a little light christmas (market) magic...

If someone tells you that you should check out Germany at Christmastime listen. Or just listen to me. Do it. Go. You'll love it.

Every year, since moving to Germany, I've tried to visit new Christmas markets, some far and some near. This December, I stuck closer to home...so here are 5 enchanting Christmas markets close to Frankfurt, that are my favourites.

Frankfurt

Let me start with Frankfurt. The city's historic centre, which is interesting at any time of year, comes to life when it's lit up with the warm ochre glow of twinkle lights. The central market is set up under the view of Frankfurt's 600-year-old city hall, the Römer.

As is standard at most of Germany's Christmas markets, you will find ample mulled wine (glüwein) stands, potato pancakes and bratwurst kiosks, artisans selling wooden crafts, jewellery and an assortment of other gift items.

But, you will also be able to experience specialty items...sometimes gourmet, sometimes whimsical, to either eat, drink or gift to someone you love. In Frankfurt, I stumbled across a Swiss fondue stand, smelling heavenly with the strong scent of Gruyere and Emmental simmering in huge bronze cauldrons. Served with large chunks of fresh sourdough bread, this was an unexpected Christmas treat!

Wiesbaden

Just half an hour west of Frankfurt lies the elegant city of Wiesbaden. Their Christmas market is called the Sternschnuppenmarkt, which is sweetly translated into 'Shooting Star Market'. The state flower is the lily and huge lit blooms hover over the market stands, lighting the way each evening in December for friends to meet for an after-work glüwein.

Many Christmas markets in Germany offer specialty glüwein mugs which easily turn into collector items. Sometimes medieval terracotta goblets, other times painted ceramics, in shapes of boots or St. Nicholas heads; each year these mugs, filled with steaming wine or cider, add an element of hygge to an already enchanting setting.

I spent one Thursday evening with co-workers at the Wiesbaden Christmas market in the city's main square, and it was the perfect location to kick-off the season of peace, tranquility and friendship.

Mainz

On the south banks of the Rhine River you will find one of my absolute favourite Christmas markets. Under the impressive Mainzer Dome cathedral, the market spreads across the centre square underneath a blanket of twinkle lights. This market is always packed full of parka-clad revellers come rain or shine because the setting just feels so magical.

The people of Mainz LOVE their city, their football (soccer) team, their wine and their wurst. This is one of the two hubs of German carnival and the largest city (but still quite small) in Germany's largest wine region. The folk are proud and they celebrate their city almost every weekend with wine festivals of all shapes and sizes. Their Christmas market is no different. It is beloved.

Just beyond the dome you will find the oldest parts of the city, with rows of half-timbered houses decorated with large bows, lights and mistletoe. The first time I visited Mainz, it was a week before Christmas, and there was powdered sugar-dusting of snow on the cobblestoned lanes of the Altstadt (old town). I remember telling my bf that I felt like I had walked onto the film set of a Christmas movie. It had seemed so surreal, so beautiful, and I had felt so blessed to be there at Christmas.

Rüdesheim

Further down the Rhine, about an hour south-west of Frankfurt, nestled between the river and the hills of Germany's finest Riesling vineyards, is Rüdesheim. This is a town which is very popular with tourists. It is beyond cute...almost too cute. And it's Christmas market doesn't disappoint.

Down the narrowest of cobbled lanes, the Drosselgasse is the star attraction of the town. Authentic (and some not so quite) handcrafted Christmas ornaments and wooden nativity scenes line the gasse (lane) interchanged with wine taverns and quaint restaurants offering all the hearty German fare one can dream of.

Out in the town square a larger than life nativity sits among the wine and food stands, competing for the attention of the many visitors. But, what I love about Rüdesheim is that you can find wichtels (German elves) in almost every shop window. They are the cutest things about a German Christmas, in my opinion, and whether ceramic or felt, with long beards or pointed hats, they add an element of elegant whimsy to the season...

for all ages of child.

