2022 Europe Christmas Markets

We were in the 8:00 a.m. time slot for breakfast. No cookies or champagne for brekkie today. We detected some decidedly mid-Western American accents at a table across the room.

We set out about 9:30 a.m. We took a tram ride for about 15 minutes to the Documentation Center and Nazi Party Rally Grounds. Nuremberg tries to present itself as the “City of Human Rights”, but its reputation as Hitler’s favourite place for rallies is hard to shake. The museum began an extensive remodelling project in 2021 so a lot of what used to be accessible is closed off, but there is a very well-done interim exhibit which focuses on the space and content of the Rally Grounds. The exhibit helps to trace the evolution of the National Socialist Movement which simultaneously energized and terrorized the German people. We were all very struck by how propaganda and staging and lighting were used during the rallies to promote Hitler and his ideologies. Leni Riefenstahl’s propaganda classic “Triumph of the Will” was filled at this location. The Nuremberg Trials were held at another location across town. Those trials – the first international war-crimes tribunal -brought about a new concept of international law, which continues today in The Hague, Netherlands.

We came back to the hotel and, of course, it was time to eat again. Some of the serious shoppers in the group had found a great store (Karstadt) on Saturday (closed yesterday) with a good café on its lower level. The store is like a cross between The Bay, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Michael’s and a giant grocery store. The café was very busy – it appears to be where wives stash their husbands while they shop. We got a couple of seats at the counter and ate in shifts. We discovered that they only serve steak. They have beef from all over the world, but alas, not from Canada. The steaks are cooked on a giant grill right before your eyes. The frantic pace kept up by the staff made my head spin. They act as order takers, bartenders, cooks, table clearers and cashiers. Most of us don’t usually have steak and baked potato and salad for lunch, but hey, we were there and up for the entertainment, so we dove in headfirst like the troopers that we are and polished off very tasty steaks.

We split up after lunch – Sue off to take photos, Mary Ann and I to check out fabrics, and the others to shop and drink tea. We are Christmas Marketed out.

Karstadt has a knitting wool and fabric department. There were some nice fabrics, but the prices weren’t very attractive. And the organization of the fabrics made it hard to browse – cottons were lumped in with polyesters and the wools and drapery materials. Mary Ann and I could have whipped that place into shape in a week.

We went to another fabric store that we had spied near the Spanish restaurant last night. We found the same thing – no separation of fabrics by material content or colour or theme. And the lighting was so dim I couldn’t tell blacks from blues from dark greens. Another place in need of a makeover.

One last stop – the food section of Karstadt. There is more chocolate there than any nation needs. I had one last €20 note so I spent it. No, not all of that chocolate is going to make it home!

We had dinner at an Indian restaurant around the corner called LeBar. They played music from Dirty Dancing and had an extensive liquor collection. Not your typical Indian Restaurant. As always, we had good food and lots of laughs.

We are off to Frankfurt tomorrow morning in preparation for our morning flight the next day. This adventure is coming to an end soon.Read more