Nuremburg Christmas Markets

Some introduction... Yonks back, Sarah discovered her true calling in life. Collecting money! Not for the purchase of sweets and candy mind you, but for the purchase of presents for children. This calling started off very vaguely with no particular children in mind, until she focussed on the fact that 2 very important children would be arriving the day after christmas.... The arrival of the Marais clan the day after christmas! Now, this arrival has been a MUCH anticipated affair. Sarah and Amber have been very excitedly making christmas cards and decorations and ... saving money to buy presents. So, in comes the story...

After discovering information about the German Christmas Markets during internet searches for ski accommodation, we plotted that the very next week-end we would head to Nuremberg, famed as the best christmas market location in Germany. This was going to be our opportunity to both explore a new city and experience a new culture with it's traditions as well as to shop up a storm for the christmas presents of the arriving Marais clan.

We found accommodation that was described as a children's haven - an apartment that was kitted out to distraction for children. We arrived on Friday night and found the most unique apartment - a one-bedroom that truly lived up to it's title. The girls had a double bunk and slept under the "stars".
Under their bed was a play area kitted with trains and games. There was a table in the centre of the room with all manner of games and playthings.
Our bed was a fold out couch in the same room - so we just had to make sure that the girls were really asleep first ;)... The kitchen was made out as a medieval kitchen decorated with bats and knights. Each morning we woke up, we found a gift basket outside the front door "delivered by Santa c/o the owners" with various gifts and goodies for the girls. (A highly recommended accommodation for children: http://www.bambini-events.de/).

Saturday morning we cought the train in to Nuremberg (Nuernberg) and made our way into the medieval old town of the city. The streets were all lined with markets all of a christmas kind - the Gluwein stalls being the most popular. There were cookie stands, ginger bread stalls, fruit and veg vendors, balloon modellers, chocolate and fruit dipped chocolate sellers, toys and widgets, glass ornamets and christmas decoration shops. The best was the german traditional boerie rolls - 3 finger sized bavarian sausages in a round breadroll - a great hit!
We made our way to the children's square where there was a stunning fun-fair - all with really old world rides - carousel's and ferris wheels. The girls had few rides before our tushies were completely frozen and we huddled into the nearest stall that had an indoors to allow some thaw-time.
We then continued browsing the christmas stalls, each baby with a bag full of their coins that they have been saving, each wanting to buy the first item that catches their eye at every stall, each item costing waaaaay more than their few euros, and each item completely the most impractical gifts imaginable.

The main square was a complete zoo.
It was shoulder nudging, bellie bumping full. We pretty much skirted the outside of it, amuzed ourselves with the christmas hats on sale while watching the enormous cart horses lug their passengers up and down the streets before heading back to the underground and catching our train home. (Therein is another long story as we missed our stop, had to double back with a return train which dropped us off at a different station than where our car was parked and we had to walk the 3+ kms back through town in the minus something at about 8pm.... but we will save that one for another day ;)..)

Sunday was a repeat affair, but we finished our purchases around lunch time and then headed home at around 2pm with packets full of goodies and still enough money to explore the Plzen christmas markets for some of the local fare.