Christmas Markets Northern Germany - Day 8 Goslar

 Another long train ride, another opportunity to catch up on the blog.  This time, we are visiting Goslar.  This is a Unesco World Heritage site and has a lot of historical importance due to the silver, copper, and lead mines nearby.  While the mines are a tourist site and there is a market there, I opted not to visit them.   I decided to stick to the market and "Weinachtswald" in the old town.  

Once again, the train ride there was an adventure, due to delays and missed trains (try to look for connections that are a least a half hour apart...I keep reminding myself).   I got there without too much incident and asked Google maps to take me to my hotel.  It said 7 minutes away...but I later learned that the hotel is directly opposite the train station and I wasted time dragging my suitcase around cobbled sidewalks.  

This hotel was a bit of a splurge as it was only for one night.  Very worth it as i was to discover. I seem to get a lot of top floor rooms (except for my "cabin" my first night in Hamburg") and this was a particularly nice one.

Since I was only here overnight, I situated myself a bit (unpacked my backpack so I could take it exploring) and headed toward the market.  Now, there is a per night tourist tax in Goslar, but you get free transportation around with the local buses and discounts on tourist sites with it.  I did not need it, but it's nice if you plan a few days to explore.  The old city and marketplace is within walking distance, so I didn't need to take a bus.  

The first sign that you are in the Altstadt is the remains of a part of the medieval wall that used to surround it.  Pretty cool.

The architecture here is lovely too.  It's a great setting for a Christmas Market.

This church was pretty cool.  Did I bother to learn the name of it...nope.

However, I soon came upon the first signs of the market.  Very charming with the carved and painted timber buildings.

Of course, there is the ginormous tree (not the only one I would soon learn) but it was all a very charming and lovely setting.

I found the tourist information center where I bought my Goslar ornament (it's glass, so I have to be careful of my luggage now) and a gluwein mug...so I don't have to take a sticky one back to my hotel room.  

I soon found a stand selling "Honig Eierpunsch" (honey egg punch) so I started off with that.  Well, I'd gotten some mushrooms earlier, so I had food in my stomach :).

After finishing my punsch, I wandered a bit more until I found the "Weinachtswald."

Lots of very tall lit trees in one tiny square.  You can walk inside and get a gluwein.  I walked in for a bit, overheard a family speaking American English and said hello...then I exited the land of claustrophobia.  After taking a selfie...

I then wandered around for a bit, absorbing the atmosphere...and having a gluwein.  I also bought a pair of alpaca wool socks that were made in Goslar. 

This is the Market Fountain topped by a golden Imperial eagle.  I swear it looks like a rooster to me.  Anyway, this is a copy of the original, which is in a museum.

After one last pass of the ginormous tree, I decided I'd seen it all.  While not a tiny market, it is easy to see everythign in a couple of hours.  I got there early, which I recommend.  After 5 (especially on a Friday) it gets very busy.   It is one of the loveliest markets I've seen. It's a tiny bit commercial, but not overwhelmingly so.  Not a lot of those stalls that you see everywhere, which is nice.

To get back to the hotel, you walk down a lot of pedestrian shopping streets.  I thought the residents of this building had a lot of Holiday spirit.

Once I got back to my room, I puttered around a bit, got ready for bed and actually turned in early.  It had been a long day and I was sleepy.  Tomorow, I return to Hamburg for the rest of my stay. 

Christmas Markets Northern Germany - Day 7 Bremen

 Ok, we're gonna try this posting on a train ride again.  While I'm heading toward the next town on my whirlwind Christmas Market tour, I'll tell you about my previous day.

Bremen is a gorgeous town, once you get into the Altstadt (old city).  I took a tunnel under the wall that surrounded it and emerged into old Germany.  It was easy to find the market, but I went past a store that specialized in local Bremen products...so of course I went in.  I found locally roasted coffee, liquor flavored with ginger and lemon, and so much more.  I spent about 60 Euro in there. The staff was super helpful and gave me a guidebook and a map of the old city.  

Then it was off to the Christmas Market...

I found Santa Claus!   I see him much more often than I do St. Nickolas here in the North.

The town hall...

A Germann gargoyle!

More of the market around every corner

The famous statue of Bremen's city musicians.  Another Grimm fairy tale.

This is the HUGE tree. 

And some lovely holiday decor down a side shopping street...

I found a candy shop where you could watch them make Christmas candies through the window.

A sign pointing you to the market with the famous musicians

The next market was by the waterfront, so you had to go past this lovely tall ship.

This market (Schlacte-Zauber) was along the promenade by the river.  It had a seafaring/pirate theme with a lot of the vendors costumed in historical garb.  

My dinner, with gluwein in a mug I could take home (I asked and they even gave me a clean one!).

Pirates...ARGH!

The nice thing about that market is that it was in a straight line, so it was hard to get turned around.  Up one side, down the other and you knew you'd seen everything.  I restrained myself from buying some jewelry.

Then, it was back to the main market.  It was getting dark and I wanted to catch it with all of the lights.  

I found some chandeliers down an alley, just like those in Vienna and Innsbruk.

 Back to the big tree...

I was starting to get tired, and it was time for another drink.  Eierpunsch it was!

It was around this time I discovered that I had forgotten to put my Fitbit back on after I took my morning shower.  I know I did a ton of walking, but no proof of it.  Darn!

