance studio.

Above is another condemned building. We must be in the wrong part of town right?! After all, what kind of tour takes you to see sketchy neighborhoods? What was so crazy is literally just across the street and through a small driveway entrance of another condemned building, you find something like this below.

The KW or Kunst Werke is one of Berlin's most famous contemporary art schools and museums. Literally just behind old buildings you find this amazing, cool, arty place complete with a full glass cube cafe. Even if we were walking down this street, never would I think to look back here. Other cool places were a park with cool cafes and shops inside another run down set of buildings. Crazy cool!

After a great long weekend, it was back on the train home. Thanks for a fun time Berlin and we can't wait to go back. Finally, another tip for traveling parents. If you ride the ICE trains in Germany, they have a kleinkindercar. This car is especially made for small children. You can shut the doors and let them play about and some cabins even have small toys (like a rocking horse to ride). We can't wait for our next adventure!