Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! We got out of work at noon on Christmas Eve, and David came to pick up Christy and the three packages that arrived in the mail (thank you!) at Clay. After a quick nap we headed to the 4:00 family Christmas eve candle light service a the American Church, then it was over to Johns for some Christmas eve festivities.


our tree with the presents under it

we brought pieroghy for an appetizer


the men hung out in the kitchen while the ladies relaxed on the couch
sitting down to Christmas Eve dinner

close up of the delicous prime rib

On Christmas Day we slept in and opened presents. Then we relaxed and Christy made pancakes for David. It was actually sunny for part of the day (first time since we got back from California) so we snuck out for a quick walk. Then we headed over to another neighbor, Kathy's for Christmas dinner, Italian style. Christy's favorite was the appetzier--figs stuffed with goat cheese, topped with a piece of parma ham, drizzled in honey and balsamic vinegar. mmmmmmmmmmm.....

Kathy concocted a delicous cocktail from fresh cranberries.... it matched my sweater!

Christmas dinner table

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and look forward Christmas 2009 in the good old US of A!

relaxing weekend

We are enjoying the chance to sleep in and have a quiet weekend! As you can tell, we're catching up on the blog. Friday night we enjoyed a Christmas party for work and then headed to the Marine House to hang out and wish one of our marines fairwell. Saturday was relaxing. We went to one last Christmas market--Gendarmenmarkt, because it's famous and we hadn't been there yet. Then we decided to head to Ka De We for a late lunch before heading back home for dinner. Our neighbor John came over for dinner and made a delicious salad with frisee, bacon dressing, and poached egg. We enjoyed an amazingly moist and tender chicken that David cooked in the crock pot, and Christy made the risotto, with lots of advice!
Christy got tired stirring the risotto for 45 minutes and decided to sit down!

Ka De We has their own beer.

one of the displays inside Ka De We

We hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Machaks of Ohio visit Part III-- Dresden

After a day relaxing back in Berlin and baking some pieroghy, the four of us set off on the train again, this time to Dresden to check out the Streizelmarkt, the oldest Christmas market in Germany.

This is Christy's favorite picture--kissing under the mistletoe.

We're not sure if it's Columbus, OH, or Columbus, GA, but we'll take it....

They still take Deutsche Marks? In 2008?

Christy climbed up to the "Balcony of Europe" to get some good views.

This was the view across the River Elbe.

Overlooking the Frauenkirche Christmas market.

cool church

The "Long Walk"--the mural had scenes of history going back to the 1200's

The famous Frauenkirche

it was the pyramid festival weekend

there were giant nutcrackers, too

They had Gluhbier, in addition to the traditional Gluhwein. David wasn't impressed. Manly men don't drink hot beer.

At the Streizelmarkt

David's parents enjoying the Christmas market

Dresden at night




there are some really cool buildings--the photography doesn't do them justice

another giant pyramid, at the Christmas market across the river



more of Dresden at night

In front of the Frauenkirche--this one's for the Crums!

Dresden was a lot of fun, and the Christmas markets were better than the ones in Berlin, we thought, because they had more booths with the traditional wooden carvings--pyramids, smokers, and other things--from the Erzgebirge region of Germany. Also, there were a lot of pottery booths. It was mostly East German pottery, not Polish Pottery, but very similar.

We thank the Machaks of Ohio for a wonderful visit!!!

Machaks of Ohio visit Berlin, Part II--Prague

Mom and Pop and I trained to Prague on Tuesday and spent a couple days exploring and walking everywhere. These are some of the sights we saw:


The water wheel near our hotel

The manger scene out front

Mom and Pop at the Charles Bridge

The National Opera House

Great view of the Prague Castle

We had a great lunch at a 14th century resturant under the city

Me and momma at the Czech National Museum

Great Walking city, with the castle in the background

We walked a lot

Inside the St. Nicholas Church

Changing of the guard at Prague Castle

4 Fathers checking out the view

Mom and Pop in the Golden Corridor

We Three outside St. Vitus' Cathedral

Maybe I am too tall to be a Slovak

Inside St. Vitus

He was not as amused as I was

Mom and Pop outside the Prague Castle

Gates of the Castle

View from the Castle Wall

We walked up lots of steps :)

On the Charles Bridge

Inside our fantastic restaurant Tuesday night

Christmas in Prague

Amazing Views Everywhere

On the train to Prague(they are so European)