Christmas Market in Cologne Germany
Nov. 24 & 25, 2015We left Seattle on British Airways at 6:45pm heading to London. We arrived in London on the 25th at 11:30 am. We had a four-hour layover and then flew onto Munich arriving at 6:25pm.
We grabbed a bite to eat and then got our rental car and drove for about an hour to Regensburg, Germany. We were so tired. We showered and went to bed.
We took the bus into Regensburg and got hot chocolate and pastries at Muller's bakery.
We walked around the city center. We went into a very cool hat shop. We walked around the Palace and the Cathedral (Dom). We then took the bus back to the hotel, got the car and headed to Wurzburg, Germany.
Luftel painting depicting David and Goliath.
Christmas market in Regensburg
We went over to the Residenz. It was absolutely beautiful. We were not supposed to take pictures inside the Residenz, but of course I snuck some anyway. It was just too pretty. Then we walked around the old Town, visited a bunch of churches. There were a couple Christmas Markets. Then we went to the Alte Main Brucke (Old Main Bridge). It reminds me a lot of the Charles Bridge in Prague but a lot smaller or shorter distance. Then we went to "The Ratskeller" and ate dinner. It was beautiful inside and the food was really good.
We drove to Frankfurt Germany and checked into the hotel. We walked around for a while and got something to eat. It was a little late and the Christmas Markets were closed. We knew we weren’t going to be here long, just a stopover, so we didn’t see too much this visit. Most of the city is big business with lots of skyscrapers. Tomorrow we head to Koln (Cologne) Germany.
Friday, November 27th 2015
We slept in then got up and headed to Cologne, Germany. It was raining a little bit, but the sun quickly came out and now it's sunny and beautiful. We checked into our hotel at the Marriott and walked over to the train station to get through to the cathedral which was massive. We spent most of the time at the Christmas Market. It was next to the cathedral and it was so pretty. We went to another Christmas market a couple blocks away. It featured little gnomes everywhere.
Residenz in Wurzburg Germany
Old town in Wurzburg
St. Mary's red and white church in Wurzburg
Cathedral in Wurzburg
Alte Main Burcke (Old Main Bridge)
Dinner at Ratskeller
We drove to Frankfurt Germany and checked into the hotel. We walked around for a while and got something to eat. It was a little late and the Christmas Markets were closed. We knew we weren’t going to be here long, just a stopover, so we didn’t see too much this visit. Most of the city is big business with lots of skyscrapers. Tomorrow we head to Koln (Cologne) Germany.
We slept in then got up and headed to Cologne, Germany. It was raining a little bit, but the sun quickly came out and now it's sunny and beautiful. We checked into our hotel at the Marriott and walked over to the train station to get through to the cathedral which was massive. We spent most of the time at the Christmas Market. It was next to the cathedral and it was so pretty. We went to another Christmas market a couple blocks away. It featured little gnomes everywhere.
We got some hot chocolate and Nutella crepes, chocolate covered strawberries, and bratwurst with curry. This is the first trip where we finally started collecting the hot chocolate mugs (cups also used for Gluhwein or warm spiced wine). Each city has its' own design on the cup. I wish we would have thought of that before. They are so cool! We visited the town hall (Rathaus). There was a wedding nearby and they were taking pictures near the town hall and the Christmas markets. There were rose petals all over the ground.
We decided to walk to the spa (Claudius Therme) in Cologne. Whose dumb idea was that? We walked, it seemed like forever, across the bridge. It was beautiful and a great view of the Cathedral across the water. We spent of the rest of the evening there and ate dinner. Since it was quite the walk, we got a taxi back to the hotel.
We walked to the spa across the bridge.
Saturday, Nov.28, 2015
We are heading to Aachen, Germany today. We went to the Rathaus and the Dom (Cathedral). We saw Charlemagne's throne and Palatine chapel. The chapel was beautiful! We walked through the Christmas markets, had lunch at a Bistro, then we went to the spa for the rest of the evening. We ate dinner there and just relaxed. It was very nice. We then drove back to Cologne. Tomorrow we will drive to Burg Eltz castle and Koblenz.