A Moselle Christmas 

If you're in Frankfurt and you have the time, I would highly suggest taking a day trip to the Moselle River. At any time of year this winding river valley is speckled with the quaintest, most lovely historic wine towns. But, at Christmas, these towns turn into a fairytale.

Bernkastel-Kues

On one of the looping twists of the river, amid terraced hills of lush grapes and castle ruins, is the tiny town of Bernkastel-Kues. In the small main square an advent calendar comes to life on the facade of the largest half-timbered building. Musicians play below, while visitors stop, stare, and take lots of pics. It's difficult to put into words how even the smallest details create a capricious feeling in the air.

Traben-Trarbach's Underground Magic

But if you want whimsy and magic, then the Moselle town of Traben-Trarbach is your place at Christmas. Another historic wine town, once one of the richest areas of Europe, dating back to the Roman Empire, this town does Christmas underground. Through a maze of connected wine cellars and caverns, long aisles of vaulted ceilings, some with antique wine casks, others with Christmas wares of handicrafts, wine or food, this is just another incredible Christmas market to get lost in. 

Wine cellar market

Wherever you find yourself this Christmas, whether in Germany or not, I wish you a peaceful, reflective and thankful season filled with love and family and, well, wine!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

the day I delivered blooms for mother's day...to honour my own

It's blooms day! Mother's day.

Even though I grew up in a family who didn't make a big deal about 'hallmark' days such as this one, ever since this day 10 years ago, I hold this day in high respect. I'm so grateful for Mother's Day because it was the last time I saw my mom...talked with her, made dinner for her, spent too little time with her...before she passed away.

Mother's day, Father's day, Valentine's day...many say these days are trite and trivial, created by commercial greed. But, I disagree. I think these are days for opportunity...we make them into what we want to make them, just like Christmas or birthday celebrations.

I think we can use these days to show (extra) love to our moms and dads, or valentines and friends. I mean, why the heck not? Love is good to throw around a little here and there!

On these days people usually make the effort to see or telephone or facetime that special person; they write cards, say 'I love you' (which might not be said every day) and they just plain and simply, take the time. Or hey, they might not...to each his own.

But I thankfully took the time, on this day ten years ago, not knowing how sick my mom was, not knowing that she would pass away two weeks later, because it was mother's day. I wrote her everything I wanted to say, I took the time to think of a small gift which I thought would make her smile, and I spent time with her and told her I loved her (again).

It had been a busy time for my little business, and I had been traveling to see a new man I was in a relationship with, and if it hadn't been for mother's day, I honestly might not have made the effort at that particular time to be with her. Two weeks later we were called to her bedside in the ICU where she passed away just hours later.

So, for this year, in honour of my mom on mother's day, and not believing that it has been ten years since I've seen her and told her that I love her, I wanted to do something special. How much more special can delivering flowers be, to quaint, beautiful flower shops, up and down the Rhine, knowing that they will most likely end up in the hands of other much-loved mothers?

And let me tell you, it was a great day!

It was a few days ago, amidst the flower industry's busiest week of the year. With my very good friend, whose family owns a wholesale flower company, I drove to their warehouse just before 5am. We spent the next 8 hours packing and delivering big bunches of beautiful blooms, such as peonies, Gerbera daisies, hydrangeas, and a whole assortment of roses in all shades of pinks, reds, yellows and whites.

After packing the various orders, we loaded the truck and in the dark, early morning hour, we crossed the Rhine with the ferry and proceeded to wind our way through the vineyard-covered hills of the Rheingau, the district on the north side of the river.

The delivery route included many unique, independently-owned florists and small garden centres, either set among narrow, cobblestone lanes of town centres, or out on the hills adjacent to a beloved-ly kept-up cemetery. The most fun parts of the day, along with just being among gorgeous flowers, was watching the customers' faces light up as I followed my cheery friend into each little shop. Her family has cultivated and cared-for each of their customers with such focus, often driving kilometers out of the way just to deliver one much-needed bloom.

