Trier, Germany

It's the oldest city in Germany.  One of the few that is still decorated with beautiful ancient ruins.  In particular the Porta Nigra gate....This gate was white at one time.

For about 9 Euros you can take a tour inside the gate.  I took my GPS to go geocaching...but it was not there...or not where it said it was :(  Below is the staircase inside the Porta Nigra traveling up to the top floor.

 

The top of Porta Nigra created the best views of Trier!!

The Cathedral of Saint Peter

 

Hiked up the hill to these ruins of Roman baths.

 

 Tchuss!!

Aubrey

xo



Luxembourg

We stopped at the American Cemetary just outside Lux city.  5, 076 soldiers are buried at this cemetery, 101 of them being unknown.  General George Patton is buried here with his men; most of the soldiers buried here, perished during the Batttle of the Bulge.

 

These crosses put the number of losses in perspective for me...

Hiking up to the casements in Luxembourg City.

It looks really cold....because is WAS VERY cold....three hours hiking up and down Luxembourg about gave me frostbite...I spent the rest of the afternoon in a little french cafe, sipping hot orange, spiced gluwein with friends, and trying to thaw my fingers and toes.

off to Berlin next weekend for a few days....

Aubrey

xo

Merry Christmas...from France. :)

Oh dear me....where has the time gone!  It's almost a new year!  Firstly, Merry Christmas to you all...I know this is super late, but so are my cards...they STILL have yet to come in the mail, so I can ship them out. But I don't care if it's Easter, I'm sending them out!

After a MILLION takes we landed a few for our cards this year...

ok ok...enough pics of us :P

My neighbors have been putting my tinctures to good use over the last month....and fortunately only two sickies in the last month here.  Thankful for good health and no drama this winter so far.

I have been knitting/crocheting ferociously...mostly christmas gifts...hats and scarves.
I'm madly in love with CHUNKY yarn....not to mention they are super warm!

I recently took a trip to France...Soufflenheim and Strasbourg, both beautiful, quaint, and o.l.d.  I'll not bore you with a ton of pics....but here a few favorites I took while I was there.

Strasbour reminded me a bit of Amsterdam with it's canals and old houses built on the river.

^strasbourg's cathedral...

^^One day I will be a National Geographic photographer and all these pictures I take of random people will come in handy...:)

In Soufflenheim, I went shopping for french pottery :)

 

 

I went to an incredible pottery demonstration...and then got to choose my fondue pot from the potter's shop.

 

We, of course, had fondue when I got home :)

 

We ate at the most charming french cafe...(did I mention I LOVE french cafe music and they were playing it) ahhhh....Je 'taime

 

 

 

The only thing missing was a cat in the window....

 

I love traveling....sometimes it wears me out and I'm in my pj's for days....crashing with my kids...playing boggle, puzzles, chatting over a vanilla or orange rooibus tea, watching home videos, and walking at night in the cool air ...and sometimes we get lucky and it starts to snow and we look up and it looks like the stars are falling from the sky....

 

This year has been a wonderful chapter in my life. Beautiful opportunities came my way and gave me many unforgettable gifts.  Choosing to find the good things and remembering them this past year makes those small imperfections and mishaps, meaningless and forgettable!

 

Happy New Year to you and yours,

Aubrey

xo