Christmas in Europe

Wiesbaden Christmas Market. 

Hot chocolate, chestnuts roasting on an open fire (no kidding), fall fashion, cute storefronts, carolers, ice skating in front of a castle.  Europe is the real deal when it comes to celebrating Christmas.  They are so serious about keeping Christmas real, that they even close the stores on Christmas Eve.  You won't find a Christmas display this authentic anywhere else. 

It's a jolly atmosphere in Germany where the Christmas lights line the cobblestone streets for a mile along the walking zone.  A dozen folks all dressed in the latest fashions, with cute hats, scarves, and stylish boots are laughing joyfully out front of the wooden booth selling gluhwein (hot spiced wine).  Shops are busy with customers buying gifts.  The smell of sausage, popcorn, and roasted almonds fills the air.  Handmade decorations are sold by street vendors, while Christmas carols are sung by a church group.  To me, this is the ideal Christmas setting!

If you want to experience a dream Christmas vacation in Europe, here are a couple of recommendations for you.

Awesome grill at the Christmas market

Plan #1: Bavaria

Bavaria is Germany’s heartland.  They have mountains, rolling hills, forests, and beautiful historic cities and villages.  Bavaria tends to get more snow than the western side of Germany because the elevation is higher.  In addition to the beautiful Christmas weather Bavaria is famous for beer and sausage, but it is also well known that Nuremberg has the most famous Christmas Market in Germany.   The old city (Altstadt) area  is surrounded by ancient walls and stone watch towers.  Atop the hill, within the walls, is a huge fortress castle with a tower. The market is located on the plaza square in front of the Frauenkirche in the center of the old city. The whole thing covers an area the size of about two football fields.  The market is famous for Nurnburger Lebkuchen (Gingerbread).  You can buy it in normal packaging or in the most ornate painted tin cans.  These make great gifts.  The market has everything in terms of the previous statements above about European Christmas markets.  The city of Nuremberg has great shopping.  Be aware that small stores in Germany may close at 6PM on weekdays and 2PM on Saturdays.  Large stores stay open until 8PM, Monday through Saturday.  All retail stores in Germany are closed on Sunday and Christmas Eve, but the Christmas market, restaurants, beer halls and gas stations are open!  I have fond memories of the couple of visits I made to the Nuremberg Christmas market.  The Christkindlesmarkt will take place 26 November until, 24 December 2010. http://www.christkindlesmarkt.de/english/

Just one hour away from Nuremberg is Rothenburg ob der Tauber.  This is another old city with walls and towers.  Nuremberg is powerful and the fortifications are impressive.  Rothenburg doesn’t have as much to offer compared to the big city of Nuremberg but it is much cuter and makes up for its size in romantic charm. In fact, Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of the main highlights on Germany’s romantic road, which goes from the Wurzburg, with its huge castle overlooking the Main River to the foothills of the Alps and King Ludwigs most famous castle Neuschwanstein.  This is the castle that Disney’s castle was designed after.  Another thing that makes Rothenburg ob der Tauber famous is that it is the home of Kathe Wohlfahrt’s famous Christmas workshop (http://www.wohlfahrt.com/9-0-weihnachtsstadt_rothenburg) .  The whole town is decorated to the hilt with lights and decorations.  If you are looking for a Christmas city, this is it.



Cathedral in Strasbourg, France.



Plan #2: Rhine Valley

Another option is to take a multinational Christmas vacation.  Two of my favorite Christmas cities are located within two hours of each other in the Rhine River valley.  They are Strasbourg, France and Heidelberg, Germany. 

Strasbourg is an old city with crooked half-timbered buildings, surrounded by a river and canal ring.  In the center is a giant Cathedral…one of the largest churches in the world!  Surrounding the church is the Christmas Market.  Little shops and restaraunts fill the alleyways.  Children and adults ice skate in a rink to a DJ.  The side of a building is decorated with pine branches to simulate a 4 story Christmas tree, and everything is decorated with lights. The experience is like the initial description in the first two paragraphs of this blog, but the setting around the cathedral makes it special.

