Four days at the classic Christmas markets in Germany

Four days to discover Rothemburg ob der Tauber and Nuremberg and their charming Christmas markets.
Text and Photos by Anna Marchisio - anna_mrcs@yahoo.it
Bibliography: Monaco, Bavaria and the Black Forest - 2008 EDT

By chance, in late August, I run a travel agency brochure Luserna San Giovanni (Fulmar) where it proposes a short trip to Rothemburg ob der Tauber and Nuremberg on the occasion of the Christmas markets. Throughout the month of September, I desperately tried to convince someone to come with me. Mark, my husband, work problems and could not be absent in any case the company is definitely not suitable for shopping, indeed ... My friends, those who for one reason for the other, they have accepted my proposal. So finally I decided to go alone ... then alone so to speak .. since there was a bus full of people!

 

On a cold November morning we leave for Germany, are the four in the morning and throughout the world sleeps. There are many people on the bus, I take my place in the spot and given the time I settle for a nice nap.
The trip from Val Pellice in Nuremberg last about 11-12 hours. It is not just .. indeed ... This will also give me the opportunity to meet some of the people with whom they will spend four days in particular, my new friends: Rinaldi, Maura and Angela with whom I spent those four days fantastic.

We arrive in Nuremberg in the evening, a little 'later than envisaged by the roadmap, but the peak traffic into the city made ??us lose a lot of time in a long and boring queue.

We wake up with a light snow .. the forecasts I had seen on the internet are not wrong. Snow! It 'true that Christmas is all over with snow, but a nice warm winter sun did not suck at all, actually ... especially since we'll be around all day!
Immediately after breakfast we move to Rothemburg ob der Tauber, which is about 80 km from Nuremberg. Upon arriving we reach the center of town where we will find two guides to take us to explore this fantastic city.

The Christmas spirit has arrived in town. Traders are making final preparations for the market that will be officially opened at 11. On the Market Square is the Rathaus, city hall, in the Gothic style. Let's start from here to our visit that will take us along the streets of the town. Wonderful view from Burggarten (Castle Garden) from where, despite the gray sky, enjoying superb views over the valley.

Among the historical facts and trivia, much of the morning to stroll along the streets of this town, and reveling in the corners, getting to know the secrets and even curiosity. It's cold but the desire to learn, discover and enjoy overcomes even this small discomfort of the cold.
What about Rothemburg ob der Tauber has a charm all its own. Very nice. Is said to be one of the best preserved medieval towns not only in Bavaria but in the world.

His story, or one that has come down to us, begins in the tenth century with the construction of the castle. The city is still today surrounded by walls intact and unbroken (3.5 miles) you can go.
Thanks to an American general who had seen Rothemburg ob der Tauber and he was in love, the city manages to avoid heavy bombing during the Second World War, and to preserve intact most of its buildings and its monuments.

After visiting cultural Maura Rinaldi and Angela pass immediately to do what we have come too far: the visit to the Christmas markets and much deserved shopping spree. I just do not understand how some people do not buy anything. It 's all so beautiful, so inviting that the temptations are so many that sometimes you end up giving .. but then ... do not want to bring home a souvenir of this trip? Some gift for family and friends stayed at home? Oh yes .. me and my new friends we have complied well with this principle and, as they say, we did shoot a little 'the German economy. Heh heh heh heh!

We spend hours in the shop of an abundant Christmas. Upstairs there is also a museum dedicated to Christmas but when we decide to go and see there is so much that the prospect checkout line is to stay there so we give up until Epiphany.
That alone is a hymn to the shop for Christmas and it seems almost a museum. The arrangement of objects, rooms, furniture .. everything is perfect and idyllic. There are plenty of decorations for trees, nativity scenes, figurines, dolls ... In short there's more than you can imagine ... and everything only for Christmas.
We went with the intention to look at but we go out each with our bag of shopping ... there is so much good stuff out with empty hands is impossible. Except for someone ... mah ...

We continue our shopping on the streets of the town where the market will follow the banquet. For lunch we treat ourselves to a nice sandwich with a huge sausage. A Rothemburg ob der Tauber there are Italian restaurants, but the bottom part of the journey of knowledge and also immerse themselves in the culinary delights of the place. So ... no food made in Italy but a tasty sandwich with sausage purchased directly at one of the many market stalls and drink? Mulled wine for my friends and Kinderpunch to me things that do not like alcohol! Luckily they thought the children! So collect our first cup of this trip.

Later, after having wandered the market, visited several shops and made many purchases, we give ourselves a break for tea, and while we warm up a bit '! We choose a nice pastry shop, where in addition to tea we willing to taste the famous Schneeballen (christmas ball), which is the typical sweet Rothemburg ob der Tauber. It is a beautiful ball made of strips of pastry, fried and covered with powdered sugar. There are also variants with chocolate, coconut, etc. ... so you'll be spoiled for choice. Good is good but .... It's too heavy ... we struggle to finish even though it is not bad ... I mean .. were smaller!

