Ariane, Stefan, Valentin, & Leander

This summer we attended a great party in our friends Martha and Roger's backyard that ended up having a "farewell to Nancy & Richard" moment orchestrated by our good buddy Laura. When Nancy took the microphone for a minute and introduced "Meet Us Anywhere" as the theme for our trip, Stefan immediately turned and asked Richard, "How about meeting us for Christmas in the Black Forest?" Seconds later Nancy agreed, "What could be better?"

Our 11 days in Baden-Baden with Stefan & Ariane and their sons Valentin & Leander (we missed you, Julius) were a major highlight of our adventures. They were full of advice on enjoying their home town, were great company over a number of delicious Badische meals, and were our "family" on Christmas eve when we dined and caroled with their extended family at the home of Stefan's parents. Richard even got to share the piano accompaniment duties with Leander during the enthusiastic singing - especially when we introduced "The 12 Days of Christmas" into the mix.

---