American Women's Club of Hamburg Currents Magazine November/December 2013 | Page 9

FEATURE
help you find more. They tend to be more expensive, so keep
that in mind for your budget. Most of all, have fun and a great
Thanksgiving!
• www.amazon.de sometimes has the best delivery times and
prices.They might not, however, have a lot to choose from.
• www.ebay.de sometimes has American ingredients with
cheaper price tags.

•
•
•

http://americancandy.de/ I have never used this one but
they seemed to have a pretty good variety on their inventory.
www.americanfood4u.de
http://www.usa-food.de

Nür nberg for Chr istmas
by Tracy M.

A few years ago when my mother was visiting us for Christmas
I thought it would be a good idea to travel with her and my
daughters to Nürnberg and visit the Christkindlesmarkt, the
“world famous“ Christmas market. Germany was hit with one
of the worst snowstorms it had seen in recent history. Since I
trust my driving in inclement weather, but not that of others,
I decided to book seats with Deutsche Bahn. This was good for
many reasons. Just to name a few: the roads were impassable,
even the train had to take a different route due to tracks being
covered with wind-blown snow, our train trip was only four
and a half hours long, compared to that of close to six hours
by car, I had bought the tickets 90 days ahead of time and got
50% reduced tickets for the four of us that were cheaper than
paying for a round trip’s worth of gas. In Nürnberg the main
train station is located downtown and only a short walk to the
Christkindlesmarkt and a 15€ taxi ride from our hotel. Since
our hotel was only five stops from the market, we used public
transportation, paying less than 10€ for four people to travel
all weekend long.
The Nürnberg Christkindlesmarkt is a Christmas market with
a long tradition. It is one of Germany’s oldest Christmas fairs.
The pre-Christmas event on Nürnberg’s Main Market Square
dates back to the mid 16th century. It is a wonderful place to
get into the Christmas spirit. The weekend we were there, it
felt like we had been transported to a movie set. Snow-covered
streets, the enticing smells of mulled wine and rum punch,
roasted almonds, Nürnberg Bratwurst and gingerbread filled
the air. We got to see local brass instrument bands play holiday
songs on the church steps, Christmas “angels” passing out
candy to little kids, and horse-drawn carriages passing through
the cobblestone streets.
More than 180 market stands – all decorated for Christmas
with fresh greens and lights – invite you to enjoy traditional
Christmas ornaments of all shapes and sizes, the local gold-foil
angel, Zwetschgenmännle made of prunes, toys and games and
delicious holiday treats to eat and drink. Some of our favorite
stands sold mini vegetables made of marzipan, snow globes,
traditional ornaments, handmade gifts and lots and lots of
food and sweets.
Not only do the adults have their pleasures: Glühwein, rum
with schnapps, for example, but kids also have their kind
of fun! You can find a nostalgic two-tiered merry-go-round,
a mini Ferris wheel and a steam railway. There are many
“hands-on” stalls such as a Christmas bakery, children’s post
office or puppet theater. A highlight for little ones is the visit of
the Nürnberg Christkind. Every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
and Friday at 2:30 pm, he invites children to ride free on the
merry-go-round.
Currents November/December 2013

People from around the world make a winter pilgrimage to
Nürnberg for this Christmas market and it truly is only a
few hours from Hamburg. Don’t miss this most German of
German traditions. It is well worth the trip. Check it out at
www.christkindlesmarkt.de

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