[000:00:00;00] listen . listen. live. tis the season to be jolly and christmas markets all over germany or a glow that people gather to stroll shopping and spend time with friends and family over a bug of mulled wine nicole gets into the holiday spirit of the christmas market in

nuremberg considered the most popular in the country. who is keen to check out the charming market and crediting board with over 1000 health timbered houses this old town on the edge of the hearts mountains is the perfect setting for this december tradition. and after that lucas will travel on to lubeck welcome to this special edition of check in featuring christmas markets. today i'm in a beautiful city that's even more lovely in december nuremberg in the southern german state of but varia i'm really looking forward to seeing the famous chris

kinda smocked. and i'm in pretty good company around here about 2500000 visitors a roam the streets of nuremberg the old town during the christmas season in order to take in this very unique atmosphere they come from all over the world as norm has become an international tourism magnet for preakness mistress and today i want to try and find. why that is what does nuremberg have that other cities don't. i'm going to start my stroll at the show you know broaden our beautiful fountain it resembles a gigantic christmas pyramids the traditional holiday decoration here in germany the family is situated right on the market square where the famous kristin the smock is held every year. but it's not just lovely to look at it's said to have magical powers. turning this gold ring is supposed to be good luck and to grant you 3 wishes but there's no telling anybody what they are or else they won't

come true. now let's check out the christmas market it's still early in the day which is why it's pretty quiet but that will change dramatically in just a few hours. handicrafts regional speciality and the typical market stalls with their strike canopies are all done to stay cool signs that you found your way to the chris can those markets. if you time your visit right you might even catch a show on the market stage. well hundreds of christmas markets are set up around germany the one in nuremberg is considered one of the most beautiful and traditional. wow where do i start this is really cool and gingerbread popular in germany it's not like a delicious mixture of cinnamon cardamom and cloves every baker has his or her own

special recipe and not one will reveal the exact combination of their secret spice mix. the company and likud schmidt ships tons of this deliciousness to every corner of the globe. to these cartoons of liquid particularly popular among tour. as a souvenir or gift for loved ones back home with. decorative tin boxes like this one have become collector's items over the years those with mediæval motifs are especially popular. but right now i'm far more interested in what's inside the boxes. as soon as the sun goes down my cave really comes to life. your remarks craftspeople 1st set of stalls on the market square during advent in the 16th

century they too sold mostly toys and sweet treats. in nuremberg visitors can enjoy the magic of a traditional german christmas market until christmas eve the market is officially opened on the friday before the 1st sunday of advent by the reigning crist's kids. desk this the crist can't welcomes everyone to the market and all who come are welcome comments on. the chris kent is a longstanding christmas tradition in southern germany here in the early bird he may even have a chance to meet her personally. i love it was crazy nice to meet you how many appointments and you had so far today. why does your my 5th or 6th appointment today i think hits you almost ok if you think it's a bit cold but that's ok but how does the christian chosen do you need special

talents to do a mass you have to be from nurnberg between 16 and 19 and at least 160 times you have to have a head for heights and be out in all weather do list this is a full time job you're on duty nonstop from the moment the market opens until christmas eve what is it pickle day like for you. on a typical day they pick. up at 9 am so i get up at 7 am i normally visit to nursery schools in the mornings i'm tired and if it's a tuesday or thursday i have a children's fairy tale hour and then i go to the children's christmas market and go on the rides with them again that i'm then i walk into the christmas market for an hour and i'm from some states and when i visit retirement homes hospitals charity events i usually get home around 7. minutes to my sins to

him. what do you do when you're in a city you don't know well and you're hungry follow the golden rule and look for the place where the line is longest so many people can't be wrong of course was. right. back at nuremberg sausages are quite small which is why you're always given several at once a real treat both delicious and affordable. there are many ways to travel in style but i'll admit i'm pretty excited about this one i'm going to take a tour of the market in an old stagecoach. going to. the coach is a replica of one dating back to 1974 and it perfectly suits the atmosphere here at the market. for.

