German Christmas Markets [Christkindlesmarkt/Weihnachtsmarkt]

For the last few weekends we've been trying to take advantage of all the Christmas Markets taking place around us.  They typically run between Thanksgiving and Christmas, with the large ones open daily or on weekends, and the small ones open one or two nights only.  While they're all a little different, you always find people selling things, like Christmas decorations, handcrafts, and delicious food.  Also, it's popular to drink Gluhwein (mulled wine); there's a non-alcoholic version called Kinderpunsch that we always get... and it's delicious.  Particularly when it's really cold outside, and the drink warms you up.  You can collect the mugs that the drinks are served in.  

Our first December here we only spent 1 weekend in Germany, so we were only able to see Nuremberg's Christmas market.  It's a large one that is quite famous, but it was very crowded and cold.  I'd say we had better luck this year.  

Our first stop was Schloss Guteneck, only 45 minutes away.  It's in the middle of nowhere, in the forest with a castle backdrop.  Much more charming than a large city!  We got there early enough there weren't many people so we could wander around easily.  Many of the people were dressed up in medieval clothing, and they had many attractions to see like archery, welding, and various animals.  We tried dampfnudels, which are sweet rolls with a really sweet cream sauce poured over the top.  These ones were filled with plum jelly.  Sounds odd, but tastes great.  I think we'd both vote this our favorite Christmas market, since it was so isolated and we felt transported in time.    

 On the way home we stopped in at Vilseck's market, which was held in the Dagstein castle.  It was only open for two nights, and while it was kind of charming that our town had a Christmas market, it was also very small and crowded.  It drew in people from the town as well as the surrounding military community.  We walked around, drank some kinderpunsch, and left.  At that point Tiago was done with the cold, and done with his stroller.

Our town's Nightwatchman, and Saint Nicholas.

The next weekend we saw the Romantic Christmas market held in Regensburg's castle Thurn and Taxi.  Apparently this castle is bigger than Buckingham Palace, although we didn't go inside.  They had stands set up in the castle's courtyard and around the perimeter.  If we had been the only ones there, I'm sure it would have been much more enjoyable, but it was SO crowded.  We tried another food for the first time, langosch.  It looks like pizza; it's like fried dough with cream, cheese, and bacon on top.  It's hard to go wrong with that combination.  This market felt a big more upscale, with pretty expensive things being sold.  We didn't buy anything that wasn't edible.  

On our walk back to the car we took several wrong turns and ended up at the main Christmas market right in the center of Regensburg.  Here's the famous Dom.  

We debated which other markets we wanted to see, and decided we didn't want to drive too far, since I'm uncomfortable on long trips and we were getting sick of crowds anyway.  I heard of a town called Dinkelsbuhl, which is south of Rothenburg along the Romantic Road.  They had a small Christmas market going on so we drove just under two hours to get there.  What a cute town!  I would have visited even if they didn't have anything special going on.  It has the same charm as Rothenburg, but the town was practically empty!  And the streets were wide.  Every time I've been to Rothenburg everything feels so busy and crowded.  Dinkelsbuhl was the roomier version.  

First we saw the market, and drank plenty of hot liquid since it was freezing outside.  It wasn't too big, and was held in a courtyard area.  Then we spent about an hour just wandering around the town, and we had it all to ourselves.  I bet in the summer it gets more crowded, and maybe the market is busier in the evening, but I was thrilled.  We ended our trip by warming up at the bakery, which was surprisingly cheaper food than even our bakery in Vilseck.  The stars were just aligning right for us.  

Now our Christmas market adventures are over.  Next Christmas I'm sure we'll dig our mug collection out of boxes and try to recreate some of the delicious food, since I think that's the highlight of most of our travels.