How did it get to be the middle of December already?  These last few weeks have been incredibly busy — settling into my new place (love!), getting to know my new neighborhood (love!), celebrating Thanksgiving with 2 Americans, 1 Argentinian, 1 Georgian and 11 Germans (delicious!), and kicking some butt in the very serious business of getting this dissertation written.

It just really dawned on me today that I’m flying to Seattle on Monday for two weeks with the family over the holidays.  Although I’m dragging work with me, I’m looking forward to some coffee drinking, running along the waterfront, and a bit of relaxation too.

Although I’m leaving Germany behind a bit early this year, I’ve kept up on my Glühwein drinking duties, and I still have at least two Christmas markets to visit before I fly out on Monday!

• Markets visited: 4 in Bremen, 4 in Hamburg
• Bags of Schmalzkuchen: 2
• Mugs of Glühwein: 3
• Mugs (inadvertantly) collected: 1

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