Winter Solstice at the Tropical Island

 We, well mostly just me, has been really looking forward to the shortest day of the year if only to say "we made it!" The days can only get longer from here on out!  I have been amazed at how I've not been bitter about the cold here.  I thought for sure that was going to be my biggest weakness but in fact it has been the shortness of days or more accurately shortness of daylight hours.  Berlin is so far north we get about 45 fewer minutes of daylight here compared to Seattle during the shortest days in the winter.  Which is right now.  It feels like it starts to get dark here around 3:30. 

Which is kind of crazy because Seattle has always felt so dark.  So really since about Thanksgiving we have been looking forward to December 21st knowing that would be as short and dark as the days would get.  And WE MADE IT!!!
What better way to celebrate than a trip somewhere tropical.  The Neves wanted to experience the Tropical Island and it was the perfect way to spend the shortest day of the year.

We all had a great time running around, going on slides and down the "Amazonian River" together.
On the way home Marty suggested that we take the train to Cottbus (the town his parents are from) for dinner.  The Tropical Island is about half way between Cottbus and Berlin.  We were all game and as it turned out Cottbus has never looked cuter!!  It was all decked out for Christmas with a huge Christmas Market and an enormous ferris wheel right

in the center Alt Markt.  We had our first real German meal since arriving.  I know!  Crazy, right?  There is just so many other great food to eat here that German is never on the top of our list.  We ate at our favorite restaurant in Cottbus the Kartoffelkiste and then walked around the Christmas market until it closed and it was time to take our train back to Berlin.
We arrived back at our place around 11:30PM completely wiped out. 

We had NO idea how the Neves were able to even stay awake given this was only their second day and the jet lag we experience on the second day keeps us lying pretty low.
But.. happy Winter Solstice to us all.  Longer days, even if we don't really notice them yet, are on their way.