Wiesbaden Twinkling Star Christmas Market
The Wiesbaden Christmas Market lives up to its’ charming name: Twinkling Star Market (Sternschnuppenmark). The warm lights, the musical sounds and scrumptious cuisine will leave you seeing twinkling holiday stars yourself. That, or you drank too much Glühwein...
Floating above the jolly crowd-goers are angelic, illuminated lilies which is the symbol of Wiesbaden and on the city coat of arms.
The Market is set up in the heart of Wiesbaden in the Schlossplatz between the Rathaus and the Stadtschloss.
Just like the shopping culture of Wiesbaden, the stalls at the market are all high quality. You can find items from hand-made wooden signs, beeswax creations, hand-blown glass and exquisite jewelry.
One of my favorite shopping stalls at the Christmas Markets are the star lanterns. You place a regular lightbulb inside of the lantern, which is available to purchase. They are so beautiful that I wish that I would hang a star in every window of my house during the holidays!
On the stage, there is a wide range of entertainment for the little ones. They have plays, music and puppet shows for children. They will also have a baking event on 12 December at 10am to 1pm.
Here is the event program for children: http://www.wiesbaden.de/microsite/weihnachten-en/010/content/programme-children.php
Other highlights at this Christmas Market for children is the huge Christmas tree with a wooden nativity scene underneath, a gorgeous train ride and the incredible merry-go-round!
There is no shortage of choice of drinks! There are mostly hot drinks, but you can still find soda to drink. Remember there is a deposit on each mug (normally 2 euro) and you get it back once you return it to the same stall. Unless you want to keep it for a souvenir!
There is also a great variety of food to eat and I even had a rice ball, which I first tried at the Wiesbaden Food Festival this summer.
If you are a chili head and you like having your mouth turn into a blazing inferno, then try the hot sausage! However you might end up looking like Santa in the sign.
The best parking garage for the Christmas Market is right below the fest in the ‘Markt’ parking garage. http://www.wiesbaden.de/leben-in-wiesbaden/verkehr/verkehrsinfos/parken.php
The Wiesbaden Twinkling Star Christmas Market is surely not one to miss! It runs from 24 Nov – 23 Dec 15!
About the author: Gemma is a mom, a veteran and an Army civilian living in Wiesbaden, Germany. With New Jersey roots, she is enjoying her extended European vacation.
Indoor Playground Fun at the Wunderkiste in Bad Schwalbach
Raining outside? Too cold for the park? Not a problem because the Wunderkiste in Bad Schwalbach is there and it is any child’s indoor playground paradise!
There are a couple of indoor playgrounds in the Wiesbaden/ Mainz area but there are certain aspects that makes the Wunderkiste different in their own special way.
Location: The Wunderkiste is located in the beautiful Taunus Mountains. Just the drive there alone is like having a wonderful daytrip out! The scenery is picture perfect and there are rolling hills that will make you so glad you left the paved streets of the city.
BYOB: One of the biggest differences and very nice addition that this indoor playground has is that you can bring your own food and drinks! This is very rare and very generous of the indoor playground. Some others only let you bring a cake to your party, but all food and drinks must be purchased from them. People at the Wunderkiste bring in amazing dishes! I am always amazed at the amount of trays of food everyone is bringing inside. People bring in platters of fruit, cakes, dips and bowls of various salads. Being able to bring your own drinks and food is a huge money saver.
Order Take Out: They do offer some drinks for sale if you didn’t bring anything. They also have good coffee, which I always get and savor alone in a corner somewhere. If you didn’t bring the mega picnic like everyone else, then they offer a pizza delivery service from a local pizzeria. Kids happily playing.. hot pizza.. and coffee?? Am I in heaven?
Birthday Party: You can have a birthday party here if you reserve a table ahead of time. Phone number: 061 24 / 72 75 800
The Wunderkiste is one big room so you are sitting right where the children are playing. Meaning you can watch your child with ease.
If you have younger children, the Wunderkiste has a great area for babies and toddlers where the parents can play right along with them.