Headed back to my hotel and got my stuff in order as the next day is a trip to Goslar.  That's a story for later...

Christmas Markets Northern Germany - Day 6 Travels to Bremen

Honestly, not a lot going on this day.  Got on the train to Bremen from Kiel.  It was a fairly long ride, so I finished the previous day's blog.  

I found out that the area around Bremen station is a bit...sketchy.  However, I did finally find my hotel after getting turned around a bit.  It was a very typical traditional German hotel.  Single room, narrow twin bed and a single, flat pillow.  Still, I had a tiny fridge in that little cabinet and the heater in the bathroom was super warm.  The room was actually pretty warm, I ended up having to open the window.  As I was on the 4th floor, this was not an issue...except for some nightly loud pedestrians. 

I found a nearby grocery store and got some dinner and snacks.  I also found a dm (drugstore) for a few necessities and makeup to try out. 

The two main markets in Bremen were fairly close by and I had the whole next day, so I decided to just relax for the rest of the day.  

Like I said, not much...

Christmas Markets Northern Germany - Day 5 Denmark and more

Ok , so I promised I would actually write something this time and I have an hour train ride ahead of me...so here goes.

My 5th day I'm in Kiel, where my friend Ute lives.  We had spent the previous evening exploring the Kiel markets (except for the teeny tiny one across from my hotel that she said "doesn't count") so, after getting into the spirit of my trip focused on Christmas markets, she asked me if I would like a tour of other markets in nearby towns.  Well, of course I would!   When she then mentioned that we could cross the  border into Denmark and check out one there, I was all in!

She had some work in the morning, so we started off late in the morning.   We were also joined by her husband, who I would learn would very entertaining.  

This would be my first time in Denmark and first time on the Autobahn. Everyone is always so interested in the fact that there is no speed limit on certain areas of this highway...but it's not as frightening as it sounds.  It seems that most go about 130 Kph, which equals a little over 80 Mph.  I've hit that speed in Texas.   My life didn't flash before my eyes even once.

Anyway, the drive was about an hour and a half, so not so long to go to a completely different country.  Our destination was Tønder, right over the Germany/Denmark border.  It is a cute town with a very historic center.  We were greeted by a huge tree.

The stalls, except for the food, were all indoor mini-shops and it was all decorated very festively.

Ute and I decided to try Æbleskiver, which we had assumed contained apples.  Nope!  They were just round balls that were kind of a cross between a cake and a pancake that you dipped in jam and powdered sugar.  They weren't very exciting, but they hit the spot. 

We continued to explore the town after our snack. 

Much like Kiel, they also have something that will fly across the square at night.  This time, it was more of a traditional sleigh and reindeer...but it only ran Fridays and weekends. Bummer.

Apparently, it is a thing for Germans to stop and get a hot dog topped with ketchup, fried onions, and pickles.  So Ute and her husband had to get theirs at this stand.  If you look closely, you will see a Christmas Train circling the roof and the last car is transporting a hot dog.  

We then decided to check out the church, which was lovely and had some interesting decorations.

We then went on a quest to find my Christmas tree ornament.  I ended up with a couple, which were very cute.  I also got some salt licorice and tiny bars of soap that smelled like Christmas apple and orange.

I'm noticing some of my photos are kind of out of order here, but I'm not re-posting them on a moving train...too much of a pain.

In Denmark, Martin (Ute's husband) was a source of constant amusement.  He was fascinated by the toy train sets...which caused one of the shop keepers to explain that it was only old men that messed with them, not children and that is why they had a "do not touch" sign on them.  He also has a hobby collecting Danish plastic bottles for the deposit (which is a thing in many EU countries), so we had to stop at a grocery store for him to collect the deposit for them.   It's good to have a hobby...LOL. 

Then, it was back over the border to Germany and the town of (insert later when I remember...LOL)

It was a lovely, scenic little town with a pretty little market.  Ute even managed to track me down an ornament!   She thrives on challenges.

We then headed back toward Kiel and stopped in one last market on the way.  It was a small, neighborhoot market in the town of Eckernförde.  

Martin offered to drive at this point so that Ute could have a drink with me.  I had one of the best white gluweins that I have ever tasted.  Ute's was spiked (which I had passed on) and it went straight to her head...LOL. 

It was a small market with mainly food and drink stalls and a great example of a non-commercial neighborhood market.  Locals go after work, just hang out and drink with each other.  

Ute and Martin did offer to let me come over to their house and hang out for awhile by the fireplace.  Unfortunately, I had to get my stuff in order and packed back up.  I also had purchased some groceries that I needed to consume before moving on.

We parted ways at my hotel and I went up to my room to make dinner (grilled cheese) and get myself organized so that I could quickly pack up in the morning. I finished up a bit earlier than I though I would, so I decided to check out the Christmas Markets one last time.  

I checked out the tiny one acoss from my hotel and, if I hadn't eaten already,  I might have tried some of the yummy smelling food.  As it was, Ute was right...it didn't really count.  I then headed over to the main market and got myself another gluwein because I could.  I almost got the bread stuffed with cheese and mushrooms, but I couldn't justify a second dinner. 

After I got my fill of gluwein and people watching, I headed back and hit the hay.  An adventure to Bremen awaits.