Off the Map

Nurnberg and the World's Largest....

...Christkindelmarkt!

Today myself and two of my boys jumped the train up to the historical city of Nurnberg (with an Umlaut). I'll need to visit again sometime, as we focused on the dominant seasonal attraction: Nurnberg has the largest Christkindelmarkt in all Germany (and thus the world, as I imagine its a purely German thing....).

What is a Christkindelmarkt (or Weinachtsmarkt, if you live in the North)? Basically, its all of your X-Mass needs and spirit rolled into a big outdoor market. You can hear live Christmas music, eat any number of traditional meals & sweets, drink seasonal drinks (Gluhwein - Warm, sweet, and strong wine), and buy everything from food goodies to go, to apparel, to toys, to X-Mass handicrafts. Even without shopping, its a treat to people watch - You'll see more than one Santa Hat or traditional Bavarian outfit (Lederhosen und Durndeln). During December no mall, bar, club or pub can rival the pull power of a town's local Christkindelmarkt. Young and old, traditional or modern, German or Turk, religious and otherwise. Everyone goes.

In fact, every town has one. Some are just a big street corner and some dominate the town's pedestrian malls. But in Nurnberg, every spare plot of sidewalk or square is snapped up by a Sausage vendor or an Ornament booth. The main town square is usually large and empty - but during X-mass is packed to the brim with Red-White striped tents, creating a bustling, colorful city within a city.

posted by Jason @ 7:40 pm