Puff

Puff thinks that Thanksgiving is the perfect time for a foreign getaway. As a vegetarian he’s not really a fan of the big turkey meal, and he certainly has no desire to partake in a day of football watching (he’s heard rumors that that is what many people do post meal). His Thanksgiving destination of choice is Germany, as the holiday often falls right before the first Sunday of Advent, meaning that he is able to visit the country’s fabulous Christmas markets. This year he chose to go to Nuremberg, home to what is perhaps Germany’s most famous one.


Puff’s base was the Le Méridien Grand Hotel Nuremberg, and from there he set out on his daily adventures, a mix of culture, shopping and food. He loves to go to the opera whenever he travels, so one evening he made his way to the State Theatre for a performance of Nabucco. It was not the best performance he’s ever seen, but certainly an enjoyable way to spend his evening. Puff is also always up for some contemporary art, so he took in the Neues Museum, where he enjoyed Jeppe Hein’s 1xMuseum, 10xRooms, 11xWorks (he’s a fan of the interactive).


Of course much of his time was spent perusing the Christmas markets, enjoying treats and keeping warm with mugs of Glühwein and Eierpunsch. When not wandering the markets he could be found shopping (exploring the floors of Kaufhof and Karstadt) and eating poppy seed delicacies at various cafes (there's no such thing as too much Mohn Streuselkuchen). He also enjoyed long leisurely dinners at Böhm’s Herrenkeller and Heilig-Geist-Spital, two seasonally festive restaurants where he happily drank the rather large pours of wine (he loves a good Müller Thurgau) and ate sizeable portions of cheese Spätzle. He admits the latter is not too healthy, however he did not have too many vegetarian choices, and who is he to complain about having a good excuse to indulge (and the hotel did have a gym that he made good use of).


Puff also set out on a few daytime adventures, hopping on the punctual except when it snows Deutsche Bahn to explore nearby towns. His first trip took him to Bamberg.


He thought the medieval town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was beautiful. He wandered up and down its many hills, taking in the architecture and checking out the cathedral, before hitting the small Christmas market for some well deserved treats.


His second outing took him to Rothenburg ob der Tauber . He loves the walled, albeit rather tourist filled, city, and made certain to hit the Medieval Crime Museum (complete with iron maiden). After learning about numerous not so pleasant methods of torture he opted for some more wholesome fun, and headed to the town’s Christmas market. And of course no trip to Rothenburg would be complete without stopping by the Christmas emporium Käthe Wohlfarht (where of course he picked up a thing or two).


Puff was very sad when his trip was over, and he certainly did not appreciate the twenty hour plus journey home (nothing like some snow to get in the way of a smooth journey). The trip did, however, leave him full of Christmas cheer. Now if he could just motivate to decorate his house…