November and December of 2022 were the final stages of an anticlimactic year for me. In my mid-thirties, I had quit a highly promising job that hadn’t worked out at all, and returned home to Devon to stay with the family, feeling that Covid-era regression again. The days in England were shortening, drawing in, and I felt the need to get away. It was late in November that I it was time to plan a trip. A blast of fresh surroundings, fresh air, and possibly an opportunity to reignite a language that has been in slow decline in my mind since graduating in German and Linguistics way back in 2009.
With the dull personal details out of the day, let’s get to the positives. There’s so much beauty in Germany throughout the year, but in Christmas it comes into its own. Sprinkle snow onto already beautiful landscapes, dust the town squares with winter-spice fragrances, throw innumerable wooden huts containing treasures from within Germany as well as lands beyond, and you have an environment that has everything a solo-traveller such as myself could want. I hiked, I ate, I drank, and I spoke a load of broken German with some wonderful people.
Basic Details
Some things to clarify before I begin: I travelled solo and wanted, as much as possible, to explore as many places as possible by foot. I find it easy to walk distances in new environments whilst listening to podcasts and music, and find that it’s quite easy to meet people organically on various routes both rural and urban.
I had previously visited the Black Forest region on a couple of occasions: firstly, as a young boy on family coach holidays (we visited a couple of towns and lakes very briefly); secondly, I went to the Black Forest for a part of a longer trip in 2018, and wrote about another walk in the Kinzigtal whilst staying in the incredibly beautiful Schiltach here.
After spending a while researching into the highlights of the Black Forest at Christmas, taking a look at a Lonely Planet guidebook that I own on Munich, Bavaria and the Black Forest, and spending an inordinate amount of time on various transport sites to see if my ideas worked logistically, I sketched up the following plan:
This, as it turned out, was pretty close to what actually transpired in reality.
The full trip can be seen in the list set out below:
- Day 1 – Journey over and Freiburg
- Day 2 – Freiburg
- Day 3 – Bleibach and Chapel Walk
- Day 4 – Gütenbach, Hexenlochmühle and Balzer Herrgott
- Day 5 – Hinterzarten, Titisee and Ravenna Gorge
- Day 6 – Löffeltal to Ravenna
- Day 7 – Snowy Trains and Gengenbach
- Day 8 – A Hike from Gengenbach to the Mooskopf Tower
- Day 9 – Trains, Trains and Nuremburg
- Day 10 – Snowy Nuremburg
- Flying Home
What follows is an approximate account of what I did in December last year over a period of around ten days; if this inspires anyone into a unique experience that otherwise might have been missed, then this article will have done its job.
Day 1 – Journey over and Freiburg
A smooth enough morning flight from Bristol Airport to Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg kicked the trip off. With my first destination being Freiburg, all I needed to do was to get myself from Basel airport to the train station by bus, which was a reasonably straightforward process if you discount the fiddly bus ticket machines outside the airport terminal (something, funnily enough, that the Basler Zeitung has noticed and reported quite recently!).
If you don’t intend to pay for a train ticket in advance (most likely via the Deutsche Bahn app or site), make sure you have some Swiss Francs on you in order to keep the process smooth.
A short 45-minute journey out of Switzerland and into Baden-Württemberg brings you to Freiburg’s main train station. I had a booking at the Super 8 Hotel, a small distance from the centre. The hotel itself did the job nicely – a satisfactory if corporate-feeling complex located close enough to tram stops, supermarkets, and the odd restaurant. I would say that getting to the hotel, however, required a little problem solving as the transport hub around the train station is somewhat complex. I’d recommend researching the local transport before stepping off the train with your luggage if you require further travel, either through the VAG website (the local transport network) and their local Freiburg travel map (you might wish to do some Googling to establish which stop you need to get to around the station, though) or by having a word with the friendly assistant at the information kiosk just outside the station.
With the sun setting quickly on a short winter’s day, it was getting dark by the time I’d arrived at the hotel and freshened up. Luckily, at this time of year, Freiburg has plenty to see when the sun goes down and the lights come on.
