Greetings from winter wonderland!

With all the warm, sunny places we've visited, it's about time that we went somewhere cold and snowy. So we did.

Braunlage, located in the Harz mountains, is a charming little ~5K person town with several wooden cottages and several wooden-interior restaurants with the likes of schnitzel, bratwurst, sauerkraut, and wheat beer on the menu. Also, you can hella ski there during winter, 'cause it's in the mountains and all. Hell, we even went to see our first ice hockey game there.

I gotta say, I dig places like this. As much as I love sun, sand, and palm trees, there's an undeniable charm about these kinds of oases. While not pristine, a town like Braunlage still retains such an immense authentic quality of rustic tradition that it feels a bit like walking around in a modern fairytale. And again, speaking as someone who seeks out sun, sand, and palm trees, going to a mountain town during winter is a unique experience.

With that, my utmost recommendations for winter-season Braunlage!