Travel Journal Germany December 2023

I took a few days off over Christmas and New Year to visit my family and friends in Germany.

This is a short travel journal with a few iPhone pictures and descriptions of a few of the excellent meals I enjoyed during my visit.

I am back on Thanda Safari as of tomorrow to resume my regular wildlife posts.

22 Dec

I arrived in Zürich, Switzerland, and took a train ride to a town called Frick from where my brother picked me up for the short car ride to my parents place. It was good to see the family again and I had a very restful evening.

23 Dec

A quiet day with a bit of last minute Christmas shopping and ‘the almost’ traditional dinner with my brothers (and this year with my oldest nephew) in the Fuchshöhle (= Fox Hole). This is one of my favorite restaurants in the town of Bad Säckingen (Picture: The catholic church on the town square).

My dinner: Pumpkin creme soup, roasted duck with red cabbage and spätzle, and a superb lime-buttermilk-ice-cream.

24 Dec

I was decorating our Christmas tree and the whole family came together on the evening for a meal and the exchange of Christmas gifts. I got a lot of sweets and chocolate. They must know me!

25 Dec

No white Christmas for me this year. It was rather warm and rainy on Christmas day. Another quiet family occasion (Picture: The view from my parents’ place in Germany looking towards Switzerland).

26 Dec

I went for a very enjoyable walk with some family members around a small lake near the town where I grew up. It was a beautiful sunny day. I needed the exercise after an excellent Chinese lunch and before an Indian dinner. (Pictures: At the Bergsee (=Hill lake)

27 Dec

I had invited all my family (including boyfriends and girlfriend of the younger generation) to a very good Italian lunch. In the afternoon my older nephew, his girlfriend, and I visited the Vitra design exhibition and museum in Weil, Germany. Vitra is a manufacturer of very high end furniture, especially chairs. Worth a visit! (Pictures: The exhibition and me testing one of the comfy chairs)

My lunch: Beef carpaccio, mushroom and onion pizza with salad, and some Italian ice cream

28 Dec

Another rainy day. I worked a bit on my photography of my old model train set pieces for sale on Ebay. In the evening I had a very enjoyable dinner with old friends.

My Ebay model railway shop: https://www.ebay.com/usr/sperka-verkauf

29 Dec

Another walk around the Bergsee. This time it was raining a bit and I got these rather moody pictures. And today was a very special day. It was my parents’ 64th wedding anniversary. We celebrated with a special lunch prepared by my younger brother for this occasion. (Picture: The roses my dad gave to my mum to mark the occasion). And another special dinner with friends from Switzerland in the Fuchshöhle.

30 Dec

My last family dinner for this trip in Germany. This time at an excellent Italian restaurant by the name of Schützengarten (=shooter’s garden). The picture of the day is of a bronze art column in front of the restaurant depicting the city’s history.

My dinner: Beef carpaccio, veal steak with a leek risotto, and panna cotta

31 Dec

A last day with my parents and I left close to mid-night on a flight from Zürich to Johannesburg. I welcomed the New Year 10,000 meters (30,000″) above the ground.

I have returned to Thanda Safari after spending one night in Pretoria. Now I am ready to resume working on wildlife photography.

My next trip to Germany will be in May/June.

Again, Happy New Year 2024 to all of you.