Special Edition: Frankfurter Christmas Market

This was such a fun place I had to include a pictorial of the sights and "smells" of this great experience. The market covers about four long city blocks plus some spill over into side streets and along the pedestrian mall.

Doppelbock seasonal bier

Butcher shop

More meats

Colorful booths

This is a double-decker carousel. Wouldn't the little ones love this!

Gluhwein is the hot mulled wine mixed with orange juice, clove and cinnamon

Mandeln is almonds, and many other assorted roasted and flavored hot nuts for sale

The longest stem Amarylis I have ever seen! Beautiful!

Entrance to the market form the north

Kids train

Binding is the local brewery

Lots of honey products and beeswax candles

These are candy-coated marshmallows

Various meats cooking over a wood fire - kausewurtz is our favorite!

Frankfurt, Germany at Christmas

21 Dec. 2012

Day 7 Rhine Valley Tour and Wine Tasting

This was undoubtedly the most disappointing day we have had. We were the most excited about this tour but it was really a bust all the way around.

Where the Main River and the Rhine River meet is about a hour's drive away. During the spring and summer this would be a beautiful drive through the hills and wooded areas. As it was today, it was overcast and drizzling most of the day, and at midday was only slightly less gloomy than in the morning. It would have been a good setting for a Gothic scarey movie or something. 

Along the Rhine River is a stretch that is a UNESCO World Heritage site due to the number of castles along the cliffs on either side of the river. Many are hotels or museums these days. Our tour is advertised as a Rhine River cruise but in winter, they substitute a castle tour instead. The river was over banks today due to all the rain and snow melt so a cruise was out of the question.

Rheinsteig - Rhine river tour

After a very mediocre meal at a cafe that can be described as decor of childhood fantasy , we headed another 50 minutes up the road to the castle. Again the drive would have been very nice in the right season. The castle was genuine and Johnnie really liked it. Unfortunately, his camera battery died after only one photo! As for me, there was no way I could climb the c. 100 steps to get to the castle, let alone the 100 or more steep, narrow stone steps inside the castle. So I waited in the bus and played solitaire.

Marksburg Castle

Forest around the castle

Marksburg Castle

Our wine tasting was a joke. We returned down the hill to the same cafe and each of us had four tiny thimballs of wine to taste. The Ice Wine was good but way over-priced.

Once again we were on a short bus for today's tour! This was a very nice 16 seater, and very comfortable.

So we have once again come to the conclusion that we are not tour bus people. I am so glad this week was not one big tour, or we would have really been frustrated. As it was, we did one full day and two half day tours and that was frustrating enough. We hate to be bustled around on a schedule with spending two or three hours on a bus and then having one hour to see what you came to see! We are frustrated with tour guides, some which know their history and some which just repeat a memorized script, but all expect a generous tip!

All the trips advertised "lunch included" which was a packaged sandwich and bottle of water or like the one we had today which didn't includes drinks or dessert which added another 20 euro to the bill! Please, don't bother to advertise "lunch included" if that is the best you can do!

After being in Frankfurt a week, we could have seen so much more and enjoyed it a lot more if we rented our own car to tour and used public transportation in town. Driving here is orderly and easy, so with a GPS we would be just fine.

22 Dec. 2012
Day 8 Choir concert
Today was another relaxing day. We finished the shopping at the Christmas market and ate our way through the various booths trying sausages, kirschwein, chocolate covered strawberries, and other delicious things. After our shopping I had another wonderful massage. We went out to dinner and then to the concert of the St. Petersburg Boys Choir at the Frankfurter Dom.

Traditional German dinner at Polaner Pub near the Frankfurter Dom

23 Dec. 2012
Day 9 Departure
So sad to leave Frankfurt! We love Germany and will definitely come back. Next time we will rent a car, stay a little further out of the center of the city where it is a little less expensive, and do our own touring.

Johnnie loves Germany because everything and everyone is on time, people follow the rules when they drive and stay in their own lanes, and things are very neat and clean. The countryside is beautiful and they have plenty of hunting and wildlife. It is easy to get around here and lots of people speak English so the language is not a barrier. It seems English is practically a second national language but there are plenty of signs and menus in Russian, Spanish and Japanese as well.

Frankfurt, Germany at Christmas

18 Dec. 2012 Day 4

Shopping in Frankfurt

Today we are spending an easy-paced day wandering around the Romer section of Frankfurt. We went back down by the Christmas Market and also down the main shopping area of Frankfurt. We sample gluhwein, which is a warm mulled wine that goes down nicely on a cold winters day. We stop in to have a bowl of goulash soup. This is nothing like what our mother's made but is a rich flavorful brown soup with chunks of very tender beef and a few tomatoes served with a heavy dark bread perfect for dipping into the soup.

It is always fun to see the familiar foods with different names!

We discovered the Protestant Parrish Church at the far end of the market by the river. It was originally built in 1150 AD and added onto over the years. Small but very beautiful, it has the Gothic architecture and the brilliant stained glass windows.

Simple alter compared to some of the other churches we have seen

12 inch high nativity inside the foyer of the church

Several stained glass windows tell Biblical stories

Amazing pipe organ

History of the church

The Romerberg district is the old part of Frankfurt, not destroyed by the war. The buildings have that distinctive Bavarian-look.

City Hall of Romerberg

Skyline of Romerberg

I had a wonderful massage today and while I was getting that done, Johnnie went out roaming the streets and came back with a yummy pretzel. These are freshly made at the stands and come in a variety of flavors, milk and deep chocolate, nut-covered, cheese covered, etc.

Chocolate covered pretzel

Do not come between a man and his fresh pretzel!

