English: We have decided to spend this year's Christmas with my favorite aunty Ingrid in Germany. And while we are here we thought we might as well go skiing for a week. Ingrid had organised heaps of entertainment and social events for us. After our first week in Germany it started to snow and we were looking forward to a white Christmas, which didn't happen because it all melted in a matter of days. Ingrid's place is located in a beautiful countryside with rolling hills, forests, creeks and quaint little old villages with ancient houses. One of the highlights was the Christmas market in Siegburg where we saw what life used to be like here hundreds of years ago. Catching up with old friends and playing Santa at a family get-together was all part of our social calendar.
Deutsch: Dieses Jahr wollten wir Weihnachten zusammen mit meiner Lieblings-Tante Ingrid verbringen. Und wo wir schonmal hier sind, dachten wir, dass wir spaeter noch eine Woche Skiurlaub einlegen. Ingrid hatte viel Unterhaltung fuer uns organisiert, und wir aben viele nette Leute aus ihrem riesigen Freundes- und Bekanntenkreis kennengelernt. Nach unserer ersten Woche in Deutschland fing es an zu schneien und wir freuten uns schon auf weisse Weihnachten, aber der Schnee war in wenigen Tagen wieder geschmolzen. Ingrid wohnt im wunderschoenen Bergischen Land zwischen Huegeln, Baechen und netten kleinen Doerfern mit uralten Haeusern.
In Siegburg waren wir auf einem schoenen Weihnachtsmarkt, wo man sehen konnte wie das Leben vor hunderten von Jahren hier ablief.
Alte Freunde wieder sehen und den Weihnachtsmann spielen stand natuerlich auch auf unserem Kalender.
This part of St. James way in Much-Heckhaus used to be our running track.
Falco used to Austria's only pop star so far. They are very proud of him, and the tribute we saw in Cologne was actually better than the original.
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The ICE train travels at over 300km/h. It's almost like flying. Frankfurt-Siegburg in 40 Minutes!!!
Knecht Ruprecht is the scary figure who assists St. Nicolaus and puts naughty children in a sack and carries them away.
In more recent times this practice has been banned and the local prisons are filled with Knecht Ruprechts.
The church of Hohkeppel, the village next to Ingrid's place.
Hohkeppeler Hof is a historic Pub & Restaurant and local meeting place in the centre of the village.
The 17-story high "Krahnhaeuser" in the southern part of Cologne's centre offer views over the Rhine river and are frequented by the upper class.
The shape reflects the cranes that were used at this location to unload cargo ships.
Kaufhof's Christmas display in Cologne.
Here we are playing santa in a Bikie Clubhouse.
The old way of baking bread in wood fired ovens
