Wintering.

The thing about being touristy during the Winter months is that - despite temps - you still want to look/feel cute. You're exploring a new town, standing in front of architecture you may never see again in person - your pics are your proof. And unfortunately, Puffy McPuffer jackets don't always make for the best framers. The answer = layers. Bust that spring denim jacket out a month or two early and layer it under your wool coat, add a scarf/hat and you're done. Photo & weather-worthy wardrobe.

German winters are consistently chillsville. That's the biggest weather difference that I've noticed between Germany & the Midwestern US. For example...based on all of the snapchat stories I've been eyeing, the dead of winter in Kansas means 70°F .... But in Germany, its pretty consistently ~30s/40s°F (2-7°C). From what I hear, April brings warmer days in the 60's (15/16°C). But until then, keep your mittens handy.

As I've mentioned before, we live in a town outside of Frankfurt. There are so many great areas just outside of the city of Frankfurt that are fun to explore. One of our favorites [so far] is Wiesbaden [pictured on this post!]. It's actually the capitol of our area - the state of Hesse and also home to the headquarters of the US Army in Europe. You'll run into more English speakers because of that and a lot of restaurants will have English menus, just as you'd find in the bigger cities like Frankfurt. There's lots of great shopping, bakeries & coffee shops. It's definitely a place you can spend more than one afternoon wandering. PS my camera likes to people watch...