Easter in Scotland

Since, before our big move to Europe we have been hoping to spend time with my step-sister, Rachel and her husband Ian, in Scotland.  After several months we finally built up our courage, gave Ryanair a try and flew to Edinburgh for Easter!  The was our most enjoyable trip yet!  Of course they are absolutely the most gracious hosts imaginable (and there was no bribe for me to say so) and the weather seemed to want us to have a lovely time as well.  It was so interesting as our plane landed we were seeing fields with dustings of snow, the wind seemed to be whipping and chilly.  Okay, so you are thinking...Really?  "The weather wanted you to have a lovely time" but it was almost miraculous, when we woke our first morning in Scotland, to sunshine and calmer winds. 

It was wonderful to spend a week with Rachel, Ian,and of course Ernest. Their home, Abbey House, is in the small village of Coldingham, Scotland. Just barely north of the English border and near the Sea. We loved spending time in their beautiful home that they have lovingly re-done, it has so much character and interesting details. It was quite the contrast from our government issue apartment. The gardens were ideal for the bunny visit on Easter morning. While Rachel and Ian were so kind to entertain us, their fluffy rag-muffin Ernest was kept on the run from the affections of Tess.

We even found some time to dye the eggs.  We hadn't really thought about needing get white eggs, so we dyed the brown eggs that we had.  They came out

The day of our arrival, Ian and Erik went to the butcher and returned from the Butcher they had tales of the the Harbor Hut being destroyed from the St. Abbs Harbor having high winds and flooding!

Ian arranged for a charter to take us out on the Sea, it was a bit too choppy on the first full day there and the harbor was a bit of a mess. 

We toured the Bamburgh Castle instead.  The castle sits on a cliff overlooking a beach with dunes and the sea.  Helping Graham fire the cannon to the left is Flat Stanley.  Graham's friend James sent him for and adventure from Augusta, Georgia.

Though it was pretty windy, it was nice to be on the beach and have the sun shine down on our faces.  It seems like it has been a long dark winter in Germany, so the bright sun was a welcome change.   After the castle visit we enjoyed lunch at a tea house.  Where we saw this fabulous telephone boothe outside.  I noticed Ian ordered "Tea with biscuits" and when they came they were these delicious looking biscuits filled with cream.  Next time, I am just going to copy what he orders!

The next day the seas were settled and we were able to venture out in the boat.  When we arrived at the harbor, they had started to clean things up and there was a rumor that the new Harbor Hut was on it's way.  Our Captain, Paul, met us in the harbor and lead the way to the pier. 

To our surprise (we hadn't been thinking about the tide, which was out) there was a 20 foot ladder climb down to the boat!  The thought of sending Tess down was a little hairy, but she did really great and we all got down and back up with no problem at all!  Captain Paul charted us in the Lazy G, even gave the kids some time at the helm.  There were breathtaking views everywhere, castle ruins, cliffs with sheep grazing out to the very edge, seals sunbathing and swimming, and sea-side villages.  The sun was shining and the temperature was quite comfortable. 

We spent a day in Edinburgh, where we did a tour of the royal yatch Britannia.  Unfortunately we only had Graham's camera with us and can't seem to find the cord to upload his pictures! 

We went to the top of the Sir Walter Scott Memorial.  Erik almost did not fit up the small stairways near the top.  While we did not visit the Edinburgh Castle there was a great view from the monument! 

Of course we rode on top of a double-decker bus too!

 

Visited the National Gallery Museum, the small price to pay for excellent behavior for the full two hours in the museum was a trip to the Golden Arches for lunch.  We used the audio guides and were able to see so many really neat pieces!There was a quick walk down part of the Royal Mile. 

We really loved Edinburgh, and certainly plan to return to take in everything we weren't able to see!

Easter morning we attended a service just a short walk from Abbey House at the Coldingham Priory, everyone was very welcoming and friendly.  Before church, the children enjoyed an Easter Bunny (or Oester Hase as Tess says) hunt in the gardens.  Auntie Rachel gave the children beautiful Easter baskets for collecting their goodies and eggs.  After church we returned for a delicious meal prepared by Ian. 