As well as exploring its beautiful centre, December in Freiburg also provides us with our first foray into a series of excellent Christmas markets on this trip. At this time of year, there are a great many stalls around Freiburg’s centre – I chose to explore between the Rathaus and Colombipark, where the archaeological museum was lit up beautifully.
I’m sure it goes without saying, but the markets were packed with all kinds of culinary and crafty treats. If you like your sausages and trinkets, you’re in the right place.
I decided to walk back to the hotel and get dinner along the way rather than use the tram, if only to see some of the less tourist-centred areas of Freiburg. A glance at Google Maps revealed a traditional enough German restaurant called Goldener Sternen on Tennenbacher Platz, so I stopped by for (what else) a Schnitzel, some spätzle, and a beautiful beer.
Day 2 – Freiburg
And so begins my second day in Germany, and my first opportunity to explore Freiburg in the daytime. I headed south on the tram from my hotel and stepped off near Europaplatz, which provided a good starting point for the Münster.
The cathedral dominates the skyline, and I thought I would see it from the ground as my aim for today, once I’d had a look around town, was to take a walk up to the Schlossberg that overlooks the city to the east.
A series of points of interest in town came next, including the Schwabentor and the canal leading into Gerberau.
Gerberau then connects up nicely to Martinstor, which I had seen in the dark last night.
Being early December, the leafy hills of the Schlossberg were perhaps not their vibrant summery best, but the views of the city were still worth it. Therefore, I headed east in the direction of the hill and crossed the main road at the Schwabentorsteg.
As you climb the zigzagging paths up the Schlossberg, more and more features of Freiburg’s centre emerge. Naturally, at first, the cathedral seems to dominate, but soon you can pick out the Herz Jesu church with its distinctive green and white spires and the St. Johannes church.
There are some clear lookout points as you reach certain heights, the Ludwigshöhe being a good spot to aim for.
A further stop to walk to is the Schlossbergturm, the metal tower that can be seen from the city standing tall over the hill. With it standing at one of the highest points of the hill, you can expect a climb to reach it. You might even choose to take the steps (the Salzbüchsletreppe); there are a lot of them, but if you look carefully you’ll be able to count off how many you’ve climbed, and many of the steps are even sponsored by local firms and groups.
The tower itself is… no oil painting. It does facilitate further views of Freiburg and beyond though, and each metal step, as with the wooden ones leading up to the tower, are inscribed either with a sponsorship or quote.
Heading back down into Freiburg, I walked north and zigzagged back down to the Burghaldering road that encircles the hill.
In the summer, there is a funicular that transports people up and down the hill from a station in the Stadtpark. This being winter, however, the station was understandably closed. Fortunately, the kiosk at the station down in the Stadtpark was open, so I was able to refresh myself with a tasty Fritz Kola.
With the evening drawing in already, I crossed through the city again and eventually headed over the railway bridge to see the Herz Jesu church more closely, before making a beeline for the hotel to relax and freshen up before the evening.
My plan for the evening was rather simple (and probably doesn’t contribute much to a travel guide!): eat and watch the Football World Cup, which was taking place at the time. I ate at the nearby Taumi Asian Fusion restaurant, which wasn’t bad at all.
Day 3 – Bleibach and Chapel Walk
With my stay in Freiburg over for now, I headed to the train station to travel on to my next stop: Bleibach. Stepping off the tram, I took a snap of the church with my phone, reflecting on how much brighter (and crisper) the weather was this morning!
A short 30-minute journey on the regular S2 train north from Freiburg, Bleibach seems an arbitrary choice to stay at first glance, but there were some good reasons to choose here.
Firstly, I chose to stay at the beautiful Schwarzwald Hotel Silberkönig, a gorgeous wooden chalet-like building at the foot of the Black Forest. Secondly, its transport links for where I wanted to walk and explore were excellent.
The hotel is a beautiful building. By foot, it’s a little way from the small village of Bleibach and its train station, but if the weather is fine and you don’t mind walking, it doesn’t pose too much of a problem. Bleibach itself is rather small, so don’t be surprised if there aren’t many options for eating or entertainment beyond the hotel if you intend to stick around in the evening.
