Had the weekend to myself, so went and visited the Esslingen Medieval Christmas Market yesterday.
Good choice, Esslingen was a former, not insignificant Imperial Free City. /1
Good choice, Esslingen was a former, not insignificant Imperial Free City. /1
Located in a river valley, and controlling an important bridge across the aneckar, Esslingen prospered - and largely emerged unscathed from WW2. /2
The church of St Dionysius was open, so I ducked in for a look and to admire one of my favourite medieval churches. /3
In summer, I'll be back with friends to get ratarsed at Kessler Sekt - makers of fine sparkling wines, and a local treasure. /4
Looking for the Medieval Christmas Market? Just look for the fachwerk (half-timbered) buildings and follow the flags! /5
If that fails, listen for the droney, jangly music from the musicians who do loops of the old town, and follow them. /6
Pretty soon you find yourself in the old Hafermarkt, which is *rammed* with visitors. There's glühwein, hog joints and baked potatoes on offer. /7
One of my favourite stalls (of which there are hundreds) is the liquor stall, that sells lethally strong herb and berry liquor in appropriately medieval bottles. /8
There are frequent entertainments throughout the day on several stages. At night, the fire juggling looks amazing. /9
I don't do well in crowds, but there''s so many things to see and do, that aI spent two and a half hours wandering around, enjoying myself. Sure the Glühwein helped. /10
I bought myself a little wristband with a silver scallop. Scallop shells were the traditional pilgrim page for those heading towards Santiago de Compostela.
Those who've followed me for a while will know about my fascination and relationship with pilgrimage. /11
Those who've followed me for a while will know about my fascination and relationship with pilgrimage. /11
If you're in Stuttgart, for any reason, Esslingen is brilliant to visit at any time of the year, and especially so at Christmas. It's on the S-Bahn, a return ticket is €5,00. /FIN
