A very dear friend I met on my backpacking trip to Argentina is living in Mainz, in Germany, about two years ago, but only now we managed to meet in Europe (she has already been to Brazil). She told me that the famous Christmas markets would start on the last weekend of November (Christmas Markets) in Germany, so we decided to visit her while we were still in Brazil last weekend (11/28/2014 to 12/01/2014). We ended up getting to know her city and the cute Heidelberg and I told everything here.
Some links about these cute fairs:
Christmas markets bring winter to life in Germany
The most beautiful Christmas markets in Germany
Friday (11/28/2014)
We flew from Dublin to Frankfurt on Friday night and didn't even need to take the train to Mainz, because she picked us up at the airport with her boyfriend. (NOTE: we spent 10 minutes on that bus that picks up passengers from the plane parked in the middle of the courtyard until we got to where we picked up our bags...the airport is huge!!!)
It only took us half an hour to get to your house, because we took a autobahn (road with no speed limit) and her boyfriend went 200 km/h without me even noticing. I only realized this the next day, when he showed me the signs that show there is no speed limit (cool!).
Her boyfriend, who is German, made sure to make us a typical dinner and we enjoyed the food (pork mixed with beef, mashed potatoes, spinach, etc.) while we caught up. We drank a very good German prosecco, as well as some great national beers, and went to bed!!
Day 1 – Saturday (11/29/2014)
We woke up slowly and had a delicious breakfast with lots of local delicacies. The best of all, in my opinion, were the typical fruit jams that his mother makes at her house/farm. Wow, how delicious… Celo loved the sausages/meatloaf.
We left their house and went straight to Heidelberg, because they said it was a tourist city worth visiting (it really is!). We took another autobahn and this time I noticed cars going over 200 km/h, passing us without any problems… it’s really cool! Our desire to rent a cool car and drive on a road like that only increased. 🙂
I confess that when we arrived in Heidelberg, I wasn't very excited. I saw several modern buildings, a really cool train station, everything was very different from what I had imagined. Then, after a few minutes in the car, we entered the old town (old city in German) and I was IN LOVE with what I saw.
We managed to park the car in a 3-story underground parking lot right below the old city center, even though the city was quite crowded. We decided to visit the Castle (Heidelberg Castle), because we would have to climb a hill, and then enjoy the city. Look at this beautiful path…
When we arrived at the castle, we came across some white tents, which would probably be used for another Christmas market in the city, with some food, drinks and gifts for sale, but unfortunately they were not ready.
We thought about buying the tickets to enter the castle and walk through the ruins (which must be really cool!), but we felt sorry for our hosts. We just walked around, which was impressive in itself. Just look at this incredible place:
Curiosity: The castle began construction in 1214, was expanded in 1294, in 1537 and in 1764 it was struck by lightning and in addition, it was hit during wars in the 18th century.
We got off from there and walked to the bridge. Alte Bruecke (old bridge), built between 1786-1788, that separates the old town from an area with fabulous mansions, which according to our host German, cost millions of euros. Before this stone bridge was built, there were some wooden bridges there that were always being destroyed by floods and wars, until finally, Prince Karl Theodor ordered a resistant one to be built. You have to go through Medieval Bridge Gate, that connects the bridge to the old city..it is so beautiful.
After the bridge, we passed by Church of the Holy Spirit, which is more beautiful on the outside than on the inside. It is right in the center of the Christmas markets, so there was a great vibe there. I didn't take any decent photos, sorry.
After church, we decided to stroll through the markets and try some German Christmas treats. Of course, with two people speaking German for us and choosing the best of the best, the experience was bound to be delightful. We ate sweets, savory snacks and drank the famous Gluhwein, which is a mulled wine. I didn't fall in love with it, but I drank my whole mug (yes, you drink it from a mug!).