credit. but we're still missing one very essential element of the festive season spirit christmas carols. we're looking for somebody to sing us christmas songs from their home or earth festive songs from their home country. for you guys from the like a. key they see on all your. mum's. ego. shit. oh. oh oh oh. oh oh oh it's. full of rudolph the red nosed reindeer reindeer had

a very shiny nose i don't lie well. then 140 christmas eve day it came to say rudolph with your nose so bright won't you play tonight 6. oh if. that is. true smile this just saw it through. the treetops through his new. children listeners know. snape. in the snow. that your right.

to defend them i know that you are. honest good for all of our no people our only wow that was impressive perfect finish to a lovely day at the nuremberg chris conflicts mocked. in the weeks before christmas quickly in bargain the hearts region briley turns on the charm a popular way to. approached that finally preserved medieval town is on the narrow gauge railway so that's just what did. i am. and i want to find out what earth this may be able to tell the world heritage that it will be visiting the famous cathedral and treasury and be looking at what

else you can experience here in the run up to christmas. has been a unesco world heritage site since 1994 no other german town has so many will preserved half timbered buildings i'm meeting a real expert on the subject a local tour guide. book is a world heritage site why is that fair because of the beautiful have to mitt houses built over many centuries it's never been destroyed back had to stop it fires or was written book has an architectural heritage stretching back over a 1000 years which you can still see today and. the fact that was largely spared from devastation even during the 2nd world war it's only one reason for the unique state of the town. the abundance of edge of the sights and sounds of the war we were in the soviet occupation sir and the resulting poverty kind of froze the towns in addition on this you see that preservation in

other parts of the world too i think if there's no money to change things they stay as they are and that's going to take to the towns condition. on the sea i believe most of this is something you have to see when you come to it and book the organ i stand about is in a sense the original vision of the heart. the building dating back to the 14th century understand the route from the back then the studs ran continuously from the joists to the eaves at the ceiling of the room have seems that was secured with wooden shims it's still an excellent condition who even though it was built into what was he 6 years of to 1630 it would be hard to find a hunter that house must older than that just because it's a really interesting bill that. the history of freedom bucholtz back to the 10th century and brought the 1st established a last resting place here for his father he had a church built on this hill and

a convent. became a polite and it's a seat of power visited by emperors and kings and the town junior lated quite a bit of wealth during the middle ages. it's high season each region book during an advent weekend like this one and it's really the perfect place to get into the holiday mood. of course there is also a christmas market here and it's a nice asian uttered just flail is for sure invented it has a special charmers wilson look at the crooked buildings and then let the people live in them horizontally in the it's fantastic. why did you come all the way from florida to quit living wark i actually been living in germany for 2 years now but

this is my 56th christmas market that i visited in germany so i'm quite a fan of german christmas markets it's good to see it again there are these digital stands on all the old buildings and of course it's beautiful. they must cheering the creature spin seasoning friedland book is the so-called living advent calendar from the 1st to the 24th of the. a crowd of curious people gather by a different half to birdhouse every day peter stand spy. plane simply. changed stuff. to it. then everyone is treated to a short story from the city's history in this case about the jew tees off a night watchman. and finally there's

a seasonal reward for the children to help shorten the wait until christmas. another tradition in the run up to christmas including book is the advent in the core jobs a number of ports yards that are not normally accessible to the public open up on the weekends. basically it seems to me that i fly you know i didn't have a tree. and of course i also need to get some christmas presents and i hope to find something here maybe even made by myself just. like the. last things are hunting off as i prepare to blow a christmas tree bauble. now that's would be a very special present particularly given the physical effort i've invested and having put my life on the line. i'm so excited it's

all that you're giving. now i need something else typical for the region. has its own mustard factory hot and spicy sweet and fruity or with herb's mustard and all manner of varieties 60 in told one featuring horseradish is based on a 1000 year. old recipe. that you just left for. hopefully my mom will like one of these delicious souvenirs of tweets and book. mission accomplished i saw the cathedral treasury understood the world heritage status and even found a christmas present my visit to quicken a book was like a journey through time although the city is over 1000 years old many monuments have

