This blogging thing takes something which is in short supply around our house – time. I’m seriously falling behind before I've even really made a good start on it. Anyway, I will make a major effort to recapture our European adventure - and it certainly is an adventure travelling with our three little girls….
We spent the first week of our trip in Heidelberg. We stayed in a fabulously luxe place on the opposite of the Neckar river from the Old Town. A comfortable place to get us over the jet-lag and a fabulous way to start our vacation (after a not so fabulous experience upon our arrival at the vacation rental we had reserved – but I digress unnecessarily as the place we ended up in was a hundred times better).
The view from our Hotel
The old town, churchtowers, the sounds of the churchbells - all of it so familiar. The food, the birdsong, chocolates in the stores and even the sound of police sirens. Those are the odd bits, deeply imprinted childhood memories, which give me a homey, somewhat bittersweet feeling, an ache for a cultural identity lost. So familiar yet also so foreign.
Heidelberg is a very photogenic city at any time of year. But in December, when the Christmas markets abound and the mulled wine flows freely, it is in its element. And the old town was covered in a sprinkling of snow in an icing-on-the-cake, storybook kind of way. Even a beginner photographer like me can have some fun in this place...
The first few days were filled with a big family get-together and many walks around the lovely old town.
A walk with grandma, Uncle D and big cousin C
I love this photo - kind of has a "Bourne Identity" feel..
We made two trips to the castle above the town.
One day we went beyond the castle to the top of the hill above the town in an original 100 year old funicular
Can you spot F?
Christmas markets for the girls meant sweets and carousels - ad nauseam ....
Someone fell asleep ... but luckily dad's arms are strong.
What a delight to have a weekend visit from my friend M and her two daughters. It says quite something about our friendship that, after eight years (!) without a visit, we spent most of the day hanging around the hotel room relaxing and gabbing the day away with baby P between us while the “big girls” were playing. And we never ran out of something to talk about.
And watching our daughters get to know each other, and seeing my girls, who are born and raised in Canada, communicating so easily with their new friends in German, was fabulous to see. Note to self: all of our language efforts worked!
Some new friends were made!
And did I mention how well baby P travelled? Despite a time change, unfamiliar surroundings and a snowball in the face (resulting from some overzealous little girls playing with their new friends - but we know it was an accident so we won't go into it further...) she stayed her usual amiable and mellow self.
And did I mention how well baby P travelled? Despite a time change, unfamiliar surroundings and a snowball in the face (resulting from some overzealous little girls playing with their new friends - but we know it was an accident so we won't go into it further...) she stayed her usual amiable and mellow self.
So long Heidelberg - see you again sometime ...
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