From Paris, we were set to spend four nights at the Spangdahlem Air Base. The base is situated in Western Germany, just under an hour east of Luxembourg, and a few hours west of Frankfurt and south of Cologne. To get there, we had our train tickets booked, and I was looking forward to the ride. High speed trains are the absolute best way to travel. As we waited for our departure at Gare de l’Est station, we got a chuckle out of Tess’ new perceived name by the Starbucks barista.
As a lover of Dunkin’, I haven’t handed out many Starbucks compliments over the years. But, I will say (as I bite my tongue), I really appreciate Starbucks in Europe for a few main reasons: 1) I’m bladderly challenged and always know I can find a public bathroom (WC) there, and 2) Sometimes, I just want a lot of coffee in one cup, and that’s tough to find in Europe. So shout out to Starbucks I guess.
Jason and Caroline welcomed us at the train station in Wittlich, Germany, and we made the short drive to the base, where we received our official visitors passes. A brief history of the base, courtesy of Wikipedia.
After emerging as the victors in the Second World War, the Western Allies (France, US, UK) occupied western Germany under the terms of the Potsdam Agreement. With the creation of NATO in response to Cold War tensions in Europe, USAFE wanted its vulnerable fighter units in West Germany moved west of the Rhein River to provide greater air defense warning time. France agreed to air base sites within its zone of occupation in the Rheinland-Palatinate. Spangdahlem base was constructed between 1951 and 1953 at a cost of roughly $27,000,000 using French and German contractors, working under the supervision of a French government agency. The initial USAF military presence began on 1 September 1952.
It was great to stay in an actual home for a few nights during the trip, and Christmas flare was in full force with matching pajamas and stocking hats courtesy of Grandma Julie (Grandmommy) and Tillie.
And one of my favorite aspects of a visit to the Purdys is that there are always greyhounds laying around. One of my favorite breeds! I’ve always appreciated Jadee and Jason’s desire to rescue these former racers.
I had never really spent much time on a military base, so I was excited to get a glimpse in to military life. I had so many questions for Jason during our car rides, and he graciously answered all of them. I also felt a great sense of pride at the base, knowing how much our family members have both benefited and sacrificed in this line of work and life.
One morning, Jason took us on a tour, giving us a glimpse of his work life, the facilities, and even an up close and personal look at the aircraft he helps maintain. He aligned our tour so we could witness takeoff of a number of these amazing machines. So loud!
I took a moment to thank Jason’s parents, Mike and Debbie Purdy for their donation. They have been awesome donors over the years!
Following our tour, we visited the BX (basically a Wal-Mart) and the commissary (grocery store) on base. It felt like we were back in the States.
That evening we drove east to Bernkastel-Kues on the Moselle River to marvel at their famous Advent calendar in the market square. Each day from December 1-24, a window of this festively decorated half-timbered house opens and an Advent poem or story is recited. If you were asked to picture a quaint and festive German Christmas market, we were right in the middle of it.
I was excited to thank Brad and Mindy Carlson at the market as they have always raved about their experiences living abroad and visiting the markets during the holidays. Tillie and I visited them when they lived in Den Haag (The Hauge), Netherlands years back, and Brad and I studied in Wales together in college, so we’ve had some really fun international experiences with the Carlsons! Brad was my 2015 running trip partner, and we get to see each other often surrounding Iowa State football and basketball games.
Here’s another look at the Advent calendar. Upon showtime, the market filled with people, the window opened, a script was read, and an obscure Disney character was displayed as lucky #22. People cheered with Yuletide joy as they sipped their Glühwein (mulled wine). I opted for Jägermeister….
Also, look at this crooked building!
We finished the evening with dinner and a rave (light show directly outside). At dinner, I thanked my 2019 running trip partner and good friend Bret Zimmerman for his “drinking a German beer” donation. I opted for the König Ludwig Weissbier Hell, from Warsteiner. Doesn’t get more German than that. Speaking of German, well most European beer, prepare yourself for a few things: 1) Warmer beer, 2) A wild goose chase for hops.
And speaking of Zim, let me present to you his 2024 New Years card. I am of full belief that this greatness must be memorialized on the interwebs.
The next day we drove to Trier, Germany, another city on the banks of the Moselle River. Upon parking, the girls posed for their upcoming album cover shoot.