Want to visualize the Christmas market before seeing the photos? Imagine a place with several wooden houses decorated for Christmas, all selling food, drinks or cute things, and several people wearing coats eating and drinking while standing, listening to Christmas music. I found the place magical and cozy, with lots of light and lots of smiles (even though they are German). Now, some photos…
For savory foods, we tried the famous Bratwurst (pork, beef or veal sausage in a bun), the Kartoffelpuffer (potato cake with apple cream) and Spiessbraten (bread with very good ham). Everything was great and well served. As for sweets, we tried a few things, which I forgot to write down the name of, and almonds + sweet chestnuts.
The only annoying thing I found about the little markets we visited (I think there are about 3 in Heidelberg) was the cold. Wow, it's impossible not to feel it, even when eating and drinking hot things. The markets are actually quite crowded because they are really traditional and people really enjoy it, but at least you can eat/drink/buy everything you want without much hassle. stress, because people are polite and salespeople are quick.
After that, we walked along Germany's largest pedestrian-only street, the Main Street. It was completely decorated for Christmas, with all its stores open and lots of people walking around. I thought it was really cool, but it's a shame I could only take a picture with my cell phone. Click here to view Google photos. You'll like it!
We went back to Mainz and got ready for a birthday party at the home of a couple of our friends' friends. We walked to their house and on the way there, we realized that even though the city is the capital of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, there is a wonderful peace there. Our friends explained to us that the city was practically all bombed during the Second World War and therefore, all the standardized buildings we were seeing were built in the 30 years following the war. They said that from time to time, bombs from the Second World War are found and people have to empty certain areas so that the authorities can destroy them without too much impact. Bombs have been found in the Rhine River, which runs through the city, and even in empty lots, during the construction of buildings. Crazy, right?
Some observations from our first German birthday: the beers were left freezing outside the house, people threw confetti at the birthday boy as soon as midnight struck, their cake with candles was just a tray with candles (I think it's because we had already eaten the cake). cheesecake) and finally, football was on TV during the whole party, even though no one stopped to watch. We didn't even mention the World Cup, right? What a shame. 🙂
Day 2 – Sunday (11/30/2014)
We had our full breakfast again, with another couple of friends, which made the event very lively. After a few hours, we went out to walk around Mainz and stopped at several interesting places.
On the way to the train station, they read a sign in German about a mini museum inside an old train carriage (from 1934), which was simply a find!!! Our couple of friends work at DB, which is responsible for the trains in Germany, so they know everything about this sector. How cool is that…
The coolest thing about this museum is that the city is alive! The trains are running all the time, the cable cars too, the police car is active, there is a funeral taking place, etc, etc… a miniature city, with the focus on the trains, of course. Look at some of the electronics behind it…
Anyway, we were delighted to get on the train. It cost 3 euros per person, but our friend managed to get the four of us to pay 5 euros. I have no idea what he said, because it was in German. I should have asked, right?
We met another couple of friends and went walking around the city, passing by some really cool places, until we reached the old town, which for me is the highlight of the city. The streets are lined with small buildings and houses with typical architecture, which I love, and there are lots of people walking around.
We finally arrived at the city's Christmas market and there we went to eat more delicacies! What a bad life, you know...
Mainz's Christmas market is located around the city's cathedral, Mainzer Dom, which is huge, beautiful and 1000 years old. We went in to take a look and to warm up, because it was freezing cold. In this market, we saw a bonfire with several people sitting around it and also some huge barrels, with tables inside for people to sit at.
We walked home and discovered an interesting fact about Mainz. The streets that run parallel to the Rhine River have blue signs and the streets that run perpendicular to the river have red signs. Can anyone guess why? Well...they say that when the French soldiers were in the city, they drank a lot and always got lost with the signs in German. When they were drunk, they ended up falling into the river and drowning. That's why the German authorities put this sign in place. hint so that the neighbors don't die anymore. Good help, right?
Monday (12/01/2014)
We woke up very early, because our flight from Frankfurt to Dublin was at 10:30. We took the train from Mainz station to the airport and arrived there in less than half an hour. We tried to check in at the machines, but they didn't recognize our passports. So we went to the line, with everyone else with luggage to check in, except us. Lesson: Always check in online when you don't have luggage to check in. If even in Germany the machines may not work 100%, imagine in countries that are not so developed, right?
