Holly Jolly

A few days before Christmas my wondeful flatmate Astrid was kind enough to bring me to her family's hometown of Marienberg near the Czech border. While there we were treated to lovely eats at her brother-in-law's ice cream shop, fed delicious meals by her parents, and given the opportunity to explore a former silver mine. Marienberg was buried under tremendous amounts of snow, which only added to it's charm.

Marienberg town center.

In the mines.

Outside of the mine.

 Astrid's dad took us on a sightseeing tour of the little villages in the area, including Annaberg and Wolkerstein. I got to hang around with some really nice little rugrats (Astrid's nephews,) and the peace & quiet, and lack of internet connection, allowed me to write the English lesson plan for the 5th graders that I had to teach today.

Annaberg Weihnactsmarkt. Nussknacker.

Waffle mit sahne. (Creme.)

From the car window...

Stockpile.

Zwillinge.

Over the course of the trip I was introduced to Astrid's mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law and 3 adorable nephews. We had a yummy breakfast together on Christmas Eve Eve. The whole family were totally welcoming and sweet to me. The previous night Astrid, her sister and I worked together to make a traditional German Christmas star out of paper, and they gave it to me!

The whole trip was great and reminded me again (as if I needed reminding) how fantastic German people are. They are so kind, generous, caring and genuine. It's going to be heartbreaking to have to leave.