My apologies...

I have been a very bad blogger lately. A couple weeks without a sweaty Saturday post and this post still isn't one. I'm sorry for not writing, but I am not sorry for why I haven't wrote. We've been pretty busy living life that I just hadn't had the time! So, I'm going to rewind in my head and fast forward through the last few weeks for you. This is what has been happening in Hamburg lately:

-Had a cookie decorating afternoon with the ladies and kids

What a spread!

-Horst and Gale came into town, Freezers won their game that night

-Attended a surprise neon-themed birthday party for one of the girls

-Hosted a late Thanksgiving feast for the Scherenbergs (I have no pictures, sadly)

-Worked

-Attended another Freezers win

-Went to Lübeck for some more Christmas market festivities

 

-Went to some German classes, skipped some too

-Took part in some of the Scherenberg family photos, although Bea is making me wait until Christmas to see them! I did get a preview though.

so sweet!

-Freezers won again, Kevin with a goal, team moved into second place

After Kev's goal

-Had some good runs, had some crummy runs, had some average runs

-Went to the Christmas markets downtown again, happened to see a parade while we were there

-Freezers lost and moved back into third place

-Horst and Gale flew back to Canada

-Attended the team Christmas dinner

-Worked some more

-Got our Christmas tree

-Started Christmas shopping way too late

-Did a corny photo shoot with Kev for the paper and was interviewed about my marathon training

"Hamburg's Sportiest Couple: Love, Ice, and Marathon"

-Almost finished Christmas shopping

That is where we are at these days! There have been no hockey games since December 9th and it has been a nice break for the boys. Play resumes on Tuesday at home against Ingolstadt. This week doesn't get any less busier as I have some Christmas things to finish, a girls' Christmas party on Wednesday, and we need to get ready for our next visitors. Kevin's friend from home, Justin, and his girlfriend, Jocelyn will be spending Christmas and New Year's with us and we are very much looking forward to it! I hope your holiday season has been off to a great, stress-free start! Tschüss!!

Sweaty Saturday... and a Hockey update

I don't have much to talk about for sweaty Saturday because I didn't get much running in this week. The week began with me getting locked out, so no running then. I got a run in on Tuesday and then woke up Wednesday morning with some pretty swollen lymph nodes and a bad cough. I have gotten this sickness every single winter ever since having a bout with mononucleosis when I was 16.

When I was in University, this sickness would stay around for a week or more. I was almost always in the middle of track season and there was no way I would let my smokers cough interrupt that! I wouldn't miss a practice, let alone a meet. Just medicate a bunch and all would be well. So it makes perfect sense to me why it always lasted so long. And although I'm training for the marathon now, I don't mind taking some days off to really allow myself to get healthy. It sure worked too, it's been only three days and the cough is almost gone and was able to do a short, easy run today. Yoohoo!

Hockey has been going pretty dang great for Kev's team. They have won 7 of their last 8 games including a big win last night against Berlin. The Freezers are currently sitting in third place in the league with a game tomorrow. A game that you can all watch! I'm not sure if that link will work, if it doesn't: go to the league website, www.del.org. Click on the "Krefeld Penguine-Hamburger Freezers"on the right side of the page under Live Videos. The game will be at 10:45 a.m. for the WI folk and 11:45 a.m. for you Markham people.

From last night's game

I will be with a bunch of the girls tomorrow and their children watching the game and decorating Christmas cookies. Cookies that I must go finish! Tschüss!

Happy Thanksgiving

This is an exchange between myself and the only other American girl on the team today. It definitely doesn't seem like Thanksgiving here in our parts! I don't smell the turkey cooking, there is no NFL on our German TV, and I definitely won't be participating in the Black Friday shopping madness (bring it on, cyber Monday!). It does, however, really bother me that some stores are opening as early as 8 p.m. tonight. It was a fun shopping tradition when the stores opened at midnight or later on Friday, but in typical consumer driven American style, we are now allowing the need to find good deals for material things outweigh the importance of a day to spend with our families.

