So last Saturday, our whole family set out on our first
German adventure together. Not wanting the Christmas Market season to pass us
by this first year, we joined a USO Christmas Market tour/Train Orientation
several weeks ago. I was so excited to go, especially after hearing from so
many how beautiful the Christmas markets are and also wanting to learn more
about how the train system works here.
Since we are still without a vehicle, we had to rely on a
couple of friends to get us to the train station (where the USO tour guide met
us for the tour) and then back to our hotel. Just getting to the train station
was pretty exciting. My friend’s GPS cut out and we ended up taking the scenic
route around Kaiserslautern. We finally found a sign for the Hauptbahnhof (the
train station) and started following those signs until some of the landmarks
started to match up with the directions I had received from the USO. It was a
little crazy because we weren’t sure we were going to make it on time, but we
did and I learned I could find my way by being able to look for those
Hauptbahnhof signs. J
At the train station, we met our wonderful USO tour guide,
Joanne, and a trainee that was with her training for the tour, Emma, and also
found out that instead of the two we originally signed up for, we would be
going to three Christmas markets. Joanne explained that there was more than
enough time to do all three, so why not? J
Both of these ladies were amazing to me because they have really become experts
in what they do and enjoy sharing it with those who come on the tours. I
enjoyed listening to and talking with them so much because they know so much
about the area and the culture and because I have so much to learn. Before we
got on the train, Joanne and Emma gave us an orientation of sorts about the
train system in Germany. The train system, and Germany’s entire system of
public transportation really, can be overwhelming and empowering at the same
time. They make it so very easy for people to get around the entire country without
having to drive their own vehicles, but there is a lot to learn. Joanne said it
could take up to 3 train orientations to start to feel comfortable or you can
just embark on your own and try things out.
After the brief train orientation, we went downstairs to purchase
our tickets. In the middle of our group transaction, our machine actually shut
down after taking some of Joanne’s money. Later, some of the other tourgoers
(yes, I just made up that word) joked that Joanne was so calm about it because
she knew she would be reimbursed by the USO, but that if it had happened to
them, they probably would have just given up and left. J We also ended up in First
Class on our first train by accident since there was no more space for us in
the forward cars of the train. Joanne was, again, so calm - “We’ll just talk to
the conductor later on.” I felt so bad for the guy who was sitting by himself
probably looking forward to a quiet train ride and then, all of us climbed into
his space with our excited kids and slightly tired baby. He was very gracious,
though, and when we got off the train apologizing for our intrusion, he just
smiled and said, “No problem. Have a good day.”
And then we were off the train and on to our first Christmas
market, which was in Neustadt, aka Neustadt an der Weinstraße (new city on the
Wine Route). Someone had commented that Christmastime in Germany is like a
fairy tale and I would say that is accurate –it’s like being transported back
in time just a little. We had to walk about ten minutes to get to the Christmas
Market and along the way I just admired the architecture of some of the older
buildings. The architecture is so diverse and I’m still learning so I have no
idea during what time period most of those beautiful buildings were built. On
the way, Joanne showed us a very interesting and beautiful fountain, called the
Elwedritsche
Fountain. The sculptors are Gernot and Barbara Rumpf, natives to Neustadt. Joanne enjoyed
sharing stories about all the different scenes going on within the fountain and
explained that the locals attribute political/societal implications to them.
Like, for instance, there is a scene where animals are walking into an open
bag. She said some people say that illustrates how people will bury their head
in the sand and ignore important issues. I can’t remember all the others, but
it would be fun to go back and see it again sometime. The sculptors' signature is a
mouse, so she asked all the kids to find the mouse while she talked to us.
