2nd Advent

It's almost 3rd Advent, not the 2nd, but I'll squeeze this in real quick!

Last Saturday, R+R+A came over for the (now annual) visit to the Christmas Market in Bremen. We were a bit rushed since Amina was at a birthday party - quick quick to town!

It's already D A R K  at 4:30 (that's in the afternoon!), so when we arrived at the market it was black dark.   All the better for the lights to shine.

 
There were the usual stops for Bratwurst, potato fritters, and mulled wine.

And a booth or two to check out. I just love the brushes!  Don't ask me why, because I don't know.  Maybe the fibers and hairs - soft and hard and scratchy and not.  The sign there says you use the brush to rub in lotion on your back after a shower.  Now that is a special brush.

And all the little houses!  Reproductions of the old buildings in Bremen in the Schnoor quarter.

The highlight for Amina is of course the ride.  The singular there is intentional because there's only one that goes fast enough to please her!  There are a couple of others - a small traditonal Ferris wheel and of course the old-fashioned Merry-Go-Round.  She's waaaaay too old for those.

Of course there's more than one ride with Mama -- Papa and Opa, too.  Oma opts out. I get a bit woozy on such rides these days. Actually, I don't think I've done one of those rides since about 1976.

Later at home some white chili filled in the gaps that the Bratwurst had left and we enjoyed sitting around the tree.

Then it was Sunday.  2nd Advent.  Two candles lit.  Two more to go.