I was along for just such a special delivery, for a unique customer (who is at this point, more of a friend) at an ultra-special location: Schloss Vollrads. This castle and its immaculately-kept gardens are located high above the Rhine, north of the quaint town of Ostrich-Winkel. And because I was along on this particular morning, the gentrified caretaker, who greeted us with a nod of his greyed head and a generous smile, opened the castle doors to us for a quick, spontaneous tour.

Oh what lovely treats arise when someone gratefully receives flowers handed over with a smile!

And how fitting since my momma also loved herself some castle time (well, who doesn't really?). So here's one for you too, mom. Happy mother's day...every day. Love, Nina

germany's wine tavern tradition...plus some golf

I often search for English vocabulary that convey the same meaning as what can be easily expressed in German. In German there are so many specific words which you need a sentence for in English to describe.

The situation where I most often find myself failing to find the correct wording, is when it comes to Germany's unique and wonderful wine tradition. There are similarities across Europe, but nowhere in North America have I seen something equivalent – and possibly that’s why I find the vocabulary lacking.

Words like, ‚schlemmen‘, ‚Genuss‘, ‚Strausswirtschaft‘ have no fair English translation. Words like 'feast', 'enjoy' or 'wine tavern' convey much different images than what in fact you will find in Rheinhessen, Germany. You see, in Germany’s largest wine region most wineries are family-owned and operated.  Okay, that’s not surprising, and definitely not only a German-thing.

But, what I think is unique, is the Straußwirtschaft. These are the small taverns which the family-run vineyard opens two or three times a year, often only a few nights a week, serving simple German fare to go along with their own wines. They open only when they are not busy with harvest or with bottling, basically whenever it suits the family business. And, the townfolk just have to wait...and eagerly wait they do.

Weingut Röder in Mettenheim

These places are cozy! They have such a wonderful, intimate, casual atmosphere that it’s a treat to be there…and we’ve been to quite a few. Often these wineries host interesting, low-key events to get people involved in their wines and their operation - the best way to sell wine is to let people taste it!

This past weekend, we joined some friends for Weingut Golf...mini-golfing through the winery while wine-tasting! 

Weingut Böhm

I'm not a golfer at all, and as the wine started to settle in, let's just say that I became increasingly uninterested in trying to keep my strokes down. I'm much happier behind a camera, than behind a golf ball.

One highlight, or rather an interesting moment was when Stefan Böhm opened the tap of his newest Riesling tank and let us taste the fermenting wine, just harvested a few weeks ago. To avoid having to drink more of this non-wine I peppered him with questions about the process. Along with a lot of scientific mumbo-jumbo, which I could not follow in my current state of mind, he mentioned that he goes to his tanks and tastes the wines every week to check in on them and monitor their progress.

On the following hole, we were treated to a glass of the current bottled Riesling from 2015 and it was delish!

Rheinhessen really is a beautiful area, full of rolling vineyards, endless bike paths and quaint small towns. It is made up of 26,300 hectares of vines - now that is what I call devotion to wine!

Many towns, including Bingen am Rhein, were once hubs of wine activity, with trains running through all-day, picking up wine and transporting it throughout Germany and Europe. Nowadays, the transportation methods have changed, and many of the larger wine-making companies have moved to bigger centres. But the wine families remain...

In a Straußwirtschaft or Weingut (family-run winery restaurant) you can really enjoy and savour (geniessen) time spent with friends, indulging in tasty wines from vineyards right around the corner, and taking pleasure in feasting (schlemmen) on straightforward, homemade German food.

Weingut Annenhof - Büdesheim

One thing that I love about the European mentality (or tradition) of dining, is that, firstly, people eat together at the same table. In most of these restaurants the tables are long and heavy and wooden, and strangers sit where there is room. People say 'hi' to fellow diners when they enter the locale, and they say 'good-bye' (Tchuss!) when they leave. This I’ve experienced across Germany, in France, Austria, Italy, Spain and Romania. I have never, ever experienced either of these things in Canada or the US, unless people already know each other.

