Germania!

I flew out of Frankfurt on my way home so I thought I would take a little side trip to visit my uncle and his family and do a little sightseeing on the way.  It snowed in Florence on the day I left (which is very unusual) so my train was a couple hours delayed but I finally made it to Stuttgart the next morning for Jenni to pick me up.  It was FREEZING!!!  I can never complain about the weather here in Florence again!
  After breakfast and a stop at their very happily nestled house, Jenni and the kids took me to a castle somewhat nearby: Burg Hohenzollern.  The kids started by playing in the snow.

After a pretty good little hike, we started getting glimpses of the castle.  The snow on the trees looks more like blossoms than ice.  The views of the country were amazing and the castle grounds were beautiful and covered with ice and snow.

 

I swear if you look really closely you can see the snow sparkling..

 We walked around the castle briefly before deciding that we were all pretty much frozen solid so we opted for the shuttle back down the hill and the warm car.  It was 4 F outside, probably the coldest weather I've ever been in (including Antarctica!!)

CHRISTMAS MARKET

The next day Stewart and Jenni took me to a Christmas market.  There were LOTS of people and lots of souvenirs, good food, great smells, medieval games, singing and stalls everywhere.  It was fun..and those Germans sure are tough - we only lasted an hour or so before our freezing hands and feet told us we had had enough.  It was fun to see though.

See the tight rope walking man?And the large pyramid at the market?

 
Although I don't think I'll ever visit Germany in the winter again, it was a great trip - very beautiful and clean and picturesque.