We Fought the Train and the Train Won

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Geo: 48.3655, 10.8948

We're up early, as usual, even though it doesn't get light until 8am. We have our free breakfast, of course, steal some fruit and yogurt for the train trip and take the taxi to the train. It's a 2:08 hour trip from Regensburg to Augsburg with a train swap in Nurmberg. We've done it many times but this one is only 5 minutes. That might scare the average traveler, but not us. The day before when we went to the Nurmberg Christmas Market, we were well aware of our predicament and scoped out the station. The elevator for our 2 ton luggage is near the front of the train and the train we will transfer to is on the adjacent platform. Our plan is as follows:

We board the train in the front most car. Five minutes prior to arriving in Nurmberg, we don our jackets and, without attracting attention, move our luggage toward the door. When the train stops and the doors unlock, we blast out first, take a left for 25 yards to the elevator. I'll leave Mom behind in order to call the elevator. Proceed down one floor, cross over to platform 4 elevator and up to the train platform. Now race to any open door on the train which will be sitting there waiting for us and board. Now that's a plan!

Our train schedule was put together long before we left home and we have followed it without any problems. I normally allow more time but if we don't take this train, our choices are 1) take a later train in 1 1/2 hours or 2) take the next train but change trains once and stop a lot. We simply must make this train!

We get to Nurmberg with 10 million people trying to make the same train. Someone must have leaked our plan! They're lined up from all sides. The train stops and it's a stampede. Our huge luggage protects us somewhat but we're not the first to get off. We must make up time. Now the old lady is getting on the elevator but I jam the door with our giant suitcases and we secure a ride down. We take the other elevator back up to platform 4 where our train awaits us. I tell Mom, "Head for the door, I'll take the luggage!" Then the sound of a big surge of air as the brakes release and our train rolls out of the station without us. We opt to wait the 1 1/2 hours and resign to coffee and apple strudel until then.

We arrive in Augsburg a little later than anticipated but no worries. It's a smaller market and we will have no problem in seeing the whole thing. This time our hotel is right across the street from the HBF so we roll or bags straight to it, check in and then, after a brief respite, we walk to the market. I had a tram planned but the lady at the hotel says it's easier to walk it. We've heard that before. These people bike and walk everywhere, at high speed too. That's not Mom's thing but the walk proved short enough and her speed has improved a lot. Six blocks and we're there.

When we walk into the old town and the Christmas Market area, we can see the age and beauty of its architecture. It's the second oldest city in Germany and the oldest in Bavaria, founded and named after the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus in the year 15 B.C. The richness of its great cathedral, spectacular churches, mansions, elegant fountains and handsome palaces is primarily thanks to the Augsburg trading family who started its prosperous career in the 15th century. At the time their success made Augsburg one of the world's most powerful cities. Augsburg's Christkindlesmarkt is one of Germany's loveliest and oldest Christmas markets, held for more than 500 years in the delightful setting provided by the impressive Renaissance town hall.

The Augsburg “Christkindlesmarkt” is a village of booths forming one of the most beautiful Christmas markets in Germany. Approximately one million visitors from Germany and abroad enjoy the dreamlike atmosphere each year. On a stroll through the streets of booths festively decorated with lights, you will find a wide and special selection of holiday articles. With 150 huts, there was plenty to see and to eat. The food menu serves specialties like Schupfnudeln, pinkie-shaped flour dumplings mixed with sauerkraut and bacon; Reibedutschi, grated potato pancakes with applesauce and Fleischküchle, a mixture of a thick patty of chopped meat with bread, herbs and spices in the hamburger. Look for nuts, candy, crepes, chocolates and last but not the least chestnuts that are represented in many forms: roasted, chocolate covered, liquor and honey.

We check out things and then eat. Mom had some "ravioli" (not really but that's what it looks like) made with sausage with ham and grilled onions. The guy let her try it first. I had a brat and Gluhwein with a cup to keep. I have them all so far. Mom bought a little bird decoration and we walked back to the hotel. We cleaned up, Mom did some laundry and I worked on the blog.

Tomorrow we leave Germany for Austria, Salzburg to be exact. This was the town we were supposed to stay in last year for two days but the Romanian got our passports and we had to cancel this stop. But we're not here for the same things this time. It's Christmas.

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Photos

Mom Checking Stuff Out
And there's a lot of stuff