Pictures Pictures Pictures

Oh happy day.

My electronics have all arrived from the states. 

So today instead of boring you with a long diatribe,  I will "pic up" the blog with some photos of the first two weeks of my Germany adventure.

Here is the road leading into our village of Oberstaufenbach.  We're in a valley within two kilometers of two other villages and a small town.  There are bike/walking paths adjacent to the road, which is nice as vehicles tend to soar on these country roads.

Here is the welcome sign to our village.  There are about 400 villagers and more than half of them are Americans working with the nearby military bases:  Ramstein Air Force Base and Landstuhl Army Base.

Our house, in the middle of our street.  It looks small, but it's actually quite large.  Plus, there is a two bedroom apartment attached to the lower level (which you cannot see from the front) which we are able to offer to friends/family who visit.  Unfortunately, our boiler uses fuel oil which is very expensive.  Mrs. Brewmaster doesn't like to pay for this oil, so if you visit, be sure to pack plenty of sweaters!

This is from one of the big hills surrounding our valley.  Germany has hundreds of wind farms.  Here you can see one small example.  In the little that I've traveled so far, I've seen wind farms with as many as 20 masts.  This picture was taken at a wildlife preserve near our home which we discovered the day after we arrived.  Many cool animals and birds of prey.  We didn't stick around for the falcon show, but someone else told us that the show couldn't happen in America.  Apparently they let the falcons get VERY interactive with the audience.  I guess Germany isn't as "lawyered-up" as America. 

Christmas or Weihnachten is a very big deal here, but also very different from the way it's celebrated in America.  Many towns have Weihnachtmarkts-Christmas Markets where locals and tourists alike gather to purchase crafts or to simply get together and enjoy the seasonal Gluhwein--a spiced, hot wine drink.  Christmas is more about family, friends and togetherness than presents and lights.

Rudesheim with the Rhine River in the background.

Germany is comprised of sixteen states and we live in Rheinland-Pfalz, in southwest Germany, so technically I am currently a Rhinelander.  We took a day trip to the town of Rudesheim on the Rhine River.  This is wine country in Germany.  We took a cable car up the hillside over the vinyards for a birdseye view of the Rhine.  We then went back into town to enjoy their Weihnachtmarkt and some delicious grilled sausages.

Below are a few of the many photos taken at Rudesheim.