After the big hunt, there was loot to be sorted. 

Many, many thanks to Rachel and Ian for having us.  It was a truly wonderful and memorable Easter and visit.  We look forward to showing you around Heidelberg soon!

First Communion

First Communion for Graham and thirty-six, second graders.  Eight-year olds drinking wine is frowned upon most of the time, but on this occasion we could not be more proud of our man. During the Saturday evening mass at the Mark Twain Village Chapel, Graham and is classmates took their first communion. Father Jim Bets conducted the service, and Angela and I were able to take part by lecturing and ushering the children.

Graham looked especially sharp in his Italian pinstriped suit as he walked into the church holding his candle. He and the other children all did a great job during the mass.  Fortunately, no one set anything (or anyone) on fire or used their candle as a sword. Father Bets shared a simple story that explained the meaning of communion. 

When Graham saw that the Blood of Christ was clear, he concluded that it in Germany, they must use apple juice.  After his first sip, he quickly realized it is different in Germany but nobody watered down the Blood of Christ, it is a white wine.  After taking the wine, one of the children said, “It tastes like whisky.” Her mother is from Ireland, so we let it slide and did not ask questions. 

Angie coordinated a party with four other first communion families. She and her friend made enough lasagna and cake to make Garfield drool.  With some help, the Dads set up a party tent. The weather cleared, the sun came out and it warmed up just in time.

Around forty people attended, including Father and most of our stairwell. The kids ran around the yard and were on the playground while the adults enjoyed food and drink. Angela’s cross shaped cake was very nice, and each child had a cake with their name on it. It was a great day and nice to spend it with friends.

GR-ah-Amsterdam

Quote of the trip:

"You know if you just add a G-R it will be Gr-ah Amsterdam."

It was spring break for the family and we decided to take off for the home of art, canals, windmills and the infamous “coffee shops.” Why not go to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. It is the world’s most liberal city and very receptive of we vagabonds.

We started early in the morning with a trip on the high speed ICE (intercity express) train. This is our first long trip on the train. It was long awaited by Graham. We sped along the Rine River and into Holland as day broke. It is a very easy way to go.

Upon reaching Amsterdam and our hotel, we went into the city saw row after row of canals and 5 story canal houses. We walked and used the city tram line to find the Museum Square. Flanked by art galleries and concert halls, it is green lawn of about 4 blocks that included a café and playground. It is a great place to stretch our legs from the crowded city sidewalks.

While on the play ground Tess found a Middle Eastern family to play with. She was able to sucker them into pushing her on the huge swing, and they seemed to take an interest in our little one. With some limited English, They asked if she was from the UK. Tess did not give a good answer and the family continued to swing her and ask questions about the UK. Then they asked her to sing and song. Tess unresponsive till this point sings a song in German, at which point they proclaim "She's Deutch!" Our international kid of mystery left that poor family all confused.

We went to the Van Gogh Museum. Compared to rest of the city it is very modern and open. After a brief moment of protest, we paid Tess off with 25 cents to ride in a stroller, and she was asleep after about an hour. Graham did great and even showed some interest. The Museum showed the great changes that van Gogh made in the course of his ten years of painting, and it was wonderful to see so many of the famous paintings up close.

We chose to explain to Graham that the often present smell of burnt skunk in the city was not tulips, but was pot. Luckily, he was fully against drug use. While curious, we did not stretch our luck with a trip to the Red Light District. We could have pulled off that the ladies in the windows were underwear models, but the trip itself would have knocked us out of the parent of the year running.



On Saturday we took a bus trip out of the city and to the famous Keukenhof Gardens. We saw some of the land that was reclaimed from the sea, windmills, and several tulip fields in bloom. The Gardens themselves were almost in full bloom, and are a sight to the see. The flower beds were laid out in elaborate patterns with a Russian Theme. Of course there are thousands of varieties of tulips on display. Some were taller than the kids with blooms as big as a soft ball. We spent 5 hours walking the paths. There was also a restored windmill that we were able to go into, and the kids found a zip line to ride near a petting zoo.