Secondly, my goal at this stage of the trip was to explore what was in and beyond the Simonswälder Tal, a valley running from Bleibach down to Gutach and Gütenbach, providing plenty of walking opportunities. One look at the map will tell you that this is an ideal spot that combines the convenience of the train line for arriving and departing, and plenty of bus links for getting to nearby hiking destinations.
Being a solo traveller, I didn’t mind taking a cheap room. The hotel had a range of facilities and larger suites, but this simple, small room was just fine for me. There is also a small chapel on the grounds too, so don’t me surprised if you hear bells coming from outside!
With a combination of a required check-in time and a relatively short amount of daylight left, my plan for this day was to drop off my things and get out pretty promptly for a walk, exploring the nearby surroundings. The hotel were kind enough to check me in a little earlier, and with plenty of Black Forest at the doorstep of the hotel, I found a potential trail quite easily and headed off.
The destination for this walk was to be the Hörnleberg Chapel that lay a few kilometres east of the hotel.
As with so many walks around Germany, the trails are so well signposted. If you know your destination, you can easily use the markers and signposts on these trails to get there. At the starting point of the ‘Erlebnispfad’ near Bleibach, there are also boards and maps suggesting both routes and ways to get the most out of your experience.
And so, for the first time on my trip, I entered the Black Forest proper on foot!
The climb up, approximately 6/7km, was typically December cold. Many of the trees having already shed their leaves provided a golden leafy carpet to climb, while others still retained their leaves, meaning that the appearance of the surrounding forest could vary from the bleak to the lush and autumnal.
When you reach the high ground near the chapel, there is a viewpoint at the foot of one of the paths leading to the chapel. It is worth stopping here to take in the view.
With the chapel nearby, I obeyed the signpost and climbed one final hill to the building. As with a lot of places at this time of year, the chapel is rather deserted.
The auxiliary buildings, including potential cafes or toilets, are closed up for the winter. I took a look around, admired the views provided by this location, and started to plan the descent, following a slightly different path back into Bleibach.
The way back down via the Alte Pilgerweg was even leafier, and I passed by a couple of features, including the Ambs cross.
Back at the hotel, the night was drawing in, so I freshened up and decided to go into town for dinner.
I believe I found the only restaurant open on that day: a traditional German place called Gasthof Schwarzwälder Hof. Following a friendly greeting and having acquired a well-earned beer, I ordered my meal. Tonight’s Schnitzel came with a side of cool Bibeleskäs, a speciality local to Alsace and Baden-Württemberg.
Not bad at all.
Day 4 – Gütenbach, Hexenlochmühle and Balzer Herrgott
My full day using Bleibach as a base leaves plenty of time for a proper walk at a nearby spot in the Black Forest. Stepping out of the hotel, I was greeted with a crisp, peaceful morning next to the Black Forest.
After a short stroll down to Bleibach train station, I found the bus stop that I needed. Boarding the 7272 bus to Gütenbach, I sat back and watched some new scenery pass by as we travelled through the Simonswald Valley.
Leaving Bleibach, the bus soon passed through some beautiful scenery, replete with wood chalets and pine trees up high.
Pretty soon, though, the bus started to climb. Before long, the colour of the scenery was fading from a brighter green to a dustier white.
Stepping out of the bus in Gütenbach, it was clear that this was going to be a far frostier walk than yesterday.
Gütenbach itself is relatively small – a cafe (which came in useful later on) is situated on the roundabout near the bus stop, and a stream flows through the town. For the purposes of this walk, though, I needed to climb and head south.
My goal for this walk was to visit a few features of this region using the Balzer Herrgott Runde: the Balzer Herrgott (a mysterious wooden religious carving) and the Hexenlochmühle (a mill). This walk would be approximately 17km long, and offers a range of wonderful woody landscapes.
I walked up to the Vogtsgrundweg and stepped off after a minute or two into a field that would lead quickly into some forest. As always, there were easy signposts to follow, making it almost impossible to get lost. Going in the right direction was simply a case of following the yellow diamonds, of which there were plenty.
