One of the food we normally associate with Christmas dates are ginger cookies. Along with rice pudding is one of the most typical christmas desserts that never miss in a table in Norway. Kids enjoy helping mothers to prepare cookies to eat them as a dessert with all the family.

Though the cookies with Gingerbread Man's shape –also known as Gingy- are the most popular, the true is that there are no limits when preparing these sweet creations made of ginger and aromatized with cinnamon or honey: they may be oven cooked like Santa Claus, christmas tree or even you may build up a whole city of them.

In Bergen they know this fact quite well. From Christmas in 1991, the city center -Torgallmenningen- becomes the sweetest place in the world with the creation of Pepperkakebyen- the Ginger cookie's biggest town in the world-. They create tiny little houses, trains, cars and ships made of ginger bread, candy canes and they use glass sugar to stick all together.

Everybody helps to make this ginger town grow up, from kindergarden children to school kids that contribute with their own creations. That is why every year Pepperkakebyen is visited by thousands of tourists attracted by its magic and who want to be wrapped with the christmas spirit. It will be open the whole month of December.

Makes you want to go, right? Do it! Check out our prices here!

If you're looking for a destination in December for that last getaway of the year, here is a bit of inspiration!

The Nuremberg trials and the paintings by Dürer have made the German city of Nuremberg famous worldwide . The Palace of Justice is still there to remember where the members of Hitler’s political party were judged as well as Albert Dürer’s house, the most important painter in Germany, but there are other reasons to visit Nuremberg beyond the usual past related to the justice and their illustrious painter.

Let me tell you about five things born in Nuremberg and so will never be remembered, though its value is incalculable. Shall we begin?

1 – Christmas Cookies

In Nuremberg the first Christmas cookies known as Lebkuchen were invented in the XIIIth century. Sure you can try these traditional Christmas sweets in German markets such as the Nuremberg Christmas market. Do not worry if you are traveling when it is not Christmas as HauptMarket‘s activity lasts throughout the year. A must for curious travelers and lovers of good living market.

2 – the MP3

Here it was invented the famous audio file compression standardized as mp3 in 1995. It was in the laboratories of Fraunhofer IIS in Erlangen-Nuremberg University. Visit the university may not have much interest to music lovers who have mp3 support a way of listening to as much music as ever they had imagined but it is interesting to visit the record store Artphoenix Vinyl, they boast of having one of the best record collections vinyl world.

3 – Sweets against cough

The German chemist Dr. Carl Sodan developed in 1899 in his Nuremberg’s pharmacy the first recipes for sweets for dry throat and cough suppressants based eucalyptus and menthol. In 1923 Sodan produces the now famous candies Em-Eukal sold, today, in more than 20 countries. Approaching a pharmacy is not the main attraction of a city like Nuremberg but visiting one of the most important commercial areas of the city itself is. In Breite Gasse, plus pharmacies that sell these candies, you’ll find a thousand and one ideas for a gift back home. Breite Gasse is Nuremberg’s commercial center and you may find from smaller surfaces to famous trademarks stores.

4 – The first clarinet

Johann Christoph Denner built in 1700 the first clarinet. Who was going to tell Woody Allen that this German guy was going to give him many pleasures in life thanks to this instrument?

Keep calm. We will not recommend you visit a clarinets factory or visit where Denner was born in Nuremberg. We recommend that you pay a visit to Jazzstudio, one of the first live jazz venues in Germany. Founded in 1954, the jazz club on Planierplastz street has seen playing on its stage young talents, regional stars and big international names. Concerts are usually at 20:00 and 21:00 on Friday and Saturday.

5 – The globe

Did you know that in 1492 another resident of Nuremberg, Martin Behaim constructed the first globe? As built in 1492, the American continent does not appear yet. You can see it in the Germanic National Museum, along with other curiosities such as the Brothers Grimm‘s desktop and other Cultural and Heritage jewels. And since you are in the museum you will see works by Dürer because one can not leave the German city without seeing Dürer.

1- Hauptmarket: Hauptmarkt 18, 90403 Nuremberg, Germany, +49 911 23360, L-S 9:00 a 18:00

2- ArtPhoenix: Irrerstrasse 18, 90403 Nuremberg, Germany +49 911 96048765

3- Breite Gasse

4- Jazzstudio: Paniersplatz 27, 90403 Nuremberg, Germany +49 911 364297

5 – Museo Nacional Germano: +49 91113310 M-D 10 a 18 h.

So you feel like visiting Nuremberg, do you? Book your flights here!

By Gastronomistas

They say if you haven’t truly experienced the magic of Christmas until you’ve been to Nuremberg. All the streets decked out in festive lights and decorations while carols ring out to the delight of old and young alike, creating a magical atmosphere imbued with the very essence of Christmas Eve.

From 29 November through to 24 December, the whole city becomes one huge Christmas celebration and a “picturesque village of fabric and wood” appears as if by magic in the heart of the city’s old quarter; the Christkindlesmarkt, one of Europe’s oldest and most renowned street markets.

More than 180 stalls adorned with candles, decorations and winter plants tempt visitors with their toys, local crafts, nativity scenes, Christmas ornaments and, above all, delicious sweets and wholesome culinary delights. The air is filled with an enticing mixture of aromas, from spices and wine through to toffee, nuts and savoury treats. Absolutely EVERYTHING is a temptation for the senses. What are the best things to try while strolling around the Christkindlesmarkt?

MULLED WINE
What better to ward off the crisp cold of Nuremberg than a mug of mulled wine. This hearty drink made with cinnamon, cloves and fruit peel is served in ceramic mugs that visitors can take home with them as a souvenir from the Christkindlesmarkt. They even do a non-alcoholic mulled wine for the kids to try.

FEUERZANGENBOWLE
This famous punch is named after the sugar tongs used in its concoction. To make Feuerzangenbowle, dry red wine is slowly heated in a large punch bowl, along with rum, caramelised sugar, cloves, cinnamon, slices of lemon and orange juice.

BRATWURST
“It is one of the reasons why you never forget Nuremberg”, wrote the poet Jean-Paul (maybe while suffering writer’s block), in reference to the sausages par excellence originating from this Bavarian city: bratwurst. They are on sale all around the city at stalls equipped with giant barbecues, so you’re bound to gobble up more than one during your stay. They are served in a bread roll, garnished with sauerkraut or potato salad, or even as a three-in-one known as a “weggla”. To make sure you only get the real McCoy, it’s worth knowing that an authentic bratwurst from Nuremberg is between seven and nine centimetres long, no more and no less.

NUREMBERG LEBKUCHEN
No Christmas is complete without some famous lebkuchen: a biscuit made from nuts, honey and spices covered in chocolate or icing. The recipe has been a closely-guarded secret in Nuremberg for over 600 years and has even been given a protected designation of origin. It’s easy to spot the market stalls selling lebkuchen as nearly all of them look like the witch’s candy cottage from Hansel and Gretel.

And there are many other food stalls selling a wide range of mouth-watering treats, such as candied fruit, all kinds of sweets, caramelised almonds, chocolates, waffles and sauerkraut. But be warned! After indulging yourself in beautiful Nuremberg, you may need to go on a diet for a few days.

CHRISTKINDLESMARKT
From the Friday before the first Sunday of Advent through to 24 December.

Where: in Nuremberg’s main market square (Hauptmarkt) and surrounding area.

Opening times:
Monday to Wednesday: 9am to 8pm.
Wednesday to Saturday: 9am to 9pm.
Sunday: 10.30am to 8pm.

By Gastronomistas

We’ll be there. If you want to come too, check out our flights here.