Skating below the castle in Heidelberg

Just two hours north, and across the Rhine River is the romantic city of Heidelberg Germany.  Mark Twain stayed in Heidelberg for 3 months, referring to his stay in his book, A Tramp Abroad.  Heidelberg has a walking/shopping district about 1 mile long with numerous plazas along the way sporting souvenir stands, Christmas ornaments and numerous gluhwein (hot spiced wine) stands.  At the end of the shopping district is a skating rink on a plaza under the impressive castle on the hill.  The rink is surrounded by numerous drink stands, candy stands, fire pits with sausage grilling and people skating.  Walk the alleyways and the famous Alte Brueke (old bridge) and stop at cafes or beer halls. Heidelberg offers an incredible shopping experience as well as a festive atmosphere.  A college town, Heidelberg has a mix of young and old, as well as visitors from all around the world.  At Christmas, people often leave work and go directly downtown to enjoy a gluhwein with friends before it gets too cold. 

Gluhwein...Hot spiced wine. 
Perfect for warming up, and it contains holiday cheer!

Heidelberg is not too cold compared to other places in Europe, but the long winters in Europe call for some relaxation.  A good place to stay in between Strasbourg and Heidelberg is Baden-Baden.  Famous for its hot springs and bathhouses, Baden Baden is a cute city tucked up against the Black Forest Mountains.  Another place to stay is the town of Speyer.  Speyer rests along the Rhine, with an impressive cathedral that was visited by the Pope.  We stayed for the night once in Speyer.  We randomly picked a place called the Kutcherhaus (Coach House). http://www.kutscherhaus-speyer.de/zimmer.html . It was a clean studio apartment for under $100 (USD) per night.  They have a fabulous restaurant and it is located near a beautiful walking distance nbear the cathedral, a brewery, and close enough to walk to the river.  While we were eating, the owner came around to see everyone.  The choice of fresh foods was great as well as the selection of vegetarian items.

Each Christmas market has it's own unique collectors mug each year.

If you stay in Europe for New Year’s, you are in for a treat.  Celebrations are not centralized like in the states.  Everyone in every city seems to have fireworks, and it seem the whole city is sparkling for about 30 minutes.  But be careful and wear a hat or stay under a roof or tree.  I got hit in the head by a falling rocket last year.  Ouch!!

The Bakery

Some things are taken for granted until you find yourself shopping in Wal-mart for Wonder bread. Bakeries in Europe are not gourmet or speciality shops. They are just bakeries...awesome bakeries.

 

Emert Wood Oven Bakery, Gauangelloch, Germany

It helps when every village has a great bakery like in our town. 

Fresh baked bread, combined with a product you probably can't find in American grovery stores, Nutella, makes for a awesome start to your day.

Dear North Americans, Send me a $20 bill and I will send you a jar of Nutella. 
This sales technique will work for those that have had Nutella before.

Some other fresh baked items available at our bakery are:

• Berliners- jelly donuts with sugar on top.  And yes, JFK said, "I am a jelly donut." during the Berlin Airlift.
• Chocolate Croissants
• Quark filled pastries
• Cinnamon rolls, Poppy roles, and nut rolls (Call Schnecken "Snails" because of the shape)
• Baguettes
• At least a dozen different types of bread
• Groceries: Fresh laid eggs, milk in glass jars, jelly, cold cuts, liverwurst, wine, juice, newspapers and more.



This place is packed from 6 to 8 AM.



Fast Cars on the Autobahn Video

Wanna see how fast normal cars drive on the Autobahn?  Watch this video.

We were going 80 MPH in the video.  I'm guessing the VW that passed us was going about 120.  Not uncommon. 

I rode in a Corvette with my friend Jim.  We did 155 MPH!  I'll get some more video like this and hopefully catch some Porsches, BMWs, Mercedes and Ferraris.

Best Barn Contest

Some of the barns over here are really old.  I really enjoy them.  So I took some pictures.  Which one is the best?  Only your votes can tell.  Please comment on which number is the best looking barn.



