We Have Snow!

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Geo: 50.9737, 11.0224

Thursday morning, we had a delicious breakfast offered by the hotel for €10 each. The restaurant was just around the corner from our hotel. We were all packed so we relaxed a bit before returning to the hotel to get our taxi to the Hauptbanhof. I had it planned to use public transportation whenever possible but find it almost impossible with Mom's luggage requirements on these trips. We haven't bought much but already the suitcases are on double expando and well over their original 50 lb. airline limit. The cab comes and we take the 7 minute journey to the train station where we wait for the 9:34am to Erfurt. Karen is always a "Nervous Nellie" until she gets on the train. Every train that arrives at the platform brings the same, "See if this is it." I tell her, "No, not for 8 more minutes". "Well, just go ask the guy. Your wasting time". I just turn down the hearing aid (if I had one) and ignore the whole episode. It's the same always.

We find plenty of room in the cars and just settle in to a nice table all to ourselves for the 3 hour ride. As usual, I work on the blog while sipping my €3 coffee served on the train. I use our phone to call ahead to the apartment to announce our arrival time. The lady answers only in German but, thinking quickly, I ask the young man seated across the aisle if he speaks English. He says, "Some". Good enough. I explain our situation and he relays the info to the lady in German. Now everything is beautiful. I offer to buy him a coffee but he graciously declines and apologizes for his broken English. I can tell you, it's better than my German! No major catastrophes, no Romanians, nothing crazy goes on and we arrive in Erfurt a little after 1pm. Grabbing a taxi just outside the train station, €10 gets us to the hotel with absolutely no conversation from this burly, unfriendly, German speaking driver.

This hotel is another apartment style with a kitchen and just a block away from the market. We meet the owner who does speak English and chat awhile. He just purchased it a few weeks ago. He explains a few things about it and leaves. With that, we head over to the see the famous Kramerbrucke Bridge. It's just a short walk. Erfurt's numerous lovingly restored Renaissance and half-timbered houses bear witness to the town's former wealth. These houses, as well as other buildings and the famous Krämerbrücke bridge, constitute one of Germany's best-preserved medieval town centers. Some of Erfurt's most beautiful locations are also excellent Christmas shopping destinations, both in the medieval streets and lanes with their churches and half-timbered buildings and along the stone-built Merchants' Bridge from the 13th century. At 400 feet in length and with 32 inhabited houses, it is the longest bridge in Europe to have buildings along its entire span. The problem is that while walking through it, it appears as any other street since you can't see down to the river that it crosses.

We check it out along with the stores, check out the medieval market just on the other side, then stop at a grocery store to pick up a few things for tomorrow's breakfast. Mom has been looking for a knit hat to match her red scarf and thinks she found one outside a store when the lady comes out, grabs the hat and says to come in to buy it. We go in and this lady says, "Here, this one is better, try this or this". I tell Karen that they don't match in color but the two keep talking. I wait patiently at the door until the negotiation is complete and Karen buys the hat for €10. Now I tell her it doesn't match and she says, "I know but the lady made me buy it". What? How could that be? She says that she liked the rhinestones on it. Whatever. We drop off our stuff at the apartment and head to the Christmas Market at the end of the street where we can't help but admire the old world charm of this very old city.

Ersfurt's numerous lovingly restored Renaissance and half-timbered houses bear witness to the town's formerwealth. These houses, as well as other buildings and the famous Krämerbrücke bridge constitute one of Germany's best-preserved medieval town centers. Some of Erfurt's most beautiful locations are also excellent Christmas shopping destinations, both in the medieval streets and lanes with their churches and half-timbered buildings and along the stone-built Merchants' Bridge from the 13th century.

Erfurt's Christmas market is the largest in Thuringia and one of the loveliest in the whole of Germany. Erfurt's medieval old town is centered on the Domplatz (Cathedral Square) which is a perfect setting for a romantic and unique Christmas Market atmosphere. Highlights of the Erfurt Christmas Market are an enormous 80' high Christmas tree, decorated with hundreds of candles, a 40' high Christmas Pyramid and a nativity scene, set amidst a magical fairytale forest, with hand carved almost life-sized figurines. They have around 200 little wooden huts surrounded by the aroma of glühwein and spicy Thuringian bratwurst plus many other regional specialities and festive gifts. Erfurt was founded in 742 and situated at the intersection of major trading routes, Erfurt prospered in the Middle Ages as a powerful center of trade and learning. Its cultural strengths attracted great personalities such as Luther, Bach, Goethe, and Napoleon. It's dark now and a mist floats just below the top of the castle, giving it an eerie glow with the lights, like Transylvania. All we need is Dracula!

This is the largest market and the most organized into one area. Most towns have a few spread around the city but here the biggest is right next to us. The snow on the ground, on the roofs and piled up around is the result of snow yesterday. While it's warmer today, the lingering snow adds a nice touch to the market. Mom buys a smoker, a little guy that makes fragrance when you put a lighted cone inside him. It's cool. She also got one of those lit up old houses. Of course the light bulb inside is 220v. We'll get an electrician to fix that for her when we get back.

I have Gluhwein while Mom has some stew and cut up sausages. I really liked the eggnog in Hannover but haven't seen it since. After, we head back to our room to pack and get ready for Bamburg.

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Photos

A View from our Apartment Down the Street
Love the snow.

Mom With her Lebkuchen (Gingerbread)
Notice her hat doesn't match her scarf. It's ok without the scarf.

Here is the Kramerbrucke Bridge
These houses are over the river.

Underneath the Bridge
Not so spectacular.

the March of the Smokers
Smoke comes out of their mouths.