December is a season of vast darkness and rapidly chilling temperatures in Boston, yet an antidote to the winter blues emerges every year: holiday festivities. While I’ve been lucky enough to be raised in a multi-faith household, where 8 days of Hanukkah are accompanied by a stocky Christmas tree, I opted to ‘up the ante’ this year and visit a winter destination that is virtually unparalleled in its holiday spirit.
Welcome to southern Germany. It boasts a recorded history that spans all the way back to the days the Gauls clashed with the Roman Empire; many of its decades and centuries are dark and dismal enough to rival the deepest of winters. Yet German society has evolved tremendously, especially within the last 80 years since the end of WWII. The country I had the pleasure of seeing in all its December finery also happens to boast one of the highest living standards in Europe. Below is a brief account of my various stops in our first few days of travel.
Day 1
A little before six o’clock in the morning, I landed at Frankfurt Airport with my travel companion, Terance. Despite my inability to sleep on planes, I mustered enough energy to drag my monstrous blue suitcase to the S-Bahn (train) station.
As a warm welcome to Europe, the S-Bahn train operators decided to go on strike! In true German fashion, however, the strike was to end promptly at 10 PM that evening. Despite the logistical nightmare of waiting 35+ minutes for each train, we managed to drop our bags at our hotel and head back into downtown Frankfurt for a look around. There was something quite humorous about the infuriated expressions of our fellow commuters along the way—in the wise words of the High School Musical cast, “We’re all in this together!”
Our first stop was the Frankfurt Cathedral, the first of many extraordinary German cathedrals we saw while traveling. It boasts standard Gothic architecture, with high ceilings and stained glass windows.
After absorbing the solemn atmosphere of the Cathedral, we proceeded to Frankfurt’s main square, The Hauptwache, and feasted our eyes upon Frankfurt’s Christmas market. Brilliantly-lit stalls overflowed with sweet and savory delicacies; a carousel spun elegantly and a majestic Christmas tree soared into view. “Truly exceptional,” I thought to myself as I bit into a chocolate pretzel larger than my head.
Our Day 1 adventure ended with a trip to the Historical Museum Frankfurt, which spans an impressive three floors and follows the city’s evolution through periods of transformation and tumult.
Our final stop before fatigue overtook us was a psuedo-Italian restaurant on The Hauptwache with mediocre sandwiches and magnificent coffee creations. As I dug through a mound of whipped cream to sample the bitter chocolate liquid in this glass, I listened to snippets of animated conversation from a group of women lunching nearby.
Day 2
Our day began with a schlep through Frankfurt’s (now fully functional) train stations, as I booked us at the wrong ‘Leonardo Offenbach Hotel Frankfurt’ and we had to make it to the sister hotel at the other end of the city to meet up with our tour group later in the day. On the way, we stopped at a convenience store and sampled a selection of breakfast foods I considered to be far superior to the garbage we’re offered in the US (then again, perhaps it was the novelty of Germany that had me so excited). A pretzel with butter and scallions and a frothy cappuccino were my selections.
Once we had stored our suitcases, we ventured back into the city and made our way over the Eiserner Steg (Iron Bridge), which connects Frankfurt’s Old Town to the Sachsenhausen district. It is also known as “Love Lock Bridge” for the hundreds of locks fastened to its railings by happy couples.
We then meandered Emma Metzler, a contemporary restaurant nestled within the Museum of Applied Arts, to treat ourselves to a luxurious meal. I cannot say with certainty what I ate, but the presentation of the dishes was unparalleled. I washed it down with a petite glass of plum schnapps and was able to pretend for a split second that I was a German noblewoman of the 1700s.
In the afternoon, we met up with our tour group, and the lobby of our hotel overflowed with 53 smiling faces from Australia, New Zealand, America, Mexico, and the UK. After spending our welcome dinner chatting with folks from DC, Melbourne, and El Paso, we climbed aboard our tour bus and ventured back into the magical Christmas market square of Frankfurt. Rain drenched our coats and socks, but we kept warm by sipping our first glasses of gluhwein (mulled wine sold at the markets) beneath an overhang.
Fun fact: when you purchase a glass of gluhwein at any Christmas market, you pay a deposit of 2-5 euros for the mug it comes in. The mugs have all kinds of beautiful designs and are unique to the city in which they are purchased. Above, you can see the mugs from Frankfurt!
Day 3
Our third day began with a fun (albeit slightly chaotic) bus ride to Boppard in which we engaged in a “speed dating” activity to get to know our travel buddies better. People sitting in the aisle of the bus hopped between rows, introducing themselves to those in the window seats and sharing a minute or two of fun facts and stories! As we chatted, the Rhine River came into view next to the highway. Sunlight sparkled off the water, and petite towns flew by. Most impressive were the old castles clinging to the steep hillsides and the steep terraces where grapes were grown.
The group hopped on a boat for a brief cruise along the Rhine, sipping coffees and admiring the fairytale landscape around us. Some people (Aussies and Brits, of course!) opted for morning glasses of gluhwein, but I did not have the guts to put down an alcoholic beverage at ten o’clock.
Once the cruise concluded, we stopped by the shop of a traditional beer stein maker. These gorgeous works of art are masterfully sculpted and painted by groups of multiple craftsmen. I was quite impressed by the intricate paintings adorning the sides of the steins, which depicted everything from medieval townsmen to maps of the country of Germany.
Fun fact: all beer steins are covered with a lid that can be raised and lowered using one’s thumb. The lids have been a key feature of beer steins since the Middle Ages, when partiers were required to cover their drinks to lessen the chance of contamination from pestilence-carrying bugs.
At noon, it was time for a highly-anticipated wine tasting! We squeezed together on benches in a cellar and sampled 5 varieties of wine by candlelight. The most popular variety was the Eiswein (“Ice Wine”), which is produced from grapes that are frozen while still on the vine.
After ingesting the equivalent of approximately 2.5 glasses of wine in the middle of the day, I’m ashamed to admit that I feel asleep on the bus with the chatter of my fellow travelers enveloping me and the voice of our trip manager, Rob, blaring through the microphone. I rallied in time for a late lunch in the delightful city of Koblenz, where the now-familiar site of old, colorful buildings and cozy shops gave me plenty of photography material. We ended with time to explore the Cologne Christmas market, which was just as lovely as the one in Frankfurt.
Stay tuned for further documentation of my German adventures!
