Let Them Eat Cake

The Black Forrest

This past weekend Jan and I were in Freiburg, where he comes from, to visit his family and spend a day on the slopes.
Getting to Freiburg is always incredibly exhausting, it is only 200km away, but seeing as we don´t have a car (which is unnecessary in Germany really), we have train it with 3 other people (and we only pay 5 euros, which is a big plus), but it takes a good 3 hours and 2 train changes, and by the end of the night, I want a good feed in front of the fire place. 
Last week we missed out on going boarding because the train track direction changers (as I so eloquently like to put it) were frozen over and we would have missed our connections and been stranded in the Black Forrest, had we risked it. (Instead we spent the weekend watching star wars and eating chilli - what a fun couple we are).
It was Timo´s 21st Birthday on Friday (the middle brother of the family), so Jan and all the kiddies went to the city whilst I went to bed with ´The Swan Thieves,´to conserve my energy for boarding. Saturday morning (Jan incredibly groggy) we went up to Feldberg, and it was incredibly foggy, and because of that the condensation in the wind sticks on to everything and freezes. 

For example:

Despite the fog and ice, Jan and I had a great time - I am happy to inform that I have not lost my balance on the board, and am infact better than I was last season, probably a result of my new found love, Pilates. Jan is still as talented as ever....

January 2010, Montafon, Austria. Jan upside down.

After our date on the slopes we went to a christmas concert with the whole family to watch Timo play the Sax and the something else (which I totally forgot the name of) in two orchestra´s. It was pretty good, better than last years at least, the music itself was lovely, but the acting and discussion in between a little regrettable. Everyone enjoyed it though, especially Jan´s granny - and I got to hear Silent Night and O Christmas Tree in German at the end, which is kind of funny. 

Sunday was Raclette (anyone who has had the pleasure of this meal, would understand how much I was anticipating Sunday) with the rest of the family from Karlsruhe. Raclette is a meal of potato and swiss cheese that you grill yourself in your own little pan - it is absolutely deadly delicious, and deady on the thighs too. No matter - there was cake after it too ;)

There is definately something to be said about Baking and German´s. They love it. Any excuse to eat cake, they will bake. This was just a part of the assortment on Sunday

2 Black Forrest Cherry Gateu´s, one Streusel Cake, one Sponge Cake with Fruit and Cream,
 and one Gluten Free Sponge cake with fruit and cream. Enough cake for weeks.

A fantastic aspect to being a part of this family - the food. Jan´s mother is a great organic cook, and helps me out a lot with Coeliac and my new found flexitarinism (more to come on that on another day). So, stuffed to the point of bursting (Well Jan at lesast, after his three slices of cake and 10 servings of Raclette - boys) we jumped on the train again to come back to our freezing apartment.

Today -I am off to do some christmas shopping at the Christmas Markets with my best friend Madi and do our usual routine - latte´s at our favourite cafe. It is a beautiful day, the sun is shining, blue skies and it is a balmy -5 degrees. Take that Adelaide.