After passing through the first segment of forest, reaching and walking along a slightly larger road, the landscape opens up as I headed towards the next, denser set of trees. I followed the lane through the field and the curved tree line. Again, the yellow diamonds provided a useful guide.
Continuing through the Balzer Herrgott-Runde, I headed down toward a remote house, around a pond and into a valley, eventually coming to the Brennersloch road, which followed the Bregenbach stream, flowing south and passing the Lochmühle.
A deeper valley shadowed by steeper hills and, occasionally, rocks, there is some beautiful scenery along this stretch of road as we follow the flowing stream down.
A series of mills and huts of rural industry are sprinkled along this route, and if your German is good enough, you can read about them via a series of information signposts.
Soon, I came to the junction at the end of the road, turning right to follow a new stream, the Heubach, towards the Hexenlochmühle, a large mill with a restaurant inside. The scenery initially opens up a little here, before becoming a narrower valley again as you approach the mill.
It was at this stage of the walk that things got a little confusing. In principle, the route from the mill to the Balzer Herrgott involved following a path behind the mill, climbing back up into the woods. At the time of visiting in December 2022, however, this path was impassable. Perhaps some trees had recently been cut, perhaps seasonal maintenance was taking place – the official Balzer Herrgott route (confirmed by the information board at the mill, displaying the official route of the walk) was pretty much blocked.
Looking for a solution, I explored the area around the mill, and decided to follow the road beyond the mill.
Following roads in the approximate direction of the Balzer Herrgott, I looked for another way into the woods. In the end I found one, taking a path linked to the Gutenstraße, but the walk had become somewhat extended at this point, and I had to climb up the hills again via a winding set of paths.
Rejoining the Balzer Herrgott route, my climb continued past mossy rocks and frosty fungi before eventually reaching the wooden tree carving.
Clearly popular with visitors, various trinkets and souvenirs surround the monument, including a notebook, in which visitors can write messages of peace and love.
The story of the carving itself, and how it became enveloped by the tree, is displayed nearby.
With another short day drawing to a close, it was time to find my way back to Gütenbach and the bus. Fortunately, there were still wooded treasures to pass through.
Heading north, I rejoined the stream that flows into Gütenbach and, eventually, found the town again.
One chilled beverage and one warm slice of quiche from the cafe later, I boarded the bus back to Bleibach as the sun began to set on the day. Back in Bleibach, after nipping into the supermarket for some supplies, I exited to find the low, setting sun making the neighbouring Black Forest glow a warm orange.
Day 5 – Hinterzarten, Titisee and Ravenna Gorge
An even colder, frostier morning greeted me as I departed the beautiful chalet hotel.
The plan for the morning was to take the local train back into Freiburg and find an onward journey to Hinterzarten, the location of my next hotel. Once the train had departed Freiburg and moved east, the impact of the colder day on the landscape was clear to see. Moreover, the train station at Hinterzarten lies 885 metres above sea level, and this was evident as I left the train and stepped into a layer of fresh, cold snow.
The short walk to my hotel from the station took a little longer than anticipated: for one, the snow made it a lot harder to drag my suitcase with me, but mainly because I was stopping every few seconds to take in my surroundings. Hinterzarten looked just lovely – a crisp, snowy scene; a stark contrast to the initial stages of my trip.
I arrived at the Hotel Imbery and warmed up briefly. The day still relatively young, my plan for the rest of the day was to take a 5-6km walk through Hinterzarten and find my way to Lake Titisee, a certainly-not-amusingly-named lake east of the town. I would then come back to the hotel and spend my evening at the wonderful Christmas market in Ravenna.
Once out of Hinterzarten, the scenery that greeted me was postcard-worthy. Snow coating the hills like icing, this was a true wintery stroll through the hills.
I followed the path east, switching from open scenery to denser patches of forest. Every so often, the local train would pass by like a yellow bullet.
Passing by the frozen Eisweiher, I knew I was getting close to Titisee. A short time later, it emerged before me.
