The Duo Daytrips to Deutchland

So pretty much on the spur of the moment we decided to pop over to Gorlitz, Germany for a day. Something different for a Sunday afternoon. We caught the 7:15 am train out of Wroclaw and arrived by 10:30. It was freezing, but lucky for us there was a great little Christmas market on the north side of town. As we made our way there we noticed something strange: this little town only a half mile or so from the border looked like a typical Polish town but with 15 years' more development, investment and graffiti control. Immediately the public transport seemed to sparkle and hum with a new efficiency. The streets were flat and evenly paved. Signs and buildings were marked clearly in traditional German fonts. And most strangely many fellow pedestrians flashed us friendly and welcoming smiles -- something almost unheard of on this side of the border. So suffice to say we were pleasantly surprised.

The Christmas market was also a surprise. We had no idea it was there or that it was its last day when we stumbled upon it. It came complete with hot vino, carolers, ponies on parade, liqueur sampling, a horn quartet, artisan-made cinnamon rolls over an open fire, plenty of bratwurst which Bethanie happily avoided but I had my fill of (if you're in the area try the lemon seasoned), and a small mouse farm with like 50 mice playing without a cage just happy to be together on a table top with a few feeders and a miniature mouse town setup -- a little bizarre but incredibly enjoyable.

So we passed the afternoon here and in a pub making beer last over a game of Jenga, during which most of the patrons were glancing over in anticipation of the final and oh-so-enjoyable tumble. Bethanie won. Hope you enjoy the pics from our afternoon out!