Rothenberg Christmas Market

When my bloggy friend Rebecca from Living Wright at Home, asked  me to go to the Rothenberg Christmas market with her friend Natalie, there was no doubt in my mind what to do.  If I had to pick one Christmas market in Germany it would be Rothenberg ob der Tauber.  It's like the medieval wall that surrounds the village has kept out the passage of time.  The moment you walk through it's gates the hustle and bustle of today's busy world just melts away. Cobblestone streets and horse drawn carriages make this town the perfect place for one of Germany's oldest Christmas markets. 

It would be easy to just wander the village streets gazing at the holiday decorations adorning every doorway and store front. But there is so much more to see than just decorations. There are vendors, vendors and more vendors. One of my favorite stores is Kathe Wolfharte where it is Christmas year round. 

Yes that's a monkey on his cart and he creeped me out but you just couldn't look away.

I love wooden toys. 

I also love lanterns.   

I really thought these were old tools and was about to buy some of the keys, which were over sized and wonderfully vintage looking.  Then I discovered they were all made out of chocolate.  They were so lifelike that I had no idea until I read the sign "Schokolade".  Everything on this display was made of chocolate, amazing and delicious. 

I just thought these were pretty and they almost went home with me, but I didn't want to carry them around the market.

My favorite by far are these beautiful stars.  To see them at night as you walk by is breath taking. 

Then there was food, food and more food. There is nothing quite like sipping on a steaming hot mug of something yummy while you wander through the beautiful streets filled with Christmas goodies.

One of our first stops was the crepe stand.  

Light and airy, always delicious crepes are one of my favorite European foods. 

While we waited Rebecca ordered this amazing hot Caipirinha.  I had no idea you could drink those hot but now I don't think I would like it any other way. 

After the crepes we decided to sample some roasted Chestnuts.

I hear people rave about these all the time but I hate to say that I didn't really enjoy them.  That's just me and well Rebecca and her friend Natalie too.  None of us liked them.  Now I can say that I have tried them and can move on with my culinary adventures. 

 Please understand we walked around the market for hours.  When you read this it looks like we ate all of this wonderful food in minutes. But it took much longer than that and besides we had to stay warm somehow.  

We also sampled the wurst.  This was a half a meter (1 1/2 foot)  long sausage.  Thankfully there were three of there to polish it off.  It was very difficult to eat this sausage without giggling.  So we didn't.  Actually our whole day was filled with giggles which made it all that more wonderful.  Speaking of giggles...

I think that Germany has the best Hot Chocolate ever.  It's super rich and creamy and smooth and then add a shot of Amaretto with whipped cream on top and it's a beautiful thing. Especially when you try to drink it without getting the whipped cream on your nose. 

To finish it all off we found a lovely little bakery with amazing pudding filled donuts.  This one was hard to share. 

The bakery along with many vendors also had these Schneeballen pastries.  It's a short crust pastry rolled around and fried then covered with confectioners sugar or chocolate. These are very popular in Rothenberg and you see them in almost every other store window. 

No market or fest would be complete without getting some spiced nuts.  I bought some of the spiced almonds for my husband but most of them did not survive the 2+ hour ride home. 



There was of course chocolate covered fruit.  I have no idea what fruit the mice were but they sure where cute. 

I love this sign, because it means you will see this...

 As if this place weren't enough like a fairy tale, then you see horse drawn carriages just strolling through the streets. 

As night approached we noticed the tiny lit tree tops that lined every street, attached to every building.  Magical is the only way to describe what happens to this village when the sunsets. 

I don't know if it was the wonderful company, the beauty of the city, the horse drawn carriages or the sparkly lights but Rothenberg will always be my favorite places. Unfortunately the Rothenberg Christmas market closes today December 23rd.  If you are in the are next year I highly recommend you put it on your list. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season. 

Merry Christmas

~Sunny~

Thank you:

Rebecca Wright and Natalie Green for a day filled with food, shopping and laughter.

The Town of Rothenberg ob der Tauber for another wonderfully magical experience.