Upstate New York

Zev and I are in beautiful upstate NY this week!

We drove up from our new home in Virginia on Friday. New York is beautiful in the summer. On Saturday night we cooked out at the house of Zev´s brother and sister-in-law, Deven and Lauren, with their 3 kids.

There may be one or two rednecks in this family. (Just kidding).

There was an antique show in the next town which we visited on Saturday. Here is Judy, Zev´s mum looking at some things.

We have enjoyed being out in the country, catching up with Zev´s family and friends.

We also visited Zev´s grandma, who is 96 years old!

Tonight we headed to a baseball game! Wish I knew the rules of the game...

Schloss Lichtenstein with Ulla and Manfred

Today was a fun way to spend a Monday; ie: not at work or at university. We totally just chilled out with Ulla and Manfred, who treated us to a full, fun day of fun and exploring something new.

Ulla and Manfred picked us up from outside the front gate of our base and drove us about an hour south to Schloss Lichtenstein. I have lost count of the number of castles we have visited during our time here in Germany. For a girl who loves castles, today´s excursion was a perfect way to end our time in lovely Deutschland. Don´t you just love the drawbridge?

I told Zev that he could call me Princess Fifi if he wanted to.

Do you see the little dwarves holding up the stool?

We did a castle tour and then had lunch in a traditional German restaurant overlooking the castle. Zev had the Paniertes Schnitzel with Spätzle and a side salad and I had the "Reh" (venison) with "Pfifferlinge" (chanterelle mushrooms) and a side salad.

Although the sun shone sproadically, the wind really picked up at the top of the mountain. It was still a fun day trip nonetheless.

I can see Ulla and Manfred visiting us in the US. I can´t wait to explore our new location in Virginia, which apparently has lots of great historical battlefields!

Now we need to get started packing! Hope your week is going well.

God bless, The Yorks

xoxoxo

Awesome farewell party

Last night, our dear friends Gena and Hans hosted an awesome farewell party for us at their home. The theme was Italian and Gena went all out to ensure that the colors, food and wine fit in perfectly with her Italian theme. We loved their "Auf Wiedersehen" sign!

Gena prepared Chicken Parmisan, Meatballs, Italian Sausages and Caprese Salad. We had awesome Hors D´Oeuvres which were brought in by Zev´s work colleagues and yummy deserts including homemade Tiramisu. 

The best part was spending time with our dear friends and colleagues that we have made in our 3 years here.

My German teacher, Ulla and her husband, Manfred also came along.

Such sweet memories!

So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, goodbye...

We have officially moved out of our lovely home in Esslingen and are now staying in a military hotel until we leave this beautiful country! This week I have been catching up and farewelling my German friends (telling them "Auf Wiedersehen" means "see you again" sometime) but there have still been some tears. I feel so blessed for the wonderful friendships we have forged here!

Look at that precious face above. This picture was taken on Monday as Zev waited for the Army movers to come and pick up their rental furniture. Which smelled. Pretty bad actually. Like teenage boys´ wet socks. We burnt some candles to try and mask the smell. Still very grateful for the free rental furniture though. Thanks, Army!

Last week, Zev´s colleagues hosted a farewell drinks night at the club on base. Zev´s boss gave a very nice speech and recognized Zev´s extraordinary efforts working logisitcs for the African continent these past 3 years. I am so proud of my man...

The lady in the middle is moving into our house! I am so excited for her! She will love the house, the neighborhood and above all, our neighbors!

Sweet Gena and I.

After the Army movers came and took the last of the furniture, we went up to our old "local" for old times sake and enjoyed the "usual" order: Teller Schnitzel!!! The owner actually gave us a double portion as you can see by the plate in the middle, as we were leaving. I couldn´t eat the second schnitzel so it is in our little hotel fridge for Zev to have later.

Hope you are having a lovely week! Zev and I are going bowling at the bowling lane on base for our date night tonight!

Auf Wiedersehen, Goodnight...