Titisee was a bleak if beautiful scene. The low temperature and low cloud combining to enshroud the lake, providing a quite different scene to when I had visited the lake many years before on a family summer holiday as a boy.
Still, the billion or so ducks seemed to be having a good time despite the cold!
Getting back was as simple as boarding a train for a short ride back to Hinterzarten.
The day was by no means over though as the plan for the evening was to journey over to the Ravenna Gorge to experience something I had read a lot about before flying over to Germany.
The Ravenna Christmas Market
It is tempting to let the pictures from this Christmas market speak for themselves. As Christmas scenes go, few can rival the setup in Ravenna – the sights, smells and sounds combine to produce something quite special.
Before I start, I should note that buying a shuttle ticket in advance is pretty much essential. The market is very popular, and the buses, while regular, sell out quite quickly. It is easy enough to buy a ticket online, but you might need to choose a time slot well in advance to ensure you get a place on a bus.
The bus will bring you to a car park near to the complex. The short walk in will take you past some traditional Black Forest structures, including a large cuckoo clock.
Set out beneath a railway viaduct, the usual mix of German foods, drinks and treasures combine with some spectacular coloured lighting and plenty of festive music. I arrived just after the sun had gone down, meaning I got to see the market in action both at the end of the day and the start of the night, watching the transformation take place in real time.
With the arrival of a snow flurry, the scene really became something you might see in a Harry Potter film. I could see why the Ravenna market featured in so many online articles on German Christmas markets when I read up on where to go beforehand.
As the evening passed, the snow really started to fall, which only added to the atmosphere.
Even the Hogwarts Express made an appearance (possibly).
Some time later, having soaked up plenty of the market, snacked on some savoury spätzle, and warmed myself near the open fires, I boarded the shuttle bus back to Hinterzarten.
With such a busy day, all that was left was to have dinner. Such a day could only be ended with one thing: schnitzel and a beer.
Day 6 – Löffeltal to Ravenna
I awoke to further snowfall. It provided a beautiful backdrop as I ate my breakfast.
With the weather providing challenging conditions for a long walk, I sought a route for today that was practical as well as beautiful.
By foot, Hinterzarten is connected to Ravenna (the location of the viaduct and last night’s market) by the Löffeltal (the Spoon Valley). How could one not want to walk through the Spoon Valley? This walk would be approximately 9-10km long, but would be a slower one due to the conditions. Hinterzarten was absorbing a real amount of snow. With my destination in mind, quickly found the path I needed, once again thanks to the abundant signposting that this region does so well for walkers.
As with yesterday, this was truly a winter’s day. Low cloud, plenty of snow, and, unfortunately, a fair amount of ice underfoot, which slowed the walk a little at times, particularly on slopes. I headed west to Alpersbacher Straße and then toward the train line.
Much of the valley follows the Rotbach stream down to Ravenna. There are various mills and remnants of traditional industry along the way.
The sound of traffic signals that Ravenna is near – the other end of the Löffeltal comes out near the main road. A few minutes later, it is possible to cross over and reach the car park that is used as a destination for the Christmas market shuttle bus.
It was nice to see Ravenna in the day – I hesitate to use the word ‘daylight’ as the cloud barely let any through – and it provided a nice base to refuel and refresh before walking back in the snow.
Despite the low cloud, Ravenna still looked great. There are some lanes that branch off from the market site that are worth a look, and it’s possible to climb up level to the train line.
I walked back through the valley, retracing my steps in the cold.
Back in Hinterzarten, a met a man who was clearly feeling relaxed in the wintery conditions.
That evening, I shocked the world by not having a Schnitzel. Instead, I visited a lovely Italian restaurant for a calzone, which did the job just nicely.
Unfortunately, I found few places that would show the England World Cup game against France (this was the 10th December 2022 – the day of that fixture), but it was probably for the best. I watched the game in my hotel room, and the less said about the game, the better. With that out of the way, I closed off the day with a final look around Hinterzarten at night.
