Pullman Dresden Newa

There were two more cities ( including Dresden ) left for us to cover on the tour and while each city turned out to be even better than the next , I really couldn't say the same about the hotel rooms assigned to us .

Some had grand lobbies , impressive dining services , others resembled motels most times . With

nothing exciting to look forward to , thus oldish , functional , working , with a good heater as well as hot water , was most important , what we had to make do with .

And then we came to Dresden . Several of us were assigned a special Christmas project so I thought that when I went up , I wouldn't be involved . Awww too bad eh ?

However , as I was oohing and aahing in delight at the room , I got a call from the reception requesting that I draw the shades for the Christmas light up project .

10 German Christmas markets visited by me

Before I lose track of the main objective of my winter sojourn into Germany , it was specifically to go visit the famous Christmas markets .

I can now proudly claim that " I've done it " and knock the following off my bucket list .

This is a " me " post . So don't say I didn't warn you . Will cover each in depth later ( when I feel like it , if ever hah )

1. Frankfurt - first night I fell in love with schwenk steak . Can't believe I said that . 

Had a go on the 2 tier merry go round and slowly meandered through 4 connecting markets .

Try to spot spooky ole me .

Buffet dinner followed by breakfast at Leonardo Hotel Weimar

You know I almost did not believe it when they told us there was yet another dinner included .

Leonardo Hotel Weimar - beautiful recurring themes

I like Weimar because there were a lot of people whom I met on the streets that were pretty curious about me ( I guess they'd never seen anything like me before lolz some kept glancing , others smiled back , some tried to get me to dance at the open bar ) and thus if I were to stay longer , I would surely get to know some locals .

So anyway , this is where we stayed , at the Leonardo Hotel whereupon entering , you will find that the focal point of the lobby area will be the beautiful sweeping staircase .

Breakfast at Novotel Nuremberg

Novo2 also doubles up as the breakfast room .

On first impression it is quite difficult to get the staff's attention , especially when you need a jug of coffee on the table . 

Later on I understood why .

Underneath that cool demeanour and upon finishing their task here , they were all required to go lug all our bags down stairs for us !

Novotel Nuremberg Messezentrum

 From the lovely medieval town of Nuremberg we arrived at this hotel with just one hour to get ready for dinner ( refer to the earlier Novo2 three course dinner post ).

Our room at the Sheraton Offenbach

I've never gone into Germany on my own . There was always a guide on hand to take us in and out .

 However , because I wanted enough rest plus wanted more time to slowly explore the Frankfurt Christmas market at our own pace , we would have to arrive a day earlier before the tour proper began .

That would mean that I would have to arrange my own transfer .

DIY so to speak which made me nervous since I don't speak German .

Reinhard's - antique cafe on the west side of Berlin

As we were walking along the cobblestone path in Berlin's oldest quarter , I lost my concentration while trying to rush the heck out of the cold night wind ( I chose to leave my coat in the coach ) . Consequently tripped and gave out a loud squeal . 

I thought to myself " this is it , I'm done for " but luckily nothing untoward happened .

Ziko's Grill - crazy dinner party

I love crazy people . People who are not afraid to let their hair down . I married one after all .

But I didn't know that I would meet some in here , all the way in one far corner of Berlin * .

At the entrance , the boss greeted us with a tray laden with champagne glasses . Since he insisted , I took the one with the tiniest amount .

He gave me a horrified look , snatched back the glass then poured it into the last 2 remaining ones while saying " No , no , you take big one "

Oh my lawd ...I giggled , flashed him an embarassed look ...oh well ok let's drink up then .

Merry Christmas everybody !

I finally met a German santa ,all the way up at the Fernsehturm , better known as the Berlin

TV Tower .

Yes , you read right ...Berlin folks . I was there the morning after the truck incident at the Christmas Market in Breitscheidplatz . 

An insta diary of my winter journey

Can't imagine what I'd do without this app  .

Posting up the photo diary first folks .

Since I was taking Qatar Airways , KLIA was my point of departure . 

Germany is a quality shoeholics haven !

When I go overseas , I never look for those familiar brands we have back home . Because most times , some of   

  the most reknowned here , are pretty insignificant or nobody even knows them  . Besides when you buy local , it is no less better than what is marketed to you by pioneers who exposed us to 

. such names in the first place

That's how I found my first Marco 

     . Tozzi

3 course dinner at NOVO2

As part of the tour package we've so far had 2 wonderful dining experiences provided within each hotel we've stayed  .

The first was at Sheraton Offenbach where my cell died on me ( no pics but we had a welcome toast and chicken ) , then this .

Someone remarked that the ingredients they used in the 3 course meal was so expensive , that if you're not sure if you want to do a Trafalgar tour or not , this might just change your mind , especially if you're fed up with just having Chinese food for the duration of the tour . When I did the California tour , most times there wasn't even a hot breakfast included . So this tour makes hunger pangs the least of your worries .

Needless to say , since it is dinner , I take some effort to accessorise a bit and behave . So much as I would like to show you the tour group , which consists of a lot of ang moh , I had to refrain and just snap my food .

First course .

French onion soup .

Obsessed with schwenk steak

Before I begin , I'd like you to know that I'm not exactly fond of pork back home . Because of poor quality feeds and very unsanitary conditions , it not only affects the smell of the meat , it can be a major turn off !

However , I decided to brave it and the very first schwenk steak we tried in Frankfurt was so darned good that we decided to sink our fangs into one whenever there was space left in our tummies and in whichever city or small town we found ourselves in next .

Starting with this grill we found near the Galleria 

PURE restaurant - Sheraton Offenbach

We've just finished breakfast and since I still have internet access , allow me to show you around PURE restaurant where I took so many pics I risked being a Pure annoyance ( that's us , when we have a camera in hand )

So it's almost Christmas , and they've added this nice little decorative touch up on each table .

Amazing scenes direct from Frankfurt's 2016 Christmas Market

Yes ! I've finally made it here !

First via the super fabulous Qatar which treats economy fliers with gold standard hospitality .

Then through the German rail system which was a bit of a trouble to decipher and crack at first but thanks to the many friendly and helpful people I found , ( along with internet posts you see alongside the wall of my blog page ) , we made it out of the airport to our hotel outside Frankfurt and then all the way to the famous Christmas Market in Frankfurt !