Christmas Markets: Amberg

The weekend after our visit to the Regensburg Christmas market, we decided to stay close to home and venture out to the Amberg market, a mere 25 minutes from our town. Amberg is much smaller than Regensburg (yet bigger than Vilseck) so I had a feeling this market was going to be tiny. And guess what? I was right!

First off, I'm not hating on Amberg's Christmas market. It was nice and low key. BUT...it just wasn't my favorite. I suppose it's because I compared it to Regensburg's market but it was just too tiny for me. You could walk around the market in 10 minutes or less and be done. Definitely not an all night outing, at least not for me. We probably spent about 30 minutes at the market and then decided to head back home. There just wasn't much there that interested us. Maybe two food stalls and one glühwein stall. It definitely wasn't our scene.

With that being said, I did take a few pictures. The decorations were pretty and crafts were cute but nothing compared to my beloved Regensburg (can you tell I fell in love with that market?). Here are some photos of the market:

I think the Amberg Christmas market, or any other small town market for that matter, is better suited towards people who are looking for a very low key setting. But Nick and I definitely prefer the larger markets (just not the crowds!).

What type of Christmas markets do you prefer?

Christmas Markets: Regensburg

This past week has been a whirlwind but I'm back to bring you a post about the popular Christmas markets here in Germany just in time for Christmas! In case you didn't know, Germany is famous for having beautiful Christmas markets, full of glühwein (mulled wine), unique crafts, kartoffelpuffers and more. Oh and I can't forget the CROWDS! 

It's Nick and I's first time spending Christmas in Germany so we are very new to the Christmas market scene but we definitely wanted to take advantage of exploring the numerous markets around our area. Our first market we explored was the Romantic Christmas Market at the Thurn and Taxis palace in Regensburg. Our dog Kratos even came with us! 

Regensburg has multiple Christmas markets throughout the city but we chose to go to the market at Thurn and Taxis because I was told that it was the prettiest and most magical one. The market is held within the palace grounds and is nothing short of enchanting. The glimmering lights on the stalls and the candles scattered throughout the courtyard make you feel like you are in a fairytale. I definitely loved the ambiance at this market. It was raining off and on that evening but that didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. 

We strolled around and ate some delicious kartoffelpuffers (potato pancakes) that came with applesauce. It's so bad for you but SO good! Nick also ate some traditional German food. I can't remember the name but it looked good! And of course Kratos begged for food. He caught the attention of a few locals who decided to pet him. He was lucky enough to get a treat or two from them also. He sure was happy!

I also ended up enjoying a few cups of glühwein while at the market. Glühwein is a traditional mulled wine, that contains spices such as cinnamon, sugar, cloves and served hot. Christmas markets in Germany are notorious for this delicious beverage. And it comes in different flavors too. I enjoyed some apple glühwein and also the traditional flavor. I really enjoyed it but I'm also a big wine lover. Nick on the other hand, did not enjoy it. He doesn't like wine so that makes sense. ;) I was able to keep the adorable mug it was served in too (I paid a deposit) so now I have a souvenir to remind me of my very first Christmas market!

Stay tuned for another Christmas market blog post coming up soon...

Have you ever been to a Christmas market? What was your experience like?

Regensburg, Germany

Last month I celebrated my 28th birthday and instead of just sitting at home and dwelling on the fact that I'm one year closer to 30 (ok, ok, I know it's not that old), I decided I wanted to spend the day in the historic city of Regensburg. Located approximately an hour from Vilseck, Regensburg is known for its medieval history and prime location along the Danube and Regen river. It's one of the oldest towns in Bavaria, dating back almost 2,000 years! I had heard wonderful things about Regensburg so I definitely wanted to visit this much talked about city.

Nick and I were planning on taking the train to Regensburg but due to my lack of knowledge about the regional train system, we ended up missing our train. It's a long story, so I'll save you all the details, but we ended up driving there instead. We parked near the city center and set out to explore Regensburg. Now mind you, this was in the middle of November so it was a pretty gloomy day. I apologize in advance for the overall gray theme in these pictures. German weather at its finest! Also, I probably should have used flash for some of these photos. Oops. ;)

First stop...Regensburg Cathedral a.k.a. St. Peter's Cathedral

We strolled the cobblestone streets and I was delighted that around each corner there was always another cute cafe, charming hotel or adorable house adorned with lovely flowers in window boxes . 

Eventually it was time for lunch and we were lucky enough to stumble upon a Mexican restaurant hidden on a quiet street. This California girl misses her Mexican food so it was a big deal finding a restaurant that claimed to be Mexican. I ended up ordering some delicious sangria and "tacos" which when served to me, looked more like taquitos than tacos. Nevertheless, they were still very tasty. 

We spent the rest of the day shopping, checking out the Danube River (the famous Stone bridge was under construction...bummer) and also visiting the Walhalla right outside Regensburg. It's technically a Hall of Fame of Germany but it looks very similar to the Parthenon in Greece. I was fascinated with the tall stone columns and its overall massive structure. We weren't able to go inside because we arrived shortly after closing time but we got some cool pictures of the outside. 

I really enjoyed my birthday in Regensburg. The city is quite charming and it has so much history to it. From the over 700 year old Gothic style Regensburg Cathedral to the historic Danube River, this city has it all. It was a really nice day and being able to spend my birthday in Regensburg with my husband made the day even better!