Ibis Karlsruhe City

... now cold, windy and rainy...I am sorry for my friends who are now working.

Here starts the Brazil trip!

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... contributions for royalty. And, one wing is dedicated to an apothecary museum, including several the labs, equipment, shop set-up and all. Plus, it was written in English. I'm learning more German by the day, but I really appreciate the signs in English!

The Hauptstrasse delivered as promised a multitude of shops to peruse, the prerequisite döner/kebap joint, and fantastic people watching. My Aunt Jenny ...

... the city, its adorable beer taverns, and its gorgeous architecture. But I didn't love it, and I can't quite figure out why. Perhaps I was expecting more, due to the fact that every Germany guidebook touts it as a perfect German fairytale city. But it's also a college town and an industrial town, and the legendary "nightlife" I heard so much about wrapped up at about 10pm. But nonetheless, it's a stunning ...

... Perhaps we have a low castle-bar.

We didn't have reservations at a hostel, so the tourist office in Bad Wimpfen set us up in a cute little German couple's pension in the Old Town. It's nice to walk around and see the town, but did I mention it's FREEZING here? In fact, the typical pattern we're encountering is: sunny and dry while driving, the minute Denise & Matt exit the car, cue rain, sleet, and/or light snow. Get back in car. Repeat. Our smart car was FROZEN SHUT ...

... and sausages for dinner!

It was funny actually: my first night here Sebastian and I were trying to figure out what to eat and I saw that he had one box of Kraft Dinner from when he lived in Canada.... I couldn't resist! So we had KD with ketchup for dinner! haha Lisa I'm sure you will appreciate my craving haha.

Tomorrow I am off to visit my cousin and his family in Berlin!

Cheers!
- Missing my eh girls
xox

... info we could handle for Heidelberg.

The first day we were too tired to do anything. There is only so many days in a row we could keep going, we needed a day to relax. We did walk back and forth a few times to the grocery store though. It's good we saved some energy for the next day. We started with a 2+ hour hike through the woods/mountains near Juliet's. We hiked into town and ended at the Heidelberg ...

... sample the therapeutic waters..well Lauren did, she fell in the public fountain..alittle too enthusiastically reaching for a twig.

Then back to the caravan for pasta in a pan and of course Black Forest Gateaux...Frankfurt 5 star Hotel for Stu's birthday is on the cards next..hurrah!

One observation, Germans tend to decorate the gardens of their static caravans with gnomes and model deers, while the Italians opt for a yappy dog on a piece of string.

... the parking lot next to the free site…we were on a bit of a slope so not the best night’s sleep but it did the job. A bit of a surprise the next morning as we stepped out and found the parking lot completely full and a lot of people staring, but I guess we better get used to that :) Today we will drive to Freiburg and then head west through the Black Forest; we hope to make it to Lake Constance by early evening to find a campsite by the lake.

... for a Jackpot, making a total of 50 euros, winner takes all. During the explaination and practice rounds I was winning, however this changed as the real game started. Claudia and I stayed until 2am and about five people were still in and playing strong. Check the photos.

... as "utensils". It was surely a sight to see. But wow, that was honestly the BEST chicken I've ever had in my entire life. No wonder that place has been in business for 30 years with such a menu. Yum-may. We drove back to Julian's cool apartment and started watching some soccer (what else would do we do on this trip?). He called Martin (all the rest of "zee Germans" were out of town :( ) so he came over and they challenged us to a game of beer pong. I guess they learned ...