Window Boxes

Even though the days here have been in the high 70s, it's still freezing overnight. Thus, many of our flowers haven't survived. Just to be safe, I brought a few in until it gets a little warmer/we find a better place to hang the flower boxes. But now I think they look so cute in the living room that they might just stay there.

Another Great Weekend

Eric and I had such a great past couple days; we really took advantage of the sunny weather and extra daylight hours. Friday night was fairly mellow: we went to bed early after we pigged out on chocolate cake (courtesy me!) and grilled pork chops (courtesy Eric). Then we woke up fairly early Saturday morning, went into town to pick up pastries, and a watering can for our plants, then planned our day.

In keeping with our Saturday traditions lately, we headed to Weiden for some shopping of all sorts. We both got some summery shirts and then headed to BayWa--one of the many many many outdoor/garden super-centers in the area. We loaded our cart with all sorts of things: a few different ground covers, hanging flower boxes, a few more potted flowers and then two giant hanging purple potted petunias (tongue-twister!). We hung those off the awning at our front door and they're so beautiful! You can see them as you're driving up the hill to our house, and I love that I can see them through the window while I'm in the kitchen. Did I mention I bought a big basil plant for the kitchen too? It smells so delicious and fresh in there now.

After doing all that, and touching many varieties of flowers, I had a massive allergy attack. At one point I couldn't even open my eyes. Eric went and bought eye-drops, but I was too scared to do it myself so he pretty much had to hold me down and put them in while I was basically begging for my life. In retrospect it was quite hilarious.

Once I felt better, we had a spontaneous idea to go out dancing that night (we're still celebrating Eric's non-deployment). In lieu of spending a lot of cash on a cab to the closest club, we opted for a cheap hotel that was in walking distance of it. So we headed back to Weiden at around 7, checked into our surprisingly cute hotel then walked to the club a few hours later. We showed up at the door at 10pm, and the bouncers looked super confused and said "party doesn't start til 12:30". What!!!? We haven't stayed up that late in weeks! So we walked back to our hotel, watched some crazy German movie about killer bees, fought to stay awake, then headed back to the bar. It ended up being a really really fun night. We hadn't cute loose in awhile so it was nice to get dressed up and act silly. The hotel ended up costing less than the cab would've, so the night was truly a success.

We woke up at about 9am Sunday, came back home and were totally lazy until about noon or 1. Well, I was totally lazy--Eric actually went to the gym and washed the car, haha. Our friends, Christalin and John, invited us over for a BBQ at their place at three so I baked some cookies, Eric sliced up a big watermelon and we headed over. It was a fun way to spend the last hours of our weekend and we ate some more great food. John's deploying to Afghanistan in a little over a month which is pretty sad, so we're glad to get some good fun in with them before that happens.
It's hard to believe that the weekend is over already but it was probably one of the best ones we've had here.

An Extra Year

Today, April 23, is kind of a surreal day for us. If we had chosen to stay at Ft. Campbell, finish Eric's last 2 years in the Army, and not come to Germany, this day would be the day that Eric would deploy to Afghanistan for one full year. Clearly we made the right choice. No question about it.

I feel a little guilty from time to time, posting photos of our adventures in Europe, while our friends back in Tennessee & Kentucky are preparing for something unimaginably hard. We know we are so lucky. I am so happy that Eric never has to step one precious toe back in the Middle East. He served in Iraq for 6 months a couple years ago, and as far as I'm concerned that was 6 months too many.

So for the next year I plan on continuing our blog as per usual, but especially focusing on all the little things we would've missed out on if Eric had to deploy. I want to post a photo every couple days documenting a moment we wouldn't have had otherwise.

Here's what we would've missed today:

An impromptu cuddle-session when Eric was home on his lunch break.

Our thoughts are with the 101st Airbourne, the ARF (Eric's old platoon), and all other troops over there. Hope they all come safely home very soon.

Us Clarks plan on partying it up in a big way tonight.

Guess Who Got A Haircut?

Me!!!!!

(and Eric says "I always get haircuts and nobody ever cares!")

Happy Wednesday!