Although it doesn't feel like thanksgiving, I think I should keep the real reason we have Thanksgiving alive and give thanks. A few things I'm thankful for these days:

My family and friends back home: Those that are back in the states and Canada, you know who you are. I think about you often, miss you, am thankful that you're a part of my life, and look forward to seeing you soon! I'm a big fan of the phrase, "It's not goodbye, It's see ya later."

My hockey family and friends: Although this family can change year to year, I am blessed to meet amazing people and with them, celebrate our traditions and share many of life's ups and downs.

My health: Although I am currently battling a congested head, overall I am extremely lucky to have good health and that's something I don't take for granted. 

The Sun: It sounds silly, but living in a city where overcast days seem to be the norm, I am really grateful every time the sun peeks through. I can't think of a better way to start the day than to wake up to the sun shining through the blinds. 

Running: I am thankful for my ability to run and to have running be a part of my life. Even though it frustrates me many times, I am grateful for the times it also allows me to just think and relax.

Technology: While living abroad, things like skype, Facebook, this blog, and smart-phone apps are what keeps me in the loop and in touch with those I miss back home. I love being able to watch my goddaughter grow up by the photos I see on facebook and to be able to constantly message in a group chat with my hometown girlfriends. 

In the midst of eating turkey, drinking wine, and celebrating together, I hope all of you back home are able to take some time to count your blessings and remember what Thanksgiving is really about!

And then get your butts out into the cold and buy lots of stuff. Tschüss!

Sweaty Saturday

Thanks to a girlfriend, I am lucky to be even getting this post up. Which is because I'm locked out of the apartment this weekend and Kev is away. I'll tell that story in a bit. Not writing today would have been a shame as I missed Sweaty Saturday last week due to our trip to Prague. I know you all would have been heartbroken to miss another one.

I did a fitness test this week in the form of a three mile time trial. This is the second "test" I've done since I started the training plan. The first one was a three kilometer time trial and didn't go so well. I am glad to report this one was better! I completed the time trial in 18:30. Although this was on the high end of the goal pace per mile range, overall, I am happy with the result. I feel as if I mentally stayed strong during the entire "race" (which I technically won, but that tends to happen when one races alone). I was able to reflect during my cool-down and really pinpoint the areas in those three miles where I can improve via form, mentality, etc. I am feeling good about where I currently am in the training and excited to keep getting stronger. I only wish I wasn't locked out and could access my shoes and gear to be able to run this weekend...

One thing I find I am really missing about running back home is the general comradery between runners. It doesn't matter where in North America I am, if I come along another runner (or walker), there is usually some sort of interaction, whether that be a smile and nod, or a smile and greeting of some sort. I come across many other runners here in Germany, but unless I initiate some type of exchange, I am just passing another frown-faced runner. I know running isn't always fun, but come on, let's pretend we are somewhat enjoying ourselves. It is only in rare cases that I receive a smile, a "Guten Morgen" or "Hallo" from a fellow runner. These running experiences don't help to dissolve the stereotype that German people are unfriendly. Luckily, I have spent enough time in this country and come across plenty of friendly Germans to know the stereotype isn't completely true. 

Now, I know you are all wondering: Autumn, you dunce you, how did you manage to get locked out? Well, the boys had to take the train today to Mannheim for their game tomorrow. My girlfriend and I were going to head downtown for the day so we went with them to the local train station, to which Kev drove. Since he was driving the vehicle, he had the car/apartment key set and the spare set (so he could get back into the apartment upon return from Mannheim). We got to the train station, I rushed over to buy us tickets since we were cutting it close on time, boarded the train, said goodbye to the boys when we reached their stop, and continued downtown. After a bit of shopping and sitting down for lunch, I realized I never got the car/apartment set back from him. Scheiße!!! So here I am, carless, apartmentless, embarrassed, and glad Kev is not one a 4-day road trip!

