December 2018
The Secor’s came to Europe for Christmas and it was our best family holiday yet! The German Christmas markets are magical. We went to a different one every night.
Our first adventure was to Ludwigsburg, where we went on the palace tour. It was quite magnificent and it was during this time that I decided to stay in Germany another year. I like living in a country with this sort of splendor and I am very happy with my teaching job.
After the tour, we went to the main city square to check out the Christmas market. Gluhwein is one of the best parts of the Christmas markets. It is a warm sweet wine like drink, and you can keep the chalice if you so choose. I now have an impressive mug collection.
Mom and Chelsea had the guts to go up on the Farris Wheel. Dad and I stayed grounded.
Living in the home city of Mercedes and Porsche, Stuttgart, we decided to check out their museums.
A rich history of racing
From Porsche to Mercedes.
Mercedes was the name of one of the original engineers daughters.
To simplify travel logistics and have time to send things home, we had our Christmas gift exchange at my house in Germany because we would be in Switzerland for Christmas day. FYI, you can always get me socks.
After giving each other gifts, we went to the Stuttgart Christmas market.
The following night, we went to the Esslingen Christmas market. This is certainly the best one! It is all medieval themed and a lot of fun.
I heard some commotion off in the distance, and asked one of the workers, “What is going on over there?” He relied, “Oh, kids games, like throwing axes.”
Mom was by far the best axe thrower. She was also the best on the trebuchet, and I am sure she would have been an excellent dragon slayer given the chance.
I am a terrible horn blower. At best, I managed what sounded like a weak fart. Chelsea is pretty good.
From Stuttgart, we took a train to Heidelberg. It has one of the best castles in Germany.
Wishing we could have our own Big Barrel party/
And she use to tell us not to play with our food.
After a great time in Germany, we went to Switzerland. First stop Lucern.
They sell ice cream in the summer and socks in the winter.
We went to the top of the mountain and almost got blown away, not by the view.
We went to a museum and they were giving out chocolate bars with a 5 franc coin. You could take them, on the condition that you gave it to a stranger. The man sponsoring this thought Swiss people needed to be more outgoing and it was intended to spark conversation. You will find out who I gave mine to later.
We went to a fondue place that also lent you a fake fur coat and had some fun with them.
The real OG.
From Lucern we went to Grindelwald, Switzerland. We saved the best for last and had a wonderful white Christmas.
Chelsea has a thing for eggs.
Ice sculptures inside of the mountain.
Figuring out your next meal can be exhausting.
Christmas day carriage ride.
Had a lovely Christmas dinner, and got a visit from St. Nicholas and Black Peter.
We went to a little Swiss Church for Christmas service. We did not understand anything they said, but we really enjoyed the local school performance of “Hotel Bethlehem.”
Fantastic day skiing.
Chelsea was a bit tired, so she took the gondola to town and I skied down. Taking a long winding trail through the Swiss Alps to town was a life highlight. Until the trail ended, and I was not in town. I was skiing through peoples yards and even had to cross a small creak. I got totally lost and ended up in the wrong town. Fortunately, I was able to catch a bus back to Grindelwald and continue skiing the rest of the day at another peak that was even better.
We went out in Switzerland and instantly made German friends. It was this girls birthday. We celebrated with Chelsea’s egg.
Here you see Chelsea’s two favorite things to do in a picture: 1. Have an egg 2. Pretend to be sleeping.
We had a lot of fun together, then it was time for the family to go home. I still had a few days left of my Swiss pass, so I went down to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn and do some skiing. Zermatt is an amazing little town nestled in the Swiss Alps. You can only get there by train and there are no cars in the city, only little electric trollies for hotels to pick you up from the train station.
This was the best skiing I have done yet. You can ski in Switzerland and Italy.
This is the person who got my free chocolate bar and 5 francs from the museum. He is a nomad from Nepal who wonders the world and is exceptionally kind. He taught me a lot about the Dalai Lama and mindfulness.
One last look at the Matterhorn in my new adventure hat.