 

The third and fourth major dining differences that I’ve noticed are, that the owner is almost always on-site, making him/herself visible and greeting guests at some point during the evening. And, that no matter how popular or booked-solid a place is, in Europe they don’t feel the need to super-size. Restaurants stay quaint and intimate and full – that’s just the way it is. No need to make everything huge and impersonal, where nobody knows your name.

Weingut Neus in Ingelheim

Now, back to the small pub-like, family-run wine restaurants. These have all of the above-mentioned lovely qualities, plus more. I think, because the families plant, grow, care-for, harvest and then create their grapes and wines, making them essentially farmers, they have  a wonderful down-to-earth, uncomplicated air about them. These are not pretentious oenologists, who take half an hour to describe a wine list to you.

Weinzeit in der Vinothek in Bingen

The moment the weather turns warmer, the wine tasting and drinking, the 'schlemming' and 'geniessen' takes place outdoors and long into the evenings. 

And sometimes you stumble upon these Weingüter located in a spectacular location, savouring its place in the world, nestled along the banks of the Rhine River.

Thank you to the many, many families who work hard all year round, to grow, cultivate, harvest and produce that which most of us like to sip. Dankeschön! 

Weingut Röder - Mettenheim

Weingut Böhm - Wörrstadt

Weingut Annenhof - Büdesheim

Weingut Neuss-Ingelheim

Weinzeit in der Vinothek - Bingen

how to impress a canadian girl.

How I impressed a couple of Canadian girls with the three best day tours starting out from Bingen and Rüdesheim am Rhein.

In the last couple of months we've had two seperate Canadians visiting Europe for the first time – sporty spice and marsha brady.  sporty is my oldest friend who I met when I was six months old, although the day wasn’t memorable enough to stick in my mind. The other visitors were my stepmum and her lovely, tell-it-like-it-is, no BS friend, marsha brady (cause she is nothing like her).


I decided to pull out the big guns, rounding up knights in armour, haunting fortresses and gothic cathedrals, while plying them with some of the region's finest grape juice.  Using ships, hips and automobiles, we hiked, biked and cruised along the Rhine listening to stories of torture, murder, intrigue, and theft. 

And in the evening hours we munched on hunter's schnitzel in quaint half-timbered wine bistros, sipped grauburgunder (pinot grigio) on rhine-banked terraces, and grilled bratwurst in our garden by the river. Having Canadians to visit is definitely one of my favourite things...and impressing them here is easy.

I always tell Canadians who are contemplating a visit that they should only come if they like castles and other old things to go with their wine. Don't worry, unless you're a teenager who has grown up here, there's no possible way you'll be bored.

The great summer migration is just around the corner, as wine lovers from across Europe descend upon Bingen for the Rhine’s longest wine festival, the Binger Winzerfest.

But visiting the Middle Rhine Valley at any time of year, for the Winzerfest (THE wine festival), Bingen Swingt (very popular jazz festival), Rhein in Flammen (fireworks magic throughout the Rhine valley) or the Christmas markets (nothing compares to Germany at Christmastime) you will love exploring the great things to do in this vineyard and castle rich area.

Rüdesheim am Rhein

Tour #1 The Ringticket - ferry, foot, cable car and chairlift...with wine on the way.

This tour is easy for all ages. Starting in Bingen, Assmannshausen (yes, that's its real name) or Rüdesheim will determine your first mode of transport: ferry, foot or cable car.

Vineyards looking onto Bingen am Rhein

The as-long-as-you-want-to-make-it journey takes you on a beautiful full-circle tour of valley views, while floating high above the vineyards in a cable car built for two (or three), past castle ruins and freedom monuments...

Niederwalddenkmal Monument

along wooded walks and comfortable trails to either stay on or veer off of...

Rheinsteig hiking trail

and strolls through quaint towns home to some of the oldest original buildings along the Rhine. This tour is a great intro to the area and one you'll most likely come back to for more.