When we arrived
at the Christmas Market, Joanne made sure we all knew how to get back to the
train station, gave us our time to meet up there, and then let us loose. There
were lots of festive Christmas decorations, food and other vendors, some rides
for the kids, and merry music. Since it was lunchtime, we hit up a bratwurst
stand and also grabbed our first mugs of Gluhwein, which is a warm German
Christmas drink made of Dornfelder wine and other spices. As well as Gluhwein,
they have what’s called Kinder punch (which is just non-alcoholic Gluhwein) for
kids and Allen got to enjoy some of that. As well as enjoying the Gluhwein, you
can choose to keep the festive mug they give it to you in, which we did. J If you turn it back in to them,
however, they’ll give you back a few Euro. Joanne, at the beginning of our time
in Neustadt, actually gave us all plastic bags so we could easily collect our
mugs. I imagine that by the end of our time here, we’ll probably have a sizable
mug collection. The Neustadt Christmas Market was small, but we
still enjoyed it so much, especially not having anything to compare it to and
it being our first time out and about in the German community.
After about an
hour and a half there, we got back on the train and headed east to Deidesheim.
There, we got to see another fountain by the same people who had sculpted the
one in Neustadt and again, the kids were requested to search for a mouse. Since
it was a bigger market and we didn’t have as much time to visit there as we’d
had in Neustadt, Joanne let us loose sooner. There were quite a significant
number more vendors of all kinds and we found a beautiful hand-crafted Christmas
ornament, shared some more Gluhwein, and collected a few more mugs. J It started raining while we there, but
it didn’t dampen anybody’s spirits or slow down the crowds – they just kept on
going about their business with umbrellas or none at all, occasionally taking
shelter under a vendor’s large covered tables. We were only there about an hour
and then, it was back on the train to Freinsheim.
Freinsheim is
beautiful and, I think of the three places we visited, it would be the one I
would want to see again the most - maybe because we didn’t have as much time in
the daylight and because I couldn’t take as many pictures there because my
camera batteries had started to go dead. One of the most beautiful and
interesting features of the town is that it is walled-in. Joanne took us around
quite a bit of the wall before leading us to the Christmas Market and the site
of where a live Nativity play was going to take place. Before the Nativity
play, we walked around a bit. Either we didn’t look hard enough or went in the
wrong direction because we did not find as many vendors there as even in
Neustadt. But, it was also the end of the day, so that may have been why.
Around 5pm, the Nativity play began. All the narration and singing was done in
the native Palatinate dialect and even though we couldn’t understand the words,
many of the songs we did since they were familiar. J It was quite the attraction – lots of
locals and visitors - to the point where
you couldn’t see the play very well from the back. Luckily, we were standing
right near where the play participants made their entrance, so we got to see
all the sweet angels and shepherds while they were waiting. J We also had to smile and laugh a little
to see the Three Wise Men drinking some Gluhwein prior to taking part in the
play. J The play didn’t last very long and
afterwards, I got to talk with Joanne and Emma quite a bit while Jerry, Allen,
and Lucy found a medieval store that sold play swords and shields. And, yes,
Allen managed to bring one of each home. He was seriously excited! From where
we were inside Freinsheim, it was about a twenty-minute walk back to the train
station. We did lots of walking that day.
By the time we were heading home, it was just around 6:30pm. It got pretty busy on the train when we hit Deidesheim as
other people were heading home, but once we hit Neustadt again, everybody headed for
different trains. Lucy shared very clearly with us on the train back to
Kaiserslautern that her threshold for all the fun that day had been reached,
but other than that, it was a pretty quiet ride. And, considering Lucy’s very
vocal nature and just how long we had been on-the-go, she really did so very
well that day. When we finally got back to the hotel that night, a little after 8pm, we were all
truly and happily exhausted.
I know Allen’s
favorite things were riding the train, the Kinder punch, getting to walk and
run around, and the medieval store. Jerry’s favorite thing for sure was the
Gluhwein. J Lucy enjoyed many things that day – the
train ride, the music, and just getting out and about. I have a hard time
saying just what I enjoyed the most because I enjoyed it all. Being at the
hotel so much, it was just a treat to get out and see and be in the German
community. I’m most looking forward to doing more of that as we get settled in.
I’m so grateful that we got to see and do so much in one day and enjoy some of the
Christmas market season this year. I hope it’s something we get to enjoy each
year we’re here.
