Christmas Eve in Nuremberg
I love continental breakfast. I really, really love it. Sure, I do love my eggs and omelets and pancakes too, but I always look forward to the hotel breakfasts whenever we travel though Europe. At the Garden Hotel Nuremberg- home for our short time here- the breakfast is again one worth the anticipation. We had slices of hearty rye bread, ham and cheese, coffee, soft-cooked eggs, fresh fruit with yogurt, and even Lebkuchen – the famous Nuremberg ginger bread. I would love to start each day like this!
Today is Christmas Eve, and from how Mattaeus explained to us, this is the real holiday for many Germans. Unlike back in the US where much of the focus is on the morning of Christmas Day, here in Germany the evening before is when the family gathers for their holiday meal to celebrate together. The feeling in the air is less like the feeling of Christmas back home, instead I would say it is more like that of Thanksgiving. Today we expect a bit of hectic scrambling from people finishing their last minute shopping, but the evening should be relatively calm and quiet.
We started out pretty early to hopefully get to see some parts of town without a large tourist crowd, and our plan actually worked out well! We walked down to the river where the picturesque buildings reflect out on the water. We stopped for a few photos of the beautiful scenery and then just stood leaning over on the bridge, absorbing every detail. We are in a major city, but it seems so calm, so peaceful. We followed the river along and then crossed the Kettensteg, which is Germany’s oldest suspension bridge (or so we’ve read). We walked alongside the stone arches and over the metal links as we crossed the river, and for most of the time we had the bridge completely to ourselves. We crossed back over the bridge to head to the Weißgerbergasse, a beautiful curved street lined with colorful buildings dating back to the middle ages. It is an impressive sight, and we were heading there with the hopes that it would be mostly empty just like the Kettensteg. We were not disappointed as we arrived to see the street primarily deserted save for a few shop owners sweeping up outside their doorway. We strolled slowly up the ancient street, taking in the colors as we felt the old cobblestones underfoot. As we looked at the buildings and snapped some pictures, the yellow Deutsche Post carriage made its way down the slope, those beautiful horses still leading the way.
Albrecht Dürer Platz is a nice little square at the foot of the castle lined with the typical half-timber houses, one of which was the home of the Renaissance painter who serves as the square’s namesake. It was a hearty walk uphill to get there, but we needed to keep going to make it up to the castle. We found a small alleyway which led to a narrow stairway, and soon we were up on the hill with Schloss Nürnberg towering above us. Access to the castle itself was closed as we expected, but the hike up was still well worth it. We had free roam around the castle grounds, and the views over the city were spectacular. We took pictures and looked over the skyline trying to pick out landmarks from this high above. The air was cool but not so cold even for this late in December, and even up high on the hill. It felt fresh here like you weren’t really surrounded by a city. We looked through the bars that closed off the access to the tower, getting the pictures we could as it wouldn’t reopen before we left Nuremberg. There were pathways all throughout the castle grounds. One of the paths looked to be open to pass through, so we followed it down – exploring for sure, but also hoping to find one of the pay toilets that are usually scattered about. The path led beyond the city walls to a very residential spot… but not before offering the relief we needed! Pay toilets are a thing of their own here. You put in your Euro to unlock the door, do your deed, then when you close the door the whole unit self-cleans. Amazing stuff, and so convenient!
We decided to take a roundabout way through the residential section of town heading back to the city center, taking the chance to explore a bit of the real Nuremerg…
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