Germany has absolutely stollen a piece of my heart. Our hearts, really. The adventures we've faced, countries we've explored, the experiences we've had...this place has become such a defining chapter in our book of life together. As our 3 years living abroad has started to come to a close, I knew I wanted to do something special to commemorate living in Wiesbaden, our beautiful adoptive home away from home. That's when I contacted Ashley of Ashley Ludaescher Photography (also a dear blog friend of mine) and asked if she'd be willing to hop a train from Berlin to Wiesbaden and spend the day photographing D and I around town. She happily jumped at the opportunity and made the 5 hour train journey south one lovely November morning! To say that we had the BEST FALL DAY EVER would be a total understatement. Germany is known to have some pretty finicky weather, but the day Ashley came to photograph us, the sun was shining, the air was warm (55°F in November?!), and the leaves were still clinging to the trees in the most beautiful shades of orange, red, and yellow I'd ever seen. It's as if Germany was smiling upon us, knowing how much this fall shoot meant to both D and I.
After eating lunch at one of our favorite Italian restaurants downtown, we made our way to all the best parts of Wiesbaden to snap some photo memories. We stopped at the Marktkirche in the Marktplatz (the backdrop for every major festival & Christmas market we attended), the larger-than-life cuckoo clock that chimes twice an hour, and the Wiesbaden Staatstheater (Opera House) where we marveled at its architecture our first venture downtown. We walked the tree-lined street of Wilhelmstrasse that we stroll down often and still wonder why they prune the trees to look so haunting. We also snapped a few shots at the Warmer Damm Park where we've fed the ducks on Sundays and the famed Wiesbaden Kurhaus where we've attended squadron holiday parties. But as the sun hung low and dripped golden rays all over Wiesbaden signaling the end of the day, we stopped at our favorite park, the Kurpark, to capture the beauty of our favorite spot to picnic in. Each landmark we visited that day holds some special moment D and I shared together...just the two of us in a foreign land. I want to lock them in my mind forever. Not because I think I'll forget...it's hard to forget such an adventure as this...but to one day have something to show our children. To tell them about the amazing adventure mommy and daddy went on when they were young, carefree, and had the whole world at their fingertips. I know once D and I make the inevitable move back to the states next summer, we will look back at these photos with such happy memories of the time we spent here in Germany. As you scroll through the photos, be on the lookout for each of these special places!
Truth be told, I had such a hard time narrowing down to sharing these select few photos. Every single image gave me goosebumps! Not only was Ashley an absolute sweetheart to work with, but she captured us and our amazing host city so perfectly. D and I gained a forever friend that day, and some amazing photos to boot! Thank you so very much, Ashley, for spending time with us in Wiesbaden, for making us feel so special & comfortable during the shoot, and for sharing in the joy of our most favorite city in Germany. If you live in Germany and want some spectacular, jaw-dropping photos taken...call Ashley. She's one in a million!
OH! Of course, we used a few of these photos in our Christmas card this year (how could we not!?). See if you can guess which 3 images made the cut (and if you've already gotten the card in the mail...shhhh! No cheating! :)) Enjoy!
Photos by Ashley Ludaescher Photography
