Frohe Weihnachten!

Shortly after I returned to Leipzig from Marienberg, I scooped my American friend Tracy up and we headed to Magdeburg to spend Christmas with my sister-from-a-German-mister Annika and her mom (Mutti or Mutsch.) We split a Sachsen (Saxony) train ticket with our friend Gregor and two other travelers, which allows up to 5 riders to use the same ticket when traveling in Saxony or some parts of Saxon-Anhalt. Can't beat six euros for a trip that normally costs around twenty.

Some mistakes in communication caused us to arrive at Annika's apartment while she was out. In fact, she'd come to the train station to pick us up but we didn't anticipate that so we took the tram straight to her house. Tracy and I, being as awesome as we are, made the best of the situation and had a hobo party in the hallway, complete with xmas tunes from my computer, warm beer, pretzels, a tetra-pak of Glühwein and a random wandering kitty cat.

Hobo party! *note wandering cat.

When finally got ahold of Annika, we lured her home with promises of hobo snacks in the hallway (well not really but it would've been cooler if we did.) Anyway, Annika came home and we went back out into the cold to explore the Magdeburger Weihnachtsmarkt.

Weihnachtsmarkt

Doing the robot?

The next day was Christmas Eve. Annika, Tracy and I really wanted to go to a service in the Magdeburger Dom, (Cathedral) so we trekked downtown in the slush and snow. The building of the Dom began in the eleventh century; it is massive and built mainly of concrete. Naturally, it's not heated. So there the three of us sat, bundled in winter gear watching little ones do a modern retelling of the story of Christmas with mic's that worked about a quarter of the time and attempting to sing the completely unfamiliar carols while no one else in the building made any effort to do so, making this possibly the only Christmas service I have ever not enjoyed. However, chalk it up to experience.

Later in the day we took a train to Wanzleben where Annika's mom lives. Christmas Eve is traditionally when German people exchange and open gifts. Lucky me! From Tracy I got a homemade lebkuchen (gingerbread) heart with my favorite German saying piped on in icing! Also she made me an amazing comic on her computer of the two of us. Echt geil. From Annika I got a journal inscribed with quotes from F.Scott Fitzgerald, a tiny airplane Christmas tree ornament, and the movie FRIENDSHIP!, which I am currently kind of obsessed with. 

Total Hammer Geil.

Yule Log!

COol dOg

24.  As in, December 24th. Christmas Eve, duh.

Christmas Day proved lovely as well. Annika and Mutsch prepared a yummy lunch for us of duck (no comment.) wobbly jellyish potato thingies and red cabbage. Yum to all and especially the red cabbage! We mostly just lounged around on Christmas Day, watching weird random things on TV or listening to 'Nsync sing Christmas songs.

Lecker.

Lara dog snuggles.

We headed back to Magdeburg from Wanzleben that afternoon, thoroughly disappointing Annika because we couldn't go to the Christmas night party she'd been planning to take us to. Sorry Anni! But alas, I had a plane to catch the next day and needed to pack and get ready in Leipzig first.

Christmas on the train.

Getting home from the 'Burg proved no small feat. Tracy and I boarded the train we were meant to get home to Leipzig on, sat for ten or fifteen minutes, and were finally informed that that particular train wasn't going anywhere. Good thing someone decided to let us know. So we got on the one we were told was going to Leipzig, and were promptly ushered off. About two minutes later we were told we could get back on. Trains. Le sigh. But eventually, after what felt like the longest train ride in the universe, we were back in Leipzig and heading home. Or so we thought. Merry Christmas to us, the streetcars weren't running! Which means, the ersatz busses were. Which means, in a nutshell, there was no transportation. I ended up walking home in ankle deep snow with a thirty pound bag slung over my shoulder. Lovely. However, I was granted one small concession- my phone/mp3 thingie, though nearly fresh out of battery, lasted the entire walk and I got to listen to The Tallest Man On Earth the whole time. Score! 

Early the next morning I was up and ready to head to London to meet my friend Chris. Problem- the Leipzig streetcars still weren't. More on that to come.