Day 7 – Snowy Trains and Gengenbach
Another day, another departure. I woke up to a beautifully bright cold morning.
I walked to Hinterzarten train station and boarded in the direction of Donaueschingen, before changing to a train to my final destination of Gengenbach.
The journey between Donaueschingen and Gengenbach was really quite beautiful. Snow covered fields, white pine trees, and deep valleys as the train travels along on high – this trip was a really nice surprise.
Much of the journey was clearly at a higher altitude to Gengenbach and the Kinzig Valley as the scenery was certainly much greener as I neared the destination.
Gengenbach was another picture-perfect destination that I had quickly identified when planning the trip. The place looks just gorgeous, and as well as having another Christmas market, it is home to the largest advent calendar in the world. How could you not stop by?
A short walk from Gengenbach’s station, my hotel for this leg of the trip was Der Hirsch, a guesthouse with a restaurant and bar on the ground floor.
The town of Gengenbach lived up to the photographs, its clean, traditional Black Forest style and Christmas market combining to form a real attraction. The market’s focal point is the town square, with the town hall transformed into an advent calendar for the festive period. The whole market was very busy, which is perhaps unsurprising when such a small town becomes such a popular national and international tourist destination.
Beyond the main square, the Engelgasse is a particularly quaint little street, brimming with tradition and a Christmas gloss.
The day by no means over, I decided to go for a walk to the hills just outside of town. I headed north and then east with the intention of passing by the chapels and pavilion that could be seen from the ground. The hills around Gengenbach are full of vines, growing grapes for wine, although these weren’t apparent at this time of year.
I arrived back in Gengenbach from the southeast, passing through the Schneckenmatt park and finding myself having a surprise encounter with some goats and emus.
Gengenbach by night is just as attractive as it is in the day.
Every day at six o’clock, a show took place in the town square that culminated in a door (a window on the town hall) opening up on the ‘advent calendar’. With 2022’s theme being the fairy tale ‘The Little Prince’, a small play involving a group of children and an adult narrator took place before a spotlight sought out today’s door, revealing a picture to conclude the process.
Day 8 – A Hike from Gengenbach to the Mooskopf Tower
I awoke on day eight of the trip and fuelled up at breakfast before embarking on the largest walk of the trip. A 24km walk with plenty of climbs was today’s goal, heading up through the forest to the Mooskopf tower, an observation tower very high up in the hills with views that would take my breath away.
I began by popping into town to get a couple of supplies. Gengenbach, naturally, looked lovely in the morning sun.
I’m repeating myself, but once again the walk was excellently signposted from the start.
Heading north out of Gengenbach, I joined Nollenstraße and walked past Nollenpark, all the way up to the forest entrance.
The first stages of the climb, following the Viehstätteweg, were like walking through a smooth seasonal transition, autumn becoming winter before my eyes as the elevation increased.
The air seemed to sparkle as dusty particles of snow blew off the trees around me. Kilometre after kilometre went by as I climbed alone, encountering exactly zero people. People were clearly missing out!
The paths varied from wider paved lanes to some quite narrow leafy stretches.
Eventually, some time later, the climb abated and some flat ground lay ahead. It was at this point that my destination, the tower, revealed itself, and I realised I still had quite a way to go. The tower, a small line on the top of another very large hill, would clearly later enable me to look out on a good amount of the Black Forest.
I continued on to a crossing, where the signposts indicated a further 3km of climbing was required to reach the Mooskopf.
The thin path ahead, carpeted with a mix of golden leaves and white snow, weaved its way through the trees.
I crossed another road and stepped onto another path, this time steeply climbing a stone-laden snowy path, slowing my pace even further. Needless to say, a combination of the walking done on this trip so far and my (let’s say) far-from-peak fitness, was starting to take its toll.
Eventually, I reached high ground, a snow-covered road that would lead to a crossroads.
The small, final stretch of lane, labelled on wooden signage as the Moosturm-Wegle, led up to the tower itself.
One stony spiral staircase climb later and I opened a wooden door, stepping out onto the observation deck.
And… wow.
