Today’s plan was simply to spend the day in Heidelberg’s lovely Old Town. We strolled, we looked at statues and cuckoo clocks, we visited toy shops and bookstores, and we stocked up on delicious treats from my very favourite store in the city – Lebe Gesund {seriously lovely and they ship worldwide!} Grae also got her first ever Shopkins and Trash Packs {thanks to older Kuwait friends teaching her all about them} and though I really don’t ‘get’ them {old, boring mom alert}, she’s pleased as punch. We finished off the day with a dinner of watermelon dessert pizza, so all is good in the world. ☺
Since it’s Sunday today and most everything is closed on Sundays in Heidelberg, we decided to make today a bit of a playground tour day – a day filled with walking, exploring, playing, and visiting a few of our favourite playgrounds in the neighbourhood we stayed in during our first Christmas here.
After dropping off our bags at our lovely little flat, filling our fridge with groceries, having some lunch, and a taking a family nap, we headed out to explore our home for the next week… Heidelberg. There’s no doubt that we absolutely love it here. We were here for Christmas 2013, we came back last Christmas, and this time around we figured we’d break up our long trip home to Canada’s west coast and spend some time seeing the city in the summertime. Grae spent most of our walk pushing her face into flowers and soaking in their smell, filling her pockets with rocks and leaves, watching bees work, and collecting clover. She’s just so thrilled to be surrounded by nature. It’s going to be a good week.
And Miss G could not be more thrilled about it. Why? According to her, the very best thing about snow is ‘always having a snack nearby’. Hah! Seriously. And not only does she eat it as we walk along the streets, but she regularly brings cups of it inside to eat with a spoon too.
On Sundays in Heidelberg, most everything is closed. And while that can be slightly annoying when you’re in need of milk or in the mood to browse, I sort of love it at the same time. Growing up, I lived in a teeny tiny town in northern Alberta where everything was closed on Sundays… It meant that on that day each week, our day was spent together as a family. Those days were slower than the others and I loved it.
Today was one of those days. A cold Sunday where we didn’t do much of anything other than force ourselves out of the flat for an hour to play at a nearby school. And it was lovely.
Today, well into our morning routine of sitting at the table together sipping on hot drinks before the sun rises, we realized something…
Our balcony was covered in a blanket of snow! It was so dark outside we hadn’t noticed even though we’d been sitting right in front of it for nearly 30 minutes, but the moment we did, we threw on our coats and boots {in between shrieks of ‘It’s snowing, Papa! It’s snowing!’, of course} and headed outside to play. It was heavy and sticky – the perfect snow for building things with, which made it that much better.
Today, after what was a fairly usual {holiday} day of exploring, visiting with friends, and playground fun, Miss G got the very best Christmas present of all… SNOW. Something she’s been patiently waiting for for nearly two years now {my poor little Canadian girl} and definitely a wish come true!
Our flat was filled with friends {who are also visiting Heidelberg} for brunch, Grae and I did some midday ice play, the sun came out just in time for a long walk and visit to one of our favourite playgrounds, and we came across huge piles of leaves on our way home {a treat for a desert-dwelling kiddo!} Upon our return, we found chocolate and a handmade card on our doorstep and finished off our day with a movie night {the original Rudolph} and Miss G’s Christmas Eve presents {Christmas jammies and books, as always}. Here is our day in photos…
While we spent some time at the Christmas market both yesterday and the day before, we really only visited one of many small markets around Heidelberg, and since today is the last day they’re open, we set out to visit a few of the other {further away} ones today. Getting all the way down to the furthest one definitely took a little bit of strategic planning since it’s nearly 3 kilometres from our flat and we chose to leave our stroller at home this trip, but Miss G’s been doing exceptionally well. Besides being carried or piggybacked by Brad for short bouts here or there, she’s walked everywhere we’ve gone with quite minimal complaints. The key? Lots of little pitstops on the way, plenty of {distracting} chat while walking, and setting out exciting destinations along the way as goals {the toy store, the carousel, the castle, etc.}
Whew…What a day! After getting a fabulous night of sleep last night, we spent the majority of today out and about enjoying Heidelberg and soaking in crisp outdoor air – something we certainly don’t get enough of in Kuwait. A welcomed change.
Ahhhhh… Heidelberg. We love it here. After a fairly terrible night of sleep {the party upstairs turned out to be quite the rager and Miss G was up at 4 a.m. after an exceptionally late bedtime last night}, we bundled up and walked to the grocery store to load up on essentials. After everything had been washed and put away, we had some brunch and put our grumpypants girl down for a much needed nap, despite the fact that she hasn’t had one in months and months and months. Luckily for us, she fell asleep and stayed asleep for a couple of hours – woohoo! After the post-nap fog had worn off, she helped me take a couple of photos for a special New Year’s Eve post I’m doing for CBC Parents, then we bundled up and went exploring Heidelberg’s Old Town. We wandered the streets, browsed the shops, visited the Christmas market {where Grae rode the carousel}, and then had dinner out at a restaurant we really enjoyed last year. It was a day filled with walking, crisp air, bright lights, and Christmas cheer – the perfect combination for our first day of holidays as a family.
Woohoo! Christmas vacation is officially here and I couldn’t be more excited. After much debate, we decided to spend this year’s holidays in Heidelberg, Germany once again {and I’m so glad we did}. While it’s always nice to see new places, Heidelberg is pretty much perfect for us when it comes to Christmas vacation spots. Besides being beautiful and very Christmassy this time of year, it’s also quite an affordable European vacation destination. The weather is cold {just the way we like Christmas to be} but not too cold, the city is friendly and walkable, and rental flats are readily available. There’s an outdoor skating rink and several small Christmas markets, and you can walk around the city sipping on a warm glühwein day or night. Need I say more?
We spent most of our day today in transit, and let me say – Miss G is a total trooper. Not only did she let both Brad and I sleep on the plane for a little bit {while watching part of Frozen, albeit, but hey – sometimes you’ve got to take what you can get}, but she also sat sardined in between bags on a very tightly packed train, transferred to train number two without an issue, and then walked for at least a half hour or so in the rain to our flat {well past her bedtime} while commenting on how walking was really good exercise for your body. We arrived to our lovely little flat, checked it out, and then promptly put our girl to bed for the night. We did run into the upstairs neighbours who {very kindly} let us know that they’re having a party tonight, but with any luck, we’ll all get a good sleep and be ready to explore Heidelberg tomorrow morning. Here’s hoping!
Ugh…. As the end of our vacation nears, I’m trying not to think about the fact that we’ll soon have to say goodbye to this gorgeous city. We’ve without a doubt been living in a vacation bubble, and I’ve been loving it.
Today, after coffees and pastries, we crossed another big to-do off of our list – skating on the outdoor rink at the base of the castle! Sadly, Miss G wasn’t all that thrilled with the actual skating part of it, though she did love her little penguin friend. We finished off the day with an afternoon walk and a visit to the park and came home with that amazing feeling only a day outside in the cool fresh air can give you.
Vacation means low-key days, right? Because today I think we did a fantastic job of actually vacationing. Besides a late breakfast and an early dinner out, we basically played Lego, walked around the neighbourhood, and visited parks. Here are a few snippets of our day…
Morning park visit with Grandma. So thankful to have an awesome park right across the street from our flat.