I hope your weekend was less stressful and I hope you were able to sweat a little bit today! Tschüss!

Eat Panera at home! Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

Winter is in the air! We are sitting at -1 degrees and although there is no snow on the ground, (thank goodness!) I am enjoying just thinking about getting this apartment ready for Christmas and cozying up on the couch with a blanket, hot chocolate, and a movie! Normally, I refuse to even think Christmas until after American Thanksgiving. However, seeing as I will be working the evening of Thanksgiving, and the Christmas markets start here next week, I feel ready to just get into the Christmas spirit. Don't feel sorry for me, I got to partake in Canadian Thanksgiving in October and we will be having our turkey dinner again this year with the Scherenberg's and Horst and Gale the first week of December.

For most people, this is perfect soup season. I didn't used to be a big soup fan, I never liked the way the veggies got so soggy and always thought the only liquids that I was supposed to consume warm were beverages. When we had tomato soup and grilled cheese growing up, I used to put about an inch of soup in my bowl, just enough to dip the grilled cheese into.

That's all changing as I am finding soups, thanks to Pinterest, usually, that make my taste buds excite. A while ago, I stumbled upon Budget Savvy Diva's copycat Panera Bread's broccoli cheddar soup. Now, I can't say I have ever even ordered soup at Panera Bread, but I've never heard bad things about the soup, or any of their food for that matter.

This soup was absolutely delicious! We dipped some garlic bread into it for added yumminess. Give it a try yourself when you need to heat up on a cold day. You can find the original recipe here, as I tweaked some things in ours. I doubled the recipe when I made it, it's always nice to have some to freeze! Kev actually preferred it frozen and reheated.

Broccoli-Cheddar Soup (serves 4)

Ingredients:

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. whole milk
2 c. chicken broth
1 head fresh broccoli (florets only, chopped small)
1 c. thickly grated carrots
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Saute onions in a bit of butter, set aside.
2. Melt butter in pot, add flour, stir and cook for 3 min.
3. Add milk and chicken broth, slowly, stirring the whole time.
4. Bring to a boil, stirring, then simmer on low for 20 minutes.
5. Add broccoli, carrots, and onions, simmer for 25.
6. Mix in salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
7. Heat soup over low and mix in cheese until melted.
8. Serve! Add a little cheese on top for good looks and extra cheesiness. :)

If you haven't noticed, there is a new page tab at the top of the blog. It's a quick view of all the places this hockey lifestyle has taken us so far. Happy Friday! Tschüss!

Cursed on the November break...

Cursed might be a strong word, but our bad luck with sickness and the November DEL break is 2/2. Our trip to Prague was plagued by a bit of a stomach flu. Not nearly as bad as Paris last year and I felt perfectly fine, but Kev wasn't doing so great and we definitely spent more time in the hotel than we would have liked! No wild nights out in Prague for us.

Nevertheless, we did get out to see the city and I have determined that it is my favorite place I have travelled to thus far. If you would have asked me before coming to Europe what I think European cities would look like, I believe I would have described Prague. The architecture is old, delicate, and beautiful on what seems like every single building, there are many cathedrals and synagogues, a castle, statues with meaning everywhere, and not to mention the beautiful Charles Bridge. We had breakfast at a cafe Albert Einstein was a regular at by morning and snacked on Czech pastries in the lit up Old Town square by night. We went back in history and toured around in a beautiful red car from 1928.

Sadly, I feel like I did not walk away with much more knowledge of the history or current events of Prague as I came in with. We had intended to do a half-day walking tour Friday, but we cancelled that not knowing how Kev was going to be feeling. I did find out that the Prague castle was founded in 870 is able to boast the largest castle area in the world (with 18 acres total in courtyards and buildings). The city is amazing and has so much history, I would love to go back again!

Astronomical Clock

Old Town Square

Charles Bridge

Kev's favorite part of the trip I think!

