Merry Christmas!

Hey folks! We're back in Frankfurt and enjoying a little time at home before hitting the road again. We took Rowan to the Christmas market for the second time today, and even though we only intended to have some raclette and a cup of glühwein, a couple other tasty treats grabbed our attention. The surprise hit of the evening was Baumstriezel, which is a fried, tube-shaped pastry coated in hazelnut deliciousness. It's good to know that after nine years of visiting German Christmas markets we can still find something new (and tasty).

Our flight from London to Frankfurt last Wednesday marked Rowan's tenth flight. All that flying with our little nine-month-old has taught us something: people are nicer to you when you are traveling with an adorable baby. Oh, you're carrying a baby? Go ahead and skip to the head of the line. You're traveling with six bags each and most of them are overweight? No problem. You have a baby after all, you can't be expected to both parent and follow the rules. You need to check into your hotel room three hours early? Well, your baby does look sleepy so we'll go ahead and check you in and give you a free upgrade. Huh. Who knew that babies came with such perks? We should have had a child years ago if for no other reason than the travel benefits. OK, maybe not, but all the kind treatment has certainly made our frequent traveling with Rowan over the past several months a lot easier.

Our time in Frankfurt is brief and packed with friends and Christmas celebrations. On Saturday we travelled to Biedenkopf and had a lovely day with our friends the Schuberts (minus Andi who we will see later this week). On Friday we will have our annual Feuerzangenbowle evening with the Plocks, and on Saturday we have Christmas Eve dinner with the McCowns for what, I believe, is the eighth year in a row. Believe it or not, we are also doing some things that don't involve hanging out with friends and/or eating Christmas treats. Last week we went to the foreigner's office and got Rowan his German residence permit. He is now able to stay in Germany (and, according to his permit, even work) for the next five years. We're going to have to find him a job that allows napping.

Next week at this time we'll be in Munich for Brenda's role debut as The Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute. I hope you all have a wonderful week and a very happy holiday season, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!