I'll be home for Christmas...

Strasbourg is a truly magical place to be around Christmas.  The proclaimed "Capitale de Noel", Strasbourg boasts the oldest Christmas market (Christkindelsmärik) in the world dating back to 1570.  The entire month of December the whole city is impeccably decorated in lights and an evening stroll down the small winding streets can really leave an impression on you.

So not my picture but its had to really capture it all from the ground.  Credit given to www.travelfreak.com

So yes, I am incredibly spoiled to be able to spend Christmas with the kids in such a wonderful place. However, growing up in a large family in the snowy Midwest can be pretty awesome too as far as Christmases go. So I decided to spend the 25th here with Jean's family and head back to the States the day after.  Only problem is that Jean has used up his vacation time for the year and can't make it back with us. While this came as a bit of a blow, I knew I needed to go home, even if it meant another solo flying adventure with a preschooler and a toddler (see "Have Kids, Will Travel" for disastrous details...)  So without much hesitation, I decided that the pain and anguish of another trans-Atlantic flight with the kids is well worth spending the holidays with my family.

Christmas was always so magical to me as a child.  Even though my mom always said she dreaded it (having 8 kids may have that effect on a person) she had a way of making Christmas incredibly special for us and these are undoubtedly some of the most wonderful childhood memories I have. Its hard to imagine not sharing some of these memories with my own children.  Besides, word is its a white Christmas in Cleveland...

It'll be a long, tiring trip but nothing will keep us away! Wish me luck!

French Country Living

French Country Living...Sounds like the name of a Martha Stewart magazine, no?  I have to say that at times I feel lucky enough to have a permanent feature article in it.  We live some 15km north of Strasbourg (with a decently sized city center of 275,000 inhabitants).  However, we are just far enough out to be snack dab in the middle of the country side.  The house that we are renting is fantastically located so that our backyard overlooks a huge corn field.  Yes folks, I was born and raised in Ohio but I have never been this close to corn in my entire life! We moved in last a August when the field was a vibrant green and plants towered above our heads. To my surprise, a few months later, a massive harvester came and showed leaving us an empty field to overlook just a few hours later.

I realized how I (and the kids) literally had the planting and harvesting cycle in our backyard.  It made me think of that sped up video I'd see on Sesame Street when I was a child of a plant growing and then viewed at super speed to see the whole life cycle in some 20 seconds.  So it inspired me to chronicle the various stages of planting and harvest between February of this year until now.

Then, a Saturday night a few weeks ago, I walk into the house to see the kids glued to the french doors (or as we say in french - "doors") overlooking the back deck. A massive harvester was making its way though the field.  Perhaps Saturday nights in French countryside are at a slower pace than the big city - but I'll take it any day.

*Disclaimer - So,  you might be asking yourself  "Why are they harvesting corn in late November?"  Truth be told, this is not "human" corn but instead destined for pig feed. So the corn pretty much dries on the stalks and is then harvested much later than a sweet corn variety. So, yes - I guess this gives me and the kids a better view of both the crop cycle AND insight into the raising of livestock.  Sort of a twofer (of you put a spin on it the right way...)

I mean come on, the pork for a traditional alsatian "choucroute garni " doesn't grow on trees.