These trees look like they are upside down! No trip to Kuekenhof is complete without a picture in front of the iconic tulip bulbs and of course wearing a pair fo wooden shoes. Graham and Tess are sitting in the middle of a single tree. We aren't sure what kind of tree it is, but there were several of these.

Angie: I remember a few of these little blue things popping up in my Aunt Kay's front/side yard each year. I always wondered what they were, and there were never this many!

>

>

>

>

On Sunday we went to an open air art market, and to the bakery for breakfast on the main shopping street. We walked from open squares and along the canals. This is one of the really bizarre (and funny) street performers that we saw in Dam Square...Is that an awesome mullet or what? Once we moved away from the central Dam Square Area, the city is cleaner and is filled with relaxed cafés and fun shops. Almost everyone speaks perfect English and they are very friendly. The city runs on bicycles so watch out when crossing the street.

In the evening we visited the Anne Frank Hiding Place, it was a moving and informative place. It humanized the cost of the Nazi ideas.


For dinner Angie had been wanting to go to a french fry shop all weekend, and it was great. This shop was called Mannekenpis and had "1e Prijs Beste Frites Van Nederland." I know that a full meal of fries sounds bad, and in the whole picture it is, but they were good. In our defense, we did not know how much we bought until they gave it to us.

We give Grahamsterdam 4 stars.

Our First Fasching

Fasching. I don't really know anything about it, but here is what I have gathered (without googling.) It is like a German Mardi Gras, it seems to go on for about a week on Thursday it was Women's Day, where apparently all of the women all go out partying and if they see a man with a tie on they cut it off. Thursday, Tess came home with her face all done up with paint and sparkles, compliments of one of her teachers, Frau Butz (pronounced boots.)

Friday, her school celebrated with their own Faschingfest! We found out about the party several weeks ago and being the very American parents, her teachers were quick to set us straight. When they told us about the party they explained that it would have a "Magic" theme and she would "dress up as something magical, no cowboys and no pricesses" = Nothing the American's might choose on their own. I gave her the deer in headlights look and she said "Tess will be a fairy." Good I can't mess that up.

Last week was the sign-up for what each person would bring for the party. Since they only speak German at her school, it is a big success if I figure out what we are supposed to be doing. The bulletin board for the parents frequently has signs posted that say "Lieb Eltern," which means "Parents" then a lot of Deutsch that I can't read. So I memorize or jot down what I think the main words are, go home translate the best that I can and then return that afternoon and just ask for clarification. By the time I returned to the sign-up for what to bring , the only opening was for "zwergentoastturmchen" so, I had to go back home and google what the heck that is. The answer: Dwarf Toast Towers. Still clueless, I waited until the next morning when I saw German mother that I knew spoke English too. She explained them as "layers of bread with something between them and then you cut the sides at angles." I just put my name at the bottom next to Eingen Ideen, My own idea.

Since Fasching is kind of like our Halloween in many ways, and Gummies are a big deal here, I thought we could do the Oreo dirt udding with gummy worms burried in it. When Erik asked about bringing something sweet, the language was difficult so he started babbling about desserts and what not. Frau Noori, said "You bring fruit." Errgh. Not what I had in mind. So I decided to do mini fruit pizzas, even though I was very nervous that they would be angry that I sent something so sweet. I was really relieved when Erik said there was a lot of distractions with all of the little fairies and the teachers were dressed as hexen (witches) so the sweet little treats were just slid in.

Fasching will not end until Tuesday, and there will be parades all over! I plan to take the kids to the one downtown Heidelberg on Tuesday, and expect it to be quite the cultural experience.

While I am updating my posts, I want to give everyone an update on our Graham. He has just completed his second full week of 3rd grade. Though he misses his second grade teacher Mrs. Peterson, he really likes his new class and is enjoying Mrs. Williams. He is also adjusting to his new work load and getting caught up with the other 3rd graders with the instruction that is all new to him. Since I have been substituting at the school, I have been lucky enough to get to join him for lunch lately. His evenings are busy with piano, cub scouts and his basketball team, where Erik is his coach. Even with his busy schedule he is working very hard and making us very proud!

