Cathedral of St. Peter

Here are a few of the pictures I took of the Cathedral of St. Peter (Wormer Dom) which was constructed between 1110 and 1181. It still amazes me how these great pieces of work were constructed hundreds of years ago without modern machinery.

Worms, Germany

Here are a few pics of things I saw today in Worms, Germany. I mainly wanted to go see the Cathedral of St. Peter (aka Wormser dom) but found many other interesting things to see around the city.

Pigeons taking a bath in front of a fountain.

St. Martin's Church

Part of Roman wall that once surrounded the city.

Me and an old Pope.

Wormser Dom

??? Photo taken at a museum.

Rüdesheim am Rhein

Last night we went into Rüdesheim to check their Christmas market out and to look for the cuckoo clock I've always wanted. We finally found it on display in this little shop that was all lit up like the Griswold's home in the movie "Christmas Vacation". They said they had it in stock but then came back after 15 mintues and told me they did not have it anymore. :-( I was really bummed and needed some comfort so we went out to eat, of course. There's nothing like big German meal with loads of pork, beef, chicken and potatos to comfort a soul.

Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg

The other day Brian's mom suggested we go to a small Christmas market in Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg. This town is located in a deep canyon between castles and cliffs. The town is famous for its sulfur springs which is evident by these huge moss covered walls located throughout the town. Water from the springs gets pumped up these walls and it slowly trickles back down. During the warm weather, people gather around these walls to breath in the sulfuric fumes for medical purposes. This is what I was told. I thought sulfur was poisonous but what do I know. Nonetheless, it's quite a beautiful town.

FRANKFURT WEINACHTSMARKTS

Yesterday we traveled into Frankfurt am Main. There has been a Christmas market in this city for over 600 years. It is said to be one of Germany's oldest and most popular markets. This was evident on the day we went by the large number of people. Although very crowded, we were still able to shop, eat, drink, and have a good time. Gluwein always makes things fun and makes us more interesting (per Paul). LOL!

SPARKLY EYES

Tyler: "You've got Sparkly Eyes."

Luis: "Thanks!"

TROUBLE AT THE POLE?

Last night we went to the Bingen Christmas Market to drink some Glühwein and eat some food and ran into a very naughty and desperate Santa. Santa was trying to pick up our friend Samantha and was giving her all sorts of gifts from his sac. He was even so bold as to ask her out after the market closed. CREEPY. Things must not be going good at all with Santa and Mrs. Claus back at the North Pole.

PICTURES AROUND KOBLENZ

Here are some pictures of our trip to Koblenz where we spent the whole day doing some shopping. We even got Brian to go into a church without burning up!

ISABELLE SMOKES A CIG

Isabelle took a smoke break from all the sightseeing. Okay, we're going to hell. Isabelle was actually sleeping with her mouth open so we took the oportunity to stick a cigarette in her mouth. (Isabelle was not harmed in the shooting of this picture .)

EARLY MORNING FOG IN BINGEN

CHRISTMAS IN GERMANY

After a long 9 hour trip, we have finally made it to Germany. No major incidents to report other than the Lufthansa lady at O'Hare throwin' some attitude at Brian when she said, "I don't care!", to his face. LOL Anyway, our friends Joe and Samantha are visiting as well and we plan to start hitting some of the Christkindlmarkts tomorrow. Today, we are just going to chill in front of Mrs. G's Christmas pyramid, eat some sweets, and plan out our day for tomorrow. Tschuss.

RENEE COOKS DINNER

Here's what Boogers, Klunky, and Jules were really thinking just before eating Renee's home cooked meal. Rreah anyone? (Source: Didymopping)

ST. NICHOLAS DAY

What a surprise this morning. I went downstairs and saw my shoes full of candy and gifts. Looks like St. Nicholas stopped by and left me some treats! At least I didn't get twigs in my shoes this year. You see, on the eve of December 6th, St. Nicholas goes from house to house carrying a book of sins in which all of the misdeeds of children (or adults in my case) are written. If they have been good, St. Nic fills their shoes with sweet treats. If they've been bad, he leaves nothing but a bunch of twigs in their shoes. See... being good all year really pays off! Vielen dank Sankt Nic fur die sussigkeiten!!!

KATHY GRIFFIN DOES LARRY KING

The lady just cracks me up! I was fortunate to see her live a few weeks ago in Skokie. Here's a clip of her on Larry King Live which aired last night.

Stupid Spoiled Whore

I know what I'm getting a certain someone from Island Lake for Christmas!!!

EARLIEST HEAVY SNOW IN 28 YEARS

Looks like the weatherman was right for a change. Above our pictures looking out my back window. As you can see, the snowstorm hit northeast Illinois pretty hard. It was like I was in grade school all over again. I woke up early and turned the news on to see how bad it really was outside. I was hoping it was bad enough to work from home and it was! It was like a snow day, but with work at home! This storm brought some of the heaviest early snow here in 28 years with up to 15" in the northwest suburbs. [Article]

WINTER STORM WARNING

Looks like the big storm out west is heading our way which would make this the first winter storm of the season for the Chicago metro area. Forecasters are saying up to a foot of snow could blanket some parts of the area by this time tomorrow. I don't know about you but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a possible snow day tomorrow!

ICEBERG OFF NEW ZEALAND = TROUBLE AHEAD?

An iceberg has been spotted off the coast of New Zealand for the first time since June of 1931. Global warming perhaps? In any case, this rare spectacle has already drawn many tourists via helicopter to the big chunk of ice. Although cool to look at, it could be a sign of bad things ahead. A report today says global warming is already killing many species. [Iceberg Article, Global Warming Article]