Haselkätzchen

Or Hazel Tree Catkins if you prefer.

Out for a wander today out of town and it was lovely to feel the sun on our backs and enjoy a bit of fresh air.

It also meant that we missed the Madness that is Wiesbaden at the Fastnachtsumzug (Carnival Sunday Parade). Thousands of people dress up in fancy dress and head into town to spend the day drinking and watching a large number of floats pass by and trying to collect the sweets and toys that get thrown from the floats.

It's all very small beer compared to what will happen in Mainz, Cologne and Düsseldorf tomorrow, but compared to Wiesbaden on a normal Sunday, today is bonkers. I went to see it the first year that I lived here and I think that was enough. I'm not a fan of standing in street and drinking till you fall over. Don't mind a glass of Sekt or two at the Weinfest, or even a Glühwein at the Xmas market, but drinking to the point of annihilation, that's not my thing.