Jayne Does The Famous Dresden Striezelmarkt - December 2014

Yes, this is becoming a habit.  Tim goes to New York City for business and Jayne goes and discovers someplace new.  This time it is Dresden which is about 325 km NE of Erlangen.   I took the train and rented a lovely little apartment just blocks away from one of the many markets in and around the city.

The Dresden Striezelmarkt (Christmas Market) is Germany's oldest market with a very long history dating back to 1434.  It's name derives from the sweet delicacy Hefestriezel, which is now known as  'Dresden Christstollen' (German Christmas Cake).

Stollen is a fruit cake containing dried fruit, nuts and spices and often marzipan and covered with icing sugar.  We have tried a number of different stollens, but The Dresden Stollen is the absolute best, by far.  Try one!

Beautiful stalls.

Frauenkirche (Church Of Our Lady)

Built during the 18th century, this beautiful Baroque building was purposely built Protestant and is an amazing example of Protestant sacred architecture.  It features one of the largest domes in Europe. It was destroyed in the bombing of Dresden during WWII.

When I was here in 1983, when Dresden was behind the Iron Curtain, the church was in ruins.

Frauenkirche

The reconstruction of the exterior was completed in 2004
and the interior in 2005.

Love these guys!!!

Dresden Zwinger

The Dresden Zwinger is built in Rococco style and is part of the historic heart of Dresden.  The name is derived from the German word Zwinger - an enclosed killing ground of a castle or city gate.  Today is it a museum complex and the grounds are open to the public.

The next four photos are of the Zwinger......

 

The Augustusmarkt

The Medieval Markt

The Katholische Hofkirche
Also destroyed during WWI and rebuilt.

The architecture is so beautiful and plentiful.

I had a wonderful four days here. The weather was perfect, the markets were great and the architecture amazing.  Thank-you Dresden!!

Christmas Markets - December 2014

The Christmas Market season (as we call it) started off wonderfully with my cousin Jennie and her husband Malcolm, from the UK arrived for a long weekend, just for the markets.

We hit three markets:  the lovely small town Cadolzburg Christmas Market, the famous Nürnberg Christkindlmarkt and of course, the Erlangen Waldweihnachts Markt and the Erlangen Historischer Waldweihnachts Markt.

Timo, Tim, Malcolm, Jennie and Dayle in Cadolzburg.

Erlangen......
I seem to be double fisting......

After three Christmas Markets and a number of Feuerzangenbowles, beers and schnitzel, Jennie and Malcolm head back to the UK to dry out.  (lol)

Next........Salzburg, Austria Christmas Market

Every year we go to a different Christmas Market and stay a night or two.  This year we decided on Salzburg as we hadn't been there yet, and we had heard that the market there is wonderful.  So we hopped on the train and went for three days.

The market is our favourite large town/city market that we have been to.  It  is quite small (there are two locations) but the old town is decorated beautifully.

Old town freidhof (cemetery) looking up to the
Festung Hohensalzburg (Salzburg Fortress).

View from the Salzburg Fortress.
Construction begun in 1077.
The fortress is 820 m (250 ft) long and
490 m (150 ft) wide.  It is one of the
largest medieval castles in Europe.

Another view.....

Cheese and salami booth!

Pretzel donuts!!!!!

View from the Salzach River. 

A clock we came across.

What a lovely city.  We would like to come back in the summer (no, we didn't do the Sound of Music tour).

Next...... Forchheim Christmas Market

Forchheim you say?  Well it is home to the largest(?) most beautiful advent calendar in the world.

The Forchheim Rathaus (town hall) IS the advent calendar.
Each window shutter is 1 of 25 days of the advent calendar. 

We were there on the 7th December.

At 6:30 pm the window/shutter opens and the angel reads out part of the Christmas story.

Timo having his Gluhwein and is annual pipe!

Next...... Sommerhausen Christmas Market

I was told my Gerlinde, one of my German friends that her Italian language teacher told her that the best little village Christmas Market was Sommerhausen.  Sommerhausen is about 100 km NW of Erlangen and about 13 km S of Würzburg. It sits on the Main River and opposite Winterhausen (tee hee).

I went with my friend Dayle Prowse.  It was one of the nicest small town Christmas Markets that I have been to (Bad Wimpfen, was equally as nice).  The residents / artists open up their houses, garages, yards and show off and sell their art.  Everything is handmade.

Next.....Erlangen Waldweihnachts Markt

Well, we can't really call it next, as Tim and I go their quite frequently.

Having a Gluhwein with my friend Gerlinde Suß

Friends Gerlinde and Kurt Suß 

One more market coming up------see the next blog!