Palatine Chapel
Charlemagne's Throne
We were having fun and acting kind of goofy
Carolus Thermen Spa in Aachen
Sunday, November 29th 2015
Today
we headed towards Koblenz. On the way to Koblenz we stopped at the Drachenberg
castle or Dragon castle. It was beautiful overlooking the Rhine. We took a
train up to the castle, they had a Christmas market there too. It was kind of drizzly and rainy but it was still really cool. We saw a Jack the Ripper character who was walking around the grounds. He asked if I wanted to stroll with him for a
while! :-)
Heading down the Rhine
The Rhine has been a major transportation route since Roman times, when the river marked the northern end of the empire. In the Middle Ages, the stretch from Bingen to Koblenz was home to no fewer than 16 greedy dukes and lords -- robber barons running two-bit dukedoms, living in hilltop castles and collecting tolls from merchant vessels passing by in the river below. There's a castle every few miles, each with its own history and legend.
We continued onto Koblenz. We walked around town.
This Column is in Josef-Görres Square in Koblenz, Germany is 10 meters high and represents the history of Koblenz from the time of the Romans to the present day.
This Column is in Josef-Görres Square in Koblenz, Germany is 10 meters high and represents the history of Koblenz from the time of the Romans to the present day.
Christmas market in Koblenz
We
continued onto Koblenz. We walked around town and over to the Deutsche Ecke
where the Rhine and the Mosel rivers meet. But it was pretty dark. We walked
through the Christmas markets on our way back to our hotel. We'll come back in
the morning and walk around when it's lighter out. We had a nice dinner at
"Buffalo". The prime rib was unbelievable. It was the best I've ever
eaten! We walked back to the hotel. Good thing because we needed to walk after
that meal!
Monday, November 30th 2015
We
walked back over to the Deutsche Ecke to see it better during the day. The
equestrian statue is of Wilheim I. He united Germany. We took a taxi
back to the hotel because it was raining. We then headed down the Rhine where we saw
castle after castle. We drove up to the Burg Eltz castle but it was closed for
the season. We did get a couple of pictures. It was absolutely amazing. So beautiful!
We stopped in St. Goar, such a cute town. We ate lunch there. We continued on
down the Rhine looking at castles.
We
also stopped in Bacharach. What a cute little town. We walked around but it
looked like a ghost town. It was obviously all closed up for the season but it
was very picturesque.
Where the Mosel and Rhine Rivers meet
Stolzenfels Castle, near Koblenz
Stolzenfels Castle, near Koblenz
Burg Eltz Castle
St. Goar
Bacharach- World's largest free standing cuckoo clock
We drove to the town of Oberwesel. Our hotel was at the Auf Schonburg castle. It was so beautiful and so cool. We enjoyed every minute of it. We ate dinner in the castle. We sat in the study with a cozy fire before and after dinner. It was crackling so loud and it was so warm. The menu was set and it consisted of four courses. It was really cool. What a special night. It was like a dream come true. Very very awesome!
Tuesday, December 1st 2015
Today we are heading to Heidelberg and Stuttgart, Germany. We ate breakfast at the castle, walked around the castle gardens and then drove onto Heidelberg.
We have been keeping track of our steps, so today, we decided we would see how many miles we walked so far. We have walked about 35 miles to date. Today, w walked through the streets of Heidelberg. There was a small Christmas market. We started walking down to the palace but it didn't seem like there was much going on so we headed to Stuttgart.
Wednesday, December 2nd 2015
We drove into Stuttgart looking for the Christmas markets and the old town. We stopped in a little market and had pastries and hot chocolate as usual. We walked around and found the Christmas markets. They are all over. It was really pretty. We walked over to the palace and sat on a park bench for a while. We bought bread, cheese and grapes at one of the markets for lunch. It was so good! We walked through a bunch of Christmas markets in the pedestrian zone. In the evening, we went over to the spa. We ate dinner there and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.
Friday, December 4th 2015
We got up and drove to Herrenchiemsee. It's one of King Ludwig II of Bavaria’s castles. It was never completed. It was only inhabited by the king for nine or ten nights before he died of drowning at the age of 40. King Ludwig idolized the King of France (Louis XVI) and wanted to build a castle exactly like Versailles in Paris. It was never completed. It was intended only as a monument to absolute monarchy and had no practical function. Such a waste. He wanted to add two wings on both sides but ran out of money. The rooms in this castle are larger then Versailles. King Ludwig ordered that Herrenchiemsee’s Great Hall of Mirrors and two nearby chambers must be exact copies of Versailles. When we stepped into the Great Hall of Mirrors, you almost let out gasps of amazement. It was magnificent and was our favorite room.
