Unseren Advent Kranz

Unseren Advent Kranz #advent #germany, a photo by rachaelhansen on Flickr.

Our Advent Wreath! One candle is lit each Sunday of Advent, leading up to Christmas.

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving round two., a photo by rachaelhansen on Flickr.

Karli and I had the pleasure of cooking Thanksgiving dinner for her family. It was so nice being able to continue my favorite traditions even while I was abroad.

St. Martin's Parade

St. Martin's Parade with the children and their lanterns. So much fun. #traditions #germany, a photo by rachaelhansen on Flickr.

Every November, the city celebrates St. Martin, a good samaritan, by making lanterns and parading through the street after a St. Martin impersonator, ending at a bonfire.

All the children from the boys' Montessori Schüle created wonderful lanterns and we all got to participate in the parade. It was the perfect way to start off the holiday season.

We all scream for ice cream!

Thankful for this cute trio I get to live with.

Reunited.

Got to catch up with my bestie Grayson in Bern, Switzerland

Girls Night!

Nothing quite like a proper night out., a photo by rachaelhansen on Flickr.

Nothing quite like a proper night out.

Ahhh Sugar Sugar!

Life got real at the Haribo Shop today. #bonn #wheredreamscometrue

Stuntin' is a habit.

Birthday boy!

100 gelatos later...

Hotel Sacher

It's a big deal if you didn't know. #sachertorte

Schönbrunn Palace

Soooo I'm a little obsessed with this place...

Tea time & postcards home

Tea time & postcards home, a photo by rachaelhansen on Flickr.

Picnic on the Rhein :)

Favsies

Rachael: "What's my favorite thing in the whole world?"
Finn: "Us."
#cantarguethat

Kölner Dom

View from the ferry on the Rhein #triptothezoo

Rainy Day Rose Garden Adventure

Bi-polar

Perfect example of the weather in Germany. #nofilter

Brotherly Love

Went in to check on the boys and almost died because Nico climbed down to the bottom bunk to cuddle with Finni. It was the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

Guess who isn't an illegal alien anymore!?

Hangin on Portobello Road

London Eye.

Benji

Fly me to the moon...or at least London

Popping off to London for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee!

A little hello from Holland. :)

Weekend hiking

Seben Gebirge. Prettiest woods I've ever seen.

Brother reading to brother. So cute.

Ménage à trois

I know its been a really long time since I last blogged but its only because nothing super exciting has been happening lately. Mostly just the same ol’ day to day stuff. (Don’t worry, I know I haven’t even blogged about my trip to Switzerland yet but I’ll do that today too)

However, before I recap Switzerland, I’m going to tell you about today! One of the great things about living in a predominantly catholic country is the abundance of public holidays. Today for example is Christi Himmelfahrt. Patrick took the boys on an outing while I got to go out with Karli and get a little cultural experience in.

Bonn has A LOT of great museums and when you move here, you register as a resident and the city gives you a coupon book full of free tickets to these museums. Today was the first time we took advantage of a coupon. We went to Bundeskunsthalle to see the Ménage à Trois exhibit featuring individual and collaborative works of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente. It was fantastic. I really loved seeing the lesser known Warhols. His style really spoke to me the most. The other artists, who were new to me, were also great to observe. Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed in the exhibit (and they had serious guardage so I couldn’t even sneak iPhone pics). So below I’ve roamed the web to find some of my favorite pieces to share with you. Enjoy!

Portrait of Basquiat by Andy Warhol

Alba’s Breakfast | Collaboration by Warhol, Clemente, & Basquiat

Brown Spots: Andy Warhol as a Banana by Basquiat

For more information on this exhibit, please visit: http://www.bundeskunsthalle.de/index.htm?ausstellungen/warhol-basquiat-clemente/index_e.htm 

Seben Gebirge

Hiking through the GORGEOUS woods. I felt like a hobbit., a photo by rachaelhansen on Flickr.

Hiking through the GORGEOUS woods. I felt like a hobbit.

Brunch!

For Germans, weekend breakfasts are a BIG deal and I definitely didn't have a problem with that.

He's cute. I look like a leper. Lesson learned: wear sunscreen in the Swiss Alps.

Park Day!

The Rhein.

Pictures never do it justice.

Springtime in the city

LOVING these pink blossoms all over town :)

Lunchtime picnic :)

Lunchtime picnic :), a photo by rachaelhansen on Flickr.

Lazy Saturday in the park :)

Home Sweet Home

Max Löbner gets a little more love than other train stops. Glad its mine :)

Germans are serious about their dog poo.

50 degrees and gorgeous. :)

For my Valentines :)

Sick Day

Whats the best cure for a cold? Everyone knows its red crepes smothered in nutella and a Magic School Bus marathon.

My best friend

My life would have been much better if this guy had been introduced to me at a younger age. There is no better way to get warm on a cold, blistering night or alleviate pain. I will never go another day without having a hot water bottle. BEST INVENTION EVER.

Breakfast with Karli

A staple outing every week.

Afternoon snoozfest

Can't get enough of this sweet angel.

Incandescently Happy.

This week has just turned out fantastically and it’s only Wednesday. On monday I started my German class. There, I met a girl named Karli. After class we began talking and instantly clicked. She’s from California and is also au pairing here in Bonn and actually only lives about ten minutes away from me. We went to breakfast this morning and had a great time. It was as if we were old friends. I’ve met some really great people in Germany, but there’s just something different about finding someone who completely understands your language and the whole “being somewhere completely foreign” concept. I’m so excited to go to cologne with her this weekend.

On top of that I get to spend my afternoons and evenings with the two sweetest boys ever. Tonight I got to put them to bed as both parents had work obligations. As we read stories, cuddled and slowly drifted off, I felt an overwhelming feeling of love. I am so glad I am here and really feel that this is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing right now.

Stay tuned for tales of Köln (Cologne).

Love you all, tschüss!

Mein Name ist Rachael

German class is well underway!

Feeling the Love

I got my first "I love you" from Nico today. Needless to say I turned to mush.

Argh!

Today was Finni's 6th birthday party! As you can tell it was pirate themed. It was such a fun day full of activities at the Pirate Park along the Rhein including a treasure hunt! My favorite part, however, was making this fun cake. Well maybe eating it was my favorite part...

Yo Ho A Pirates Life for Me!

Nico has a pirate ship, pirates, and ninjas. Naturally I have a speed boat, monkeys, ninja princesses and a mermaid. Totally fair fight.