Hey guys!
So yes, we made it to Germany for 4 days starting in Cologne and visiting Christmas markets galore. They were great, like being in Santa's workshop. Stalls and stalls of Christmas goodies and beautiful handcrafted decorations. Not to mention the food...oh the food...fat German sausages, roasted chestnuts, warm cherry waffles and hot mulled wine to keep you warm...mmmm. Lets just say, many a German sausage was had.
We then hired a car and started our road trip down south towards the Black Forest with the plan to take in the sights of the Rhineland Palatinate on the way to where we were staying...shame about us thinking we were heading south for an hour or so only to realise we were in fact heading NORTH! Not happy. It was a bit of a 'Chevy Chase' road trip, fuelled by Paul having to negotiate driving on the wrong side of the road, not planning at all how we would get to our destination with a budget map given as a freebie by the hire car company and trying to read German road signs! So anyway, we didn't start heading in the right direction until 3.00pm and it got dark at about 4....planned 5 hour sightseeing trip = 4 hours in darkness. But luckily the days to follow made up for it. What we though was going to be a basic budget hotel we had booked in the Black Forest, turned out to be a beautiful Gingerbread looking hotel nestled in one of the valleys. The forest itself was amazing and it snowed the first night covering everything in white. It is also the origin of the creepy cuckoo clock...and they are everywhere! I'm sure they are not creepy if they are little and on their own, but walls and walls of the things ticking and moving and cuckooing...I have to think of a happy place....
Yes we did have real authentic Black Forest cake and also apple strudel. Was fun trying to communicate with people...you'd think we would have picked up a bit of the old Deutsch having learnt it at school for 4 years or so...the only thing Paul could remember was how to ask someone if they have a rabbit. Thank goodness for that.
So we are back to reality now....Paul's back at work in Oxford St and I'm starting a new job on Monday. In North West London in a secure forensic unit. There is a lovely buzz in the air with Christmas just around the corner. It is not too cold, quite mild. Although there have been some crazy spouts of weather, inlcluding a tornado in West London which I had the priviledge of being in....but other than that, it is ok.
Hope you are all well and don't worry, we are giving the poms heaps about the cricket!
xx
Christmas Geetings to you all from London & St Albans! We hope you all have a wonderful and joyous Christmas, experiencing the great love and freedom we have through Jesus Christ.
P.S. This random Santa just went past our house singing carols??!
