The Christmas Market in Bamberg, Germany was nothing short of enchanting.  We first visited in the evening with one of Mr. Meena’s bosses and loved it so much we took the train back to enjoy it again the next week. We were quickly drawn to the smell of German bratwurst at the Christmas Market.  The Bamberger Bratwurst is two long sausages on a slightly shorter bun; they are currently my second favorite bratwurst variety (after the Nuremberger bratwurst).  Food in […]

Last Sunday we had our fourth German Christmas Market experience in the nearby city of Würzburg.  We’ve visited the small market where we live in Schweinfurt as well as the markets in Munich and Nuremberg.  I attempted to research what to do and see at the Würzburg Christmas Markets but I could find little other than the dates and the mention of a special artisans market. So we just had to go experience it for ourselves. It wasn’t surprising that […]

I especially loved the Nuremberg Christmas Markets because they had so many surprises to offer throughout the day.  We arrived early (a big accomplishment!) and were startled when we heard several people speaking English.  After a long time of not hearing anyone other than your spouse speaking English in public it feels like culture shock when you hear it.  I even heard a lady talking with a southern accent and I wanted to go hug her. Of course, we had […]

I feel strongly that any reviews or posts about traveling to a city or country should be honest and give the reader some realistic ideas about what they’ll experience there.  I don’t think that I can stand to read one more glowing review of a European city that is ‘absolutely perfect’.  When I’m researching cities to visit I need to be prepared for both the elation and the challenges of visiting them.  So you can understand why I had to […]

Our first German train ride adventure was to Bamberg and our second was to Würzberg.  The cities are both about half an hour away but in different directions.  I have concluded that Bamberg has more immediate charm but Würzberg is larger and has more to offer overall.  It also became obvious that Bamberg is where you go for beer, especially smoked beer, and Würzberg is the destination for wine.  I felt very smart after coming up with that alliterative connection.  […]

Bamberg is a thirty minute ride down the train tracks for us, so we didn’t try to accomplish all our sightseeing in one day.  It was bustling with activity when we visited, which isn’t all that surprising considering its university and the city’s claim to fame as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  One of the first things you’ll learn if you start researching Bamberg is that is has seven hills and seven churches on each hill.  I wasn’t able to […]