Nurnberg Christmas Market

The Nurnberg Christmas Market is the largest in Germany.  More than 2 million visitors annually come to it!!  Lots of other markets are patterned after this one.  It’s a must see and we hadn’t seen it yet so we vowed that this was the year.  We hooked it onto our trip down to the Johnsons House in Sankt Leon for the weekend before Christmas Eve.  It’s a two and a half hour drive, but well worth it.  They have a higher standard of homemade goods at this particular market.  They won’t allow just anything!  The Nativities were gorgeous and so very expensive. 

And now we’ve seen everything:  This Santa gig was very peculiar. 

This Angel is the welcome angel and these prune/date/nut people are a signature item of the Nurnberg Market

 

This lovely pointy gold structure is called the Schoner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain).  It brought clean water into this liveliest square of Nurnberg during Medieval times when the river was used as a dumping area for byproducts.  This ring is turned three times for good luck.  We aren’t superstitious at all, but thought we’d better take a turn just in case!

       

Mostly we go for the food!  These bananas dipped in European chocolate are awesome!  And of course you have to get a cup of Kinder punch (kind of like a hot apple cider except more like spiced Kool-Aid, and you don’t return your mug for the refund).  You keep it and add to your collection at home.  We have a few now.  Every year the bigger Markets come out with a new mug for kinder punch or regular Gluwein which is alcoholic they always say the year and the name of the city its from. 

The view of Nurnberg is awesome.  You hike up a little bit of a hill and through and arch and then voila you see this!!  About 16 years ago we visited my sister and family here and attended the Nuremberg Christmas Market then.  I remember doing this exact thing and this fun view! 

     

As it got dark…..the sky turned a lovely blue…..I love these pictures.  The giant pyramid trees are so very popular here.  Before leaving and heading to the Johnson’s house, I purchased a really cute German Man Nutcracker from the Kathy Volfahrt.  I hadn’t seen this one before and loved him! 

     

After driving to the Johnsons house we joined the BYU football Bowl game party already in Session.  Its always more fun with a big group!