Trip Introduction
In Spring of 2015 we attended a travel show at our local AAA office where Trafalgar tours was presenting. We were lucky and got the big door prize of $200 off a vacation, which had to be taken in calendar 2015. We compared our schedules with their offerings and decided to make our first winter trip to Europe for a German Christmas Markets tour.
We have no notes from the actual trip, so this is another picture induced memories story.
Saturday, 12/12/2015 – Leaving
Being our first big trip into what we expected to be cold weather, our suitcases were a little heavier as we headed out. We flew from Des Moines to Chicago where we caught an overnight flight into Frankfurt, Germany.
Sunday, 12/13/2015 – Landing in Germany
We arrived in Frankfurt, passed through passport control, and claimed our bags. Trafalgar offered coach rides to the hotel at fixed times so we found something to eat while waiting for the first transfer. The hotel was in a business district but after dropping our things in our room, we decided to walk around. We found a small market nestled amongst the office buildings. Later we had an orientation meeting where we met our Travel Director and the rest of the group before boarding the coach and heading to a market in a historic area of Frankfurt. We were introduced to the festive atmosphere of the markets at night and enjoyed the sights, sounds, smells, and flavors.
Stalls of a market with an office high rise in the distance
Several types of sausage cooking on a grate over open coals
Lights on a 2-story carousel and a tree light up a market at night
Stacks of pretzels with different coatings in a stall
Monday, 12/14/2015 – Picturesque Rothenburg and Nürnberg
The coach left early on Monday, and we headed southeast through the German countryside to the town of Rothenburg ob der (on the) Tauber. The medieval walled city at the core of the town is still intact and, we now know, is often featured in calendars and puzzles for its charm and beauty. We walked around an elevated walk within the old city walls before going into the center where we had free time to explore the small market and shops.
Stone walls capped with slate roofs surrounding the old city
A park fills the old moat outside the city walls
Looking from the walkway in the walls over the old city
The market in the central plaza of Rothenburg
An old watch tower stands above the cobbled streets
Stacks of Schneeballen in a pastry shop window
After time for lunch, and a schneeballen (snowball pastry), the coach took us to the City of Nuremburg. After a driving tour of historic sites on the way to our hotel, we checked in and returned to the coach. We were dropped off near the Kaiserburg Nürnberg (Imperial Castle of Nuremberg) that now was being used as a hostile. We walked down the hill to the historic city center, which was home to one of, if not, the largest Christmas Market in Germany. It was in the plaza in front of the cathedral and reportedly included over 400 stalls spreading out into adjacent streets and squares. The atmosphere here felt more commercialized because of the scale and explicit organization of the stalls. We still enjoyed walking around the market and finding new treats as the sun set before making our way back up the hill to our coach taking in views of the city with the lights on.
Medieval walls and a tower in Nuremberg
An old water gate over the river Pegnitz
The Imperial Castle of Nuremberg
Looking out over the historic center of Nuremberg
Wooden toys and ornaments for sale at a stall
Frauenkirche (Lady’s Church) in Nuremberg
Modern candle carousels light up one of the stalls
The smells of fresh cooked foods were everywhere
The lights start to come on in the many stalls of Nuremberg’s main market
Even the church lights up at night
Looking back out over the city as we climb the hill to our coach
The tower is lit up at the Imperial Palace like a beacon
Tuesday, 12/15/2015 – Wartburg and Erfurt
We left Nuremburg Tuesday morning heading north into central Germany. Our primary stop for the day was the castle Wartburg (vat-burg) near Eisenach. While the Christmas Market was not open the day we visited, we enjoyed the beauty of the structure and the historic significance. Martin Luther first translated the bible into what is now considered the common German language while living here seeking asylum from the Catholic Church. We left the Eisenach area stopping in Erfurt in the late afternoon for free time. We visited their Weihnachtsmarkt with the large Ferris wheel near the cathedral. After the sun set, we headed on to nearby Weimar for the night.
