The hotel team did a terrific job. They even built a lighthouse since that reminded us of Northern Germany, and a beautiful ice sculpture.

The tour ends with a huge dinner at a simple restaurant. They eat green cabbage and sausages, and wash them all down with beer and schnapps.

Heads of cabbage exposed to extremely cold temperatures - minus 10 degrees Centigrade or so - taste the best. The cold turns starch into sugar, making the vegetable sweeter than usual.

Four volunteers have put this event together. The individuals who ate the most cabbage last Friday were crowned Cabbage King and Queen.

The Green Cabbage party is the biggest German social event in Taiwan.

Germany would be the western industrial nation to suffer most if economic sanctions went against Iran. German businesses deliver far more to the region than possibly Great Britain, France or Italy.