Celebration!

Boy! Do Germans know how to celebrate!

In Nuremberg today they were out by the tens of thousands in the Christmas market. The crowd occasionally got so thick that it was impossible to move. After a half hour of fighting the crowds we found refuge in the Frauenkirche ( the Church of Our Lady) in Nuremberg.

The people are especially keen to celebrate right here—in Nuremburg. This town is regarded by Germans as the quintessential German city. It’s something like having Independence Hall, Times Square and Disney World all wrapped into one place.

That is the reason Hitler wanted to have the 1936 Olympics here. Although he was Austrian, he wanted people to believe that he was the most German of Germans. That’s why he held his massive Nazi rallies here at Zeppelin Field. That’s also why the allies held the postwar war trials here at the end of World War II.

Today war was the last thing on the minds of those reveling in the streets of Nuremberg. Everyone was celebrating. Every kind of Christmas cookie and fudge imaginable was calling my name. The fragrance of spiced wine wafted around every corner. Holiday hats, reindeer antlers and Santa Clause suits were all around us. A high school choir sang contemporary Christmas music.

In short, the Christmas market at Nuremberg is a blast!Read more