Frankfurt & Fulda - the best of Christmas markets 2013

Stephen, Afton, & fam hopped a flight from Ireland to do some Christmas marketing with us.  So we loaded up the Peugeot and made the four hour drive to Frankfurt for some strolling, browsing, and eating.

These are deceiving - they look awesome but they are actually filled with marshmallow.  It's like stuffing a chocolate covered peep in your mouth.  No thanks.

We did some good eatin' in this area here!

This was a cute antique shop.  Not for kids, but look at that window filled with old fashioned nutcrackers.  Fun window shopping.

We needed a break from the cold, so we took a fun tram ride around the city. 

The littles - throwin' back a few cold ones (apple ciders, of course).

Frankfurt is such a modern and interesting looking city.

Feeding the lego Chima obsession at the lego store.

Shoppin till we're droppin

Elsie - about 5 min before her nuclear meltdown.

The next day we visited the Frankfurt LDS Temple complex.

love this picture

and this one

and this one

We let them roll down the hill and play on the temple grounds a little bit before we got in the car for more driving.  A little irreverent, you say?  Well YOU pile into the car for hours with these animals then.  Go ahead, I dare ya. 

This very German looking building is the mission office (if I'm remembering correctly).  They also have a hotel like building that houses families who travel from far away to attend the temple.

For a long time, we have been meaning to make a trip out to Fulda, the town where my dad lived for 3 years from ages 6-9.  After we parted ways with the cousins, we finally made the detour to Fulda.  I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was a surprisingly charming town with lots to see.  The Christmas market had a lot to see too.

The kids found some locals to play with.  That device makes music when you jump on it.

The highlight of Fulda was this massive cathedral.  My dad had described it to me before we saw it, and it was nice to put a visual with the description.

We felt like family historians wandering around Fulda retracing the steps that my dad and his family might have taken.  It was awesome.  We bought my dad a bunch of stuff from the tourist info office so he could reminisce.  Fun with family and family history - this was an unforgettable trip for sure.