I really fancy a winter getaway to warm up the body and stimulate the eyeballs etc. 

Very rudely, I’ve discounted Germany since bordering the country for the last year and a half. But whyyy? It’s super cosy and fun. I drove from Paris to Bavaria for a cheap little cabin in the woods, and spent a cold Feb weekend at palaces and beer halls. Ate a lot, a lot. But all super wholesome meals. And ran into the Carnival by absolute accident (so, all my memories of Germans are them dressed in crappy $2 costumes).