Travelog for: Nicki Bear

We were invited to visit Petra's cousin and family in Durlach-Aue. Lunch was very good and then we had a little walk around their house.

Today I'm very excited. It is Silvester / New Year's evening today. We prepared everything for dinner and then we sat together in the livingroom. We had raclette, one of the favorite dinners for Silvester in this house. Happily we all were together and had time to talk and eat a lot potatoes and cheese.

We met a cow, that is changing colours from red to blue.

Then we sat there on the table in the livingroom. Petra built us a high place on the table, because that was the only chance for us to see the text on the tv  screen . We all sang some karaoke and had a lot of fun.

One and a half hour before midnight we went back in the livingroom again and played 'Mitternachtsparty' (midnight party). It is a nice game with Hugo the little ghost, who wants to catch all women and men of the game

Then the big firework started and the new year began. First we went outside to watch the firework - although you only see Sylphide, I had been in this photo too -  and then, when we came into the house again, we hugged each other to wish a happy new year and we had a little drink / sparkling mineral water with juice.

The children of my family were in Karlsruhe today to go ice scating. So the adults decided to go there to and maybe let us try ice scating, but unhappily the battery of the camera stopped working, when we were there. I asked them to buy new batteries and they did so, but nevertheless they didn't want to go back to the scating area. And I was very sad, that I had no chance to get a photo with me in the Celtic shop in Karlruhe too.
But they showed me the front of the palace of Karlsruhe and some other views out of the car.

Karlsruhe is only about 20 minutes from Bruchsal. When you drive there you have to drive through the flat Rhine valley. On the way home to Bruchsal, you see the small hills of the Kraichgau. Bruchsal is a small city, that is located partly in the Rhine valley and in the Kraichgau.

At home again Ralf bought some bread, while Petra took two photos with us.
The red house is the new part of the old people's house. It was opened for moving in in 2007.

On the next photo you see on the left side the old part of the old people's house of Bruchsal. The house with the tower is the private grammar school St.Paulusheim.

6th January is Epiphany or Three Kings Day - that's what my family calls it, of course in German. Their children walk with the starsingers on two days around this day and this year it was the 5th and 6th January, that they walked.
At first they dress up as the three kings and the star carrier and some little followers, who carry the bags. The children collect money for poor children all over the world and they receive a lot of sweets too. The adults prepare lunch for them and bring something to drink and eat to them, while they are walking from house to house. They also empty the bag, because these are getting really heavy. I saw some and have been very astonished, especially when we came back to the parish hall and I saw all these full bags, that the kids received at the end of the two days.
All toyvoyagers had been allowed to be with the children, while they sorted out their sweets in the livingroom. They all had a lot of fun. I believe, that this amount of sweets will last until next Christmas - like every year as my mom said.

It rang at the door! What's going on? We heard, that a new toyvoyager will come to us soon. It this the new one???
We had to sit on the table in the livingroom until my mom fetched us and showed us a little package. We helped to unwrap it and do you know, who came out of it? It was Hoppity from the USA! Hoppity is a very cute bunny and we all fell in love with her at once.

Today Hoppity felt much better and so my mom decided to walk to the baroque church St.Peter, which is next to the cemetery of Bruchsal.
You have a nice view from there.

After we left the cemetery, we walked to the backside of the house Sancta Maria, which was led by Sisters of the order of Franciscans. It is a catholic school for child care workers.

Today Petra wanted to walk somewhere and Ralf drove to the Letzenberg, where is a nice chapel.
The Letzenberg is a place of pilgrimage since 1296 A.D. It is told, that already then there stood a chapel. 1722 A.D. prince-bishop Damian Hugo Philipp, Graf (Count) of Schönborn collected for a chapel, but without success.
In the year 1903 A.D. the chapel was built and consecrated.

When we were there, we had some wonderful views over Malsch and the vineyards, too.
On our way home we watched a wonderful sunset.

At home again we showed the Christmas tree and crib to our new guests. Our hosts told us, that sometimes they have the Christmas tree up until 2nd February.
The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (also known as Candlemas or Feast of the Purification of the Virgin) celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Presentation is a feast celebrated on 2 February and is the fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary.

Today it was time to say goodbye to my family and friends. I decided to go to Ollie Marmot's mom and stay with her for a while. He wants to stay with my family for a while, but unhappily we missed each other.