We Made it to Germany...Then Stopped Blogging

The whole purpose of our blog was to keep everyone at home up to date on what we are doing. So it is ironic that we finally made the big move, we stopped blogging. So I have been working on my time management and I do have time to blog...I just have to make the time! I have completed (and published) all of the blogs that were drafts just waiting to be published. Now I am going to post our 2009 Family Christmas Letter and start fresh for 2010. So anyone who gave up on our blog, and bothers to randomly check-in and notices that there has been a change, please come back!

Weihnachtsgrüße! Merry Christmas!

We are excited to announce that in July the Hendrickson’s went international and are now serving up good cheer in Heidelberg, Germany. Leaving the sweet tea of Georgia for the bier of Deutschland has had its share of cultural, linguistic and logistical issues, luckily bier costs less than water and is acceptable anytime of day. Everyone agrees the local pastries and chocolate are justification enough for the move, and provide relative compensation for our small military issue apartment. We are enjoying our new home that now includes a carefully selected Tannenbaum from the tree farm.

In reviewing the year we have to take the bitter before the sweet, and mention that in November the Rosenberger Family endured the loss of their beloved patriarch and Angela’s grandfather, Paul. He was a truly wonderful person and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Ethel is in our prayers.

For the sweet, it has been a wonderful year of seeing and doing new things. We made a pilgrimage to the small Georgia towns of Plaines and Warm Springs over Presidents Day. We toured FDR’s Little White House, and heard Jimmy Carter speak about the accomplishments of his presidency. No one in the room had the heart to tell him that his recollection of his time in office was a touch distorted, but Rosalynn did correct him on some of the dates.

Graham and Angela had a full year of their favorite “extreme water sport,” fishing. For Mother’s Day we took a charter off on the coast of South Carolina. Graham caught flounder. His mom found the ugliest fish in the ocean called a clam cracker; it was promptly tossed back. Graham also caught his birthday dinner of 8 trout from a lake east of Heidelberg. True to his fishing form, Erik’s thumb was smashed in the mouth of catfish from a pond in Indiana, but he continues to persevere against his aquatic nemesis and will feebly continue to fish.

Graham attends the American school and loves his teacher Mrs. Peterson. He continues in Cub Scouts, Baseball, and has a new piano teacher, Ms. Corina. With the Scouts, he and Erik spent a weekend on the USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier. The ship was amazing, but the staff denied Erik from the officer’s quarters, and he had a hard time fitting in a sailor’s bunk. We look forward to a scout trip this month to Belgium, where we will see re-enactments of the Battle of the Bulge. He will make his first communion, on Mother’s Day. All of this pales to the excitement over Grandma Suzy’s chickens. He is the “chicken whisperer” and if they wander too far, he asks them “Why did you cross the road?”

Tess is in a German kindergarten where she is picking up some of the language, and making many friends. She was Alice in Wonderland for Halloween, which was celebrated throughout our “gated community” with lots of tasty warm beverages, candy and even a bouncy house! Tess likes being in the children’s choir, dance, and is getting introduced to the piano by Ms. Corina. As we walk Tess to and from schule, she stops to visit the Kaninchengarten, which is a small fenced in yard, belonging to one of our German neighbors with two bunnies.

Angela continues to volunteer, and most recently began helping the Sisters of Charity in Mannheim. She is pursuing a Masters in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, is the Secretary of the PTA, substitutes, and joined a book club. Last summer she and Erik took part in Brookville’s Canoe Fest, Erik and his partner won the Bank Race. Ang and her friend Randi teamed up, only sharing with the other that neither had ever canoed minutes before the race. Depending on whom you ask, they may have won their race or finished in the top 20. They did great, the official who saved them from a rapid said so!

Erik has a peculiar fear of T’s kindergarten teacher Frau Noori, who is quick to let Erik know if he is even 1 minute late! He ran the Georgia Marathon in the spring, and his Fort Gordon team won the Marine Mud Challenge in the summer. He is a leader with the Cub Scouts. He is currently working with Administrative Law for V Corps, and is the legal officer for the 18th Engineer Brigade, and likes his work.

We wish you all a wonderful holiday and a great year ahead!