The rest of the Wunderkiste is perfect and fun for kids of all ages! They have everything any child would love and everything that will get rid of any cabin fever!!
Wunderkiste is open from Monday to Friday 2:30-7:00pm and Saturday & Sunday from 10:30am to 6:30pm.
Address: Wunderkiste Indoor Spiel- und Spaßpark
Heimbacher Straße 11
65307 Bad Schwalbach
About the author: Gemma is a mom, a veteran and an Army civilian living in Wiesbaden, Germany. With New Jersey roots, she is enjoying her extended European vacation.
Rüdesheim Christmas Market of Nations
In the already romantic old town of Rüdesheim am Rhein, the Christmas Market gives this town the final touches of becoming a real-life fairytale village.
The Rüdesheim Christmas Market has 124 delightful stands with hand-made crafts, delicious food and warm drinks that will put you right into the Holiday Spirit. This market prides themselves on being the ‘Christmas Market of Nations’ and they offer international specialties across the market. Here you will notice there are many visitors from around the world and more so compared to other markets. Besides this being a very popular tourist destination, the market also attracts many people from the Rhein River cruise ships that dock there for the day.
It seems not to long ago, I was walking the same winding enchanting streets, in the extreme summer heat, for their annual wine festival. However the winter is surely upon us and the magic of the old town also transforms nicely along with the seasons. Friends gather just like before, this time there are no fest tables but rather, they stand a little closer together for warmth and the chilled Riesling has been swapped for warm drinks like glühwein.
A very fun and special aspect of the Rüdesheim market is that you can take the cable car (Seilbahn) and hover over the Christmas Market then take in the view from the Niederwalddenkmal monument high above the hills.
A round trip ticket costs 7 euro and they are open from 11am to 6pm.
Before you go on your cable car, they have options to buy some sekt or gluhwein to go! They also have a basket of blankets that you can borrow to stay warm on your journey. (Seriously…how romantic?!)
They call this the ‘Silent Ride’ and it really is so perfectly quiet up there. You can relax in the serenity and gaze upon the beauty of the middle Rhein.
The ride is about 10 minutes up and you arrive at the Niederwald landscape park. Here you will feel like you are on the top of the Rheingau and you can discover the Niederwalddenkmal monument which commemorates the 1871 Unification of Germany.
On the way back down I saw a familiar face of a jolly man we all know and love! Clearly, he was enjoying the Seilbahn as well. ;)
Back on the streets of the market which is spread out all over the old town, there are great items to buy and also treats to taste. If the lyrics, “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” ever had you wondering what they actually tasted like… here is your chance!
The wind from the hills gave me a chill and I wanted to try the Christmas drink that rules this town: The Rüdesheimer Coffee. It is offered in most cafes and restaurants in the town and they create it with flames right at your table for a special demonstration.
Such a cozy and delightful atmosphere!
Rüdesheim Coffee was invented by a German chef in 1957. It is served in its own specially designed mug which is very similar to an Irish coffee mug. First you add sugar cubes and Asbach Uralt brandy which is burned and stirred for a minute. Then you add strong coffee, and a big thick topping of whipped cream which is sprinkled with vanilla sugar. Finally it is garnished with chocolate flakes on top. This festive drink packs a punch and it will warm you up!
Coffee is done and I am ready to hit the streets again. I ventured to the beautiful center square where they have the main drinking stalls and a lot of food vendors.
I got my favorite market treat: Kartoffelpuffer (Potato Pancakes). These did not disappoint! I have always had apple sauce with them before but never the Preiselbeeren (like our cranberry sauce) and it was amazing!
Going to the Rüdesheim Christmas Market of Nations is nothing short of a dreamlike day. I am leaving with a bag of hand-crafted Christmas decorations, and a belly filled with wonderful treats. Do not miss this Christmas Market! It runs from 23 November to 23 December 2015.
About the author: Gemma is a mom, a veteran and an Army civilian living in Wiesbaden, Germany. With New Jersey roots, she is enjoying her extended European vacation.
