We arrived in Rothenburg ob der Tauber at sunset. We quickly checked into the Hotel Linde and followed the road to the first city gate which pointed the way to the main gate into the old city.
Christmas without Clementines would have been unthinkable without these juicy treats when I grew up in Germany. I captured this box, filled with sweet smelling oranges just outside the door of the greengrocer along the way to the Rothenburg ob der Tauber market square.
A life size nut cracker in the doorway of a local restaurant invited us to slow down and take note.
Long before we reached the square we heard the music: “Jingle Bells” and “Mele Kalikimaka” – the Hawaiian Christmas Carol made famous by Bing Crosby… My immediate thought was “What is German about these songs?” According to the choir conductor, the Christmas Market was geared toward the American visitors on Monday night. We didn’t stick around another day to find out if the program would be the same… I prefer to think that more German Christmas Carols would find their way back to this historic Christmas Market in the a market town established during Roman times.
The square was crowded with little room to see anything. I diverted my attention to the surrounding buildings and activities. An old car was all decked out to take tourists on short guided tours.
Shop windows glowed and drew attention to various decorations.
Windows and dormers illuminated…
…and seasonal booths filled with tasty treats.
I soon caught a glimpse of another childhood memory… Zwetschgenmandl! These small figurines are crafted from a walnut for the head and several dried prunes fastened together with wire. These figures are then dressed with regional and historical dresses and hats.
Live music is always a draw for visitors. Around the corner we finally found some more traditional entertainment…
… and around another corner crowds of children were waiting their turn on the Merry Go Round.
Booths were filled with colorful illuminated stars…
…and hand blown glass ornaments glistened in the spotlight.
The Kaethe Wohlfahrt Christmas Store beckoned with its seasonally decorated window displays. These little angels are made from wood and are carefully painted with faces and other details. They hail from Thuringia, the former East Germany.
I usually avoid Christmas themed stores, especially during the other eleven months of the year. On Monday we could not resist – a white Christmas tree drew us in just to admire the individual hand blown glass ornaments and tiny fairy lights.
Nutcracker displays filled one entire area of the store and would make it difficult to reach a decision to purchase.
Our brief excursion in the Christmas Store in warm jackets soon had us escape to the mild winter temperatures outside where we discovered that the crowds had cleared. A quick circle around the booths filled with decorations, food and gifts concluded our visit.
The road leading to the city wall was nearly deserted. It looked and felt like midnight – it was only 7 pm.
We fell onto bed early with visions of sugar plum fairies guiding our dreams…. All that made up a little for the disappointment over the lack of German tradition and how commercialized this Christmas market has become!
But I won’t despair – there is more to come as we make our way to Bavaria and Austria…
Anna Hergert, Art & Design 
Merry Christmas Anna. Thank you for letting us holiday along with you. No snow, 90mms of rain scheduled for Christmas Day, being out the brollies
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Happy Holidays to you and your family! Rain seems to be the weather situation everywhere. Stay dry and stay warm!
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Beautiful Anna. Took me back in time.
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🙂
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What a wonderful experience you’ve shared with us. Thank you for the great photos.
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You are welcome – after a Christmas Market Marathon in Bavaria and Austria yesterday I am working on further posts with more photos and impressions.
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What great pictures! And no snow? I would like to add my name to the list for next year’s art quilt camp. I had hesitated because I have had gall bladder problems (which had started last June) but today I get to see the surgeon. I have been on a very low-fat diet since Sept and lost a lot of weight (good thing) but can’t eat cheese or sausage or cream or chocolate or nuts or….(bad thing). I wasn’t sure what I could eat at St. Peter’s. I’ll figure it out. Dorothy Boran
Sent from my iPad
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Dorothy – your name is added to the list. Surely you will be able to eat “normal” by Art Quilt Campus in September 2015. Take good care of yourself and get well!
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Beautiful! You’re photos are so enchanting!
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Helene – the will be more images soon and the impressions only get better…
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The problem with growing up, we don’t want time to stand still except for those fantastic childhood memories. Enjoy your homeland for all the memories and all the changes. Merry Christmas.
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Thanks, Bonnie – and you are so right about the great childhood memories. Sometimes they stop us from moving ahead.
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Anna, the photos are spectacular, as usual, you have captured an ambience that is sumptuous. It would take me a long time to see what you have captured as each scene would have to be savoured; textures and colour absorbed. I wish I was there. Christmas is obviously the perfect time to go.
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Wow Anna and Colin. Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and safe travels. See you sometime. Take care., Love, Bonnie and Barry
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Thanks Bonnie and Barry – enjoy your holidays!
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Europe is great at any time – but if you love Christmas and tradition, it is a special time. We spent the day visiting three different markets yesterday. Each one unique and very authentic. For that we went to Austria and Bavaria. Stay tunes, more pictures and impressions to come soon.
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