62 square miles of Liechtenstein

I promised Patrick early on that we would not take trips just to "cross another country off our list." Perhaps that is the reason we had yet to check out the 6th smallest country in the world, Liechtenstein, which lies just four hours away from us. Much to my delight, it happened to be on the way to Switzerland, so we took a detour through the principality and tried to hang on to our paychecks in the country with the highest GDP per person in the world.

Jumping through Liechtenstein (or trying...)

Liechtenstein is a very interesting country. With only 36,500 inhabitants, they rely on neighboring Switzerland for military support. They have rock-bottom tax rates which have helped them attract several large companies. The Prince of Liechtenstein, Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein, who himself is worth over $4B, proposed a referendum expanding his powers in 2003, then said he and his family would move to Austria should it not pass. Thankfully, it passed, and again in July of 2012, over 76% of the Liechtenstein people backed the Prince's powers by rejecting a referendum to reduce his authority. His castle is seen below - I personally think it would be amazing to wake up and see your entire, beautiful country every morning, particularly if I had $4B to play with as well...

We stayed the beautiful, recently renovated Hotel Oberland on the mountain. Not only did they have free breakfast buffet (standard European cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and meat), but this was our hotel room view:

Unfortunately, most everything in the capital city of Vaduz was closed on the Sunday before Christmas; however, I can tell you that there weren't many places on my list anyway. We did check out the beautiful tourist information building and shamefully paid the €2.50 to have our passports stamped.

Note to drivers: if you are driving to Liechtenstein via Austria, the €2 Korridor Pass does not take you all the way to the exit the GPS wants you to take. You either have to spring for the 10-day, €8.30 full vignette or exit the freeway and find a non-highway route into the country. Silver lining: Liechtenstein does not have their own vignette. 

Our Local Weihnachtsmarkt!

Walking in a winter wonderland

Who has two thumbs and can walk to a wonderful Christmas market in under 10 minutes? This girl. There is something for everyone at the Amberg Weihnachtsmarkt - no fighting over the fabulous nutcracker stand for me, kebabs for Patrick, and hand-cut wooden ornaments with the Amberg city square for our tree!  Oh - and the Glühwein was the cheapest yet at €2! 

Glühwein stand 

Hours for the Amberg Weihnachtsmarkt below:

November 29th - December 23rd

Monday - Saturday: 10.00 - 20.00

Sunday: 13.00 - 20.00

P.S. Though we have not witnessed it ourselves, our good friend Donnie claims to have participated in a Christmas karaoke on the stage in the center of it all. George Michael Christmas songs? Amazing. 

Heidelberg Weihnachtsmarkt

If I didn't make it clear enough from my August post, Heidelberg is a great German city. While in the city for a military ball (always a great time!), we had the opportunity to see the city in a different light - figuratively and literally since daylight is now limited to 8 hours compared to 15 hours in August!
Heidelberg covered in snow is beautiful.  Unlike the other Christmas markets we have been to so far, Heidelberg had several small markets spread across the city. There is one long pedestrian-only street spanning the Altstadt, which was the perfect setup for a Glühwein (or three) in between the Christmas stands and the other great stores that line the Hauptstraße.
We had a great Saturday afternoon strolling through Heidelberg - the perfect setting for serious Christmas shopping of all kinds!

Paris in Pictures

Spending a week in Paris without the pressure of seeing all of the sights was wonderful. The city truly is amazing! Below are the things I was most thankful for during our Thanksgiving trip:

Eating at the wonderful cafe at the
Musee D'Orsay - isn't that clock beautiful?

Spotting the statues with Rudolph noses across the city

Macaroons!

Beautiful Metro stations - this is not just decorated for Christmas...

Eating at Le Grand Colbert where Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, and Keanu Reeves filmed Somethings Gotta Give

The beautiful ceiling on the top floor of Printemps

Watching the traffic (and the view, of course) from the
top of the Arc de Triumph - note that you have to walk up!

Schloss Guteneck Weihnachtsmarkt

Though I know Nuremberg holds the title of "biggest Christkindlesmarkt" in Germany, I think the Weihnachtsmarkt (another word for Christkindlesmarkt or Christmas market) at the Schloss Guteneck, which our friends thankfully took us to on Sunday, should have the title of "most enchanting." Here is why:

1. There was a small entrance fee, which seemed to have warded off the masses
2. The market was situated around a privately-owned castle with no modern structures or stores to be seen, making it seem as though you were walking through history
3. The castle actually had booths and restaurants inside - and they were heated!
4. There was a bugle, trumpet, and trombone concert from the windows of the castle at 6:00
5. It was snowing
6. The Glühwein was cheaper (€3 compared to €5.50 in Nuremberg!)
7. There were two camels offering 5 minute camel rides. Yes, I admit this is touristy, but the camels were so peaceful (drastically different from those you can ride in Egypt) and their trail was lit by Christmas lights! Plus they looked like they popped out of a Christmas movie - check out the picture above!