What I saw ahead of me was something else. While the cold wind was hard to ignore, the views took my breath away. In all directions, thousands of snow-topped trees as the sheer expanse of this region of the Black Forest stretched away. It was well, well worth the climb.
With the sun already low in the sky, I realised that I would need to head back down in order to arrive back in Gengenbach with a comfortable amount of daylight. This decision meant that I would unfortunately not have time to climb up to the surreal Lothar memorial structure that marked what was lost during a rare hurricane.
I retraced my steps back down to the crossroads and followed the road back to where I had emerged from the woods. Instead of following the stony path into the woods, I followed the road, which was slightly easier terrain underfoot and enabled me to pick up the pace a little.
As well as the sparkling snowflakes in the air, the sun’s rays shone through various branches of the forest, again allowing the Black Forest to really show its beauty.
In a reverse of the way up, winter became autumn again as the golden glow of the forest resumed.
Some time later, I reached the Portiunkula chapel, which signalled that I was almost back in Gengenbach.
With the town of Gengenbach now back in sight, I descended back into the town centre, visiting a supermarket to pick up provisions, and returned to the hotel to rest and recover a little. What a walk.
Day 9 – Trains, Trains and Nuremburg
With yesterday’s long walk still taking its toll on my legs, it was perhaps for the best that today involved a few hours on the train. My final destination lay beyond the Black Forest: I was heading north east to Nuremburg, a city I had never visited before.
Deutsche Bahn let me down by delaying my train to the extent that I would miss my connection, an experience I couldn’t recall having many times before. As a result, I had to rearrange my journey with their customer service team, changing in Karlsruhe instead of Offenburg, before zooming off to Nuremburg.
Arriving far later in the day than I had intended, I made my way to a room in an Airbnb apartment. My host, Vincenzo, was exemplary and my room was very comfortable indeed. I should have taken a note of the pillows he provided – they were dreamy.
With no time to lose, I refreshed and headed out into the Nuremburg night. Keeping the theme of the trip alive, I headed in the direction of the Christmas markets, something which Nuremburg was famous for at this time of year.
As with the rest of my trip, Nuremburg at Christmas was lovely. The market was a large one, and I was particularly pleased to see an international section, with stalls selling wares from all kinds of countries. I would come back here tomorrow.
Closing the day with a burger and a World Cup game, I got an earlier night, recharging my batteries for a full day in Nuremburg tomorrow.
Day 10 – Snowy Nuremburg
Keeping the trend of walking stupid distances in the snow, I set out on a 19-20km walk around Nuremburg. After a quick breakfast at a cafe, I headed north to Nuremburg’s centre, passing through the Frauentor and making my way back to the market.
With the market fully explored, I headed further on in the direction of the castle, the Kaiserburg. The snow was really starting to come down at this point.
With some of the hilly roads around the castle genuinely difficult to climb, I followed streets that I was actually able to walk along, following the foot of the castle before reaching the square at the Tiergärtnertor. I greeted the sculptures of the hares, and headed back south in the direction of the train station.
This marked the halfway point of my walk, so following a quick lunch, I walked in the direction of the Dutzendteich and the Zeppelinfeld, which of course hosted some quite significant historical events.
The weather possibly reflected the dark Nazi history of the area, I took in the surroundings in and around the Zeppelinfeld, move on to the Dutzendteich, and visited the large congress hall, which was built by the Nazi party but never finished.
With the evening coming fast and the snow not relenting, I headed back to the apartment and rested up before heading out for one final dinner in Germany.
Flying Home
Around 162km of walking completed, it was time to head back to England.
The journey home took place thanks to a BA flight from Nuremburg to Heathrow. As I watched a snowy Germany pass by beneath me, I reflected on the wonderful places I had seen in the last ten days.
The cold weather provided the rather unusual sight of what were presumably the by-product of some power stations beneath the low cloud.
Flying over London, the snow had clearly recently arrived in the UK.
Fortunately, it didn’t inhibit the final leg of my journey from London to Devon, and I made it home in good time to spend Christmas 2022 with the family.
A Mirror of Mind 