March Wrap-Up - Germany 2 , 90th birthday in Portugal & Signs

Tuesday 7th March - I walked to Brühl town centre, (about 30min walk) bought a gift for Karina's birthday, visited 3 of the Churches and walked back home in time for lunch.

Bruhl

Churches in Bruhl

After lunch, Karina's in-laws and I drove into Brühl to visit the Augustusburg Palace, one of Germany's first examples of Rococo architecture.

The 120 room palace was finished in 1768, and since 1949, has been used as a venue by the Federal Government and German President to welcome leaders from around the world.

The palace as well as the French style gardens have been on the World Heritage List since 1984.

When I visited Bruhl in July last year we just wandered around the gardens as the Palace was closed at the time we visited.

Dark clouds over Augustusburg Palace

The entry fee of 9,50 Euro includes a guided tour in German. They have audio guides in various languages and I asked for one in English and 2 in French for the in-laws.

As we entered we were awed by the most magnificent staircase, designed by Balthasar Neumann (1687-1753), one of the most important architects of German Baroque and Rococo, famous for his stairways in many German palaces and churches.

The magnificent staircase

The magnificent painted ceiling over the staircase

We were shown around to about a dozen rooms - all ostentatious, with painted ceilings, lots of gold, chandeliers, wallpapers, Italian tapestries, beautiful fireplaces...

The Summer dining room had a different feel and was really meant to be cooler with tiled floors, beautiful blue Italian tiles on the walls, a water fountain...

When we left the Palace it had started to snow and we walked to the nearby Twenty2 Concept Store (a Gluten free Cafe and Fashion store).

The choice of cakes and food is great, the hot chocolate was delicious...

It snowed the whole night and the next morning, when I woke up I looked out the window I was thrilled to see the back garden covered in snow. The last time I had seen snow in Germany was 32 years ago! 

Karina's back garden covered in snow

Panorama photo of the snow covered street (2 cars had left their spot)

It was Karina's birthday - Wednesday 8th - and she received a cute "birthday card" from a colleague.

While Karina worked from home I made lunch - Tuna and mashed potato bake.

After lunch, Karina returned to work, and Max, Karina's father in law drove me to the Max Ernst Museum in town, and we both visited it. The Museum exhibits works of the local born surrealist painter and sculptor Max Ernst.

The snow had melted by the end of the afternoon as the temperature had gone up.

That evening we drove to Cologne to celebrate Karina's birthday at Phaedra Restaurant.

The small restaurant had a nice atmosphere, the food was very tasty, the service was impeccable.

The birthday girl, me, Isabelle, Thomas (my son in law) Max (the in-laws)

Thursday 9th - after breakfast Karina's in-laws left to drive back to Marseille.

After lunch, Karina and I took the train to Cologne (about 20min) and visited the Ludwig Museum, just behind the Cathedral. 

Cologne Cathedral

The museum houses an impressive collection of modern art - Pop art, Abstract, Surrealism - works by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Picasso...

On the top floor of the Museum is an outdoor area where you can see the back of the Cathedral and views over part of Cologne.

The back of Cologne Cathedral seen from the Museum's terrrace

Panorama view from the Museum's terrace

From there we walked to the Chocolate Museum. 

Bottom right: Chocolate Museum right next to the Rhein

Who knew there was so much to say about chocolate? A most interesting museum, explaining the origins of chocolate from the cocoa tree to the in-house production line where you can see step by step how chocolate is made. 

Along the way you get to taste chocolate, and at the end of the visit, you can stop at the Lindt Chocolate shop and buy chocolates of all shapes, sizes and flavours. 

Imagine eating chocolate with sawdust or brick!! - Cocoa beans, products made with cocoa butter

The factory - chocolate fountain from where someone gives you biscuits dipped in chocolate - old machinery.

Lindt Chocolate shop, Old style shops, old chocolate vending machines, the Museum inside

Chocolate signs

The chocolate factory - layout of machinery with chocolate fountain at the end

Some of the chocolates I bought  (the tiny chocs bottom right are gifts at exit)

                 

Friday 10th - Karina, Thomas and I drove to Cologne/Bonn Airport for our 10.30Am flight to Lisbon.

While waiting in-line for the security check-in I spotted a bit of the Berlin wall.

        

There was still plenty of time for a hot chocolate and to read a bit before take-off.

A book Karina lent me, that I finished reading in Portugal

Almost landing in Lisbon with the 12.345 km (7.671 mi) long Vasco da Gama Bridge 

On arrival at Lisbon airport, while I purchased a Sim card for my mobile, Thomas waited for our suitcases, and Karina went to get the car they had booked.

Then we drove to Cascais where the family was waiting for us to have a late lunch.

At dinner time Jose's niece who lives in the Azores Island but is at University in Lisbon joined the family for dinner. 

We had a birthday cake too to celebrate 3 birthdays that had just happened - mine on the 2nd, my great-niece who turned 1 on the 5th and my daughter Karina's on the 8th.

Saturday 11th - My sister Isabel and I went to get our Dad's birthday cake and delivered it to the restaurant where we were having his 90th birthday lunch with about 45 people.

It was a beautiful celebration with good food, lots of laughter with the various speeches, Dad and one of my nieces sang a duet, lots of photos taken with all the families present... Of course I was the one coming from furthest away, but my niece from San Francisco just came for 5 days and my niece from Angola just came for 3 days and with a 3 and a 1 year old!!

The beautiful and unusual cake with photos of Dad

Speech time

Family photo - Back: 2 nieces, Karina, my brother in law, Thomas (son in law). Front: Me, sister Isabel, Mom and Dad and 2 great-grandchildren

Because the restaurant didn't have audio facilities, some of the guests came with us after lunch to my sister's house to see the Birthday video that my nieces had made with birthday wishes from many family members or friends who were unable to be present.

Here you see the youngest great-granddaughter who had just turned 1 on the 5th of March dancing to a song my Dad is singing in the video.

My Dad was a singer in his youth, and still sings today. 

Little K dancing to great-granddad song

This is an oil painting I did about 18 years ago, which was a favourite of mine, but I gave it to Karina who loves purple and it now hangs in her purple themed bedroom.

Also linking to Tom's Signs, please follow this link