This version is 26 feet longer than Versailles with 33 pendant chandeliers. The workers spent a lot of time in Versailles to ensure it stayed true to the original. The Hall would be lit up by 2,188 candles. It took hours for servants to light them. Concerts are held here in the summer minus the candles.
The castle is on an island and the only way to get there is by boat. The grounds in Versailles are so much larger and beautiful but then again it was spring in Paris and there were flowers everywhere. When our boat returned after the tour we ate dinner in the small town there. Then we went to the spa in Erding for the evening.
I didn't get a picture of this table so this is part of the ticket. It was the Kings table and it was lowered to the floor below to be set and raised back up. It took an hour.
Saturday, December 5, 2015
We decided to head into Munich for the day. We visited the Christmas markets and ate lunch at our favorite restaurant, Zum Durnbrau. We visited the iconic Frauenkirche and listened to a children’s choir practice for their Christmas program.
Sunday, December 6th 2015
We spent some time in Mittenwald on Friday but it was late and dark so we are heading back down there today in hopes of hiking up to the gorge.
We drove all the way back up to Mittenwald just because we wanted to see if we could go to the gorge but it was closed for the season. It's a beautiful day out and the sun is shining brightly! We ate lunch in Mittenwald at the same restaurant that we ate at on Friday evening. The waiter we had was super nice. I think he was in love with us because we are from America. He lived in Boston for a while. He is from Croatia. He's been all over and he wants to end up back in the US so he was really attentive to us.
We decided to park over in the parking lot closest to the gorge. We walked through a field with goats and chickens and little Bavarian huts full of wood. The water flowing through the gorge was so crystal clear and blue. It was freezing but gorgeous. We got as close as we could get to the opening to get a couple of pictures.
The Leutasch Gorge is a gorge near Mittenwald and Uterleutasch in the Bavarian- Tyrolean border area where the Leutascher Ache River flows. It is really steep on the sides and was not opened to tourists until 2006. In order to do this a 1.4 million EU supported, Austro-German project was undertaken to build steel walkways and bridges over a distance of 970 yards, with a total length of 1,650 yards. It is the longest accessible gorge in the Eastern Limestone Alps. The Gorge was opened on May 24 2006. The walkways are horizontal wherever possible and are built so that they can be walked along without climbing equipment.
We drove back to our hotel on the way we stopped at Ettal Abbey. We’ve been there a couple of times but it was on our way and it so pretty. It was a beautiful Sunday drive, a sunny day with beautiful blue Bavarian skies.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Our keys: One for our room, one for the garden and one for the safe that was behind a picture on the wall
On our way to our room
In our room
When we checked in they gave us this scroll
An original painting of the castle in our room
Balcony outside our room overlooking the Rhine
More inside the castle
The cozy room with the fire
The Library
Our table at dinner
This desert was sooo much better then it looked!!
This desert was sooo much better then it looked!!
Tuesday, December 1st 2015
Today we are heading to Heidelberg and Stuttgart, Germany. We ate breakfast at the castle, walked around the castle gardens and then drove onto Heidelberg.
We arrived in Stuttgart in the early evening. It was dark and there was a lot of traffic so we ordered room service and stayed in for the night. We will go into Stuttgart in the morning.
We drove into Stuttgart looking for the Christmas markets and the old town. We stopped in a little market and had pastries and hot chocolate as usual. We walked around and found the Christmas markets. They are all over. It was really pretty. We walked over to the palace and sat on a park bench for a while. We bought bread, cheese and grapes at one of the markets for lunch. It was so good! We walked through a bunch of Christmas markets in the pedestrian zone. In the evening, we went over to the spa. We ate dinner there and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.
The Spa in Stuttgart
Thursday, December 3rd 2015
Today we got up around 7am and headed out to Ulm, the birthplace of Albert Einstein. Ulm has the tallest steeple in Germany. It was so awesome and the church was really really huge! It was a beautiful backdrop for a Christmas market. I bet it's beautiful at night too but we're not going to be here long. We ate lunch in Ulm and then we got back on the road heading to the Zugspitze.
