31st Dec - Tour Day 4

Today, is dedicated to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, with a stunning medieval old town, fort walls, and lots to take photos of, beginning with the outside of our pension. Pierre's expedition turned up this old mill paddle...

While the kids found a small farmyard stocked with chickens, and soon were crowing in chorus with them

Packing in front of the pension

Once there was a conversation that went something like this...

She: Nose turned up... "this is your house?!"

Him: Proud, "Yup, built it myself!"

She: "Well, its too small for me!... I'm only going to marry a man who has a... (thinking of an improbably high number)... 5 storey house..."

He: Despondent "...will you marry me when I have a 5 storey house?"

She: with an air of superiority.... "if you ever own a 5 storey house, not only will I marry you but I'll do anything you want me to!" spins on her heels and walks off - nose in the air.

He smiles wryly...

A crafty, very happy man lives in this house.

Actually, it is a castle... (Toppler castle) no, I'm not kidding, it was built for Mayor Heinrich Toppler in 1388, was his summer home and conference centre...

This river runs just outside the pension

Children screaming on three...

A good ENT could diagnose Michael over the web from this photo

Meandering toward the town, we stopped to look at a church and came by this odd bridge on the way. (You need to click for the large version)

It's almost like they built the first one, stood back, indulged in a collective "hmmm..." chins clasped in hands and tentative looks on faces...

"Hans..."

"Ja, Claus..."

"The bridge is not high enough, and slopes off at a weird angle...",

"I know..."

"Think the boss will notice?"

"He's sure to when his chariot falls off the end of the road where there should be a bridge..."

"Think we should start over...?"

"Naaa, too much work, lets just build another one on top that slopes the other way..."

"Think the boss will notice...?"

 

RODT from the bridge

This was the church we wanted to see...

"Show us your tits!" Ja, Ja, I know it's in front of a church, but we got the licence in one of these right? (No frail hearts were attacked during the showing of these tits) 

Now, parked outside the walls and approaching the town

A tower gate entrance into the town - there are a few of these

RODT is where we discovered that touring with 8 people becomes a trick - the boys want to go faster and to different places than the girls, and so, what begins as a 10 second delay, or minor detour by one party, can result in a 30 minute separation. Good thing for the radios, else there'd have been more strife than there was.

There is an old amphitheater just below the wall

Imagine watching Shakespeare here... maybe in the summer so that one's bottom isn't frozen during the performance  by the loose snow on the seats...

The walls have long sections with ramparts - this bit is overlooking the aforementioned amphitheater

A view through a hole in the wall

 

Walking around the front of the walled city - Pierre investigating...

 

An ancient old wooden bridge, presumably over what was once a moat.

 

This is the gate to be seen on the right of the picture above

Inside the town, everything is like a time warp, it seems it was like this hundreds of years ago

Pierre and I explored the inner side of the wall, before we had to make haste to meet the girls

Everything was still very Christmasy, all the decorations were still up, lots to look at, esp for the kids.

Rothenburg has a fascinating German Christmas museum. If you can imagine a thing like this. A Christmas specialty store with a zillion decorations of all kinds, displays, huge revolving trees, nutcrackers and everything Christmasy... no photos allowed though :(

Michael and Mandy sitting on the museums' old bus - a ride in this must be second only to the sleigh!

The other thing worth doing in the town, apart from the fortifications etc is climbing the tower in the town hall for a stunning view of the town below.

The town hall and councilors' tavern

The climb up the tower is really worth the effort, just not for the claustrophobic, there are a few very small spaces to get through, the top aint that roomy either if there are more than 10 people outside.

Us at the top grinning into the sun

One of the dozens of attempts to capture a view from up here... there are more on the web album if you feel the need

The stone spiral staircase that gets you most of the way to the top - "I tawt I taw a pickle paw..."

Little red looking up the spiral

Pierre and I always travel with talent...

Obligatory pose on the steps of the town hall between the two huge Christmas trees

By the time we were done with the tower, there was a unanamous call for luncheon which we duly answered, choosing one of the establishments on the square...

A festive place, where we were able to relax for a bit before trudging onward ;)

"... So you see, the Cosmological Constant may turn out not to be Einstein's "Greatest error"..."

After lunch, the mighty mice on their first daring deed - pushing up an about-to-fall wall / door thingy...

