Zwei Glühwein, bitte

Drinking Glühwein (mulled wine) at the Christmas Market in Würzburg

Taxi from our apartment to the Sevilla train station
High speed train from Sevilla to Madrid
Taxi from Madrid train station to Madrid Barajas airport
Flight from Madrid to Frankfurt am Main
Taxi from airport to Frankfurt main train station
[Drink 2 glasses of Apfelwein – traditional Frankfurt drink]
Train from Frankfurt to Würzburg
Walk from train station to hotel in Würzburg (almost freeze to death during 5-minute walk)

Brad and Neely’s holiday adventure can now begin.

We never imagined we’d be eating roast goose, walking through snowflakes in Prague, buying beer shampoo, chatting with a Czech man who learned English from the Mormons, sprinting to catch trains or drinking honey wine in a German’s home on Christmas day . . . but our recent travels through central Europe gave us some incredible surprises.

Würzburg

We began in Bavaria, a state in southern Germany that is home to good beer, uber-friendly natives and idyllic towns. Würzburg was our first stop. Neither of us was completely prepared for the temperatures, but Glühwein – served everywhere we went on our trip – helped us face the cold.

Yes, that’s Celsius, but this was at midday! Amazing that we survived.

Würzburg has a cathedral quarter, old castle, spectacular residence and vineyards on the banks of the Main river, which runs through the city. The city is quite lovely. Brad’s first meal in Germany was obviously in Würzburg, and his deliciously heavy Sauerbraten, Knödeln, Rotkohl and huge beer were a sign that we’d arrived in a yummy food mecca. The expansive Residenz in Würzburg was home to the Würzburg “prince bishops” in the 1700s. We saw many rooms here decorated in Neo Over-the-top style and we spent time gazing at the largest ceiling fresco in the world – it’s over a staircase at the residence.

Inside a cathedral named St. Kilian's Dom; almost every church we visited in Germany had one of these beautiful advent wreaths hanging -- and healthy Christmas trees near the altar of course
Marienkirche (Our Lady's Church) in Würzburg

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, population 12,000, was our next destination, and we were charmed instantly. As our guidebook says, “the medieval walled hamlet of Rothenburg just can’t help being so cute.” It really can’t help itself. As you pass through a lovely gate in the town wall, you see happy little buildings, with steep red roofs, lining the small street that leads to the main square. Since it was Christmastime, most businesses had a mini evergreen trees perched on a little iron stand where a flag might normally go.

Street in Rothenburg

The main square has a beautiful clock tower of course – a clock tower or a church with a prominent clock is at the center of every Bavarian village. In Rothenburg, at the stroke of 2 p.m., doors next to the clock open and a very anticlimactic performance occurs. Supposedly, centuries ago, invaders told the mayor of Rothenburg that the town would be spared only if he could drink an entire draft (keg) of beer in one swig. The mayor achieved the impossible feat and this story is “dramatized” when the hour chimes 2 p.m. every day.

City Hall on the left; clock tower on the right

The Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) in Rothenburg is wonderful. Every town and city in Germany has a Weihnachtsmarkt in the weeks leading up to Dec. 25. You can buy handmade Christmas ornaments, caramelized nuts, huge gingerbread cookies in the shape of hearts, various local crafts and, of course, food. Brad and I had a “Grillwurst” sandwich on our first night in Rothenburg. The sandwich consist of a brötchen (little bun of bread) and two fat sausages covered in mustard. Brad heard that the two sausages are representative of the two towers of St. Jacobs’s church – the largest church in town.

Items for sale at the Weihnachtsmarkt

Rothenburg is good at celebrating Christmas because it has a famous local chain of stores that sell Christmas stuff year-round. You can’t help but be lured into several of these stores because almost everything is high-quality, handmade and so German. Brad and I bought a special Christmas gift for each other in Rothenburg – a pyramid. It’s an ingenious wooden decoration with fans that turn the center when candles are lit.

Example of a Christmas pyramid

Rothenburg was running over with American and Asian tourists, and I really can’t blame them. At Christmastime, it’s a magical place. One night, Brad and I went on the highly recommended “Night Watchman’s Tour.” Historically the Night Watchman enforced the town curfew, kept watch for potentially destructive fires and apprehended criminals. Today, the Night Watchman rakes in 100s of Euros on busy nights – because he gives his tour in English and German. Even though we were with a massive crowd of Americans, the tour was pretty fascinating and informative. He gave us a little history about Rothenburg from medieval times to today.

Allegedly, just as World War II was nearing its end, the Allied forces had bombed part of Rothenburg and planned to destroy the rest (including the historic center of the town.) The U.S. Undersecretary of State got wind of this plan and went into action. This man had never been to Rothenburg, but his mother had vacationed there once and she had a treasured picture of the walled city hanging in his childhood home; she had always told her son how beautiful it was. The Undersecretary contacted the officer who was waiting with troops just outside Rothenburg; he told the officer to offer the town a deal. The officer told Rothenburg’s mayor that the Allied forces would spare the old town if the mayor would immediately hand over the Rothenburg to the U.S. troops. The mayor complied.

Brad on the town wall, with the spires of St. Jacob's Church in the background. If you’ve seen the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you remember the scene at the end of the movie when Charlie and Willy Wonka are flying over a town in a glass elevator . . . the town filmed for that scene was Rothenburg

While in Rothenburg, Brad and I went to a stirring organ concert in St. Jacob’s Kirche (church). We also walked around part of the town wall, heard a brass band play at the Weihnachtsmarkt, tried schneeballen (“snowballs” – a crunchy pastry shaped like a snowball) and marveled at the Christmas decorations everywhere. Our time there was especially enjoyable because we stayed at a guesthouse recommended by my “Aunt” Peggy who stays there often. The hosts at this little guesthouse were truly welcoming.

A gate in the medieval town wall
Schneeballen sold here . . . Someone looks hungry!

They may not be wearing lederhosen, but they're still a German brass band!