Where to begin............how about the phone call from Jen who wanted to know what I had planned for the day, "lets ride the train to the market in Aachen!" She picked me up and off we went, neither of us heard the conductor call out the Aachen West station, I saw the sign just as the train was pulling away. We got off at the next stop then picked up the next train headed back........thank goodness Jen has a wonderful sense of direction, a quality I so appreciate in a friend! She guided us right to the heart of town thru the giant gingerbread men and into the market. I wish I could bottle the smells sights, and sounds. The food stands are everywhere.........fish, potatoes, apple fritters, brats, candied apples, chocolates, roasting nuts, waffles, you name it they cook it, dip it, and eat it! Also the hot spicy swe
et gluhwien, red or white, a personal favorite of both Jen and mine, is delicious. At this market they serve it in little boot shaped mugs you can keep or get refilled at the next stand. Way too much fun to walk around the market and take in all the sights, all the items for sale in such a festive environment. Let us also not forget, it was daytime and Starbucks was open, the best latte I have had yet! It was a great spur of the moment kind of day you can look back on and smile. Thanks Jen!
et gluhwien, red or white, a personal favorite of both Jen and mine, is delicious. At this market they serve it in little boot shaped mugs you can keep or get refilled at the next stand. Way too much fun to walk around the market and take in all the sights, all the items for sale in such a festive environment. Let us also not forget, it was daytime and Starbucks was open, the best latte I have had yet! It was a great spur of the moment kind of day you can look back on and smile. Thanks Jen!Christmas markets are happening in most every town large and small, it is funny to hear people boast this market is better then that market. Terry and I ventured out to Gangelt not far from our house to a smaller market. It was a miserable day rainy and cold, the wind was blowing sideways........that did not stop the festivities, just made them a little soggy.....because of the weather the Gluhwien stand was the most popular. 
Go figure!
Go figure! Jen her husband Tom , Terry and I have made plans to go to the "biggest and best" market around, back to Köln we go on 21 Dezember, where we have booked a night at the Marriott right in the town square, it will kick off the guys Christmas break and promises to be a fabulous weekend!
Let's see I had planned on updates and got sidetracked on markets.......I now own a sensible pair of walking boots, just in time because we have signed up to walk the Bastogne trail next weekend. We will follow in the footsteps of the WWII vets after the battle of Bastonge. This is an annual walk organized thru the base, and from what we h
ear a must do, I will tell all after next weekend.
ear a must do, I will tell all after next weekend.A few more updates:
Operation Shoebox was a huge success, thank you everyone who helped out. We delivered a total of 40 beautifully wrapped shoe boxes, it felt ever so good, next year we'll get started earlier and set a goal of 100 boxes. I would like to ask you all now to pick up school supply items and toiletries as they go on sale.....that kind of stuff is hard for us to buy here on the economy-on sale anyway!
Terry did not run his December marathon, we could not find a hotel anywhere within 2 hours of the race, he was not nearly as upset as I was.........after all that training! He has started a maintain running program and plans to run the Athens marathon next November in Greece.
Do you remember the story of the fritos at Cafe Madrid? Well we saw them again on a menu over the weekend, turns out they are sardines, battered and deep fried.......no wonder I didn't like them!
Also one last item, I was at the family support center and saw the base Chaplain picking up the Gelber sacks that are used for recycling . Terry and I got a good chuckle out of that.
love and miss you all
