on to Amberg, Germany

We traveling to Amberg, Germany this weekend to foto-docu a live nativity.

www.amberg-live.de/single.php3?liste=4&kamera=2
www.amberg-live.de/single.php3?liste=4&kamera=1

You can check out the weather and maybe even see us on this live feed.
So at 6pm (our time), 12 noon EST Saturday I'll find this camera and we will wave to you! look for us to the right of the big tree (from camera 1) or to the left of the tree from camera 2.

You can reply if you see us!

Merry Christmas to all ... we are off to a Weihnachtsmarkt.

Waterloo-getting there

We set off on August 23rd to find Waterloo, Belgium curious about Napoleon and the famous battle.

We found Waterloo and after we saw a multimedia staging of the battle and then an excellent short movie that set the mood and stage, both made to music, the international language. Here we are at foot of the Lion Monument.

Going up to the top of the Monument. Lots of steps and narrow.

Stryker-Ann strikes a pose with Mr. Lion, dedicated to the 47,000 soldiers on all sides, killed or wounded at the Battle of Waterloo.

Vaden reading the map of the battlefield and troop positions. This was an amazing view of the countryside and made you pause to think of the waste and destruction of war.

Movie First

Well, I can now check off another first for my ever expanding cultural experience...I actually went to a movie theater and saw my first movie in German. To be fair it is an American film and it was dubbed into German and to be fair, it is part two of a popular film and to be fair the plot was rather similar, thus predictable...but all in all I did need to understand the language a fair bit! Well ok, maybe not so much...the movie was part two of National Treasure.

...it is very interesting how much big stunts, fast cars, loud crashes and large sets cut down on the need for words!!!

......but what was interesting is that the movie tickets we purchased actually had the row and seat number on them...it was like going to a real theater. As I dimly remember movie going in the States, it is first come, first seated and you better watch out for the middle schoolers, who dash to always get there first for the best seats!

But is was a great girls' day out: just Mom with the girls....watching Nichols Cage (although my favorite with him is still Moon Struck)