View from "Powder Tower"

Charles Bridge

View from Old Town Hall/Astronomical Clock Tower

Kev has been feeling better since we got back and he was able to just rest and sleep yesterday. He will be ready to go for Friday's game. The break was nice to have, but I'm sure Kev is hungry to get back on the ice for some games. The boys went into the break on a five-game win streak, so hopefully they will be able to carry that forward! 

Happy Monday, Tschüss!

A little late but...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM STEVE IRWIN AND HIS CROCODILE!!

Sweaty Saturday

My training week in review:

Sunday: 14.25 miles, average pace: 8:24 per mile. Currently my longest run ever, but I suppose I will be having my "longest run ever" a lot leading up to April!

Monday: 2.73 miles, avg. pace: 9:09. I felt Bruh-uhtal on this run. I didn't do a very good job refueling and rehydrating after Sunday's run and it really took an effect on my body today. Had a fever and lots of aches Monday night. Lesson learned: Wine is not a proper source of energy post-long run!

Tuesday: 4.46 miles, avg. pace: 8:38. Had a bit of speed tacked onto the end.

Wednesday: SPEED 4x1000 meters with 90 seconds recovery. You will quickly learn that I one thing I do love to do is intervals!! I'm a miler at heart so I love me some speed.

Thursday: Didn't have time for a run between work and class so I settled on a quick ab workout thanks to my Nike Training i-Phone app.

Friday: Run #1: 6 miles, avg. pace: 8:12. Felt great and was really enjoying a new route!
            Run #2: 2.83 miles, avg. pace: 8:28 with some quick strides in there. Strength training.

Saturday: 3 x 1 mile repeats with two minutes recovery.

Weekly mileage: ~42 miles

I continue to learn how much of training is mental. I used to dread distance runs, thinking "45 minutes?! Ugh, that is so long!" Don't even get me started on the long runs! But now that I have done a couple runs just short of two hours, I'll see those 50 minute runs on the schedule and think, "oh really, that's all?" Such a large part of my journey towards a marathon will be training my head to really push the limits and change my view on running in general. Although I never truly looked forward to long runs, I always enjoyed the time spent conversing and bonding with my teammates, many of whom are and will always be my best friends. Now that most of my training is done alone, I am able to adjust my viewpoint and see my longer runs as an amazing way to explore Hamburg and see parts of the city that I may not have otherwise.

Like that cool playground above in the middle of a forest of trails. Not that I have kids of my own to bring to it, but I never would have found this without my running! I've been running with my phone lately to use nike's GPS app, so I'll try to snap any other cool things along the way.

Speaking of kids, Ida may be my favorite girl baby in the entire world. Now I didn't want my only little nephew, Cole, to get jealous so I made sure to clarify. I said girl, Cole, you are by far my favorite little man and I miss you! Ida is just at such a fun age right now (18 months) and I can't get enough of her. She loves animals and although she can't speak much yet, she knows how to oink and moo with the best of them.

Don't you just want to squeeze her?? More German lessons for you all as well!

Now that I have already digressed from the running theme of Sweaty Saturday, I'll let you all go. Enjoy your weekend! Tschüss!

Breakfast in Germany

I 'm not sure what to call the weather we have been having lately, fall or winter. It looks like fall with leaves covering the ground, but we have had most days in single digits, a couple days around -2 degrees! That is celsius for my fellow Americans! However, I can't complain because the sun has been shining. I am always grateful for rainless days here. Besides, I am grateful to not have been anywhere near hurricane Sandy and my thoughts are with everyone on the East Coast back home! What an unbelievable storm.

Since Kev usually has practice in the mornings and games or practice on the weekends, we rarely ever go out for breakfast. So we took advantage of yesterday's 3 p.m. practice and my day off to enjoy a nice sleep in and a breakfast out. I mean we really took advantage, getting an 11+ hour night of sleep. I won't even say how late we slept in because I can already see my dad rolling his eyes at the 11+ hours of sleep (the guy is lucky to sleep in past 5 a.m.).