Assmannshausen am Rhein

Tour #2 Castles and Cologne – grand and grander

A tour including the Marksburg Castle, one of the only fortresses to never be destroyed, will knock the socks off any visitor. Marksburg is what I would imagine authentic medieval life to be – like peeking into a middle ages episode of Downton Abbey, with servant and noble lifestyle expertly displayed in all its gore and glory.

Photo source: Wikipedia

Here's some backstory: 

It all began in 1100 when the Eppstein family built a keep on one of the highest points above the Rhine. A keep, which is a fortified round windowless tower of last resort for protection of a royal family (where is Elizabeth’s keep I ask?), is connected to the rest of the castle by a narrow, wooden bridge. When the enemy has penetrated the castle the royals flee into the keep and the bridge is burned. We’ll burn that bridge when we get there! Don’t burn your bridges! The tour guide filled us in on keep-trivia and at least these two Canadian girls were impressed.

Keep with drawbridge in the castle's centre

As sporty spice and I followed the tour guide through secret passages, torture chambers and basement wine cellars, we were exposed to the language, the intricacies, the perils, and the weaponry of daily life in the middle ages. 

Interestingly, withstanding a thousand years of war unscathed as Napoleon, the Romans, the Thirty Years War and WWI passed it by, it was the Americans in 1945 who did significant damage to the Marksburg bombarding it with artillery fire as they approached from the other Rhine side – now what was the point of that?

From the Marksburg we traveled onwards to Cologne. Cruising along the Rhine's curvy shoulder for about an hour without traffic...it is well worth the scenic drive. Cologne's crowning jewel and every visitor's bullseye is the Cologne Dome. It is as monstrous as it is beautiful.

Kölner Dom - Cologne's Dome

With 20 000 people visiting a day, it's kind of a busy place. Begun in 1248 it was built in the new-fangled gothic style - the rebels. The cathedral is 144 metres long and it has the largest façade of any church in the world.

The Holy Roman Emperor, Barbarossa, had the cathedral built to house the bones of the Three Wisemen he had “acquired” from Italy. Taking 632 years to build, it’s the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe

Cologne's pedestrian shopping area

Tour #3 Bike (or not) to a church built into a cliff wall...it impressed us!
From the Rhine, a beautiful bike ride up the Nahe River will lead you along fields of canola, hills of grapes and cliffside towns. Your trip will take longer than planned because you will surely stop continuously to take photos.

Idar-Oberstein

Called the Chapel in the Rocks or Crag Castle, the Felsenkirche in the town of Idar-Oberstein will be worth your biketrip - leave home early, enjoy the scenery, explore this possibly dangerous place to worship high above the rest of town - then take the train back!

Felsenkirche - The Chapel-in-the-Rocks

Legend has it that a girl named Bertha (I’m not making this up) was at the centre of a tragic love triangle. One brother, in a fit of rage, threw his brother out the window of Castle Bosselstein upon finding out that Bertha and his brother had secretly married while he was out of town.

The entrance to the chapel

The Felsenkirche was built into the cliffs at the site where the brother was killed in a long, sad exercise in penance and upon its completion a tiny spring began bubbling out of the rocks right down the middle of the aisle – supposedly a sign of God’s forgiveness (or a sign that one needs to plan building projects better). The spring is still gurgling to this day – impressing the Canadian girls.

Hope you enjoy your trips! Here are some links to help you plan:

Ruedesheimer-Bingen Ferry Ringticket – 14,00€ per adult:

http://www.bingen-ruedesheimer.de/linienfahrten/ringticket/?lang=en

The Marksburg Castle - 6,00€ per adult:

http://www.marksburg.de/english/frame.htm

The Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom):

http://koelner-dom.de/index.php?id=19167&L=1

Idar-Oberstein Chapel in the Rocks:

https://www.idar-oberstein.de/en/tourism/sights/chapel-in-the-rocks/

German Rail (Deutsche Bahn): http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query2.exe/en?ld=9642&seqnr=1&ident=gj.0656142.1437215983&rt=1&OK#focus

Bingen am Rhein