hesse and kepler stepped on these same stones on their way to class on maulbronn’s monastery (which used to be home to a seminary). it’s a striking place — from the vaulted ceilings to the tombstones that lay on the cloister’s floors.
previously on this series.
organising a new year’s get-together for friends was on the new 101 list, and 2016 was the year it got done! new years are usually a bit of a dread for us… by the time the end of the year rolls around, we’re still recovering from the xmas family extravaganza, and craving peace and quiet. so this year, we poked a few friends spread around europe and decided to find a quiet place where we could all stay for a few days. we found a cozy airbnb in a tiny town in south germany which seemed perfect for our needs (somewhere central in europe, quiet, near cheap airports, dogs allowed)… so we put on our winter jackets, loaded the suitcases with board games, and off we went!
turns out, we lucked out big time! lienzingen is a charming little place, the kind that you imagine from brothers grimm’s fairy tales. it’s full of half-timbered houses hundreds of years old, carefully restored with love and german precision. we stayed in one of them, and boy, was it pretty!
the weather was chilly but mostly dry, with soft rime on trees and even a bit of snow on the last days. together we chatted, cooked, played games, explored a unesco monastery, cuddled dogs, munched on warm laugenwecken, stoked the fireplace and discovered the local maultaschen.
it was the perfect start to the new year: low-key, unrushed and in great company. here’s hoping it’ll become a new tradition! :)
2016 started and ended with fireworks, so in a way, it feels like we’ve come full circle.
it was a good year, with a bit of everything. seeing it in a quick compilation leaves me feeling really warm and fuzzy inside… so many adventures, so many hugs. i’ll do my best to make 2017 just as exciting! :)
and to close 2016, here’s december:
tons of days spent working in front of the fireplace, one nasty wasp, lots of time with friends and family, and then escaping to fairy tale land for the new year slide… happy new year, everyone! :)
just… why?