Sunny Weekend

The weather here in Eschenbach was just perfect this weekend. Super sunny, blue skies, late sunsets. Eric and I couldn't not take advantage of it. Friday night we bbq'd hotdogs and watched movies. Saturday morning we drove to Weiden, did some spring clothes shopping at H&M (our guilty pleasure) then headed to the outdoor stores for some yard decor. We ended up buying a couple tiki torches, flowers and hanging pots. Our backyard is pretty cute so far, and plan on buying even more pots and flowers this upcoming week. Eric marinated up and grilled some steaks, I cooked brownies and we just enjoyed the evening at home. We stayed up past midnight for probably the first time in a month or two--we're old and boring now.

Sunday morning we got up right away, heading to a Flea Market in nearby Pressath. The mart ended up being fairly disappointing, but since we were up and at 'em we couldn't waste another beautiful day. We grabbed breakfast, and then relaxed on our lovely little back porch...after picking up some beer and wine. I brought out speakers and newly downloaded music, Eric fired up the grill and started up some lunch. It was so warm and pretty out, so after we ate we decided to head to the lake. We hadn't been near it since it was covered in ice and snow, so we were anxious to explore.

After about a 5 minute drive we were there, and it was beautiful. So many people were out walking, running, rollerblading, playing with dogs, feeding swans. There was even a couple riding along on a horse-drawn carriage. So lovely! Apparently Eschenbach is known for birdwatching and we can totally see why. Birds and birdhouses filled the woods by the lake and gave us so much to see and hear. We walked on the trails for the rest of the afternoon. On the way home we stopped from some ice cream and then spent the evening eating (that's all we do anymore) and lounging. It was just a great way to end the weekend.

Mom's Visit

Well my mom officially left on Monday and now my days feel so quiet and slow without her here. It was so fun having somebody to spend my mornings & afternoons with while Eric was at work. I literally went hoarse after the first few days because I wasn't used to talking so much, haha.

We got to do a lot of girly stuff: window (and non-window) shopping, went on walks, sipped coffee in various cafes near Eschenbach, ate way too many pastries, enjoyed crepes in Weiden, scouted for fabric (to no avail), bought and planted flowers and basil, and did lots of cooking (Eric's favorite part).

Eric and I had a blast showing off our home, "our" town, "our" fields, and "our" Germany. It was fun just having an extra person to point things out to, take photos, and share our excitement with. We even had the Miranda's over one night for dinner...and I think they ended up staying til about 11pm. It was a lot of fun sharing our new friends, and my mom just loved them!

(My mom and I each enjoying a Radler at Peppo's Pizza.)

(Above & Below: Exploring the fields behind our house.)

While my mom and I spent the weekdays in nearby towns, we took advantage of Eric's days off to go on bigger trips. We went to Nuremburg on the Saturday before Easter and couldn't believe how many people were out and about. There were dozens upon dozens of little tents set up with vendors selling anything from lace curtains to bratwurst. We each bought a few little things (including this adorable hat Eric got for me, which I've now called my "Easter bonnet". Haha!)

After eating and shopping in the mart, we wandered around the rest of downtown Nuremburg. We took a little tour through the Stadt Museum (city museum) which was actually pretty interesting (see a few photos below?), stopped in a cafe for a snack, strolled through more stores, then headed back to Eschenbach. It was about 5 hours spent on our feet, so I think we were all more than ready to be home.



On Easter Sunday we went to the Flea Market that I posted about earlier then just had a lazy day full of eating and watching movies: great Easter if you ask me. The rest of the week was spent with the usual: shopping, walking, talking. But Eric ended up having a 4-day weekend (Friday and Monday off) so we took advantage of the free time and planned an overnight trip.

We decided on Munich; since it's only about 2-3 hours away, with plenty to do and see, we thought it would be a realistic and fun first trip for us all. We left early Friday morning, stocked up on very necessary sandwiches, pastries and water...and headed for Füssen-a town south of Munich that we new held the tourist information about two of Germany's most famous sites: the castles Neuschwantstein and Hohenschwangau. The drive took a little longer than expected, but the views along the way were worth it. We kept keeping our eyes pealed for castles, and as the rolling hills showed giant snow-filled mountains in the distance, we knew we were getting close.

