Christmas Markets

The only positive thing about not being in the States for Thanksgiving (besides no football) is being in a country where the Christmas celebrations begin on November 21st! There's no waiting until after Thanksgiving to put up a tree or to start listening to Christmas music. It all starts today in Bonn. The picture above is of one of the many plazas in Bonn. Vendors set up little wooden shacks to sell Christmas goods. They include everything from cookies and warm wines to ornaments and Christmas gifts. Today the smell of pine trees, cinnamon, and gingerbread fill the air and the sounds of Christmas melodies consume the streets. Downtown is filled with lights hanging everywhere and Christmas decorations in all of the store windows. It's such a pleasant time to be in Germany.

Thanksgiving will be a little lonely on Thursday. I plan to try and find a turkey to cook and have a few sides, but not much since it's just us two. But don't feel too bad for us, we leave Friday morning to Athens, Greece! We're spending three nights there. I'm so excited to see a new place!
Brian returns tomorrow morning from Texas. His conference went well. I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoys the holiday! I miss you all!!