Christmassy Weekend in Germany

  Every December, Spain celebrates La Immaculada Concepcion, which is a holiday for the immaculate conception of Mary. This means we always have a long weekend in December during which we are able to travel somewhere more wintery than Spain to get our "fix" of European Christmas Markets. Previous years we have gone to Belgium, Denmark, and France. This year, we decided to go to our very favorite Christmas destination: Germany. We went back to visit the friend that we spent Christmas with two years ago, and also re-visit our favorite city, Heidelberg.

We went to a different Christmas market each day, starting with a day trip to the storybook village of Colmar, France. We have wanted to go to Colmar for a couple of years now, so we were finally able to make it happen by renting a car for just one day. We drove three hours there, walked the streets for about three hours, and then drove three hours back. But the time in the car was worth it, as the village was indeed a unique place which looks like the set of Beauty and the Beast! It was beautiful at Christmas time, decorated very festively, and was very crowded the day we went (This is always the case at Christmas markets on the weekends).

The next couple of days we spent with our friends in Wiesbaden and Mainz, visiting the Christmas markets there, and also just catching up!

Friends reunited!

Wiesbaden's Ferris Wheel

Mainz Weinachtenmarkt

You could reserve one of these! If only we had known, we definitely would have participated.

And last but not least, we took the train to our beloved Heidelberg. Heidelberg holds so much meaning for us, as Rachel studied abroad there and first fell in love with the idea of living in Europe while being there. Shortly after she returned, she met Devin and wouldn't stop talking about Heidelberg, so he has been familiar with this place for a long time as well! The city holds so many memories. This was the third time she has been back since 2008, and the second time we have been together, and it never loses it's charm.

When we arrived, we headed straight for the Castle courtyards. It requires a climb to reach the castle grounds, but it is worth it, as they offer incredible views of the city. The weekend we were there they had a special Christmas market set up beside the castle, which we loved walking through.

We had a beautifully sunny day to hike to the top of the hill providing beautiful views of the old town. We walked the famous "Philosophenweg", or Philosopher's Way, but continued farther up to the highest point of the hill. At the very top, there is a lookout tower built in the 19th century on top of the ruins of the monastery of St. Michael, which was built over the ruins of the Roman temple to Mercury. Talk about history! The tower offers a birds eye view of the city, which we could look at all day.

One of the best things to do in Heidelberg is simply stroll through the old town. It is so charming, as each street contains beautiful facades, storefronts, and at this time of year, Christmas decor. There are Christmas markets scattered throughout the old town in different plazas, so we never had to go far without a snack or gluhwein.

These apple chips are truly the best in the world. We get them every time we go.

Our favorite bakery item.

This was our favorite Christmas market, surrounded by Christmas trees!

Of course we had to partake in the typical German cuisine - beer and pretzels the size of our head!

A foggy morning walk around the river.

We had an lovely, festive four days in Germany, reliving old memories and creating new ones. It is a wonderful country in which we feel "at home" more than anyplace else in Europe. We hope to be back at Christmas time in our future!