Räuchermännchen are wooden figures that originated in the area around the Ore mountains.
First appearing in the early 19th Century, they are used to burn Räucherkerzen – candles that let off a scent when burnt.
They are usually in the form of a craftsman or someone from a particular trade such as a woodsman.
To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:
(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)
I haven’t had much of a chance to visit the Christmas Markets this year. I had good intentions of blogging and podcasting from different ones, but in the end the weather has stayed bad and to make things worse I was ill for the past week.
So yesterday we braved the elements and wrapped up warm to at least visit the Frankfurt Christmas Market. Last year I was critical of the high prices on some of the stalls, so I was interested to see if they had got any worse. I found out that it is easy to spend a lot of money on very little!
I also found out that Sunday evening was not the best time to go – it was absolutely full and there was little or no chance of taking a leisurely look at the stalls. You either went with the flow or got out of the way!
Listen to the podcast to find out more. Have you visited a Christmas Market this year?
(Press the “play” button to listen to the podcast)
Over the past few weeks I have been writing about my hike from Rüdesheim to Oberwesel and the boat ride back. Here are some useful links to things we saw and places we visited:
Rüdesheim
Official homepage
Cable car
Niederwalddenkmal
Youth hostel (Jugendherberge)
Assmannshausen
Red wine association
Chair lift
Lorch
Official Homepage
Freistaat Flaschenhals
Oberwesel
Official Homepage
Burg Schönburg
Youth hostel (Jugendherberge)
Hike routes
Rheinsteig
Boat trips
Köln-Düsseldorfer
Bingen-Rüdesheimer
Ferries crossing the Rhine
If you have any other links that might be useful, please put them in a comment or in the forum!
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