Barn #1





Barn #2

  

Barn #3





Barn #4




Barn #5




Barn #6




Barn #7




Barn #8




Barn #9



Wind Solar Hydro Power

Its not just giant factories, dams, wind and solar farms that produce electricity.  It seems like they are producing electricity everywhere in Europe.  I was amazed at the wind farms I saw in Spain.

Flying out of NW Spain,...I stopped counting at 155 windmills.  Who knows how many more are behind the clouds?

What really amazes me is how much power people produce on their personal property.  The house I rent has solar panels on it and I believe my landlord makes about $150 per month off of it.  I've heard that tax incentives promote home solar energy.  Banks give loans for this kind of project

One of the many homes like this.

I believe farmers must get a bigger break, because the barns over here are covered with solar panels.

Is this a farm or a power plant?

It's common to see the windmills along the highway.


A common sight in Europe.  Wind energy

I noticed this little hyrdo elecric generator on this river. 

A small hydro0electric plant on a small river in Bavaria.  The sign explains how it works.



Really Small Cars

A MINI is big compared to these cars.


Fiat 500


A VW Golf  is BIG.  The next size down is the VW Polo.
 

The Polo is basically a smaller Golf


 

Blue VW Lupo.   Beep beep! 
That is a little Mercedes A Class on the right.

 If a Polo is not small enough for you, then check out the Lupo.

 They put little diesel engines in these cars that get 50-60 MPG.  Which is important when gas is $7 per gallon and the parking spots are small.  I'd love to see someone try to park a Chevy Suburban downtown.

Here is one you never heard of....the Ford Ka..  Yes.  That is right...Ford, and it is tiny.  My wife and I say that it is so small you can't fit the "R'" on the end. Or maybe somebody from New Jersey named it a Ka.

The Ford Fiesta is a car that Ford is just now introducing in the states.  The Fiesta has been in Europe for at least a decade or two.  Back in 1998 I was driving down the Autobahn at 90 MPH.  I looked to my left and a little red rusty Fiesta flew past me doing about 105 MPH. 


Smart Car.  The wheels are small too!


The smallest of the small is the Smart Car.  The Smart Car is so short that it can be parked sideways in a parallel parking spot.  Its basically an enclosed motorcycle with 4 wheels and 2 seats.  I velieve they are made in Switzerland.  There are a lot of them in Europe.

The French make small cars too.


Renault "Something or other"



These little cars are interesting.  They are nice for getting around town.  Since they don't have much trunk space, I've seen a lot of people that use roof racks for their luggage.

Beep Beep!

Cheap Flights in Europe

I won't make a habit of talking about big corporations in my blog, but if you come to Europe for 2 weeks or more, you will want to know that these resources are available and how to best take advantage of them.

To get to Europe, book a flight using a major internet travel company.  I have purchased trans-atlantic flights with each one listed below.  These sites offer the best prices and save you a lot of time.

• Travelocity 
• Orbitz

• Kayak

Once you are in Europe check out Ryanair. Based in Ireland, Ryanair is famous for cheap flights within Europe.  They follow the Southwest Airlines model of using smaller airports near big cities, and flying only Boeing 737s.  Flights can be as low as 5 Euros each way per person (NO KIDDING).  Each person can only carry on one bag weighing up to 22 pounds (10 kilos).  An extra bag costs about $30 each way.



We flew Ryanair to Pisa for cheap
and took a train to Cinque Terra. 
This is my cousin. 

 Their model makes it easy to take an adventerous weekend, as they almost always offer some kind of low cost deal.   My family, with a visiting cousin in tow, flew for a 4 day weekend from Frankfurt to Pisa round trip for around $300.  This allowed us to rent an apartment in Lucca travel by train to the beaches and villages.  It  is not just for family travel.  Singles can go to Ibiza to party.  Couples can relax in Greece or Stockholm.  Skiiers can hit the Alps.

If you can deal with the baggage issue, and don't mind walking outside to board the plane, then they are a great way to fly.  The planes are clean and look brand new.  The destinations are fabulous. (See the map below)

So once you book your flight on one of the major travel sites to get to Europe, then look at settling down near one of Ryanair's hubs (Frankfurt Hahn) go to their site and click on the red squares on the route map and see where they fly. 

