We arrived at Barbara's mom's house in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe just after the sun had set on Moday 3 December, and found her to be super kind and welcoming, making us feel right at home! After settling in and chatting over some drinks, we were treated to an incredible dinner - the table was beautifully set and the food was simply delicious. We were amazed that one person could put all this together in one afternoon! After desert we had coffees and chatted some more before heading to bed for a good night's sleep.

Tuesday morning we were greeted by another yummy breakfast spread. We ate our fill and then Barbara walked us into town to show us the sites. We visited the old castle up on the hill and learned a bit about it's history. We continued through town until we came to the quite famous thermal baths, from which the town derives it's name. We didn't have time to look around the spa complex, but there are a number of springs dotted around the huge grounds where we could taste the mineral-rich waters. We had a cool relaxing afternoon just walking around the park and part of the old town before making our way back home for tea. We arrived to find the table covered yet again in a bunch of yummy treats - just the thing to warm you up! All the walking had made us pretty tired, so after tea everyone turned in for a nap! That evening, Barbara's mom spoiled us with a traditional meal of goose legs with potatoe dumplings, which again were delicious.

After some coffee and deserts, we took a relatively short drive into the nearby city of Frankfurt - home of the ECB and the financial capital of Europe. All these huge skyscrapers lit up at night give the city a really modern, clean, slick feel. Of course there is still a traditional Christmas Market in the old town square, which is where we headed :-) We had a cool time just wandering around the maket and later, after some gluwein to warm up, visited a few nearby touristy places as well. We eventually headed home when the cold got too much and flopped into bed, exhausted from a full and interesting day.

Wednesday we packed up our things, said our farewells to Barbara's mom and continued onwards to the city of Bonn.