Some images of the fortress.

The vineyards on the way up to the fortress & the path leading through them.

Fortress Marienberg

The fortress over looking all of Wurzberg. The foundations were laid in 704 A.D. and was added to throughout the centuries all the way up to the 1700s. You can access the fortress by driving up to the back of it, or hiking up to the top on a path through the vineyards on the hill.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was so nice in Germany. We began by having champagne and followed that with a DELICIOUS dinner. In Germany they actually have all the celebrations (gifts etc) on Christmas Eve. The tree and all the gifts are hidden from the children until Christmas Eve so that everything is a surprise. The tree was amazing, it even had real candles on it!!

All the ladies at Christmas Eve dinner!

And the lovely tree with all the candles lit!

Winterhausen across the river from Sommerhausen

The vineyards were everywhere you looked! Bavaria (the region we were in) is very famous for it's wine and they literally grow grapes on any spare piece of hillside they can get their hands on!

Germany

Luckily for me, I had the opportunity to spend my Christmas in Wurzburg (Bavaria) this year. We stayed for five days with Robyn's friend Leonie and her family. The city was so beautiful and amazing and I definitely had an amazing time...but unfortunately no snow!

The first evening in town we were pretty exhausted, but of course not too tired to visit the Christmas market downtown! We wandered around in the markets and had a couple different kinds of mulled wine (delicious hot, spiced wine...usually red but we had a white as well).

The next day Leonie took us to Sommerhausen, which downtown area is still largely surrounded by the original medieval wall, including a large turret which someone has actually converted into a house.

The tower located on the wall is known as the "blue tower" or 'Blauer Turm". Apparently the tower once had a subterranean dungeon.

Robyn and I with the turret in the background.

Weinhaus