Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Facing our very first Christmas alone without the children, grandchildren or even some friends, Mac and I decided not to sit at home and pine away.  We were already disappointed that a heavy rain had swept away what we thought was going to be a WHITE CHRISTMAS. 

Nevermind that, we decided to head out to a favorite city of ours.  Rothenburg ob der tauber, a medieval walled village, full of charm and character.

Mac had promised I could go to the cozy little Christmas market.

Remember you may click on any of the pictures to enlarge and get a better view.

We started off  with a quick walk about the town to reacquaint ourselves.

Here is the market square with it's lovely Christmas tree.

We adore the old half-timbered houses in this village.

Here is part of the wall where the night watchman made his rounds.

In fact, he still makes his rounds to this day (in English and German)

and leads visitors on a mysterious winding tour through the back alleys and along the walls.

Mac and I decided it was time to head to the

Christmas Market.

But, first we had to stop and admire the SNOWBALLS, a confection

born here in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. 

This is a small but very old Christmas Market, certainly not on par with Stuttgart or Nurnberg

but nevertheless full of charm.

We love the paper stars that you put lights in.  So did all these people!

This booth was serving baked potatoes (jacket potatos for you Brits)

with a variety of toppings.

Tons of booths selling a variety of objects, everything from

candles

beeswax, honey and MORE candles,

 and Polish pottery.

Mac and I took a break from the

 Christmas Market to have a look at how the shops were decorated for

Christmas.

I loved the giant teddy bear and

the little teddy bears.

Mac and I both thought this huge cuckoo clock with it's Santa hat was stunning.

We realized it was now getting late as we walked past the

CHESTNUT VENDOR, so we thought we'd have a mulled wine

and head back to our lovely hotel. 

It was a wonderful day exploring the shops and Christmas market and

getting reacquainted with this amazing town.