Christkindlesmarkt

If you have pondered visiting Nuremberg for its famous Christkindlesmarkt in December, think twice, and if you can't help it, try to visit on a week day. On today's picture you see a moderate crowd, often there are even more people. To me so many humans in one place are rather stressful, so I try to spend only little time in the city in the weeks before Christmas. Other people don't mind, or even enjoy it, of course.

Town hall reflections

Nuremberg town hall consists of several buildings, here you see one of them reflected in the windows of another. Between Fünferplatz and Hauptmarkt.

Welcome, winter

As picturesque as Nuremberg with snow is in some areas, most of the time it is not romantic or pretty at all, just grey, wet, and cold, as any other part of Europe north of the alps in winter.

Hats

Today there was a renaissance fair (in german, Mittelaltermarkt, "medieval market", concentrating on a slightly earlier period) in the city despite the cold, snowy, windy weather. This stall sells felt hats, colourful and warm, for people daring enough to wear something unusual ;-)

This way to Santiago...

... de Compostela, one of the famous pilgrimage destination in Europe since medieval times. While only the last few hundred kilometers through Spain are officially called El Camino de Santiago, there's a network of ways that have historically been used by pilgrims to get to Spain in the first place, and these ways are marked with the Camino symbol as well: yellow sun rays in the shape of a scallop shell on a blue background. One such way passes by both my apartment and the office where I work. (I admit it has taken me a while to find out what these strange stickers mean. ;-) )

Buddha reflections

A Thai restaurant, in the building where I work, reopened a few days ago with the new name "Buddha" -- and lots of Buddha statues. From the outside, with reflections of November morning sun and a bit of Pirckheimerstrasse.

Come over here! Haircuts!

A lovely piece of art, serving as advertisement for a hair dresser's shop. Somewhere north of the castle.