We have arrived

We along with most of the United States were caught up in the wonderfully cold, snowy weather as we traveled around Christmas time by air to get here to Germany. Due to the weather and flight delays, instead of arriving on Monday as planned, we arrived on Tuesday instead. So, one less day in Germany, but at least we arrived! Though the trip was long, the kids endured it like the seasoned traveling veterans that they are. Now, they can say they are "international" traveling veterans I guess. Here's a link to a map of where we stayed for most of our time in Germany! It's the church home where Earl & Delma have been staying since October in Nordenstadt. After a nice meal at Laura's folks' temporary home, we then did a little sightseeing and immersed ourselves a bit into their culture. The first stop was the beautiful Russian Orthodox Church of Wiesbaden built on a hill overlooking the city. The church was built between 1848 and 1855 as tomb and chapel for Elizabeth Michailovna, Duchess of Nassau and Grand Duchess of Russia, niece of the Russian Tsars Alexander I and Nicholas I. At the age of 18, Elizabeth Michalivona married Adolf, Duke of Nassau, in St. Petersburg. After a 3 week journey, the couple arrived in Wiesbaden on March 26, 1844 where they were enthusiastically received by the people of Wiesbaden. They resided in the Castle of Biebrich on the Rhine, where, on January 28, 1845, hardly a year after the wedding, Duchess Elizabeth died in childbirth, together with her newborn child. As her mortal remains could only be buried in a tomb that was consecrated according to the Orthodox rite, it was impossible to find a place suitable for the funeral of this Russian Grand Duchess. So, the idea of building a special chapel was suggested. The cost of such a prestigious building was covered by her dowry, the Tsar's present for his niece. According to the pious wish of Duke Adolf of Nassau and the will of Tsar Nicholas I, a sum of about one million roubles of the dowry was to be used for the construction of the church. After 7 years of construction the church was solemnly consecrated on May 25, 1855. On the following night the coffins of the Grand Duchess and her daughter were transported in a torchlight procession in which many of the people of Wiesbaden participated. The inside of the church is small, but beautiful. Very vertical. I don't believe they heat it, as there were electric heaters near the choir area. The church is not only a monument, but is the home of a Russian Orthodox congregation. I bought a few candle and lit them in memory of my recent departed relatives. As you can see from the pictures, the outside is stunning with gold covering the cupolas. Lots of intricate detail adorning the roof as well.
The second stop was a Christmas Market in nearby Rudesheim (about 40 minutes / 57 Km southwest) where we bought some nice traditional colorful winter stocking caps from some of the vendors there. There were lots of great items for sale there including many food & drink vendors. We were all still a bit jetlagged (we were trying to stay up until nighttime to get acclimated to the timezone), so we weren't that interested in sampling all the wonderful cuisine. We did enjoy looking at all the unique items for sale by the vendors, many handmade. The market itself, as you can kind of see from the pictures, is located in small interconnected streets (like alleys) between businesses. We saw lots of people out visiting with neighbors and friends. It seems to be a social event for the residents there.