Füssen was an amazing town: full of restaurants with big patios, little stores, and a giant lake already bustling with people. We definitely want to make a trip to just visit that town again. The Tourism Center gave us a map to an even smaller town a little further south that we had to get to: Hohenschwangau (which made sense since that's the name of the older castle). That 20 minute drive was pretty exciting, weaving through the hills. The second we saw the first castle, Hohenschwangau, we all freaked out. It was GIANT! But a couple turns later Neuschwanstein popped out from the rocky cliffs ahead and I'm pretty sure we all let out dramatic gasps. See for yourself. Really, the pictures can not do it justice.

(Above: Hohenschwangau, the home of King Maximillian II. Below: Neuschwanstein, the home of his son, the future King Ludwig II.)


We parked, bought tickets for the two tours, then wandered in an out of the souvenir shops. There was so much cute stuff to look at and it was all very reasonably priced. Then, we took the 10 minute walk up the hill to Hohenschwangau. Wow was it beautiful, and just so hard to imagine people actually living there what seems like such a short time ago. Sadly, we weren't allowed to take photos in either castle so you'll just have to take my word for it. Our tour guide told the really interesting history of the King and Queen (and amazing tours of their seperate rooms) and also of their two sons (the youngest of which, Ludwig, ended up being King and building Neuschwanstein).

(Some British honeymooners took this photo of the three of us-we didn't have one together yet and once we heard English voices we all took turns photographing eachother.)

After the tour we took a lot more photos around the grounds of the castle: fountains, statues etc. We had about an hour before the next tour started so we walked back down and ate bratwurst, icecream and bought more trinkets.

The tour for Neuschwanstein started with a 10-minute busride up a windy road to the base of the castle. From there it was another 10 minute walk, but full of incredible sights of the mountains and the castle itself. It was so beautiful.

Neuschwanstein was miles ahead of Hohenschwangau in terms of beauty and detail. One room's floor was covered in a 2,000,000-piece mosaic. Literally every inch of each wall and ceiling was painted or intricately carved. King Ludwig's bedroom alone took 10 wood-carvers years to complete. Each wall in almost every room had scenes painted from many of Richard Wagner's operas, almost like a beautiful comic book. In fact, almost every room was either inspired by Wagner, or vice-versa. (We all had a theory that they were lovers, but that's a whole other story.) Everything from the doorknobs to the chandeliers were completely to die for. We will definitely be going back; I don't think we could ever get sick of that place. (As a total side note, I just have to brag that in the MIDDLE of a tour of this CASTLE a woman ran over to me to tell me how beautiful MY ring was--and showed her husband! In the middle of a castle!!!! Eric takes "full credit for that compliment" but I felt pretty special. And still do.)

This bridge, pictured below, was called Marie's Bridge and was a little walk from the castle but offered some incredible photo opportunities. It was a little freaky being on such a little bridge so high up, but again it was worth it.

(Below: The view from the bridge.)
That day was so much fun but very long too. We drove back into Munich, checked into our hotel and realized it was 9pm and we hadn't eaten since noon. After having some drinks at the hotel bar, we found out about the subway and went down to ride it to dinner. It took a minute to figure out how the whole system works, but once we got the basics it seemed pretty self-explanatory. Although there were loads of drunk teens, it was a pretty exciting ride. We got off about 10 stops later, ate dinner in a loud and delicious Brazilian restaurant, then were back home within a couple hours.
Saturday was such a big change after the romantic sights the day before. We went to Dachau, the first concentration camp. Dachau happens to now be in a charming town a little north of Munich, which seemed so strange. I guess we all expected it to be far away from everything. We didn't take a tour because they lasted about 5 hours, but we rented the audio guide and walked around for a good part of the morning. It was really surreal trying to wrap our heads around the fact that we were actually there.

(Above: "Work will set you free" states the iron gate to the camp. Below: Part of a monument on the grounds.)

Easily the creepiest part of the tour was walking through the gas chambers and crematorium. You walk through the way the prisoners would, and it was just so ominous and dark. The day before had been filled with laughs and pictures and talking...Saturday we all barely said anything but instead just wandered around separately.

