I was spending the second day of my weeklong jaunt through the Christmas markets of Germany in Nuremberg, a city long associated with the trials of Nazi war criminals in the mid-1940s. But this wonderfully charming city with a very deep history has so much more to offer than the notoriety of that brief period, including some very impressive architecture. Read about the top five buildings in Nuremberg >
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Have Yourself a Merry German Christmas: Day 6
Of the seven cities on my itinerary, Heidelberg was the one I was anticipating the most. From the train station, I walked for about a half-hour on streets that became increasingly more engaging as I made way to the Old Town. Beguiled by its bosky hillside, mountaintop castle, gentle river and graceful bridges, and outstanding architecture, I thrilled at the thought of spending a full day here, rambling through its Christmas markets amid the most romantic setting possible. Read more >
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Have Yourself a Merry German Christmas: Day 5
As I strolled through one of Düsseldorf’s city parks, beautified by a little river and a couple of lakes, I marked the absence of people. I had arrived on a Sunday morning, and every store was — and would stay — closed for the day. Few pedestrians or joggers utilized the path along the Rhine River. It seemed everyone in the city was staying at home on this overcast day. But all that changed when I reached the first of three increasingly interesting Christmas markets. Read more >
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Have Yourself a Merry German Christmas: Day 4
During World War II, the Allies dropped 142,000 bombs on Stuttgart, destroying 39,125 buildings. Needless to say, with some sporadic exceptions here and there, it doesn’t have much of an Old Town anymore. I stepped off the train from Frankfurt and emerged from the very sturdy hauptbahnhof onto a newish and heavily congested pedestrian zone: Saturday Christmas shopping was in full gear. But this was just an ordinary shopping area. Once I arrived at the Christmas market, the number of people seemed to have quadrupled. Welcome to one of the largest Christmas markets in Europe. Read more >
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Have Yourself a Merry German Christmas: Day 3
Of all the cities I was visiting, I knew the least (well, virtually nothing) about Freiburg, but I included it on my itinerary because I read that it had one of the best Christmas markets in Germany. So, with no points of reference and no notions of what the city would be like, I boarded the train to Freiburg. As it would turn out, the markets didn’t seem to exceed any of the others I had seen so far (they were just as delightful), but, oh, how I loved this city. Read more >
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Have Yourself a Merry German Christmas: Day 1
Ever since I was a child, the Christmas markets in Germany held a special appeal for me. For some inexplicable reason, they seemed to epitomize this most festive holiday, more so than those in any other country. I knew that, someday, I would have to see them. Several decades later, I made the dream a reality. After careful research about the cities with the best markets, I had to select a central location from which I could make easy day trips to other cities over the course of one week, traveling by train and sparing myself the hassle of changing hotels every night. I pinpointed Frankfurt as my home for seven days. But the city was more than just my base. It was my introduction to a centuries-old tradition that exceeded all my expectations and made me conclude that this is how you must spend some time in December. Read more >
Stephen Travels 