At 17.00 there waiting for a bus to return to the hotel, the first lights of evening are down, and nothing in the darkness takes over. The Christmas lights make the city even more fascinating. We leave the parking lot that night, even though you are now a little after 17.30.

For dinner we await the famous Nuremberg sausages. They are little-white sausages. Legend has it that they are so small because they had to go under the doors of the prisons. Because not eating in jail just like the Grand Hotel the families of prisoners brought these sausages to the prisoner. Are not bad ... tomorrow I'll try to buy some for someone to take home to enjoy them to Mark, my husband.

Since we have not had enough of the cold today, after dinner, I, Rinaldi, Maura and Angela set off in search of markets in Nuremberg. Our hotel is just outside the walls so they are not far away. It is cold and there are many people around and it is not surprising since it is not hot at all ...
The markets close at 22 and since we are really close to 22 in Germany, not a minute more or one less! There are still many people, especially around the food stalls and mulled wine! There are also groups who sing .. may have exaggerated a bit with the mulled wine.

Returning a ride differently by so doing find some other corner of the city tomorrow to see the sunlight. We also pass in front of the station, where inside there is a large shopping mall, and just finished a scene where you see some representation because the audience out, neatly, by the staircase.

And now it's up to Nuremberg. After breakfast we depart by bus and we go to retrieve our guide this morning. The first part of the tour bus and we go to visit interesting places situated outside the walls.

Nuremberg played a significant role in the story about the Second World War. It was one of the first headquarters of the Nazi regime, and the place where they were pronounced the terrible Nuremberg racial laws (Nurnberger Gesetze), then the seat of the trials of Nazis. We spend the first building that was chosen as the seat of the international military tribunals where, for a whole year, took place processes to Nazi war criminals. The city during the war was, of course, for what it represented, bombed. Around 6000 people were killed and 90% of the city was destroyed. What we see is an accurate reconstruction. Man builds, war destroys firm and man-made, and at the end .. winners and losers rebuild what they destroyed .. It makes sense to all this?

The Middle Ages coincided with the heyday of this city (its medieval town center it is in fact the witness).
We start visiting the city from the castle, from a stroll through the streets of Nuremberg to the square of the Christmas market.

The Kaiserbourg or imperial castle is the symbol of Nuremberg. The other stands on the hill and dominates the whole city. Beautiful views of the city from this very top. The complex consists of three parts: the Emperor's palace, the fortress of the city and the residence of the Count.

From here we go, always in the company of our guide who describes this fascinating city to the square of the Christmas markets. We linger in front of the city's oldest church, the St. Sebalduskirke (St. Sebald) and neither would have it an old carriage pulled by two horses going through the front. An image of the past in the cold this winter.

Not far from the Alter Rathaus or old town hall where one can visit the old prisons. And a stone's throw from here is the madness of the Christmas market. On the square is an imposing Gothic church (the Fraunekirche), every day at the stroke of noon, seven figures representing the Princes Electors parade three times before the Emperor Charles IV.
Our tour ends near the Fountain Beautiful (Schoner Brunner) completely rebuilt and very beautiful, but our guide did not leave us without having first disclosed that the Infant Jesus of Nuremberg is neither a child, let alone a male. Tradition has it that a beautiful girl living in Nuremberg, and in fact the face of a young blonde girl stands on all the posters that advertise the Christmas markets of the city.

It is shortly to half way, after the visit, we take something for lunch and a banquet along with many other tourists waiting for the time when walking in front of the Princes Electors emperor.

The market in Nuremberg is very big, we spend the whole rest of the day wandering among the stalls of the market is crowded, the streets of the town, also filled with stalls and people. We also make a tour through the shops of the artisans market.
The day is gray and does not do so hot when the cold got the better of us, like many others flock to the many shopping malls in Nuremberg.
For children there is a market all to themselves.

It was a beautiful day, the city is very beautiful and markets, but are there really so many people .. and think that we were told that in the coming weekend will be even worse .. mah ...

To not miss anything on this trip, after dinner we dive back into the cold Nuremberg for a final farewell to its market and its beautiful streets.

After breakfast, we just have to fix all the luggage and shopping (but then they always seem a few ..) on the bus and take the long way home. The day is gray, but the returns are always sad .. The holidays are almost over and tomorrow it's back to the office.

The trip was long, as expected, but the vision of three films and a chat with Maura, Rinaldi and Angela made ??the trip shorter.

I left alone, it is true .. but I never have been .. I met two wonderful places, I walked the streets of these cities, I knew their story, I was captivated by their ways, I browsed through the stalls of the market: from Christmas balls, crafts and lots of sweets, I have met many people but most of all I met new Rinalda, Maura and Angela with whom I enjoyed a lot, which I never felt alone.