Ode to Joy from Germany

Our cosmopolitan German friends, who love following activities in the USA, don't have a Thanksgiving Day as we do, but they send greetings anyway in this very interesting note.

Hello Stan and Kathleen, 

Hearty greetings to Thanksgiving Day! Hopefully you will get enough electricity to cook a nice meal. (Just kidding...). Nature is powerful.

Watching our news now we know how that huge amounts of snow are developing. It's because of the water/humidity coming off the areas of the Great Lakes. 

Since 1871 in Germany the air temperature will be recorded. This year happens to be the warmest one since that date. This means less snow in the Alpes, not nice for skiing/snowboarding. (In Austria and Switzerland). The people there use artificial man-made snow to prepare the ski piste. Global warming maybe?! 

How are the children doing? Preparing for Chrismas? We are watching the political affairs...Russia is only 2 hours away. 

25 years ago the wall had been torn down, there has been a nice, great party on this event. A miles long row of white lighted balloons has been fixed on the line, where the former border between East and West Berlin was. At midnight that day the balloons have been released and have flown to the skies...that has been a beautiful view. The same time Beethovens Europe hymn Ode an die Freude ( Ode to the Joy") "Freude schöner Götterfunken..."had been played by a classic orchestra at the Brandenburg Gate. Very touching, the song text had been written by Schiller.

We wish you a happy Advent season. The first Advent day is tomorrow. Time to drink tea today in the afternoon as we have grey sky. It's around 0 celcius, 32 Fahrenheit here in Hanover. We will take a look at your blog today.

Love, Ingeborg and Thomas