So after lazily getting out of bed, we headed on over to a chain restaurant called Schweinske for breakfast brunch. What do you think of when you hear the word breakfast? Pancakes and Belgian waffles? Scrambled eggs or an omelette stuffed with just about everything? Cinnamon Rolls, bacon, sausage, home fries, and hash browns? I'm salivating at the thought of it and may have to make tonight a breakfast for dinner kind of night.

However, one of the adjustments of moving to a new country is accepting new traditions and cultures, food being a large one. What I described above is not quite at all what you would get for breakfast here in Germany.

A traditional German breakfast usually consists of a multiple of different kinds of Brötchen (rolls), many spreads (butter, honey, marmalades, nutella, cream cheese, etc.), and different deli meats and cheeses for your bread. If an egg is served, it is most commonly soft boiled. Sometimes, smoked salmon, or tiny shrimp is also served. They offer the same drinks for breakfast as back home: tee, coffee, fruit juices, etc.

Our breakfast at Schweinske

I have come to really enjoy the traditional German breakfast (especially the smoked salmon over some cream cheese on bread!). Kev, not so much. He makes sure to get his eggs scrambled and would definitely prefer some chocolate chip pancakes! But he has given it a good shot which is a part of immersing oneself in the culture!

Kev has left me today for yet another multiple day road trip. It seems as if he has been away a lot since I have gotten here. Although, I think this will be the last one for the next couple months, there are a lot of home games in November and December. Working, german class, running, and putting the finishing touches on our Halloween costumes are on my agenda for the rest of the week. Our party is on Sunday and I couldn't be more excited!

 Happy Halloween, Tschüss!

Sweaty Saturday

Welcome to Sweaty Saturday! And we're diving straight in, going to get all emotional right away. I'm going to share with you something I wrote back in the summer after a particularly difficult running workout. I posted it to the blog that night and removed it within 12 hours. I wasn't sure if you were all ready to read something more intense from me! Mostly, I wasn't sure if I was ready to share it. There is something so comforting and easy about keeping this blog light and airy. But that's not realistic. Life isn't always light and airy, and as all runners know, running isn't always easy and comforting. As far as I know, my mom was the only one to see this post before I took it off and she said it made her cry. Mom, that was not my intention! 

So here it goes, my first Sweaty Saturday post (originally written after a crummy run in June):

Tonight, I did one of the hardest running workouts I have over the past year. Lots of hills, lots of speed, lots of pain. And there’s times during workouts like these that I wonder why. Why do I put myself through this? Nobody’s forcing me. Why do I run till it hurts? I don’t even like to run all that much.

But then I remember what I do like.

Competing.
Racing.
And winning doesn’t hurt either.

There was a time in my running career I did just that. I competed. I raced. I won. In high school I ran with a fearlessness that I now forget I even had. I would line up next to a bunch of girls just knowing I was going to crush them. And if I didn’t crush them, I knew that I would be right up on their heels making them work their ass off to beat me. Then, senior year of high school, I broke my ankle in the middle of the qualifying race to the state meet. My mentality hasn’t quite been the same since. I’ve been scared. And in some races, I’ve down right given up.

I’ve been told since my final collegiate race that I had such a great career and have so much to be proud of. And that is a really happy, sweet, sugar coated way of looking at it. And in some facets that’s true. I did accomplish a lot and have things to be proud of. But the hardcore truth is that I didn’t do what I was recruited to do.

I didn’t do what I know for a fact I was capable of.

Ever since that season ending race my senior year in HS, I’ve been running full of fear. But who knows, that may have happened with or without the broken ankle. I may have still shown up to the race line in college, seen the other fast girls, and gotten completely scared.

