Saturday, December 4, 2010

A Fulbright Family Thanksgiving

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, friends and lots of turkey! While I was sad to not be in the States with my family, our little Fulbright family gathered in Cologne to celebrate the holiday together. Marie, Tara, Meredith, Emily, Ben and I formed our little group during Fulbright orientation in September and have kept in touch despite being scattered across Germany. We gathered together at Marie's cozy little apartment and shared a wonderful meal. Marie and Meredith did a wonderful job with the turkey while Emily and Tara made DELICIOUS corn bread (not an easy feat in Germany) that we enjoyed for days after. As if one Thanksgiving was not enough, we ate a second meal on Saturday sponsored by the Fulbright Commission. There are definitely some perks to being a Fulbrighter!
Of course, we didn't spend the whole time eating. We also made time to visit many of the wonderful Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) that Cologne has to offer. From the beautiful star market at Heumarkt to the adorable Gnome market with the flaming punch, our little Fulbright family shared a wonderful weekend of friendship and togetherness, seasoned with laughter.
The feast
Marie and Meredith with the full spread.
carving the bird


Tara, Meredith, Marie, me and Emily at our first Weihnachtsmarkt of the day.




Marie and Emily enjoying Glühwein.

The creepy figures at the Cologne fairytale themed market.

Glühwein


Feuerzangenbowle is a the punch on the left that is topped by a flaming, liquor-doused pieces of sugar. It turns into a liquid as it burns and makes an already delicious holiday drink even more amazing!


Marie, Ben and Tim at the Fulbright Thanksgiving.



Marie and I took a day trip to visit Düsseldorf´s Weihnachtsmarkt. 

The Düsseldorf Weihnachtsmarkt were incredibly crowded!



Ended with weekend with a Kölsch, the beer of Cologne.

Happy Holidays!