Below is a prayer sanctuary that has been built on the Memorial grounds. Several Churches/synagogues have also been constructed.
After Dachau we grabbed some lunch, talked about our trip then headed back to Eschenbach. God bless Eric for doing all that driving all weekend-it was a lot. It was really nice being home Saturday evening and knowing he didn't have to work again until Tuesday. That night we just had a mellow night around the house, and Sunday morning we helped my mom pack all of her souvenirs into a giant suitcase reserved SOLELY for them. The Miranda's invited us over for a BBQ Sunday night, which was actually a great way to end our trip: they put us in such high spirits. Sgt. Miranda told my mom that he'd make sure we were always taken care of--which I am sure she appreciated.

So, all in all, it was a great trip. I'm glad my mom got to come for a long enough time to see a lot of sites, but also spend a few days with me doing stuff around town. It feels so quiet around here now.

Thanks mom, we really appreciated the groceries, gas money, and a few free meals! Love you and can't wait for you to come back sometime soon!

Trödelmärkte

(Meaning: Flea Market....aka: New Favorite Thing!)

Well I am now officially obsessed with Flea Markets. The Miranda's told us about one that was happening on Easter nearby and how we had to go. My mom, Eric, and I had such a fun time bargaining for prices and finding little treasures. We then ended up going to another one this morning in Grafenwoehr. Eric met us on his lunch break and picked out a few things he loved. I found a calendar in a store here that gave the schedule for all the upcoming markets and I plan on attending as many as possible. I felt so European filling my big wicker basket full of goodies.

Here is what we have picked up so far:

A very old, and very cool, binocular set with a leather carrying case.

A risque painting of some Latin woman for 15 Euro. Eric and I both literally sprinted to the booth that had this thing for sale. They guy seemed pretty confused that THAT was the painting we wanted: "Did you even see it?!" I want to reframe it in something a little fancier. And I can not WAIT to display it somewhere in this house.

A little wooden silhouette of a German couple. I don't know what this kind of craft work is called, but I thought it was adorable, and it was only 4 Euro.

A lovely wooden table that we both fell in love with. It was about 40 Euro but I just thought it was totally beautiful and something we'll definitely have for a long time. It's probably the most formal-looking thing in our home now, haha.

Three sets of antlers for 20 Euro. Eric has had his heart set on buying antlers for our house ever since we were surrounded by Southern decor in Clarksville, TN. We of course can't afford anything too huge or ornate (I think Eric dreams of one day owning a mountain goat head) but for now these will do. I was thinking they might be cool painted a super glossy white. My mom, however, thought they were totally hideous. Again, I have yet to find a place to display them.

Another painting, quite small, of a very romantic little scene. I want to reframe this too and thought it would be pretty up in our room with all that green.

My mom has found so many beautiful things too: lace tablecloths, glass pillboxes, a small painting, a Wedgewood cup. (And gifts for certain family members that I can't describe on here.) I really don't know how she's getting all the souvenirs home...but it will be fun to bring back all that loot!

Well, that's all for now. Again, I have SO many photos of my mom's visit to post, but I am waiting until she returns home so she can show off her pictures first. So you'll have to wait and see!

A Day in Frankfurt

Since my mom was arriving in Frankfurt last Sunday in the early afternoon, Eric decided to split up the 3-hour drive and go over a day early. We left around 9am Saturday morning, checked into our hotel, grabbed some lunch, then started reading over what Frankfurt had to offer on a rainy afternoon.

(A photo I took of a giant sculpture upon entering Frankfurt.)

We decided on the Natural History Museum, typed the address into the GPS (thank God for that thing!) and were off. About 10 minutes later, the GPS announced "You have arrived!" but we still couldn't tell exactly where the museum was. That was UNTIL we saw the telltale T-Rex in the park. See it through the trees?

Followed by a Brontosaurus.

The entrance to the museum.

We felt like kids running from exhibit to exhibit and snapping photos. Neither of us had ever actually seen dinosaur skeletons before so it was actually pretty exciting. The mammal and bird area was amazing as well.

After the museum we just wandered around on foot and ended up in a very expensive neighborhood. We kept ooh-ing and ahh-ing over all the homes and cars.

That night we ate a great dinner at a big restaurant downtown, walked around a bit more, then got lots of sleep before our guest arrived and our big drive home. I will post photographic proof that my mom is indeed HERE very soon!

Also...Happy Easter!