On the 5th Day of Christmas...

We woke up fairly early on the 26th. We were about to embark on a 4-day driving tour. First stop: The Black Forest.
Our first destination was an amazing cuckoo clock shop! I honestly don't know how much time we spent in there. So many different cuckoo clocks! And buying one was a MUST for us all. Mom and Dad bought a cuckoo clock when they lived in Germany, so we grew up with one in the house. We were all excited to pick one out.
After a large tour bus unloaded into the store, we took a short jaunt to another cuckoo clock store 10 minutes away. None of us was impressed. The clock parts seemed to be made in China and they were more expensive! But, it was good to see the difference between the two shops.
We went back to the first shop and thankfully, the tour bus had left. We had the whole store to ourselves! I think they were getting ready to close up, but then they recognized us as we came back in. I told them there were too many people before, but that we still wanted to buy clocks. They were so inviting! The owner of the shop is also the cuckoo clock maker. Clock-making had been passed down from generation to generation. It is quite apparent when looking at the fine detail on each of the clocks.
He gave us a demonstration of how he carves some of the trees by hand. He was amazing to watch! He was really fast! He posed for a picture with each of us next to the clock we bought. We all also bought other fun Germany Christmas trinkets and souvenirs. The clock maker's wife worked in the store too. She was sweet as pie. She gave us all free mini-cuckoo clocks and wrapped up our new toys. They packed the cuckoo clocks in boxes. Jer and I had ours shipped via Deutsche Post (only €5!) to our house because our car was packed pretty full, but we took the heavy weights with us. There was just enough room to fit Julie's and Emily's boxes in the middle of the back seat. I later mailed their clocks to them from base (much cheaper to use the USPS to mail to the States!).
So, we were on a clock-buying high, super happy, and loving life. By then it had started getting dark. It gets dark fast in the Black Forest. Maybe also because it is winter, I don't know. We were on our way to our next destination when we saw:

The World's Largest Cuckoo Clock!

Of course we stopped. Very cool clock!

Soon we were back in the car and headed further south to Triberg where there was a light festival with over 750,000 lights! We arrived and parked in a grocery store parking lot. A free tour bus took people up the road to the festival. Just look at the pictures! So many lights! So many cute shops! A Ferris wheel, a mini train, a hall of lights!
Triberg is also home to Germany's tallest waterfall. We entered the festival of lights and made our way to the fire show at the waterfall. It was F R E E Z I N G!!! We had the best view--at the front, but I think we almost froze while waiting for the show to start. The last time I remember being that cold, it was the 1980s and we were in WA visiting our cousins for Christmas. We could see mist in the air from the waterfall. The temp was somewhere in the 20s, and we all huddled together to try to keep warm.

Then it started! Music! Flashes! The men twirling their fire sticks. Lights changing colors. The sound of the water crashing below us.


COOL!
AWESOME!
And then the GRAND FINALE!
When it was over, we headed down to find something to eat. But before we found something, we were pulled in to a tiny booth and told we could make a video for our families to see on the internet. OK!
Click here to view it! (There is a short ad first, but after that, the video will start. Ours is last if you want to scroll past the others--though some are amusing with their accents).
The video people also had a space heater and gave out free chocolates. Thanks video people!
We soon found a restaurant. We were shivering and as soon as we were seated we all ordered hot chocolate. Hot chocolate in Germany is really good. It's not sugary sweet. It doesn't taste bitter like US non-sweet chocolate. It is somewhere in the middle, but with German chocolate, so much better. It comes with sugar cubes (CUBES!) on the side and whip cream and spices on the top. YUM!
We looked at our menus, but Jer was looking for something specific: scheuffele. Or, also spelled, schäufele. Jeremiah's ancestors are from Germany. They are from the Black Forest. His last name originated in the area. It means "shoulder of a pig". Specifically, it is the part of the shoulder that looks like a shovel. Therefore, the name can also mean "shovel." Since we moved here, we've been told countless times that it is a very good meat and very tasty "with a little salt". Everyone always says that last part. I once asked if it was a funny name--like something to be made fun of. The German said no, that it was a normal name.
Since we were in the Black Forest, we were excited to see it on a menu and taste it. Jer found it! And he ordered it. I don't eat pork, but I did take a tiny 1/2 bite just to taste it. It was really good! And the Germans were right--it would taste good with a little bit of salt, but is not necessary. He enjoyed it.
The three sisters got another Black Forest traditional food: flammkuchen. It is sort of like a flat pizza, but completely different taste. Pizza is the only thing close enough I can compare it to. Absolutely delish!
By the time we were done eating, it was around 10pm. That was the time the festival was over. There was nobody at the bus station, and it was so cold outside, I was afraid the buses had stopped for the night and I couldn't just stand there and freeze. So, we started walking. At least it was downhill. About 1/3 of the way down, the bus passed us. DANG! Oh well. It was probably about 1 1/2 miles to walk back to the car. No hard feat since it was mostly downhill, except it was snowy and icy, and colder than freezing.
We finally got to the car and as soon as I started to thaw out, I started getting sleepy. Everyone was tired; Julie and Emily fell asleep in the back seat. Jer helped me stay awake. Thanks!
Driving through the ice and snow, we were Switzerland bound!