Ohhhh Rothenburg ob der Tauber...how you fill me with joy every time I visit your walled city! Ladies & gents, I present you Rothenburg, Germany at Christmastime. As if this place could get any more adorable, seeing it at Christmas just about did me in. Every inch of this quaint Bavarian town was covered in evergreen and twinkle lights...sending vibes of holiday cheer radiating through its colorful cobblestoned streets. It's kitschy enough to make you think Christmas was born here. Heck, maybe it was? Either way, Rothenburg still reigns supreme as one of my most favorite towns in all of Germany. During 'My Big Fat European Family Vacation' in the spring of 2012, D and I shared this fun town with my entire family. When I mentioned to my parents that Rothenburg also had a Christmas market, my mom practically begged us to see it. D and I had never visited at Christmas, so it was a no brainer! We arrived in Rothenburg around lunch time. The town was bustling, but not as much as many of the other Christmas markets we visted that week. After grabbing a quick Swabian lunch, we weaved our way in and out of Rothenburg's decorated marktplatz and shopped 'till we dropped in Germany's largest Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas store. While Rothenburg's Christmas Market (dubbed "Reiterlesmarkt" after an old Teutonic legend) isn't the biggest we've visited, it is one of the cutest (in my opinion, at least). The main bunch of Christmas market stalls can be found in the Marktplatz just below Rothenburg's Rathaus (Town Hall). Another section of the market is hiding within the courtyard of the town hall and just outside of St. Jacob's Church. If you're looking for a traditional Rothenburg treat to try, Schneeballen can be found in almost every bakery around town. They're basically balls of sweet dough covered in various flavored chocolates and toppings. Nothing fancy, but seeing as they were invented here, they're worth a taste! Of course, as with visiting any Christmas market in Germany, don't forget to grab a mug of glühwein and keep the mug as a souvenir of your visit! All the cool kids are doing it. :)