Maybe it's just me, but this is what I really wanted to see from an authentic German Christmas market. If you have the opportunity to make it out to Schloss Guteneck (about 45 km east of Amberg, 35 km south of Weiden), you will not be disappointed!

Hours for this Christkindlesmarkt below, and be sure to check out the program of events beforehand!
Saturday, December 8th: 14.00 - 22.00
Sunday, December 9th: 11.00 - 21.00
Friday, December 14th: 17.00 - 22.00
Saturday, December 15th: 14.00 - 22.00
Sunday, December 16th: 11.00 - 21.00
Friday, December 21st: 17.00 - 22.00
Saturday, December 22nd: 14.00 - 22.00
Sunday, December 23rd: 11.00 - 21.00
Admission: €3 Fridays, €4 Saturdays, €5 Sundays

Nuremberg Christmas Market

Lights marking Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt!

Our back yard covered in snow.
How do you like that Christmas tree?

One of the things Germany is best known for is their Christmas markets (aka Christkindlesmarkt). The most famous of these markets happens to be just 45 minutes away from us in Nuremberg!

After buying our first Christmas tree and decorating the apartment, we took the train into Nuremberg and scoped out the market on its opening weekend. Sprinkle in the snow that we've had all week and we were feeling the Christmas spirit.

Even the sidewalk musicians
(and their pets) were in the spirit

There were hundreds of quaint huts in the main city square. We saw fabulous glass ornaments, nutcrackers, and textiles along with plenty of brats, chocolate covered fruit, and of course, Glühwein. This was our first time trying the famous hot wine - it was delicious (somewhat like cider) and for only €2 you could keep the souvenir mug!
But that brings me to my main point - the Nuremberg Christmas market is so famous, and therefore touristy, that we estimate we were in the small city square with about 10,000 other Christmas shoppers (over two million people visit a year!). 

Bottom line: If you are serious about buying some Christmas items, this might not be the best market for you during the peak weekend hours. It was difficult to get close to the stands and see the items, plus there were lines for most food and Glühwein vendors. If you are looking for a wonderful Christmas atmosphere with Christmas bands, sidewalk musicians dressed in Santa costumes, and plenty of Christmas cheer, then it is worth the trip! Times are below either way you decide!

November 30th - December 24th

Monday - Thursday: 9:30 - 20:00

Friday & Saturday: 9:30 - 22:00

Sunday: 10:30 - 20:00

Christmas Eve: 9:30 - 14:00

What I love about Barcelona: History

Those of you who know me are probably thinking I made a typo, but I am serious. The history of Barcelona is truly interesting. Though this cuts out a significant amount of what my 7th grade history teacher would like me to know, below is a little of what I learned on our trip.

15 BC: Barcelona was a Roman colony. We went inside the Museu d'Història de la Ciutat to see the ancient ruins and learn about life as a citizen at this time. The city was surprisingly advanced (city-wide sewage system, laundry rooms bigger than mine, and large wine-making facilities to name a few) and the museum does a good job of laying them out so you actually know what you are looking at unlike many European ruins sites. 

3rd Century: Saint Eulalia. During the Roman times in Barcelona, a 13 year old girl named Eulalia was murdered by the Romans for being a Christian. She was tortured thirteen times, but never recanted her Christianity. Her body is buried in the crypt of the beautiful, Gothic Catedral de Barcelona (also known as the Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia). Thank goodness our friend Caitlin had a guide book, or we would have overlooked the cathedral's cloister, which houses 13 white geese that represent Eulalia's age when she was killed and also served as an alarm system when the cathedral was first built. 

15th Century: Christopher Columbus and Barcelona. Patrick and I enjoyed the Monument a Colom  that honors Columbus' return to Barcelona from his first voyage to the new world, but found the legend of the baptism of natives from the new world in Catedral de Barcelona to be even more interesting.

19th Century: Gaudi. I honestly enjoyed learning about each of Gaudi's works of art around Barcelona (see previous post)

20th Century: Picasso. At the tender age of 14, Pablo Picasso moved to Barcelona with his family. He continued to spend a significant amount of his time in the city throughout his later years. The Picasso Museum in Barcelona was an unexpected hit for 3 reasons: 1) The Picasso Museum is free on Sundays after 3:00. We got in line around 2:45 and waited for about 20 minutes - well worth it! 2) The museum divided their extensive collection between his many periods and focused more heavily on his earlier works. For those that doubt his talent, this is a must see. 3) There were fabulous explanations of each period of Picasso's life and art in multiple languages, enhancing the free art history lesson!

1992: the beach! It is hard to believe that the beautiful Barcelona beach was just recently a heavily industrial port. When the city won the 1992 Olympics, they decided to literally change the face of their shoreline. Not only did they create the beach, but they built the Olympic sites around it, providing an instant injection of money from the city, private developers, and tourists. It is very well laid out and beautiful, and true to Barcelona style, they even have some art lining the coast!