The little people

One of those wonderful medieval, "somebody done somebody wrong..." devices

Well, its getting late in the day now, and we're nearly done with this lovely place. Here we exited at The Röder gateway into the castle gardens - didn't look like much in the middle of winter, but it must be very different in summer.

From the gardens looking back at the fortified town (Make this one bigger too)

A view of the town from the gardens

RODT is where we joined the Romantic Road in Germany - a few hundred kilometers of Medieval towns and trade route, picturesque scenery, lots to see and do. I think this is one of those things we will have to do again in some more leisure and detail in the summer months.

It's new-years eve tonight and we're in Augsberg. In the Czech Republic fireworks are taken very seriously by almost everyone, and there are stores that stock some really mean-looking firework kits, with everything from little crackers to things that look like they could put a satellite into orbit. Certainly, items like this would have you arrested in ZA, but seem to be commonplace here. I had seen them, and seriously thought about getting a few packs to set off on New-Years, you know, some fun for the kids and the big kids. But I thought, naa, we'll be in Germany for New-Years eve, and the conservative krauts will probably be more like the South Africans and celebrate the eve without public fireworks at all.

How wrong can you be! Turns out we were the misfits because we were the only ones not shooting things into the air, or down the road, or at cars... I don't think any of us had seen anything like it. The whole city atmosphere was white with smoke so that it looked like a heavy fog, with literally thousands of fireworks going off. This all began quite a bit before midnight, till way, way after. Driving out of town the next day, we saw entire areas, like sidewalks, car-parks and open areas, literally covered in debris and burned out firework shells.

Somehow, the kids didn't even stir through the melee...

Happy new year! From the 3 of us in front of the camera, and Pierre behind it!

Click here for the previous day - 30th Dec

Click here for the next day - 1st Jan

Happy New Year!

To all the friends and family we are privilaged to know and to the thousands of our faithful readers all over the world, we wish you all a record year in 2008. May it be a grand one indeed!

Love from the Woods and Marais just about to depart from Augsberg and expore the romantic road in Germany...

30th Dec - Tour Day 3

Sunday dawns, and it's off to the slopes for 3/4 of the Marais. We have to get Amber to a hospital for her required check-up before we get further away, and Mandy will be coming along for the ride.

It snowed last night, so there are a good few inches of fresh powder all about. Before we can leave the hotel, the kids are already up to all kinds of stuff in the snow..

Mandy - air guitar version of "Hotel California"...

'Teeeenhun! The troops lined up for inspection

The kids are out spotting buck foot prints in the new snow.

We dropped Michael, Mish and Pierre at the slopes and set off. Michael is in the capable hands of Miro (Miroslav) for his lessons today.

Man... at this time of year, the skiing is great - if you can get to the lift!

Hayley, by a stroke of inspiration thought of going to a closer hospital rather than trekking all the way back to Plzen. Long story short, we stopped in one of the larger towns, found the nearest hospital thanks to TomTom, and again by the synchronicity that goes before us wherever we go, were able to get to see the required people, get the required stuff done and were set for the rest of the holiday.

In the CR, if you want to see a physician, you wait outside a closed door until it opens. Understand, there is no receptionist, there are NO receptionists ANYWHERE, in any institution. So, frequently one doesn't know if one is even in the correct place at all. The sister appears like the angel who stirs the healing waters, all aglow with authority, people, especially the ones who arrived since her last appearance, all rush up or call to her and tell her what they want / need etc, she issues directives, takes documentation, and then summarily disappears again behind the closed door. We have never found a sister who can speak a word of English, so we are typically at a loss where we start, not able to get past the angel at the door. In a moment of boldness, I asked a particularly studious looking gentleman, reading a book, on one of the chairs that line the corridor that is also the waiting room, in my best Czech "Prosim Vas... Mulvite Anglicky..?" when he answered "Yes" I knew we had hit the jackpot, he immediately sprang to our aid, relayed to the heavenly sister what we needed doing, and once she knew that she couldn't speak to us she somehow seemed to soften and accommodate. 1, 2, 3, we're in, see the man, do the photo, some more plaster on the cast, a little documentation and in a flash we're out of the hospital on our way to pick up the skiing Marais and set off for Rothenberg ob der Tauber.