To end the day we found a local pub and had a variety of boiled and fried sausages, sauerkraut, and German potato salad for dinner, plus a sampling of the local beer. It was a great meal.


19 Dec. 2012
Day 5 Visit to the Stadel Museum

We decided to do the museums today as it was overcast and cold. Just seemed like a good day for an indoor activity. There are 30 or so museums in Frankfurt, many are located in a stretch along the River Main. We had grandiose ideas of going to several but wisely started with the most famous art museum the Stadel. After about 5 hrs. there we were worn out and couldn't get enough energy to go to any others!

Stadel museum

The museum has 5 floors with the two top floors being devoted to the Old Masters (1300 - 1850s). There are some amazing paintings there, definitely worth the trip. The rest of the museum was a let down after that, except for a small section of Surrealism from the 1920-30's.

We had lunch in the restaurant inside the museum and enjoyed some simple German dishes; Johnnie had a hamburger, which we were informed originated in Hamburg, and I had a glass of Reisling which makes me an honorary German!

Artistic cutlery in an art museum restaurant

20 Dec. 2012
Day 6 Heidelberg
We set the alarm for 6am this morning ( a crime when on vacation!) and caught the day tour to Heidelberg. It is about 1 1/2 hrs. drive each way and very scenic. Our tour guide was funny and kept our group of 15 people entertained the entire time.

About Heidelberg

It was very cold there, and especially on top of the hill where the castle ruins are. The wind was bitter cold and I had to buy a stocking cap for my head. The castle ruins are amazing but as it was so cold, we didn't spend as much time wandering around as I would like. In warmer times, it would be great to walk around the grounds and explore. Not much is left of the original castle and no one has actually lived there since the 1600's when lightening burned a big portion of the castle.

The climb up and around is steep and a bit rough. There is a funicular that you can take from the bottom up if you like. The views from the top are spectacular and it is easy to see why the castle was built here, not only for beauty but for protection as well.

After exploring the castle we headed back down the hill, had a snack and then stopped in the old town portion of Heidelberg for a look around.

There was an ice skating rink set up in the town square and lots of people out skating. Booths were set up and Christmas decorations and shops were everywhere but again, it was so cold we had a hot drink and went back to the bus.

Lots of busses waiting outside, once again ours is the short bus!

Frankfurt, Germany at Christmas

15 Dec. Travel Day 1
It started off smooth as can be. We packed the car, drove to Pomigliano to a friend's house, Gennaro took us the rest of the way to the Capodocchino Airport in Naples. No traffic, no lines at the counter, checked the bags and got through security in a breeze. About a hour wait now at the gate.

Baba for breakfast -- it doesn't get any better than this!

 When you sit for an hour in the airport you get to see all kinds of bad fashion.

Really baggy pants (almost off the butt) and bright red Nikes! Whew!

A delay for Munich, then another hour delay in Munich. Might as well celebrate our first time on Germany soil. So we headed for the nearby eatery to wait it out.

For my sister who was in the newspaper business, this is the widest  paper I have every seen!

Checking out the German beer and pretzels

End of the day, we made it to Frankfurt, then no driver so took a cab to the hotel Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof in the old part of the city. It is great.

Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof

Dramatic front of the hotel

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Reception

Tired feet from a day of travel

Is it riposo time?

16 Dec. 2012 Day 2
It was so luxurious to sleep in and spend a relaxing morning drinking our coffee! We ate a buffet breakfast at the hotel which was really good. Then we wandered toward the Christmas market. The market is huge, going for several city blocks.

Many children's rides are available at the market

Food booths galore!

We spent 4 hrs. walking the market and didn't even see half of it! The smells are wonderful! All kinds of things are cooking there, from the hot mulled cider to the roasted sausages, popcorn and candies. A person could literally eat all day long walking among the different booths.

We bought presents for some of the family before our feet and knees got tired. Later we went back for dinner and ate weiner schnitzel, which is a breaded slice of eat cutlet, with fried potatoes and a side salad. It was great!

Beautiful candles in every shape and size

A variety of sausages and meats grilling over the open wood fire

17 Dec. 2012 Day 3
Rothenberg

This is a Medieval era walled city, spared from the bombing of WWII because it held no industry or strategic significance. While it is a bit on the touristy side, still much of the atmosphere is preserved. We took a day trip -- two hours drive each way from Frankfurt.

The streets are rough cobblestone, even more treacherous than Napoli! Cars are forbidden on many of the streets. If you removed the cars and electrical lines from the scene, you would be stepping back in time more than 500 years.

Situated on top of a hill, this was the perfect location for defending a city. With perfect views all the way around enemies can be spotted a long way off.

The safest gate to the city at one time had a drawbridge

Part of the city wall

From inside the wall were places where defenders could fire on the enemy. The view from the city is spectacular.

The wall wraps the city

Steps up the inside of the wall

Fire from the cutouts on the right

View of the valley

Scenic view of the valley, river and part of the city top left

We imagine in the spring and summer this is a beautiful place, lots of trees, rolling soft hills and flowers everywhere.

The streets and buildings are very tidy and essentially true to the period. Originally built in 1310, it was expanded and new buildings erected in the 1500s.

Typical wine bottles of the Franconia region

Typical street

Decorated for Christmas

Many buildings are dated

Important clock tower by the city square; the two figures open on the hour

Supplied by its own water well in the city

The Christmas market was full of good things to eat and souvenirs. We ate a full German lunch at the Eisenhut Hotel and enjoyed a walk around town.

Eisenhut Hotel winter garden for lunch

Also noteworthy is St. Jakob's Lutheran church. Named after St. James, it was constructed by a master wood carver  who designed the intricate alter, the chancel pews.

Alter of St. Jakob's

Close up of the alter