Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic
\n Escape to Germany\u2019s medieval Esslingen for a festive, fun and foodie experience over Christmas and New Year.
\n ADVERTISEMENTIn a children\u2019s book I have yet to write, Father Christmas flies his drone over Germany\u2019s Christmas markets, hell-bent on finding the most magical for a romantic weekend break with Mrs Christmas.\u00a0Nuremberg? \u201cHmm, quite crowded,\u201d thinks Father Christmas. Berlin? \u201cYowsers, so big!\u201d he eliminates, thinking of his feet. On the verge of calling it a day, he decides to set the drone to one last mission. And there it is\u2026 a vision of cobblestone streets and magnificent timber-framed townhouses floodlit by firelight. \u201cAaaah\u2026\u201d sighs Father Christmas, before punching the air victoriously. \u201cEsslingen. Bingo!\u201dUnlike many of Europe\u2019s festive events \u2013 so often characterised by Mariah on a loop \u2013 there\u2019s something special about medieval Esslingen, just 15km from Stuttgart in south-west Germany. It\u2019s transporting me back to a simpler time of rousing folk music, agile acrobats, and exotic spice in the air.Time-travel experiences at Esslingen Christmas marketExperiential rather than purely commercial, Esslingen Christmas market is in fact two markets rolled into one. Alongside a traditional market with all the festive gifts and foods you\u2019d expect, there\u2019s also a medieval market, where every spellbinding detail recalls life 600 years ago. I can see fire-lit stages for minstrels, musicians and storytellers. A juggler mischievously named \u2018Master Fleapit\u2019. A performer on stilts meeting and greeting the crowd. And that\u2019s not all. I\u2019m watching old-school craftsmen at work \u2013 from blacksmiths, basket makers and bakers, to potters, glassblowers and weavers \u2013 many inviting passers-by to have a go.On one standout evening that promises to be captivating, there\u2019s even going to be a lantern parade on 19 December from the marketplace up the hill to the castle which overlooks town.Unique festive experiencesFor now, my personal dilemma is whether to opt for a dip in the medieval market\u2019s hot tub or hold out my hands for a palmreading by Athena, the market\u2019s resident fortune teller. Tempting as it is to sit starkers in the middle of the marketplace, I take the mystic option and emerge from the tent 20 minutes later, encouraged by her optimistic predictions. My favourite is that I\u2019m going to live until I\u2019m 98. And if that\u2019s not a cue to head over to the traditional Christmas market to gorge on more cheese, I don\u2019t know what is.A taste of Germany\u2019s foodie traditions at the Christmas MarketI love weaving in and out amongst the locals indulging in all manner of winter-warmer goodies.. There\u2019s \u2018Stockbrot\u2019 -dough twisted around a stick. Alongside the traditional hot chestnuts, doughy \u2018Apfelkringel\u2019 rings, and every conceivable variety of \u2018Wurst\u2019 (sausage). There\u2019s plenty of foodie delights to take home or buy as gifts, too – . \u2018stollen\u2019 – traditional Christmas bread with dried fruits and sometimes marzipan, lots of cheeses, and cured sausages hung up like candy sticks.\u00a0\u00a0Gifts to buy at Esslingen Christmas MarketI also have my eye on some wonderful Christmas gifts to elevate this year\u2019s stockings. There are the ubiquitous gifts you see all over \u2013 from delicate wooden tree decorations to gingerbread love hearts announcing \u2018ich liebe dich\u2019 (I love you), \u2018Fr\u00f6hliche Weihnachten\u2019, (Happy Christmas), or something cheekier. But there are also handmade gifts I haven\u2019t seen before, from cute ceramic houses and glowing paper stars to biscuits from a dog bakery.ADVERTISEMENTSince the German Christmas market experience isn\u2019t complete without a warm mug of Gl\u00fchwein (mulled red or white wine), I get one of these too. The taste is impressive, as is the fact there isn\u2019t a plastic cup in sight, only reusable ones that you return to the vendor.Cold hands wrapped around a warm mug is a moment to stand still and take it all in.\u00a0Twinkling light is festooned from building to building. Each stall\u2019s rooftop snow scene vies to outdo the next. The belltower\u2019s Glockenspiel is chiming out its melody. Among all the festive faces, one white-bearded visitor looks the most satisfied of all. \u201cBingo\u201d, I\u2019m pretty sure I heard him chuckle.ADVERTISEMENTCome in January for Germany\u2019s quieter winter charmsAll is not lost if you (or Father Christmas) don\u2019t get here in time for the Christmas market. There are plenty of ways to enjoy south-west Germany after the throngs have gone.In the afterglow of the Christmas market, Esslingen whispers the quieter side of winter. There are churches to admire inside and out in this former place of pilgrimage, as well as a distinctly Italian tone: enough canals to merit the nickname Little Venice and Germany\u2019s second oldest stone bridge \u2013 Esslingen\u2019s answer to Florence\u2019s Ponte Vecchio.\u00a0Warm up at a Kessler tasting to try the wine said to be Germany\u2019s first sparkling variety. Inspired by the Veuve Clicquot champagne house in France, Georg Christian von Kessler returned to Germany and made his own exceptional bubbles.\u00a0ADVERTISEMENTFor a solid restaurant, try out Mattis. Its speciality is Maultaschen, flavoursome parcels a little like ravioli filled with sage pesto and roasted walnuts.If you want to explore the region, Stuttgart is only 10 minutes by train from Esslingen. Don\u2019t miss the \u2018Christmas Garden\u2019 lights trail at Wilhelma Botanical Gardens and post-Christmas relaxation and 1950s charm at the Mineralbad Berg thermal waters spa.\u00a0Esslingen Christmas Market runs until 22 December.ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Escape to Germany\u2019s medieval Esslingen for a festive, fun and foodie experience over Christmas and New Year. ADVERTISEMENTIn a children\u2019s book I have yet to write, Father Christmas flies his drone over Germany\u2019s Christmas markets, hell-bent on finding the most magical for a romantic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":153648,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-153647","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=153647"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":153649,"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153647\/revisions\/153649"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/153648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globetimeline.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}