Michael had been skiing for most of the day with mom and dad, apparently like a pro, doing the family blue slope on his own and really taking to the snow. Mandy, with us, had been the model citizen and had preferred to come to the hospital because skiing "Takes too long." A comment we've often had from our 2, not about skiing you understand, but just about anything else - "Sarah, put on your shoes!" (for the 5th time). "Dad I can't! - It takes too long...".

After a late lunch / supper at the restaurant on the slope we bundled into the van and began the drive to our guest house, a restored mill, in Rothenberg o.d.T.

Our diggs tonight are at Pension Fuchsmühle. This guest house is really first class, everything seems like it is new, spacious accommodation and nice services, stocked fridge downstairs, coffee machine etc.

Amber bathing in her bag

"Look ma... a broken hand!"

Bed time for little people, some of whom will be sleeping in a genuine camping cot for the first time in 5 years... The kids room only had 2 regular beds, the other two sleeping spots are in camp cots! At first there was rebellion, no one wanted to sleep like a baby, until the parents spun it into a cool thing to do. Then of course, you have the job of mopping up all the broken hearts and tears for those who can't sleep in the "cool" camp cots... you can never win.

Pierre (the legend) captivating babies with his stories of somewho's doing somehow some daring doo's... and kids enthralled. I think this was the case of the escaped hamsters.

Click here for the previous day - 29th Dec

Click here for the next day - 31st Dec

29th Dec - Tour Day 2

Let the skiing begin. After the usual 2 hour mobilisation phase of getting families out the door we got to the slope at about 10:30. With Michelle and Pierre itching to get some snow under their ski's, Hayley and I tried to get some of the basics taught to Michael and Mandy before their lesson began at 12:00.

Mandy, in the reverse snow-plough position - the first requirement for becoming a snow-inspector.

Michael is not interested in being taught basics, he wants to do the complex stuff off the bat, and do not attempt anything without poles! You gotta have the look even at the expense of learning. Within 5 minutes, he is telling me how he likes to ski (from his years of experience) and I'm taking notes.

Mandy is another story, she's in the kit, ski's on feet, either Hayley or I are kneeling in front of her talking about what we are about to do. Mandy is staring blissfully into the middle distance, dreaming of something... not within the vicinity of her senses and it takes touching her, or calling "Mandy... Mandeeeeee!" to get her to return to her body...

Nevertheless, the time passes quickly, Michcat and Pierre return, we have a quick lunch,

then its lesson time for Michael and Mandy, and off the 6 of us go to ski while the instructors get to deal with the budding professionals.

A stunning day is had by all and there is lots of good tiredness by the time we are forced to quit by the closing of the lifts.

Click here for the previous day - 28th Dec

Click here for the next day - 30th Dec

28th Dec - Tour Day 1

Today is the day we officially set off for the trip. By a team effort and some superior three-dimensional packing, Pierre and I manage to fit a few metric tonnes of clobber, 8 sets of skis, ski boots, toys, and a myriad of other odds and ends into a VW transporter. Man, we used every available inch of space in that bus...

The Volksie in front of Zelený Dům ("Green House" our affectionate name for our home):

Loaded to the brim off we set for a ski warm-up session at our now regular weekend ski haunt in Arber. It has a nice selection of runs, with some really good stuff for families. By the time we got to booking the accommodation for Arber, typically in the nearby town of Bayerisch Eisenstein, there was none to be had, peak season, holidays and all. So we had to sleep in Železná Ruda a town about 3 Kms from the border, so almost no inconvenience.

The drive to DE is filled with snowy scenes and there is happiness all around

If anyone knows what these wooden thingimys are around this field please let me know - we can only speculate about snow barriers and other unlikely stories.

Yes sir, she is chilly out there

Snow on the roads, heavy van, slow driving... not that the scenery had anything to do with it!

Only arriving in Železná Ruda after 3pm, we found our hotel, up on an hill with a driveway of ice and snow, in a van with 8 people and tons of luggage... well, it's a good thing we had winter tyres on or we'd have had to walk to the hotel. The first slow approach failed horribly, and after reversing down a slippery hill... The second running attempt at the hill got us up and parked.

This is the great Hotel Dix...

With all the snow about, the 4 kids were already eating, throwing, stomping, rolling and sleighing on a little slope in the garden of Hotel Dix having a great time.

Everyone in their new snow kit...

