Despite the rain, we bundled up, walked the 40 minutes to Hauptstaße, and then hiked up the steep cobblestone hill {Brad pushing G in her stroller, bless his heart} to Schloss Heidelberg (aka Heidelberg Castle) today. Miss G wasn’t at her best and it undoubtedly would have been more fun on a day that it wasn’t pouring rain, but my goodness – was it ever fascinating to roam around a castle as old as this one, soaking in little bits of the history.
Here’s a peek at Miss G’s first ever castle visit…
Because pretty much everything is shut down from Christmas Eve through Boxing Day here in Heidelberg, today was our first real day out and exploring with Grandma Charlotte. We took her down to the main pedestrian / shopping area in the city, went out for a delicious lunch, explored side streets, shops, and playgrounds, and walked along the river. Grae napped in her stroller, so we were pretty much out and about all day and then finished off the evening with a stop at the park across the street from our flat and a game of Hungry Hippos. ☺
What a lovely Christmas Eve we had today… We woke up to the most gorgeous sunrise, and after having some breakfast, enjoyed some low-key time around the apartment. We read books, played with play dough and unifix cubes, and Gracen danced her way around the apartment in her favourite ever dress {from Over the Loom}. When we were ready, we set off to the playground across the street and stayed there for most of the morning until we were chilly enough to warrant bringing hot mugs of tea over to sip on. There were walks and naps in between, and then we all sat down together to make the dinner Miss G had requested – turkey and rice soup. Afterwards, it was back outside in search of pretty lights and a playground to play at. We arrived home with rosy cheeks, and Miss G opened 2 little wrapped packages, just as she always does on Christmas Eve – one containing a pair of cozy jammies and the other containing a holiday book to add to her collection {this year, How Many Sleeps Till Christmas by Mark Sperring}. After she was snug in her bed for the night, Brad and I put on Love Actually, poured some wine, and wrapped up some gifts to place under our house plant turned Christmas tree {hey, you do what you gotta do, right? ☺}
This morning we met up with good friends and toured around the city together. It was a day filled with cafes, restaurants, walking, glüwein, and Christmas markets, and though it wasn’t the most munchkin-friendly day, Miss G managed to hang in there until falling asleep in her stroller about 3 minutes after leaving dinner. With Brad staying at a local pub for football night, I was going to make the 35 minute walk back to our apartment as quickly as possible for bedtime, but instead, I bundled my sleeping babe up tightly and leisurely made my way through the glowing shops and market stands, enjoying them one last time before they disappear tomorrow morning. When we eventually arrived at our apartment, I lugged my sleeping girl upstairs, set her into her bed, and listened to her sleepy murmurs as I removed her boots and jacket in the dark. I covered her up with her duvet, and she was out for the night. It was a good day.
