Christmas in Germany

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Ashley really wanted to see the German Christmas markets she learned about in school and it was time for a small getaway so we decided to visit Nürnberg for a long weekend. After a long day of travelling, (including a bus from Inverness to Edinburgh; a flight to Munich; and a train to Nürnberg) we arrived a little weary but happy to be back in Germany. Ashley was happy to travel to a place that was familiar and could still navigate her way around the old city.

As soon as we got to the main square all we could see was row upon row of stalls selling Christmas ornaments, toys, candles, and anything else you can imagine. Being as it was a Saturday night, it was busy at the market so we walked around the stalls trying the get the best look possible. There were sausage and Gluhwein stands at every turn and we were getting pretty famished so it was time for a snack. The Nürnberger sausages tasted so deliciously amazing at that point Ashley figures she could’ve eaten ten of them. We also sampled Gluhwein which is German mulled wine. No wonder people love going to the markets; the chance to eat sausages to your heart’s content and drink wine to warm you up is irresistible. We took a walk up to the castle to see the view at night. As you can expect, there were just a lot of lights and not really a lot to see. As much fun as it was to see the market in Nuremberg it felt really commercial. Once we had walked down tow rows of stalls we had seen everything that was for sale in the rest of the stalls. It was a bit of a let down really; Ashley expected something more homey but I suppose that’s what you find at small town markets. That night we took the train to Lauf to see Christoph and Sabine who kindly let us stay with them.

The next morning greeted us with cold weather. Luckily, we were prepared with out winter jackets and mittens. Christoph and Sabine took us to breakfast at a nice little cafe in Lauf. We thought we could see some of the sites we didn't get to see the first time around so they took us to the Industrial Museum where a baker was cooking Lebkuchen. After our tour of the museum, which didn't include a lot of English so Christoph translated the important things, we got our piece of the delicious German Christmas cake. It was Ashley's introduction to the cake and she was thoroughly impressed. So much so, that we bought more at the cafe before we left. We also wanted to go to the Germanische Museum in the town centre. The Museum is so huge that we didn't have time to see everything before it closed. However, we did see an interesting exhibit on instruments through the ages and luggage, which doesn't sound so interesting but it was neat to see because it documented trends in travel from a few centuries ago to the present. That night we had a nice dinner at a Greek restuarant; the best Greek food around apparently. It was pretty good and as authentic as it gets without actually going to Greece. Dan tried to pay for dinner but Christoph refused. They made a deal though; when we go for a third visit Dan will be allowed to pay for dinner (now it's public knowledge Christoph). When we were done dinner it was snowing outside. For the weather in December, Germany is very reminiscent of home.

The next day was more relaxing. In the morning Sabine took us for a walk around Lauf. We went to the Christmas market which was much smaller and less commercial. Here both of us found homemade cards to send home and Gluhwein mix to try back at the hostel. Sabine also took us to an Oil & Vinegar type of store which also sells liqueurs from the tap. It was really neat and it smelled so amazing when we walked inside. The rest of the day was filled with visiting with Sabine's sister. We had "mouthbag" soup, which sounds way gross, but it's really way tasty, and headed off to some shops: the ADIDAS and Puma outlet stores. Ashley loved the Puma store and wished she could've bought a pair of shoes. We had a nice coffee and a chat at a cafe. Once we headed back to Lauf we went to dinner at a brewery in Nürnberg. It was a great German meal just like all the other lunches and dinners we'd had at breweries in Germany.

The weekend had come and gone and it was time to head back to Inverness. We had a great time with Christoph and Sabine and enjoyed the time we spent in Nürnberg and Lauf. The only difference this time around was the temperature was closer to -10 than +35 and there was snow on the ground. But the snow didn't stop the trains from going. And they carried us to the Munich airport, where we found another Christmas market... at the airport. At this market we tried roasted chesnuts for the first time. Ashley learned that she is indifferent to roasted chesnuts. We could take them or leave them. That's all for now. Up next: Gran Canaria.

Dan's Photoes

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