Thursday, November 29, 2012

Heidelberg

Happy Thanksgiving!
Although these wishes come a little late, we still want to say them.  Being here in Europe (where they don't celebrate Thanksgiving for some reason) it's easy to let the holiday slide a little. That and the military gives Jon a four day weekend so we find ourselves taking advantage of that and traveling a little. (That and SOME people aren't huge fans of turkey...or mashed potatoes...or green bean casserole....)
 
So we decided to attempt a short trip now that we are a family of 5. Heidelberg is only a short drive away and it's Christmas market (Weinachtsmarkt) opened last weekend so we headed up there. What a beautiful city! We had been there (briefly) before, but it was fun to go back and stay a bit. 
 
Here is a view of the city from the castle, way up above. You can see one of the main attractions of Heidelberg, the auld bruecke (old bridge) spanning the river. We stayed in a great hotel just off the main Hauptstrasse, and it was a perfect jumping off point. That and the big girls each had their own room, which was a huge plus. They kept asking to go back to the hotel. :)


And here is the city from the auld bruecke, looking back at the castle. 

Love, love the Weinachtsmarkt! It's so festive and fun, despite the cold. The girls did great walking around, checking things out.
 
 

Attempt #53 to get them to look AT the camera.


Jon enjoying a Weinachtsmarkt necessity--gluhwein! (His was cherry flavored and mine was strawberry.) Hurrah for not being pregnant and being able to enjoy gluhwein! This picture was taken under the big pyramid that you can see in the second-to-last picture on this post.


More treats. And there's our newest mug to add to the collection, sitting between the girls.


Another highlight the big girls were looking forward to was ice skating.They were SO excited.


And if you know our children, you can guess that one really enjoyed herself and one really did NOT. However, Jon totally wins Dad Of The Year by working hard with the latter to help her learn to enjoy and by the end (when the tears and whining were finally replaced with smiles) she wanted to go again. Such a great way to remember ice skating--way to go Jon!! (He definitely earned more gluhwein after that escapade.)

Here is the gate that helped protect the city oh-so-long ago. It's on the auld bruecke and is just beautiful.

Miranda also enjoyed herself...though she may not have known it. She celebrated her 2 month birthday in Heidelberg and we tried to get a picture of her alone for her baby book...but she ended up looking more like a turtle. A super-sweet turtle, of course.


But she also got to face front in the Baby Bjorn for the first time, and seeing how it was after dark, she could not get enough of the lights.

 
 
Fairyland!
 
 
 
The quintessential picture of the Heidelberg Weinachtsmarkt--the pyramid at the base of the church (yes, the big church in the first picture in this posting.) Beautiful!


 
One last look at the lovely, old city. We had a great time and it's just whet Jen's appetite for more Weinachtsmarkts...:) Merry Christmas!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a great trip you had!!!! One more baby girl has not slowed you down one bit - you awesome parents! Love the pictures, the girls are so beautiful even the little turtle!!
Love,
A & J

Nana said...

What a great trip! I love the pics and the city is beautiful. What was that treat they were eating at the Christmas mart? Was it a waffle with whipped cream on top? Jon deserves a jewel in his crown for perseverance with teaching ice skating! Way to go, Jon Speaking of Jon, we're so looking forward to dinner with him tonight. We miss the rest of the fam, but love getting to spend some time with Jon!
Love

b.niel said...

Amazing pictures! Since when has Jon had glasses?

Irishdrums said...

Gorgeous photos!! That place looks amazing in the day and at night. Wishing we can get there someday! Thanks for sharing. Looks like a fun family trip!

Grandpa Tom said...

Hey, you guys are really getting into the Christmas markets. I've gotta see one (or several) of those sometime. I love the shot of the girls with skates, and Jon's determination.

--Tom