Ryan Air destinations.

One neat thing is that they play a little tune over the intercom, and everyone cheers upon landing.  My kids love it.

Other competitors in the cheap airline market are:

• Easyjet
• Aer Lingus
• Berlin Air
• German Wings

We flew Ryanair From Frankfurt Hahn
to Santiago de Compostela. 
This cathedral is the burial place of St James.

Be prepared to go somewhere for cheap while you are here.  Consider basing yourself near one of Ryanair's hubs.  I'm lucky to live near Frankfurt and I have flown to NW Spain and to the Pisa area of Italy.

Lunchtime Walk

I work about 1 mile from my wife.  Everyday at lunch we meet each other halfway between our jobsites.  Then we head up into the hills.

Going through town we pass this Italien Gourmet shop called "Il Buon Appetito"

This is the view once we get through town.

I saw this tree and had to take a picture.  Denise called it the burning bush.

There is a place with a bunch of chickens and rabbits.  Look how long the name of the place is!

What are those rabbits doing?

All the grapes are picked from the vineyards and the leaves are falling off.  Check out the little church in the background.

Then we came across this herd of goats.  Is it a flock of goats, or does that only count for sheep?   The sign says that these are the "Passionate and Sportive Goats"  Check out the two boxing goats painted on the sign.

There are places like this all over the side of the mountain.  The called them "Grundstucks"  or Pieces of Ground.  People rent or own them and grow beggies, fruit trees, flowers, and sometimes they just sit there in litle wood huts.  Sometimes you see livestock like chickens, ponies and sometimes goats...like here!
On the way back down the hill we walked through town and saw this crooked old half-timbered barn.  Check it out. 

A fluffy cat watched us return to work!

My lunchtime walks with my wife are my favorite time of the day. 

Boggling Bottles Batman, It's Cheap Wine!

I have always paid $4-8 (USD) for wine.  But not anymore!!!! I know where I'm shopping for now on....Lidl!  

Spanish and Italian wine

Check this out!

Very Cheap wine.  The 2.99 Euro bottle was "Reserve".

It adds up to about $9.53 for three bottles of some really good European wine!  Two bottles from Italy and one from Spain..."Reserve".  Now that is fancy!





Rivers and Canals in Europe



A loaded barge entering a lock on the Neckar River. 
Very cool to watch the machinery in action.

While camping in the Black Forest mountains, I met a Dutch freighter Captain. He told me a story about how he sailed a 500 foot long ship to Nuremberg.  He entered the Rhine River from the North Sea in The Netherlands and turned east on the Main River.  Then he turned south on the Main-Danube Canal at Bamberg (known as the Venice of Germany because of the canals) which goes to Nuremberg.  This trip is over 900 kilometers, which is over 580 miles.  I measured it using Google Maps, but I bet because of the bends in the river it is closer to 1000 kilometers.



After thinking about the length of this trip, I thought about the Main-Danube canal.  That name means this canal connects the Main River to the Danube, which goes through Germany, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia and Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine to the Main River which joins the Rhine River.  The Rhine flows into the Atlantic.  Its possible to sail from the North Sea to the Black Sea.  Canals like this allow landlocked cities and countries to become major industrial centers.  Wow!



View Atlantic to Black Sea in a larger map

These rivers and canals work using heavy duty locks.  A ship sails into the lock from downstream.  The doors close and the lock operate opens the gates to allow water into the lock chamber.  The boat rises and the doors open so they can sail out of the lock.  Next to the lock is a dam device which helps control the river's water level.  The gears and machinery to operate these machines are enormous.  We get a kick out of watching ships go through the locks. 

Small river cruise

A major tourist business in Europe are Rhine River cruises and Danube River cruises.  Take one or two weeks for a vacation, or just a 2-4 hour dinner cruise.  The Rhine is famous for its Rhine A'flame tours, where the castles are lit up as if they are on fire.  The castles also shoot off fireworks as the boats sail past.  The castles are amazing without the fireworks too.