Today we got up around 7am and headed out to Ulm, the birthplace of Albert Einstein. Ulm has the tallest steeple in Germany. It was so awesome and the church was really really huge! It was a beautiful backdrop for a Christmas market. I bet it's beautiful at night too but we're not going to be here long. We ate lunch in Ulm and then we got back on the road heading to the Zugspitze.
The Zugspitze is the tallest peak in Germany. The boarder between Germany and Austria runs right through the peak. We could see four countries from the top; Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. We got lucky, the weather great and the sky was clear.
The Zugspitze was absolutely breathtaking. It was so beautiful out and the Sun was shining so bright. It was pretty and it was really awesome. We rode to the top on a tram. It was just beautiful! Then we headed to Mittenwald. We walked around Mittenwald for a while then had dinner there in a cozy little restaurant. We then drove to our hotel, the Sheraton, Munich. Tomorrow we go to Herrenchiemsee.
The Zugspitze was absolutely breathtaking. It was so beautiful out and the Sun was shining so bright. It was pretty and it was really awesome. We rode to the top on a tram. It was just beautiful! Then we headed to Mittenwald. We walked around Mittenwald for a while then had dinner there in a cozy little restaurant. We then drove to our hotel, the Sheraton, Munich. Tomorrow we go to Herrenchiemsee.
Mittenwald
We got up and drove to Herrenchiemsee. It's one of King Ludwig II of Bavaria’s castles. It was never completed. It was only inhabited by the king for nine or ten nights before he died of drowning at the age of 40. King Ludwig idolized the King of France (Louis XVI) and wanted to build a castle exactly like Versailles in Paris. It was never completed. It was intended only as a monument to absolute monarchy and had no practical function. Such a waste. He wanted to add two wings on both sides but ran out of money. The rooms in this castle are larger then Versailles. King Ludwig ordered that Herrenchiemsee’s Great Hall of Mirrors and two nearby chambers must be exact copies of Versailles. When we stepped into the Great Hall of Mirrors, you almost let out gasps of amazement. It was magnificent and was our favorite room.
This version is 26 feet longer than Versailles with 33 pendant chandeliers. The workers spent a lot of time in Versailles to ensure it stayed true to the original. The Hall would be lit up by 2,188 candles. It took hours for servants to light them. Concerts are held here in the summer minus the candles.
The castle is on an island and the only way to get there is by boat. The grounds in Versailles are so much larger and beautiful but then again it was spring in Paris and there were flowers everywhere. When our boat returned after the tour we ate dinner in the small town there. Then we went to the spa in Erding for the evening.
On the boat
Hall of Mirrors
The King only filled this bathtub once and then it was only halfway
Unfinished rooms
We decided to head into Munich for the day. We visited the Christmas markets and ate lunch at our favorite restaurant, Zum Durnbrau. We visited the iconic Frauenkirche and listened to a children’s choir practice for their Christmas program.
St. Michael's church
We walked around Marienplatz for awhile looking at the Christmas Markets and shopping.
After we went to the spa in Erding for the evening!
Sunday, December 6th 2015
We spent some time in Mittenwald on Friday but it was late and dark so we are heading back down there today in hopes of hiking up to the gorge.
We decided to park over in the parking lot closest to the gorge. We walked through a field with goats and chickens and little Bavarian huts full of wood. The water flowing through the gorge was so crystal clear and blue. It was freezing but gorgeous. We got as close as we could get to the opening to get a couple of pictures.
The Leutasch Gorge is a gorge near Mittenwald and Uterleutasch in the Bavarian- Tyrolean border area where the Leutascher Ache River flows. It is really steep on the sides and was not opened to tourists until 2006. In order to do this a 1.4 million EU supported, Austro-German project was undertaken to build steel walkways and bridges over a distance of 970 yards, with a total length of 1,650 yards. It is the longest accessible gorge in the Eastern Limestone Alps. The Gorge was opened on May 24 2006. The walkways are horizontal wherever possible and are built so that they can be walked along without climbing equipment.
We
flew home today. We drove to the airport and turned in our car. We then took a
flight to London and then a flight back to Seattle.
