We're in Germany... time to Hanover the fun!

Hi, this is Lindsay. Haley and I have been in Germany since the 13th and we love it here! We have been visiting our friend Stefan, he lived as an exchange student with my family in Silverton a few years ago. Stefan and his family live in a small village called Hänigsen which is about 25 minutes away from the city of Hanover. The village is soooo cute. All the houses here are brick, but nothing like I've seen in the states, they have more of a cottage feel here.

All around the village the roads are lined with trees and beautiful fields of yellow flowers. Its spring so everything is green and alive.

I've really enjoyed seeing what Stefans life is like here. Our first night we had a traditional German bbq with his dad, mom and girlfriend(Klaus, Irenne and Laura). Right away we felt welcomed and at home here. Friday Stefan took us to Celle. Celle is a small historical town with cobblestone streets and a bavarian feel. The buildings are brick of course, with ornate wood carvings and paintings worked into the brick. "Cute" was the word for the day! Stefan was shocked at how many times we were able to work cute into our sentences. But really, everything from the outdoor cafes to the people riding bikes was cute. After walking around the city and visiting a castle, we stopped and had lunch at an outdoor cafe where we learned a bit more about German food. Haley and I have had a nickname for Stefan since last summer...that name is Schnitzel. The whole time we thought schnitzel was a sausage but in fact it is a piece of pork with a bread crumb crust, similar to chicken fried steak. I guess calling him schnitzel isn't the cutest of nicknames, oh well, maybe we can change it up for something cuter like strudel.

That night we met up with some of Stefan's friends and went out dancing. We went to a club in Hanover and literally danced the night away. The clubs don't close till 7 a.m. so by the time we were leaving the sky was already starting to get light. After getting some sleep we went back into Hanover and spent Saturday afternoon shopping around and exploring the city a bit.

There is a lot more new architecture in Hanover than some of the other cities we've visited so far. During the war a lot of the city was destroyed and then rebuilt so we've seen a variety of new and old here. Haley and I have an ongoing saying of "when in ...(insert country), do as they do" so when in Germany we must ride bikes.

Everywhere we go, we see bikes with baskets on the front and back to carry stuff. Sunday morning we rode around the village and countryside thinking "this is soooo cute". That afternoon we got to see Stefan and his brother, Benny, play in a soccer match. It was so cool getting so see a real European futbol game. On Sundays, the whole family gets together for dinner and this week we were lucky to be a part of it. Irene is a great cook, and as always, the meal was excellent. The evening was full of laughter, which we have learned, has no language barrier.