tackling stuttgart

New Australian mobile numbers Dad  0491 664 460 Mum  0491 666 519 Zara 0491 666 643 Max  0491 666 741

We boarded in Frankfurt Thursday and landed in Phuket Friday morning. A lovely three nights back on the island we used to call home, now we're on our way back to Australia. We land in Brisbane tomorrow morning 24 December.

Stuttgart is looking very festive at the moment. It really has to be seen to be believed. The atmosphere of European Christmas markets is really something special. In between a couple of last minute visits we have spent the last few days cleaning and packing up. We fly tomorrow morning (Thursday) to Phuket for three nights then on to Brisbane. Georgie is safely lodging in Maryborough after being released from quarantine on Monday. Lots of good things to look forward to waiting for us in Australia including Christmas, camping on Fraser Island and a trip to Tasmania.

So says Dr Seuss. But the miles I've ridden on this trusty steed over the past few months are many. It's taken me to many places and seen many things. Barely a day went by that I didn't go for a ride. I sold her off to a student for 30 euros, about the price I paid. Guess we have to buy a car now...

It has been cold in Stuttgart but not enough to snow. Tanja has been following the snow reports and the kids were keen to see snow before we left. We have a rental car this weekend so we headed up to the Swabian Alps about an hour away and we found a beautiful untouched field of white snow! Felt like a real European Christmas 🎄

The kids leave home and walk to school at 7.45am - currently quite dark (and cold). Sunrise is currently 8.07am and sunset 4.26pm. So the daylight is in short supply. It keeps going backwards until the winter solstice on 22 December.

The Germans have a low tolerance for illegally parked cars. A private citizen, without police involvement, can report such incidents to towing companies who quickly turn up and impound, then charge the car owner a hefty fee for release.

Like something straight out of a movie - the Hohenzollern castle proudly standing atop a mountain. A freezing and windy day but St Nicholas stopped by with lollies for little people.

Very cold last week in Stuttgart. Minus degrees most mornings but bright sunny days later on. Found a corner of the markets that serves Scandinavian wood smoked hot salmon (Flammlachs) which was absolutely delicious on a fresh bread roll at lunchtime.

Daytime is actually a lovely time to visit the markets. The kids finish school at 1.10pm most days so we wandered down for a late lunch. There is a very impressive model train and village set up.

Georgie got away safely, so we're told! I've been tracking her flights using the Flightradar24 app. After her 9 hour stopover in Dubai during the night, now she's over the ocean near the bottom of India. Have passport, will travel as they say!

Georgie had her final vet appointment on Monday and was given the "all clear" to fly to Australia. The pet export agent we used is based in Amsterdam and booked her flights from there. Tanja flew with Georgie from Stuttgart to Amsterdam and dropped her off on Wednesday morning. She will fly from Amsterdam to Melbourne with a stopover in Dubai. At the other end she'll spend 10 days in quarantine before Grandad F collects her and takes her back to the farm. We'll all reunite on 24 December. In other developments we've set up and decorated our Christmas tree. I found an old snow sled beside the road that I brought home to sit the tree on. (The kids are now negotiating with us to take them to the snow before we leave!)

We went to Munich last weekend and popped into the Christmas markets there - along with the rest of Germany. Crowds that reminded us of China!!