And after a delightful lunch filled with schnitzels and wursts, we wandered the town in the rain to soak in the holiday spirit some more. A personal highlight for me in Trier was being randomly stopped by an elderly woman and having a minute-long conversation with her in German. And by conversation, I mean she spoke to me for 95% of the time, and I contributed many “Oh ja, ja” head nods, and “Have you tried the Warsteiner’s König Ludwig Weissbier Hell?” Despite my German education in high school, Ich spreche sehr wenig Deutsch, meine Freunde.
From Trier, we drove to Luxembourg, one of the world’s smallest countries! First, some fun facts about Luxembourg.
- Highest minimum wage in the European Union. (I did the math – €16.06/hour or $17.45/hour)
- The world’s second richest economy with an average GDP per capita of ~$79,500. (Caveat – Many work in Luxembourg but commute from Belgium, France, or Germany. Nearly half actually.)
- One of the safest countries in the world. (There are three jails)
- The only country in the world whose official ruler is a grand duke or grand duchess. (Sounds a bit outdated)
- Motto – mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn – meaning, we want to remain what we are. (The Luxembourgers are an independent breed. Have to respect that.)
- 70 castles (Can never go wrong with these)
- National dish – Pork and beans. (You read that right)
- Slightly smaller than Rhode Island (Hmm, I need to visit Rhode Island again)
- Free public transportation but also a tax haven. (I’ll let you conspiracy theorists figure that one out)
- One of the leading exponents of international cooperation after World War II. (They’re friendly too)
We were on the hunt for a few different Christmas markets, but first, I took a moment to thank my Iowa State fraternity brother Jon Read. There comes a time on each running trip that I realize that I’ve made a horrible mistake – I’ve misspelled a name on a sign. That time is now in the 2023 edition. As a man with the middle name John, I am both terribly embarrassed but also willing to use this as an excuse for misspelling Jon’s name. We won’t have the debate here about whether or not the h is necessary in our shared name, but I own my mistake, and I apologize JON! It’s been too long man. Hope we can connect soon.
We hosted a quick Santa photo shoot with the kids, and then Jason pulled one of the riskiest moves of the trip – Taking all five kids, at the end of a long day, on a Ferris wheel by himself.
A view of Luxembourg.
The night ended with some festive ice skating. While in Paris, I promised ice skating for hours as we walked miles through the city. However, I failed miserably in delivering ice skating, which I heard about for quite some time afterwards. Jason led us to ice skating in Luxembourg and continued his ascent to hero of the story.
Good times had by all, but I’d be fine not hearing the song Last Christmas by Wham! for quite some time.
During our final full day in Germany, we drove north to Köln (Cologne). Let me answer the question you may be wondering – Eau de Cologne is a lighter fragrance blend of 2% – 4% perfume oils in alcohol and water, invented in the 18th century by Italian perfumer Giovanni Maria Farina for the royal courts of Europe. The word ‘cologne’ comes from the German city of Cologne, where Farnia was living at the time.
While I’m more of a duty free store and Bath & Body Works seasonal candle sale fragrance guy, I wanted to visit Cologne for one major reason – THE KöLNER DOM!
The Cologne Cathedral is the world’s third largest Gothic-style cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the country’s most popular landmark with 20,000 daily visitors. I read somewhere that it takes €30,000 a day to maintain the cathedral.
I’ve taken a lot of pictures in my life, and I struggled to photograph the cathedral because of its size. One really cool thing about Cologne is that the train station is next to the cathedral, so when you exit, Boom, giant cathedral.
Lunch in Cologne was at the rustic and cozy Brauhaus FRÜH am Dom that has been around since 1904. I needed to thank Brad and Mindy Carlson again with a picture “eating German food,” and I went all in with the delightful Schweinshaxe. Pig knuckle for those wondering.
We wandered up and down Cologne’s bustling shopping streets on the way to the Schokoladenmuseum, or The Chocolate Museum, or The Greatest Museum in the World for many. For many was right, so we grabbed some treats at the gift shop and made our way.
The next morning, prepared for a long train ride, we were off to London. With the multi-family, multi-country logistics, Jason took two waves of humans to the Wittlich train station. What we didn’t realize was that the indoor waiting area of the train station was closed on Sundays. And it was raining.
Being in the first wave with Tillie and three girls, we had some time to kill. Photo shoots in an empty train station are fun! Here we come London.
A Good Run 