Frankfurter Bakers: Kassel, Sledding and a Juniata College Reunion

Yes, Kyle and Quinn arrived on Saturday, but the next day they hopped a train to Berlin to see Quinn's cousin. Wanling, Gary and I headed to Kassel to see Uli, Dara, Eva, and Laura again (see Thanksgiving #2). Uli and Dara and Gary are friends from Juniata College days. We had a lovely lunch, and then we packed into the car and headed to the Wilhelmshöhe Park for some sledding and a nice, wintry walk in the beautiful gardens. This park is known as the largest hillside park in Europe. Work on the English style gardens with a collection of beautiful old trees was begun in 1696 and continued for the next 150 years.

Uli and Wanling are warming up for sledding; then we see them in action.

Eva and Wanling getting ready for another round.

The Schloss...

Far behind Dara and me you can see the "Herkules" - a monument and "Wasserspiel" (elaborate fountain). In the summer, twice a week, the fountain runs its course. The water is released at the top of the mountain, and it takes one hour to run through all the little channels and courses, until it explodes (50 feet high) in the (now frozen) pond, right behind us. You also see the closeup of Herkules, in all his majesty.

The Löwenburg - a castle built 1793-1806, complete with ruins. It was very in vogue at the time to have ruins, so if one didn't come by them naturally, one built the structure to include ruins (part of the Romantic movement in architecture).