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.