Bavarian Christmas Markets & Steam Trains

[cessna152towser]

Traditionally there has been a lot of cultural and social contact between Scotland and Bavaria, Germany. Glasgow is twinned with Nuremberg and Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is about midway between the two cities and an important hub for connecting flights. Here a flight of Dutch built Fokker 70 CityHoppers face west-south-west into the afternoon sunset while I contemplate which one of them will take me to Nuremberg.

Gabrielle was waiting to meet me, and her employers had very kindly made a Smart Car available to her at no cost to enable her to drive me around.

Gabrielle is employed as a driver with a major German travel company. Here is one of their older Setra coaches which is now used for schools contracts.

We chose a more leisurely means of travel around the old city centre.

Gabrielle's introduction to kilt wearing Scotsmen had been at Glasgow's stall at the International Sister Cities Market. This year's Glasgow Christmas stall had a disappointing amount of tourist tat, but they also had some quality items including a range of tartan neck ties and Walkers shortbreads.


We spent a pleasant afternoon touring Nuremberg's Christmas market.

Santa Claus and his dog.

The Christmas Angel is a teenage girl who tours the market and invites the children to ride for free on the Carousel.
More to follow shortly

[cessna152towser]

The six hundred year old Beautiful Fountain stands at the Market Square. Legend has it that if you turn the gold ring attached to the railings your wishes will be granted and if you can turn the gold ring three times you will be blessed with many children.

The Hospital of the Holy Spirit on the River Pegnitz.

We visited the German National Railway Museum in Nuremberg where this Bavarian Railways 4-4-4 locomotive of class S 2/6 is a hands on exhibit.

Gabrielle shares my interest in steam trains and has driven steam locomotives so she was very much at home on the footplate of the 4-4-4.

This is a replica of Der Adler which was built in Newcastle England by Robert Stephenson and which hauled Germany's first passenger train between Nuremberg and Furth in 1835.

Gabrielle beside a painting of Der Adler in action.

Ludwigsbahn coach number 8 is Germany's oldest surviving railway carriage

A Prussian P8 class locomotive.
More trains and markets to follow.

[cessna152towser]

Furth is a neighbouring town to Nuremberg and is twinned with Paisley Scotland where I was born, so I wore my Paisley tartan kilt out and about in Furth.
The Centaur Fountain was built during the eighteen hundreds to commemorate the coming of the railway and of mains water and depicts man's triumph over the forces of nature.

Russian musicians in Furth


Furth also has a very interesting Christmas Market although it is difficult to capture the atmosphere of it in pictures, without the aroma of Bratwurst sausages and mulled wine.

Furth's little train takes the children for a ride around the base of the Christmas tree.
One final instalment to follow shortly.

[cessna152towser]

Ebermannstadt railway station is a junction between the national railway and a heritage steam line.
Platform 1 is the terminus of a ten kilometre branch line which follows the Weisental from the main line at Forchheim and is operated with deisel railbuses.
Platform 2 is the start point for the summer Sundays steam train which goes a further seventeen kilometres to Behringsmuhle.

The notice board in the town centre advertises the heritage railway Dampfbahn Frankische Schweiz (Steam Railway Franconian Swiss)

No kilt today as we would be clambering over steam engines which are maintained in working condition.

The steam railway has a fine collection of vintage four wheel carriages with open end verandahs.

The 64 491 is a 2-6-2 tank locomotive built in the nineteen thirties for the German National Railway.


Gabrielle has driven 64 491.

As I also love flying in different aircraft I returned to Scotland via Paris with Air France, which was a more expensive option which involved an extra hour's flying.
Kilt wearing in Holland, Germany and France all in the same week.
The kilt turned few heads and no negative comments. The kilt also proved to be a good conversation starter with English speaking tourists from the British Isles and North America.

[LitTrog]

I love Der Adler! It's a great example of those early locomotives that were painted in schemes befitting the spectacle they created--like a carnival on wheels. Even the name is great: The Eagle! It probably topped out around 60 km/h, but that must have seemed wickedly fast.

Another wonderful series of pictures!

[Highlander31]

As always, Alex. A great travelogue.

[piperdbh]

I've had exchange students from Germany who say the Christmas markets are "just for old folks". I think I'd like to be among the "old folks" and attend one or two of them some day. Thanks for these pictures, Alex. They make me want to return to Germany.

[A Hay]

Thanks for the pictures of Nurnburg, Alex.

My family and I have been to the Christmas Market there several times.
Also been to the Transportation Museum.
Wish I could have been able to show you some other parts of Germany.
We lived about 80 KM north and east from Nurnburg for several years.

If you get to the Chicago area sometime, please let me know.

Tom

[Seanmadra]

Great pictures Alex! Thanks.

Visited the Wiesbaden, GE Christkindlemarkt a couple times this past week and noticed many "youngsters" having a good time, not just the old folks.

[Woot22]

Great pics as always, Nuremberg used to be my old stomping grounds back in the day. Great place to visit making me wish I had some vacation time to spend in Europe, perhaps next year.