My mind got in the way. And that is why I will continue to put myself through miserable (for me, at least) 90+ minute runs and speed workouts that I think my legs will fall off during. Because I know I have so much more that I can accomplish and will be proud of. I just need to get back to that naïve 16-year old running mentality I once had. I’ll get there. I’m working on it.

Now, don't go thinking that I am just some mental head case. Although, with my running, sometimes I feel like I am! I think that year+ break after BGSU was just what I needed and I'm ready to get back to kicking some butt.

I read this post before heading out to do my 2x10 minute hilly Tempo Intervals and it served as great motivation when I got tired! Ended up doing the first 10 minutes at 6:37 mile pace and the second at 6:22 mile pace. Breezed through it today! And you know what I said to myself when I was finished? "F***ing right, Autumn, F***ing right!" I obviously spend way too much time with a foul-mouthed hockey player.

Schönes Wochenende! Tschüss!

A new direction!

First off, some completely random Hamburg Happenings:

The boys won tonight in a shootout. I thought we had it in the bag until Nürnberg tied up the game with 3 seconds left. THREE Seconds. They just had to give us a thriller tonight! Thankfully, it ended in our favor. 

For the first time ever, Kev and I hosted a dinner party. We (or should I say, I, can't say Kev slaved in the kitchen the entire day ;-)) made a mexican themed feast for 10 people! That's a lot for our little apartment to hold. Not to mention that I can never host a dinner and not go all out. We tried our best to make sure we stayed with in our theme. Even down to the San Miguel beers. Alright, that means we already left the theme, San Miguel's are Spanish not Mexican. At least we were within one language!

our table setting for 10 (4 couples, and 2 of the single guys)

I am really looking forward to the team's "post-Halloween" party on November 4th. Halloween was a highlight of my days at BGSU and I like to think I had some pretty great costumes. After not having a party at all last year, I am really looking forward to going all out this year. We have decided what we are going to be, and have most of our supplies for our costumes. You all will have to wait until after the party for the big reveal!

The first league break is coming up soon after our Halloween party. So far, we are thinking of Prague, Czech Republic, although nothing has been booked yet.

The next city we may be crossing off the list!

I have been thinking for a while now what direction I want to go with this blog. As much as I enjoy being able to update everyone back home on our lives here in Hamburg, writing solely "life updates" gets repetitive for me. I need a change!

As most everyone that reads this blog knows, I run for fun. Well, most of the time I don't think it is all that fun, so we'll just stick with running is a big part of my life. Therefore, I have decided to start a new "feature" tomorrow, called "Sweaty Saturday." It will be a chance for me to bring another part of my life into the blog. It comes at the perfect time as I just registered for my first marathon today, the Hamburg Marathon in April, 2013. Check back in tomorrow! Tschüss!

Hofbräuhaus Hamburg

Our crew that visited us came during the time of Oktoberfest, but we weren't planning on making the trek to Munich for the festivities. Shocking, I know. However, Kev and I still wanted to be able to give them a taste of Oktoberfest since it is a large part of the German culture. So one of the nights, we headed on over to Hamburg's Hofbräuhaus for dinner. The girls and I had tried to go early on in their trip, but there was no getting a seat without a reservation. 

packed house!

The Hofbräuhaus serves Bavarian cuisine and the beers are served in the large liter-sized steins you would find at Oktoberfest. Boso, Graham (I think), and I had frankfurters (hotdogs) with sauerkraut, Alyssa and Nicky had Weisswurst (white sausage) with a pretzel and sweet mustard, and Kev had Schnitzel with Pommes (french fries). 

our frankfurters with sauerkraut

In addition to the food and beer, the servers wear the authentic lederhosen, as do some of the guests! There is a live band playing Bavarian music, much of which the diners/drinkers sing along and dance to. The dance floor was full and the tables were being utilized as well for dancing. I had came to the Hofbräuhaus once last year on a slower night, so this was my first time seeing it in true action and I loved every bit of it. 

dancing on our table

My phone deleted the video I took of our night at the Hofbräuhaus, so here is one via Youtube that gives you a picture of what our night was like! Just imagine everyone dancing on their tables as well.

