Today is our last day onboard the Emerald Sun. Last night we learned that because of traffic in the locks, we would have to catch our bus to Nuremberg from some random stop along the Danube River. The kicker is that our tour is starting at 8:15am instead of the 1:00pm. And this is where the fun began.
The tour was supposed to be a 1-1/2 hour bus ride, followed by a two hour stop in Nuremberg and then a 1-1/2 hour bus ride back. What actually happened was a 2-1/4 bus ride that included a twenty minute detour to pick up Reinhold our tour guide. During the trip into Nuremberg, Reinhold told us that we would really only have about forty-five minutes in town to explore the Christmas market. This would not be enough time. So Marie came up with the brilliant plan that we should take the train back to Regensburg. We all said why not.
The drive to Nuremberg was fine and I was able to catch a cat nap. Just as we pulled into town, we stopped to pick up Martin our Nuremberg guide. Now we were confused. We thought Reinhold was our guide. Anyways, the bus made it’s way to the Nuremberg Castle castle and this is where we ditched the tour.
We walked down from the castle to the city centre and there was the Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt. It was even better in person that what we had seen on YouTube. Nana decided that she did not want to take the train and instead would go back on the bus. Unfortunately, she was only able to see a very small portion of the market before she had to leave.
The Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt is the one of the oldest and largest Christmas markets in Germany. It actually took Karen and myself just over two hours to visit all of the stalls. Besides the shopping, we had the famous small sausages on a bun and the gingerbread. The Frauenkirche which is the church that stands on the eastern side of the market. At noon, the Mannleinlaufen (mechanical clock) is activated. The trumpeters and drummers start the sequence. Which is then followed by a procession around the figure of the Holy Roman Emperor. The has been the best Christmas market we have visited up to this point.
We saw that there was a 2:30pm train direct to Regensburg but we did not make. Now it was starting to feel like The Amazing Race. We tried buying tickets from a machine but eventually we had to go to the ticket office. For all five of us, it was only sixty euros. The tour through the ship was forty-seven euros. We headed over to the track and waited for the 3:36pm train. The train arrived and we grabbed some seats for the just over one hour ride. I found the ride very smooth, nothing like our trains. What an easy way to travel.
We arrived in Regensburg around 4:40pm and it was about a thirty minute walk to the ship. On the way, we were able to check out the Romantic Christmas Market. It did cost us 12 euros to get in but it was now the best market we have visited. I think what made it so special was the setting, the Thurn und Taxis Palace. There were fire pits where you could sit down and warm yourself up. One of the courtyards, they turned into an outdoor bar. Another courtyard, they turned into another market. Between the twinkling lights, the food and the shopping, it was a magical experience. We spent close to two hours there.
While walking back to the ship, we stumbled upon another Christmas market but decided to just keep going. Maybe some of us will go out later. We got back in time to have one final dinner in the Reflections Restaurant. Surprise nobody went back to the market. Instead we all stayed in and packed up our bags. It is off to Prague tomorrow.
Be First to Comment