Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Heidelberg, part two

The next morning we had some excitement.  Will lost his first tooth!



It happened in the breakfast room at our hotel, and the very nice German family having breakfast at the next table even applauded for Will.  He was very excited.

After breakfast we headed up to Heidelberg Castle.

It was beautiful!
 
 I thought this would be a great setting for a Christmassy photo with the kids.  Unfortunately, my husband stood 200 feet away and doesn't know how to use the zoom.


 But I got a good one of the kids.  I just had to remind them that Santa Claus is more likely to bring presents to kids who cooperate with their picture-happy mothers.  I'm going to miss that when Christmas is over!


 The castle was beautiful but the view -- breathtaking!

My newly gap-toothed boy:

Kate and Daddy: 

Here's Will plotting to throw snowballs at people below.  I didn't let him.


Aww, c'mon, Mom.  Please! Look how big my snowball is!!

Heidelberg is also home to the world's biggest wine vat.  I think it holds 228,000 liters.  Or something like that.  


Will was really impressed.

After the castle, we headed back to the Christmas market to do some ice skating.  

Will's first time on skates!

He did great!

Or at least Will went skating.  Kate spent that time posing with all the cute polar bears surrounding the rink. 




See the castle in the background?

We decided to leave Heidelberg early because we'd heard a huge storm was on the way and we didn't want to get stuck.  Good thing we did!  It took nearly five hours to get home and the drive was terrifying:  heavy snow on unplowed roads.  But we made it...


Heidelberg -- Christmas Market

This past weekend we went to Heidelberg to see the Christmas market, which we'd heard was wonderful.  It was!  It was our first trip to the city too, and we loved it.  Such a beautiful place and less than three hours from home.

The Christmas Market was fabulous.  Lots of cute, Christmassy things to buy, good German food (sausages, potato pancakes with apple sauce), hot chocolate and gluhwein (mulled wine).



It was snowing gently, which just added to the Christmassy atmosphere.  Not that I could get a decent picture of the kids.  So uncooperative.


 There were even some rides for the kids.  Again, no good pictures.  I think there's something wrong with my camera.  All the photos look like this:


Couldn't be the photographer I'm sure.  Maybe Santa will bring me a new camera for Christmas?

For some reason, there were even donkeys to pet and feed -- for the small price of 1.50 Euros.  Kate wanted to do it but then she wasn't so sure.



He looked like a gentle donkey to me.  But maybe from Kate's perspective...
 ...he was a little scarier.

She eventually gave him the carrot, no fingers lost.

 Will was too busy dancing around on the spotlights surrounding the square's fountains.  Apparently, they were really slippery.  All the little boys were enthralled with this activity.


He was so busy dancing he barely even noticed I snapped his picture.  Ha!