Before I go, I'll leave you with this gem of a photo. By far my favorite from the night and I'm thinking they are ready for their second stein.

Tschüss!!

A whirlwind trip through Amsterdam

It's been almost a week here since our visitors have left and the apartment is back to the quiet sounds of Kev and I. It sure was nice having some great friends in town for two weeks. I had two friends from University here for nine days and Kev had a childhood buddy visiting for 13 days! The trips overlapped a little bit so we were able to go as a big group to Amsterdam for a night (minus Kev of course). I had expected a 4 hour drive which turned into almost 6 hours due to lots of construction and the fact that I don't drive as fast on the autobahn as Kev does!

These are the signs in the construction areas showing us how many kilometers are left. Too funny!

Since we only had one night and the daytime hours on Monday to be in Amsterdam, we truly made the most of it. We kept Sunday night low-key and stayed out just late enough to see Amsterdam's red-light district after dark. The red-light district (entertainment and prostitution district) is truly a sight to see as it is considered one of the biggest and best in Europe. 

Taking photos is prohibited, but thanks to Google, you can see what we saw!

We were up early on Monday morning, ready to get some coffee, breakfast and start our day. This trip was my second to Amsterdam because Kev and I went after the season last year. That turned out to be quite the blessing because I was able to oversee the maps for us pretty well. For anyone that knows me, this is quite the accomplishment as I still get lost in my small hometown after living there for over 20 years. Amsterdam is also full of canals and slightly confusing to navigate! Because there are so many canals and small streets, bikes are one of the most common ways to get around. They have their own lane in many areas so we had to make sure we always were looking around while walking. No one wants to get run over by a speeding bike! I'm not kidding, they won't stop for you.

The bike lane!

One of the main squares of Amsterdam 

These canals are everywhere!

We stayed in a hostel (although the place called itself a hotel) for the first time ever. Lucky for us, we were reassured that although there were six beds in the room, we were the only 4 going to be staying there. Good thing too, I did not sign up to sleep and leave my belongings in a room and with people I don't know!

4 of the 6 beds in our room

We had two goals in mind for the day: the Anne Frank House and the Heineken Brewery. By the time we got to the Anne Frank House shortly after opening, there was already a line out the door. It didn't take long to enter though. When Kev and I came the first time to Amsterdam, we didn't do any tours, just wandered around and saw the city. That was really great, but I am so glad that I got to go to the Anne Frank House this time around. This "museum" is located in the actual building that Anne Frank and her family hid in for two years. The "Secret Annex" is kept unfurnished but there was a room with models so we could see what the hiding place looked like while they were there. Her bedroom wall is kept the same and it was complete with the original photos that Anne hung to make it feel a little more like home. It is quite an eerie and emotional feeling to walk through the house. I can't imagine what it would have been like, hiding for the sake of your life and not even being able to open blinds let alone step outside over that long of time. Photos were prohibited here as well, so I only took some outside.

Memorial outside Anne Frank House

Anne Frank House today

Anne Frank House in the 40s

From there we walked through the center of the city over to the Heineken Brewery. I have been to the Coors Brewery in Colorado and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in St. Louis before, but this was by far the best, most interactive one I have seen. From learning about the beer brewing process and being a beer bottle in the simulated ride, to learning the correct way to drink a Heineken, the Heineken Experience was exactly as it's name implies, an experience!

Everywhere Heineken is served!

Making some beer! ;-)

Alyssa testing her pouring ability

Congratulations! A pouring Master

Enjoying some samples

Graham and I then drove back to Hamburg and left the girls in Amsterdam so they could catch a flight to Rome the next day! Stay tuned, I'll write again soon about our experience at Hamburg's Hofbräuhaus! Tschüss!