Baking Cookies

Mia wanted to bake chocolate chip cookies with mamma for a long time. After she had been sick there was finally some time

The turned out really well - just a bit too thin

Sledding

After a surprise snow fall in the morning we wanted to enjoy the snow which had melted in the city but was only a short ride by city bus away in the Königsstuhl. Instead of going up all the way we stopped this time at the Kohlhof where half of the city goes for sledding.

The snow was not great since we just had a few cm but it was still a good place with a long slope that was not too steep - just right

The only thing is that we forgot to bring snow pants since we planned more of a walk and the idea with the sledding hill was a spur of the moment decision. So Mia just went a few tiimes

The Helper

Mia has a bit of a history of helping in the house - not always of course but when she feels like it. It started almost eight years ago when she could barely walk but wanted to take out the trash. A year later she was busy helping with the vacuum cleaner , helping with laundry when she was four, or doing the dishes  when she was four and a half.
Today she wanted to hang the clothes after laundry and insisted in doing all of them

Heidelberg Zoo in Winter

To get some fresh air we took a ten minute bike ride to the Heidelberg zoo and even though we had checked the weather before leaving we were surprised by a sudden heavy icy downpour that was not quite snow.

The donkeys seemed to like it

The kangaroos preferred to stay out of the white stuff
 

 The seals were okay with the cold weather

Different from the regular weekend days where it can be very crowded during the feeding of the seals there was plenty of free space

Castle Frankenstein

Nothing helps better against the jet lag after a 12 hour flight than a little exercise and outdoor activities. So a little light rain didn't stop us from a walk to castle Frankenstein. Its at the outskirts of Darmstadt a 30 minute drive north of Heidelberg. It's not clear if the author of the famous novel picked up the name when they were visiting nearby.

The walk from the parking lot took about an hour

It was damp and cold so a warm soup at the kiosk was welcome

There was not too much to see in the inside

 
At least there was a tower to climb

With an restaurant attached an old chapel turned into a wedding chapel it seems to be a popular place for weddings with extra parking spots reserved for groom and bride - a one hour hike through the woods would not be too attractive

We brought back some local beer as a souvenir

Last Days of Shanghai Visit

Because Mia's cousin was in school his mother thought she should take us to the new Disney Land at the outskirts of Shanghai.
Mia was a bit disappointed though when we didn't go in and just had a look from the outside.

We only took a look at an American style outdoor shopping mall where the buildings had some Chinese touches. 

The two interesting stores for Mia were the Lego store and one with wooden toys. 

After a dinner at a dumpling restaurant we found and liked during our last visit in 2016 we went to  Ji's parents neighborhood on our last full day in Shanghai.

Mia took some pictures of the alley cats there - which she already liked on her first visit there in 2010

She also noticed signs whth an interesting  English translation

Since it was raining she tried out a few things at the Decathlon sporting goods store across the street
Hula Hoops

Wave Board

Skate board

Shanghai Zoo

We started the new year with a visit to the Shanghai zoo. Luckily it was a nit sunny and since the area is really big it was only crowded at the first few exhibitions

We had been at the zoo once in the summer of 2012 when it was really hot and Mia and her cousin were four and three and a half. Without the heat it was much more fun.
Mia took many pictures with here own camera

Feeding the goats with carrots and salad was a big hit

So was the cotton candy

The two also enjoyed some of the rides that were offered at two or three places

 

The  next day Mia's cousin had to go back to school so it was great they could spend the day together