The walls and tower of Wartburg castle
A roof covers the stairs on the outside of one of the towers
Intricate carvings were common on the columns inside the castle
The ornate Elizabethan mosaics of the lady’s chambers
The royal hall on the highest floor of the castle
Martin Luther’s room with the original green fire place
The decorative candle carousel at the market in Erfurt
Looking over the Erfurt market from the steps leading up to the cathedral
The alter piece in the cathedral in Erfurt
Erfurt market’s Ferris wheel with the cathedral beyond
Wednesday, 12/16/2015 – On to Dresden
We opted not to participate in an optional excursion Wednesday morning, so we took the opportunity to walk through a park near our hotel. The park, with the river Ilm running through it, housed several monuments and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We also saw Stadtschloss Wemar, a castle that was still in use in the early 1900’s. The coach departed after lunch, and we made our way to the city of Dresden. The late afternoon included a local guide taking us on a tour of some of the historic downtown areas where we learned about the magnificence of the city and the destruction that occurred late in WWII. We also heard stories about how a portion of the city was left in ruins during the cold war as a reminder to the German inhabitants to not make trouble for the ruling party. In the evening, we visited both the main Christmas market as well as a medieval market set up in one of the palace courtyards.
A gravel path runs along the hillside at the edge of the park
A rail of wood branches separates the path from the slope to the river Ilm
Ruins of old structures inside the park
Stradtscholss Wemar with its distinctive clock tower
The Procession of Princes on the exterior of the rebuilt palace in Dresden
A band plays above a food stall with a candle carousel in the background
Thursday, 12/17/2015 – Free Day in Dresden
There was an optional excursion to a porcelain factory on Thursday, but we opted to sleep in and enjoy more of the sights in Dresden. We were able to visit the Frauenkirche which was beautifully restored in 1994. The original plans had been saved and secretly stored during the post war era so some salvaged original stones are visible in the façade as dark blocks in the otherwise warm colored building. We also toured the opera house and enjoyed leisurely visits to the various markets during the day when there was less crowding.
Large pots of food are prepared during the day for the market crowds
Frauenkirche in Dresden with its salvaged dark stones mixed with the new
Dresden’s Zwinger housed palace gardens
One of the markets as seen from the bell tower of Frauenkirche
The Dresden Opera house
What looks like stone is specially painted gypsum plaster
The ornate paintings in the halls leading to the seats
The boxes on either side of the stage
The sun sets on the royal complex in Dresden
A beautiful church adds to the ambiance of the markets
Friday, 12/18/2015 – Leipzig and Berlin
Our last day changing cities took us out of Dresden to Leipzig. The city was home to the composer Johan Sebastian Bach for 20 years where he composed pieces for the various churches and religious figures in the area. We visited a market in the town before continuing our journey to the German capital city of Berlin. As we drove by various structures the weight of history in the city was almost palpable. We stopped at a market for free time while the coach took our luggage to the hotel. We wandered through a small area, but the weather was overcast with spotty rain, so we didn’t venture far. We did find the Brandenburg Gate, which was quite beautiful lit up in the twilight.
St. Thomas Evangelical Church in Leipzig is home to Bach’s tomb
A statue commemorates Bach’s time in the city
An ornate screen inside St. Thomas
One entrance into the Leipzig Market
Leipzig’s market on a rainy day
Königskolonnaden in Berlin
Remains of Anhalter Bahnhof (train station)
The Breitscheidplatz Christmas Market in Berlin
Brandenburg Gate in the evening
Saturday, 12/19/2015 – A Day in Berlin
Saturday started with a coach ride to the Berlin TV Tower. This iconic structure was visible throughout both sides of the once divided city. We visited the observation level near the top before starting a walking tour with a local guide. On the tour we visited several sites and learned about many of the famous structures that survived World War II and the Cold War. We saw one of the few reaming standing sections of the Berlin wall. After the tour concluded, back near the Berlin TV Tower, we decided to go for a walk instead of taking the coach back to the hotel. It was a long afternoon, but the skies cleared, and we saw some beautiful scenes around the city. We returned to the hotel after sunset with tired feet and packed our luggage for the trip home.
The Berlin Fernsehturm (TV tower)
Looking at the Reichstag (glass domed government building) from the observation level
Berlin’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
A section of the Berlin wall is maintained near the old Luftwaffe Headquarters
A Ferris wheel in a market near the TV tower
Berlin Cathedral with the TV tower beyond
The Victory Column stands in a traffic circle
A market near the remains of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
Sunday, 12/20/2015 – Home for the Holidays
Our journey home started in Berlin and had stops in Munich and Chicago before we arrived late in the evening in Des Moines.
We enjoyed our visit to Germany and the festive atmosphere of the markets enough that it influenced several of our later trips.