been preserved fortunately for visitors like me. and lucas to go also decided to go and see how the northern german town of lubec celebrates the run up to christmas. music is known as a christmas town and bets why i'm here at christmas time i really hope to get into the christmas eve mood and of course get to know the city as well. there are a number of christmas markets in the big this one is in the north of the old town. how about a kid is. going . to say i've never seen this before a christmas market with maritime flare all in. all

this reminds us that the sailors and fishermen used to live in this area because not only located on the river but also close to the baltic sea it's only about 20 kilometers away from here and this is st the mariners church. this stately church is a memorial site for international seafarers who have died at sea. a life boat commemorates one particularly tragic incident in 1057 a sailing vessel called the palm sank in the atlantic ocean during a hurricane 18 men died some were still quite young. son jack will be or st james church is one of 5 large churches in the center of the town i'll come back later when it's supposed to be really trying quil here. we'll continue by strolling through lube express didley decorated old town it's been declared

a unesco world heritage site. the town hall dates back to the 13th century altered over the centuries it combines a variety of architectural styles just across the way i grab the chance to treat myself to the taste of christmas which is available in many shapes and sizes. big mars upin is known the world over neither egg is probably the most famous manufacturer. the building also houses a small mars of museums. here you can learn all sorts of things about the history of mars upin and the need to eg a family business founded over 200 years ago. wow these are really intricate works of art and they've all been made from mars a pair i'd like to try my hand at that. hello i'm lucas.

hi i'm barbara have you ever done this and no never it's not hard 1st to roll it into a ball. this beach in a bit like making a snowball yes like a snowball most of mine looks different yours looks more like an egg. i'm not yet finished. what are we making a cat with a santa hat. now i need to pull that to a pear shape. and then i form the front legs. next we make the ears and tail. it's pretty detailed work. now be our eyes complete with pupils here's how it looks so far. but this is barbara's cat all of this once mine that's not true ok but ok i'll tell the truth here before

this one's barbara's at this one's mind as you see mine is slightly deformed the formula the last step the santa had this could save my creation. well so this cat's a little quirky. dr thanks barbara ups leisure you did great by. new big soul town is a tangle of narrow streets due to a lack of space during the middle ages houses were built and large courtyards. back then it probably felt crams today it seems romantic many of these small houses are rented out as holiday homes. ellie's and chord charts are typical of the old

they were created when new big grew rapidly in the middle ages kommersant made the city rich at that time. its location on the top of a river and close proximity to the baltic sea were very advantageous the old warehouses are still quite impressive. the most famous let mark of rubik the heights gate in 2006 it was even stamped on the 2 year old court so if you're a new vic go to the gate there you can really learn something about the history of this city. the gate was built in the 15th century and was one of 3 city gates which were also used for defense today it houses a museum. even

thing is falling which is the best time to visit many of the christmas markets in the big time to head back over to the town hall. mulled wine christmas decorations roast it's omens it's also in taxi. everything sparkles and shines is the. all you need to get in the christmas spirit are you getting in the mood for christmas i'm on a spending spree no i am fine on christmas i think lubeck always goes all out and it does a beautiful job he does yet i come here every year to drink mulled wine and eat donuts with my family i think it's great. yes of course you can see there is a lot of small shops and one can really enjoy the dippers

essen and. dubai it's bizarre under this yeah that's why i call harmony the old town and the city of lights that's what i love especially at this time of year of ember december the dark march it's lovely to see them. in the fairy tale forest you can see depictions of stories by the brothers grimm. gretel. king thrush beard and the frog king. and who is this my namesake lucas or lou could be engine driver. now we're at the mediæval market. over here it's

a bit more quiet and cozy the way it should be at christmas time. the day is over and i'm in the christmas he moves the medieval flair of the old town certainly ettes to the festive atmosphere well this mixture of seafaring tradition and christmas city is certainly something very. special that i have never experienced before now there's only one thing missing. back to st where singing

christmas carols is an annual tradition. out of the comfort zone. into the crisis zone theater director doesn't shy away from human suffering he demands an incredible amount from both his actors. audiences artist activist crisis boyer milorad on meet the artist. and 30 minutes w. . this time on the night. germany's 1982 year old vision contest winner the beloved singer nicole teams up with the hit british band right said fred sanchez sounds. too awesome

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