Following our three busy days in Dresden, the bad weather in Schleswig-Holstein condemned us to stay indoors, apart from a short trip to the food market in Uetersen on Friday morning. We bought several nice cheeses, vegetables and some fish, and then it was back to the warmth of Birgid and Uwe’s apartment.
Saturday 23 December 2023
The bad weather had caused massive disruption on the railways. We weren’t sure if our train to down south would run. In the end it did.
We had to change trains in Hamburg. There, on the platform, I was interviewed about the disruption on the railway by German TV for the Evening News.
We got our next train and for the first few hours of the journey there was no problem, other than the price of beer on the train and a grumpy waitress.
Then as we approached Kassel (Hesse), we were told there was a blockage on the line and that only one track was open. Expected delay 40 minutes. That meant we would miss our connection in
Würzburg (Bavaria). Never mind, there would be another. Wouldn’t there?
There was, and we were met at the station in Heilbronn by Rita’s daughter Katrin.
Christmas Eve
Heiligabend, as it’s known in Germany. This is when the main Christmas meal is eaten in the evening. It’s also the evening when presents are opened around the Christmas Tree.
Heilbronn Station
A visit to church in the late afternoon is also important in South Germany where Roman Catholicism is more prevalent than die Evangelische Kirche.
Christmas dinner
That’s what we did first, then it was presents, followed by dinner – überbackene Auberginen- und Zucchini an gebratenem Lachs mit Kartoffelbeilage.
Christmas Day
This is a quiet day, when families stay at home, or, in Talheim, we go to an open-air carol service by the lake in the village.
River Neckar near Talheim
This year in the afternoon we went for a long walk through the vineyards by the River Neckar, eschewed the Carol Service and spent a relaxing evening in, playing board games.
Boxing Day – der Zweite Weihnachtstag
The main high
light today was the children’s theatre in Heilbronn. The play was 'Sindbad der Seefahrer' (Sinbad the Sailor). Brilliantly staged, the six actors entertained us for just over an hour. Great stuff!
Photo courtesy Theater Heilbronn
In the evening our hosts put on a family get-together for a Mexican meal. Expected were 15 humans and two dogs. We actually had 16 humans - Jojo's friend Vincent, a GP, joined us.
To see what happened during the rest of the week between Christmas and New Year, look out for Christmas Tour of Deutschland Part 5 – Talheim and Maulbronn, nr. Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg
Photographs: unacknowledged photographs by The Spanish Fly
© The Spanish Fly
Tags: Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg, Boxing Day, Christmas, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Tour of Deutschland, DB, Deutsche Bundesbahn, Dresden, Hausarzt, Heilbronn, Heiligabend, New Year’s Eve, Silvester, Spanish Fly, Steuerberater, Talheim, Uetersen, Zweiter Weihnachtstag