just in time..

We arrived home just in time to see a magnificent sunset. It looked much better in real life!

Sunday drive to Obernai

Today we drove south to Obernai. It is south of Haguenau. The town is quiet old in parts and had a lovely atmosphere.

the Black Forest

After we drove to Baden Baden for afternoon tea. We had Black Forest cake and everyone enjoyed eating that.












The town had a playground. Alexandre got his first go on a swing.




















We drove to Germany for lunch. We went over the Black Forest and arrived at a town called Freudenstadt. There was a parade with witches, pigs, wolves etc, it was very interesting, it was called "Fastnet".

Here is some information about the parade...

Rottweil is at its most animated during the Carnival season, and its Fastnet celebrations – which are fifteenth-century in origin and very different from those in the Rhineland – are arguably Baden-Württemberg's top popular festival. The action begins on the evening of the Thursday before Carnival Sunday (variable date Feb/March) with the Schmotzige, in which groups perform satirical revues of the previous year's events. On the Sunday, the mayor hands over control of the town for the duration of the festival, and the afternoon features a procession in which children are given the most prominent roles. The high point comes at 8am sharp the following morning with the Narrensprung (Parade of Fools), which is repeated on Shrove Tuesday at both 8am and 2pm. This features a cast of colourfully dressed characters in wooden masks. Their names are untranslatable; among them are the friendly Gschell, who represents the promise of summer, the fiery Biss and the vampire-like Federahannes, who both appear to symbolize the winter months, and Fransenkleid, a haughty aristocratic woman.

Paris Part 2

We visited the Louvre shops and had a lovely walk in the garden.
The skies, buildings, shops, Eiffel Tower, markets were great to see again.
I miss Paris very much, but not the rude people, squishy metro with Saturday afternoon shoppers or 5 euro hot chocolates.

Paris for the weekend! Part 1

We went to Paris for the weekend by the TGV (fast train). It was suppose to be cheaper, but after throwing away a ticket and missing our train home, it turned out to be around the same price.

Alexandre and I visited some friends. Alexandre was so happy to be there, they had so many toys, he was in wonderland!

sunday drive to Wissembourg

These are pictures taken in a town north of Haguenau. We had a walk and a cafe stop. There are new rules about smoking indoors, so the air inside most places has improved.

Poor Snowman

The snow didn't last and either did the snowman. He melted away in the rain and now he's just a memory.