A frozen pond to walk on, complete with a fake frozen stork.

A winter-proof Mandy steams down the slope

The broken arm, not allowed to get the plaster wet cautiously approaches the scene

Cute kid!

As soon as we'd unpacked we headed off to the ski area to see if we could get passes and things for the next day, but got there only after they close at 4. Still, the kids had enough time to sleigh for about an hour before it was time to get back for supper.

Dinner was at another regular spot of ours in Bayerisch Eisenstein - Poeschl-Stuben. If you're in the area, you should stop over, big menu, friendly staff and frequently attended by owner Jurgen, who is a really helpful guy. He also owns one of the better local ski kit shops, a hotel, ski school and other businesses in the area.

Pierre capturing some night scenes of BE from just outside the restaurant.

The hotel was functional, skimpy on the heating at night though - if you go to Hotel Dix in CZ, just take warm jammies to sleep in - we had the kids sleep in their ski thermals and pyjamas to keep them warm enough.

 

Click here for the previous day - 27th Dec

Click here for the next day - 29th Dec

27th Dec - Warm-Up

Cold-proofing is the mission for today. All in the family bus, and off to the shops in search of portable warmth to keep smiles on faces through the skiing and other general cold that is to come. Olympia turned out to have all that we needed, and feeling all very proud of our achievements, we left for a visit to the large ice rink that is Bolevec lake.

Mishcat trying to remember how to skate.

I'm lovin' it!

Michelle, in Hayley's boots Pierre in mine, and Michael in Ambers'. There was a lot of skating going on, and for those on foot, there were the sleighs which work just as well on ice as they do on snow when they have a cart horse to do the work that gravity so effortlessly does on snow.

Mandy was the only item not to have a skate, but she more than made up for it on the sleighs!

"Ahem... Pardon me ma'am, do you realise that this changes my ability to throw the sleigh around...?"

"Yes, yes, just get on with it!"

 

Who has the bigger smile here?

 Swaer en clean sister

"My horse! I lost, my horse... anyone seen my horse - blast this traffic!"

Giddap!
Hayley styling as only Hayley can!

Just as we were skating, walking, sleighing to the bank to go home, Amber, getting up (on her skates) off the back of the red sleigh lost her balance and fell over backwards...

She fell hard and when we heard the noise following the fall, I just knew that there was something wrong. The short version is that, after some x-rays, the doctors confirmed that she had indeed broken her arm. Apparently a typical break for kids, and not one they are worried about healing, but on the eve of departing for a three week holiday, there are better things to be doing with your right hand than having it set in a cast.

Synchronicity has always graced us with fortune as we navigated the hospital by way of bi-lingual patients in the waiting room with us, and our Czech health insurance having been finalised, and come into effect literally 3 days before we needed to show the proof of it to the medical staff at the intern hospital in Plzen. The doctors are good and speak enough rough English to match our even rougher Czech, the equipment is fast, I have never seen an instant x-ray image, it shows up just as quickly as a digital photo.

Amber feels special with the cast on her arm and all the admiration from her contemporaries. Skiing and fun in the snow are going to be limited activities for her, but we will have to see how this pans out.

While Hayley and I are having Amber repaired, the rest of the family are getting fitted for ski kit at the local hire shop. Getting back home, Mishcat whips out her culinary skills and in no time the family is eating a dish I don't think has a name, but sure tastes good.

We have to come back to the doctors in 3 days time to have the arm checked out though...

This is how you turn doughnuts on ice...

Click here for the previous day - 26th Dec

Click here for the next day - 28th Dec

26th Dec - The Arrival

Christmas came around twice for some this year. Ours, after having had the authentic one on the appointed day, were spoiled to have the family Marais arrive on the 26th.

Amber and Sarah had trouble sleeping ahead of both days with the excitement levels way, way up.

From the typical South African summer to a 5 or 6 degree England to a -6 degree Prague, there was a little shivering to be had, but only as a background to the goodness of the day.

... and besides seeing old friends again, there was still the business at hand of more pressies, with Tom and Churchmouse having more attention in a day than they've had in their lives.

Much excitement

Mandy discovering a Barbie...

Michael unravels a helicopter

Happiness is a smiling Amber, and smiling cow in feathers

The ever-elegant Princess Bee (in feathers)

Click here for the next day - 27 Dec