Nuremberg (sometimes spelled Nurnberg in German) is Bavaria's second largest city after Munich. Although today's Nuremberg citizens point to the charming old town and fantastic Christmas market as tourist highlights, most people still connect Nuremberg with the Nazis. The Nazi war trials held in Nuremberg after World War II are the first thing that comes to mind, and a visit to the outside of the courthouse where the trials were held was one of our tour stops. My mother remembered the Nazi rallies in Nuremberg from the old movie newsreels, so when we visited Zeppelin Field, where Hitler led many of those rallies, she could vividly remember the numerous times she saw those same fields at the theater. The tall columns around the field, once topped with a swastika, were torn down, so only the grandstand remains.
We did a walking tour of old town Nuremberg after our bus tour. The red sandstone buildings and mostly Gothic architecture were really charming, and the city walls surrounding the old town still remain. We all tried the tiny Nuremberg sausages (delicious), but many of the shops were closed since it was a Sunday. We ended our tour at the huge city square, where Germany's largest Christmas market is held each year.
