Kerstdag II

By 11:30 Christmas Eve, a sea of crumpled wrapping paper and an empty bottle of wine were all that were left of our quiet evening at home.

The big question this year was who could get Sage the best toy. Last year turned into a brutal conflict when I got Sage a really cool dead plastic chicken that squeaked when you tugged it. Beth got her some sissy-queer little pink and purple elephant. Well, I don't know what came over my tough little hunting dog, but Sage went for the elephant.

This year, I got her a softer (and alive) version of the same chicken theme, although you can still see the target on its chest. Beth opted for another cutesy holiday toy with this stretchy Santa Clause.

And the winner is…..

0-2, no more chickens please.

We stumbled on this naked recreation area on our annual Christmas day hike. We decided to explore it a bit because we figured that since it was cold and overcast outside no one would be "recreating" in the nude today. I don’t know what we expected to find in such a place…volleyball, tennis, dodgeball…but we were a little disappointed to learn that naked recreators do the same thing that non-naked recreators do….walk paths, sunbath, and swim. Somehow, it has lost its allure.

Relaxing on a bench in the naked field.

We also explored the village of Weesp just outside Amsterdam. Lot's of canals and decorated beautifully for the holidays. Worth a stop!


We hope that you and your families have a great holiday season! We’re off to visit friends in sunny Spain for the new year. No updates till we get back in early January.

Cheers!

Mecca

I tagged along with Beth on her trip down to Mecca (Waldorf, Germany) last week. The Christmas markets were in full swing and even though we were both fighting the remnants of our first winter colds, we had a great time out and about on the towns.


The old city gate and bridge of Heidelberg.


Heidelberg Castle, shrouded in mist and brooding over the city. The mountains and forests in the background provided some great hiking for me while Beth spent the day at the office down in Waldorf.


The castle ruins, up close and personal. This complex was destroyed during the 30 Years War with France.


Christmas market on one of the many squares. The Hot Mulled Wine and Bratwurst were excellent!



Viable city streets. Even in Germany, which seems to value the automobile almost as much as America, they've managed to keep their downtowns intact.



View of Heidelberg from the castle. You can see the mass of shoppers snaking through the city by the old church. It was a great holiday atmosphere.



I had to snap a photo in the local downtown Heidelberg dog park (on the Neckar River). This was a typically spazmotic young German Shorthaired Pointer and would have given Sage a serious run for her money.




Impressed by the city walls of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. This 13th century city was incredibly intact. We were amazed that they still let you walk the ramparts. I can imagine that it is completely overrun by tourists in the summer time, but with the mediocre weather and mid-week visit we practically had the place to ourselves. It was decorated beautifully for Christmas.




Fairy Tale entry gate to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.



Walking around this walled city was surreal. It felt like we were inside a fake, Disney World diorama.



We also hit lesser known Dinkelsbuhl about 20 minutes south of Rothenburg and almost liked it better. Outside the wall, looking in, it felt authentically medevial with grazing goats and small garden plots.




But inside the walls were the most brilliantly painted half-timbered houses. What amazed me the most was the breadth of the streets. It felt so "un-Dutch". They had gone to all the trouble of erecting a wall around the city (back in the 14th century), you would think that real estate inside the wall would be at a premium. To have a street that can easily accommodate modern day traffic and parking was pretty amazing and not at all typical of what we've seen in the old cities of other countries. Why did they need all that space on the roads back then?

Going up!

Our neighbors across the street are building up their third floor, so this massive crane moved onto the street last week to help get materials up to the roof. You see these cranes frequently around Haarlem for all kinds of building projects. A lot of the time they are used to lift materials right over top of the houses and down into the back yard.

We’re going to have to order one next spring for when we redevelop our back garden. We’re putting in a new flagstone patio, a built in BBQ and fire-pit, and a couple of new trees.

The operator of this crane was top-notch. He manipulated the hydraulic arm like it was an extension of his body. Pretty cool to watch!