A weekend of Celebrations - Christmas Markets in Germany and a Baby Shower for Fareeda!

Remember how last week I was talking about what great friends I have in Portland? Well, this weekend is about the amazing people that I've met here in Amsterdam. Once again, I feel the need to comment that I am a lucky, lucky girl. I would be no one without the love and support of my friends. So, thanks! :)

This weekend started with Bond... James Bond. I realize that I'm a bit behind the times, but so was my friend Kristin, and so we had a date on Friday night and went to see the movie, followed by dinner at a (semi-touristy, but okay) Italian restuarant. Although we hardly ever have a chance to hang out these days, I enjoy spending time with Kristin. She's such a positive, optimistic friend, and, as she's a designer, and I'm an accountant, we're just different enough to always have something to talk about. :)

Saturday, I had made plans with my friends Dana and Kevin Tastet to drive to Cologne, Germany to tour the cathedral and to walk around the Christmas market there. Dana and Kevin were friends of mine in Portland, and Dana also works for Nike. They moved here about two months ago for a new assignment for Dana. They live just around the corner from me, which has come in handy for both of us for borrowing things (US measuring cups? spices? You'd be amazed at the things you can - and can't - find here in Holland). We left my place at about 8:30 in the morning, and arrived in Cologne around noon. Dana and I were starving by the time we got there (Dana has a good excuse - she's pregant... me, not so much, I'm just always hungry!). We ate at a really cute German restaurant, which turned out to be listed in Rick Steve's guidebook, which we hadn't even checked. I think I'm turning into Rick!! ;) We enjoyed some very delicous food (and even more delicious German beer!), before walking through the market. We did our best in translating... what Dana thought was half a bratworst ended up being half a chicken, but... it was still good. :)


Dana and I at our lunch stop - note the tiny little beer glasses...


Dana and Kevin with one of the several Christmas trees in Cologne


Kevin and I with our first glasses of ghluwein... a sort of hot mulled wine that they serve at Christmas time here - VERY strong!

After wandering around the market and having a few glasses of mulled wine, we made our way to the famous Cologne Cathedral. Now, if you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I went there in May, and was so bummed to not get to tour the cathedral because mass was being said each of the three separate times that I went to try! They say a lot of mass there, I guess! :) Anyways, Kevin had arranged for a private tour of the cathedral, which was pretty good, even though we kept losing our tour guide because she was only about five feet tall! :) After the tour, Dana took a Starbucks break, while Kevin and I climbed all 502 stairs to the top. Now, last post I was talking about how sick I had been, and that pretty much continued all week, so I haven't had a workout in now almost two weeks. I thought I was going to have a heart attack!! We did make it, however, and were rewarded for our work by seeing the beautiful Christmas Market below.


The inside of one of the church spires - it's made like a doily with cut-outs... very cool to see close up.

View of the Christmas market below with the tree in the center

After the climb down (and getting my legs to stop shaking!), we continued wandering around the market. I didn't really buy anything - I was thinking it was going to be all German-made wooden things, but it ended up being a lot of international goods, which I didn't really feel were "authentic". But, the experience was what I was really going for, and that was AMAZING! :) We took off around 8, and, after a minor mishap finding the car, made it back to Amsterdam by about 10:30 pm. Trust me, I slept well that night! :)

View of the market with the Cathedral in the background

Random Craft and Food Stalls at the Market

So, this morning, my friend Karyn arranged a baby shower brunch for our friend Fareeda. Fareeda had her little one, Alexander, nearly three months early. At the time, he was only about two pounds, and his lungs weren't fully developed. Now, he's up to four pounds, and, while he's still at the hospital, he's eating from a bottle and doing much better. We hadn't seen Fareeda since she had had him, so it was a real treat to see her smiling face. Even under extreme stress and uncertainty, Fareeda has one of the most positive and upbeat attitudes of anyone I know. She's certainly an inspiration for me. :)

Fareeda opening one of her many gifts

Side story: for the shower, we all made something to contribute to the feast. I decided to make my mom's yummy egg and sausage casserole (actually, I think it was originally my Aunt Jane's... regardless, it's delicious!). One small problem - they don't sell ground sausage here (let alone BOB EVANS sausage, which is what I really wanted!). So, I looked up on-line how to MAKE my own sausage. And, oh yes, it can be done! Now, finding the right spices to season the ground pork was a bit of a challenge, but, in the end, I had ground sausage! :) Second issue - I had asked Mette, the hostess, if I could just bake the casserole at her place to make sure it was warm for the shower. Now, my mother always bakes it in our large U.S. oven in a 9 x 13 pan. Heck, we could probably fit FOUR 9 x 13 pans in that oven. Well, in Europe, the ovens are pretty tiny... like, EXTREMELY tiny. Luckily, I had thought of this beforehand, and brought not only my huge 9 x 13 pan, but also two 8 x 8 pans. Guess which one just barely fit? Well, in the end, it was all yummy, just took twice as long, but here's to my mama's family recipes! :)

Countdown to Ohio... 16 days!!! Yippy!!