Weihnachtspause

I should have posted this earlier, but I'm taking a break from writing during the Christmas holidays. Both of my children are with us this year, and we've been out and about as much as possible. So far we've visited the Mittelaltermarkt und Weihnachtsmarkt in Esslingen, the Stuttgarter Weihnachtsmarkt, the Mercedes Museum (Stephanie and Martin's mother went instead to the Romonov exhibit at the Altes Schloß in Stuttgart), and Konstanz on the Bodensee, where we also crossed the border into Switzerland, and we explored the town of Horb. We've eaten well and made many home-cooked meals for Alex, which he says he doesn't often get at home, and we went out once to our favorite local restaurant.

Oh, and yesterday - since it was Sunday and everything is closed except for ski hills and restaurants - we took a drive into the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) so the kids could see how pretty it is:

on the Schwarzwaldhochstraße

Our destination was the Mummelsee, but apparently most of the population of Baden-Württemberg had the same idea. Seeing the shadowy hoards navigating the dense fog there, we just kept on going. We stopped at a ski lodge a few kilometers beyond, found it closed despite the "Heute geöffnet" sign out front, got back in the car, and drove home.

in Konstanz at the Münster

standing in Switzerland

Despite the dismal weather, they are still smiling, especially after watching a live stream of last night's Packer game.

I hope you had a merry Christmas and lots of quality time with the people you love. Have a good slide into the New Year!