Auch means "also", so I initially thought this sign started with "Jesus was also a drinker", but apparently in this context, Auch means "even". So it translates to a similar message, "Even Jesus was a drinker". Yup...posted outside a bar in the Christmas Market. I had to get a picture. Below is a picture of the mugs they were serving the Glühwein in.
We spent about 3 hours walking around and I don't think we saw everything.
The next day we had tickets to Nürnberg. We had tried to drive there a week or two ago, but ran into a snow storm and had to turn around. This time we planned ahead and bought train tickets, and big surprise, it was a bright sunny day. But that's ok, we didn't have to worry about parking or driving, we just took the metro to the train station, and the train straight there. I've really grown to love riding the train here...it's more expensive then driving, but when it comes to travelling long distances, you can't beat the comfort. Every seat has plenty of leg room.
We pulled up at the Nürnberg Hauptbahnhof around noon, and were hit with Christmas cheer as soon as we come up from underground. There were tents all along the street leading to the main market square, where the Christmas Market was. We walked along the street, and before we got to the main market, we came across the big church in town. Every city seems to have one, and they are all impressive.
Nürnberg is one of the largest and most famous of the German Christmas markets, but I'll be honest, after Tübingen, we weren't that impressed. It was neat to know we were in the same city that held the famous war trials after World War II, and it was neat seeing a new German city that we hadn't been to before, but as far as the Christmas Markets were concerned, they weren't that impressive. They were nice, they just didn't live up to expectations. The dove (or is it a pigeon?) in the picture below was not photoshopped in, I just happened to snap the picture right as it was flying by.
One area I thought was neat, though, was their "Partnerstadt", or Partner Town, section. They had booths set up representing cities from countries all over the world. For the U.S., they had people there from Atlanta, Georgia. They had Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, BBQ sauce, Jiffy Corn Bread Mix, Heinz Ketchup, and a few other things...actually, it seemed more like a Tennessee stand then a Georgia stand, but I'm sure your average German Citizen wouldn't know the difference. It was still nice to chat with some Americans though. They also had a Glasgow, Scotland, tent, but sadly they had no U.K. beer. They had some Scotch, though.
Towards the end of the afternoon Shanna & I got some Glühwein and Crepe's to warm up (it was FREEZING), and made our way back to the train station. We still had 2 hours to kill, so we took our time, and had dinner at a Paulaner restaurant. We also bought some French beer at a store next to the restaurant. We were both proud of the fact that the majority of the time when we talked with locals that day, we spoke only German. When we walked in to the Paulaner restaurant, the waitress said something in rapid German, and I knew what she said! She spoke English to us once or twice, but the majority of the time she spoke German. When we went to the French store, the lady didn't speak English, so I asked questions in German, and understood her response. We're getting better & better with our German, and it's such a thrill when I can use it practically around Germany.
As we were leaving the store and heading to the train station, we saw the Grand Hotel, draped entirely in lights...it was pretty neat.
It was a fun weekend, and while the Christmas Market didn't live up to expectations in Nürnberg, we still had a good time there. I definitely want to go back when it's warmer to tour the city. And next year we're going to Berlin. Some friends of ours visited there over the weekend and said their Christmas Markets were amazing. So, something to look forward to. :)
Click here to see the pictures, or any picture in the post above.
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