As the New Year dawns and the daunting prospect of returning to my monotonous daily routine approaches, I continue reflecting on my delightful adventure through the Christmas markets of Germany earlier in December.
Day 4
We began our day in the famous city of Heidelberg, which has all the makings of a fairytale town. To stretch our legs after the long coach ride, my companion and I hiked up a steep cobblestone hill to reach Heidelberg Castle. We caught our breath in the castle courtyard and took in panoramic views of the city and river.
The castle also boasts the German Apothecary Museum, which details the history of the pharmacology profession in Germany and beyond. I took great interest in a recreation of a pharmacist’s shop, complete with fascinating glass vials, and peered through display windows at various herbs and animal parts that have historically been used as medicines. I chuckled upon reading that medieval medicine relied on the concept of ‘balancing humors in the body’ for quite some time…but it’s not as though I could have done any better if I’d lived in that era.
Another unexpected highlight we came across at Heidelberg Castle was…the world’s largest wine barrel! I have no clue why this monstrosity (roughly the size of the coach bus we were traveling on) exists, but it sure was a wonder to behold!
After descending the hill Heidelberg Castle perches on, my companion and I dipped into a quiet lunch spot and seated ourselves at a corner table that gave us a nice view of the street outside. I relished my giant hunk of schnitzel and downed a flavorful beer with cherry nectar mixed in! After lunch, we stopped by a famous Heidelberg chocolatier before meandering back to the coach.
Later that evening, my tour group arrived in Stuttgart, and I indulged in a glass of rosé gluhwein (the best I had on the trip!) We concluded our busy day with a group visit to the Stuttgart Zoo for a Christmas lights show; beneath an aisle of twinkling red lights, one of our tour mates proposed to his girlfriend!
Day 5
We spent most of today in the astonishingly lovely town of Rothenburg, which has retained its medieval charm for many centuries. The city wall stands preserved as a testament to the times of old, sheltering pastel-colored buildings and cobblestone streets. The twinkling lights and tinsel adorning each storefront only added to the incredible sensation of otherworldliness that enveloped me as I trotted through the city square.
Of course, our jaunt through this charming little city would not be complete without a walk on the dark side—that is, the Medieval Crime Museum. Did you know that pupils in medieval times were sometimes disciplined by enduring the humiliation of wearing a donkey costume, or that “talkative women” could be punished with “shame masks?” Reading about the creative methods of torture and punishment dreamed up in past centuries made me especially grateful to be alive in today’s era.
We ended our day with a walking tour of the historic old town of Nuremberg, known for its grim connection to Nazi history: the Nuremberg Laws, which stripped German Jews of their citizenship; the Nuremberg parade grounds, where Hitler held massive rallies; and the post-WWII Nuremberg Trials all took place here. From the top of Nuremberg Castle—which has been built in 3 parts over time, all separated by gates and walls—we took in a panoramic view of a city that has evolved tremendously since the Nazi era. The grounds where the rallies were once held are still preserved today, albeit serving different functions for a democratic society; people dance, socialize, and take pictures there.
Of course, the stopover in Nuremberg was not complete without a trip to the Christmas market, where I took one of my favorite pictures of the entire trip:
My travel companion and I also thought to ask our walking tour guide for pub recommendations, which brought us to a little gem called Beim Almosmüller a few blocks from the main market square. The pub proprietor bustled over to our table and recommended several Bavarian beer and wine varieties, as well as a stew loaded with traditional mini sausages. We left filled with enough warmth to trot through the chilly winter night with pep in our step.
Day 6
Today was—as our guide warned it would be—an “emotional roller coaster.” We kicked things off with a gingerbread cookie-making class in Nuremberg; not the traditional, chewier gingerbread that those of us in the US are familiar with, but Lebkuchen, a recipe with nuts and spices that yields a softer cookie. I was quite bemused by the fact that we were instructed to spoon our dough onto Communion Wafers to get the size of each cookie just right. While the cookies baked in gigantic ovens, my group helped ourselves to lattes and chattered amongst ourselves.
In the afternoon, we deviated from the typical fun and games of our itinerary to immerse ourselves in an important and solemn history lesson. Dachau, the first German concentration camp, was a hellish prison where over 200,000 Jews, Roma, and political dissidents were starved, tortured, humiliated, and executed. I will refrain from posting pictures of the grounds in order to avoid making a spectacle of the victims’ suffering, but I will share this sculpture which captures their plight so poignantly. Each unique individual who walked through these gates wasted away into an emaciated shadow, much like the tormented figures who comprise the art piece.
In the museum exhibition on the Dachau grounds, I was able to put faces and brief biographies to some of the victims, returning their humanity to them and acknowledging their suffering. I also had the opportunity to see personal items that were seized from them when they entered the camp—wristwatches; passports; photos of loved ones. The Nazis’ objective was to dehumanize these individuals and strip them of their identities, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that they are remembered. This visit was hard, but I felt that I did justice to my Jewish ancestors and all who perished at the hands of the Nazi regime.
Alas, all roller coasters that dip must climb again. My group drove to Munich, taking a couple hours to process our experience at Dachau, and rebounded for a city walking tour headed by a jolly and gregarious American expat named “Pat.” After ensuring that everyone had a beer or glass of gluhwein in hand, he shepherded us between several of Munich’s most famous sights, hoisting a red umbrella in the air to ensure we kept pace with him among the throngs of Christmas market visitors. Highlights included the Bavarian State Opera House, which is painted with a gold fresco that is glorious to behold even at night; and St. Michael’s Church, which has the most ornate interior I’ve ever seen.
While many German Christmas markets sell relatively similar items, I still found that the markets in each city had their own charm. Munich boasts a “medieval Christmas market,” where gluhwein is served in clay chalices and visitors huddle around cozy bonfires.
Day 7
Alas…the final day of our trip arrived too quickly! However, nobody can accuse us of not “going out with a bang.” My group visited the most famous castle in Germany, Schloss Neuschwanstein. Built by the eccentric King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the 19th century, this breathtaking white structure was the inspiration for Walt Disney’s famous castle. After a steep uphill walk, the castle rose dramatically into view, shimmering on the hillside despite the cloudy weather. Photography was forbidden inside the castle walls, but it was quite evident that King Ludwig spared no expense to make sure that the interior was as magnificent as the exterior. How would you like to take your breakfast with views of the Alps and the German countryside each morning? (Of course, Ludwig was somewhat nocturnal by all accounts, so perhaps he didn’t take in the views as often as one might think).
It was chilly and snowy outdoors, so my travel companion and I bustled into a cozy restaurant for lunch. I indulged in “potato pancakes” with applesauce (which made me giggle— these are a classic Hanukkah food, after all!)
While my group was quite active during the day, that didn’t stop us from pursuing one more night of Christmas revelry. Our final dinner of pork knuckle and bread pudding was followed by a round of massive liter beers in a traditional Munich bierhall. I sweated buckets while crowded on a bench with my group, but I couldn’t picture a better way to conclude our trip. Prost!