Follow her at: https://www.facebook.com/AJerseyBroadAbroad/
Video on the Rüdesheimer Coffee:
Discover Idstein from the top of the Witch Tower!
Idstein is a charming and remarkable old town that makes for a wonderful day trip! Also you have the opportunity to see the sites from the top of the Witch Tower (Hexenturm)!
I had a simple day planned, to get some coffee and walk around Idstein. However it turned into an adventure where, to my surprise, I actually swapped my car key for the key to the Witch Tower!
Idstein is a place that visitors quickly fall in love with because it is a fascinating and historic city. It was mentioned in documents for the first time in 1102 and the city was given charter in 1287! It is an incredible feeling to walk around and admire the half-timbered houses are from the 15th to the 18th century. The architecture is rich with colorful carvings and impeccable detail.
This adventure starts in the gardens right below the Witch Tower. Parking is available in the area or you can park at the Hexenturm car park. Above is the Idstein Castle and the Witch Tower. Located next to the tower is this sign with information on how to visit inside.
The tower sign tells you to go to the tourist office to get information about getting into the tower. I thought that someone would come open it for me or there would be a group going inside on a tour. To get there you must, walk around the corner into the courtyard of Idstein. Walking into the arched tunnel is such an enchanting experience and when you come out of the tunnel, it is one of my favorite views in Germany!
The tourist office is in the center square and it is a beautiful building!
The woman inside was very friendly and of course spoke English. I expressed that I would like to go inside of the tower and then she asked me for my car key as a deposit. I couldn’t believe the awesome old skeleton key she handed me in return for my boring Ford car key!! They ask you to lock yourself inside when you go in (GULP!) and to return in about 45 minutes.
So key in hand, off I went to the (mine, for 45 mins,) tower!
As I walked in, there were some people outside watching me and I felt pretty important with my big key. I stepped inside and then locked the door behind me. Yes that felt kinda creepy!
The stairs go up and lead to more stairs, with nice window views along the way.
Then you come to a tunnel and you are in the wide part on top of the tower.
Looking up!
Here is the final staircase so you can look out from top window of this 42 meter tower!
Beautiful Idstein from high above, all alone in (temporarily) my tower!
Time to head back to the office, walk back down the step and triple check that I locked the tower properly.
In the tourist office I learned a lot about the history of the Witch Tower. It was originally built as a watchtower for the city of Idstein. Between the years of 1449 to 1779 it was used to lookout for enemy strangers and also to alert the town of any fires in the area. The name "Hexenturm" emerged from locals only since the year 1900 because of the town’s history with witch hunts in the late 1600’s.
Almost 20 years before Salem, Massachusetts had their Salem witch trails, Idstein also experienced witchcraft accusations on their citizens. From 1676 and 1677, a total of 35 women and 8 men were accused of witchcraft and executed in Idstein. This is where the nickname of ‘Witches Tower’ comes from. There is a remembrance plaque for the victims of the witch hunts located below the tower.
All this tower climbing and witch hunt history has made me hungry and I need coffee. The best place to go is the Bäckerei Huth Café right in the center of the town next to the tourist office.
This bakery is so relaxing and welcoming! As an added bonus they have free WiFi and also a children’s play area. I might just stay here all day!
Across the street is a lovely shop, TrendHaus where you can find unique gifts and seasonal decorations.
You can even celebrate your achievement of walking up the Witch Tower by buying a miniature version of your own!
For a bigger hunger, in the same square there are several welcoming restaurants with amazing aromas wafting from inside!
Idstein a purely wonderful all year around! Surely do not miss their Christmas Market from only 4-6 Dec 15!
Also the very popular Idstein Jazz Festival is from 08-10 Jul 16!
About the author: Gemma is a mom, a veteran and an Army civilian living in Wiesbaden, Germany. With New Jersey roots, she is enjoying her extended European vacation.
Follow her at: https://www.facebook.com/AJerseyBroadAbroad/
