Stadtkeller Basel

We took our German language teacher out for a holiday dinner and he got to choose the location. His other students recommended a place called the Stadtkeller (literally: city cellar) recently and really enjoyed it. Apparently this establishment is well know and it was very crowded when we arrived. Mid-way through our salads, a deep voice sounds over the room, the lights dim, and the music comes up. A spot light directs our attention to a curtain in the corner that is pulled back to reveal an animated Freddy Mercury doll surrounded by furry dogs who proceed to belt out a non-Christmas Queen song of days gone by. Next, another curtain opens with a Tina Turner doll complete with sax-playing reindeer and a disco ball. Two additional curtained areas contained Fats Domino (who looked more like Little Richard) with hula-like Christmas trees, and Docelli with Rattitui directing his performance. We were completely stunned by these elaborate displays and of course stayed for the 2nd set. It was a great time and Robert is still kicking himself for not taking his camera.

Middle Germany - Nurnberg/Bamberg

Nurnberg is a large city with (supposedly) the best Christmas market in Europe. We arrived on a Saturday evening and were amazed at the number of people and shear number of shopping opportunities. Once we found the Christmas market, it was in full swing - wall to wall people eating bratwurst (which was invented in Nurnberg), drinking Gluehwein and wandering around the market. It was so packed in some places that we couldn't even move! The most special items were nutcrackers and smoke men which both come from Germany. We went back the next day to visit the city and were delighted with the churches, streets and castle that are still contained within the city walls. Last stop, Bamberg. This is another great town that is a UNESCO world heritage site. The weather was a bit rainy so we decided to visit a local brewery for lunch: Klosterbrau. Afterwards we toured their beautiful town (which was barely touched during the war), visited their Christmas market, and dodged the raindrops before returning home. If you ever get the opportunity to visit middle Germany during the Christmas season, it will provide memories for a lifetime. See pictures of Nurnberg here and Bamberg here.

Middle Germany - Wurzburg/Buttenheim

Wurzburg is the home to the famous Wurzburg Residenz (that's okay - we had never heard of it either). It was a fantastic castle, and had very interesting displays about how it was beautifully renovated after nearly being destroyed on March 16, 1945. The Marienberg Fortress sits on a hill over looking the city- we were so lucky to be there during Christmas time because they were having a medieval Christmas fair and market complete with traditional clothes, music (see video) and even a live nativity. The coolest thing about the fortress was the the view and the 101 meter deep well that was dug many centuries ago. A short trip down the road brought us to the birth place of Levi Strauss, Buttenheim. They made a terrific museum of his residence and we learned most everything you could ever want to know about jeans. See pictures of Wurzburg here and Buttenheim here.

Middle Germany - Ulm/Rothenburg

We ventured out for a three-day weekend during our last Christmas season in Europe to experience the best of the best, Christmas markets...We were not disappointed! Ulm made the list not because of its Christmas Market, but because it's home to the world's tallest cathedral and it's the birthplace of Albert Einstein! The cathedral was indeed very impressive and on the windiest day of the year, we climbed all 768 stairs to the very top (whew - that was a lot of stairs!). Most of the buildings were destroyed during the war, including Einstein's birthplace, but there is a small plaque commemorating the site. They had an unexpectedly great Christmas market complete with a live animal nativity scene and we enjoyed our 3 hour visit immensely. Next stop, Rothenberg ob der Tauber - it's a walled city, ya know. This city has so much charm it's hard to believe it's real. We visited the city in the evening, walked around the market, drank some gluehwein and ate at a 700 year old restaurant! See Ulm pictures here, and Rothenberg pictures here.

Jura Watchmaking Road

Western Switzerland is home of the Swiss watchmaking industry. From Geneva to Chaux-de-Fonds the road is paved with all the greats: Rolex, Omega, Tissot, TAG Heuer, Breitling, Swatch...the list goes on and on. Today we visited the International Museum of Horology (the science and study of timekeeping devices) and we were amazed at the collection, the layout and the scope - it was terrific. They profiled the history of Swiss watchmaking, the development of the trade and tools, and displayed stunning examples of Swiss clocks and watches thru the centuries. One exhibit featured new technology in GPS clock synchronization, and another featured the CERN project (the largest particle physics laboratory in the world) which is located underneath this and several other cities in the area. Our drive home took us thru lovely Neuchatel and Yverdon les Bains with a terrific view of the alps over Lac De Neuchatel. See pictures - Neuchatel, Yverdon and the Museum.

Basel Christmas Market

Every year most major European cities set up Christmas markets for the holiday season. On Saturday we visited Switzerland's best - Basel. The market is a feast for the eyes and the stomach. The smell of traditional Swiss food along with warm Gluehwein fill the air and the market is packed with men, women and children of all ages and nationalities. The booths have everything: hand-made wares, Christmas decorations, children's toys, candles, jewelry and Swiss confections. It was sprinkling, but very mild from previous weather and we had a great time wandering around and enjoying the sites. Other great Christmas markets in France include Colmar and Strasbourg, but the most famous ones are in middle-Germany. We are taking a 3-day weekend next week to visit them...stay tuned! See pictures from the Basel Christmas Market and other Basel events here.