Lubeck is the second largest city in this province, Wikipedia will have me know. It is also one of the tourist attractions that I visit when I’m back in town. Here you can walk down little streets, admiring contrasting and old architecture, and towers that look like they are falling towards each other but miraculously remaining standing. You can also taste world-famous (and the best) marzipan, which is sold in nearly every corner of the town.

This year we were lucky enough to even catch the rest of the Christmas Market – perhaps they should be called ‘winter markets’ now?- in which seemingly every spare space in the centre of town was filled with wooden stalls, tents and vendors selling various goods, foods, beverages and sweets. Oh, so many sweets. Favourite this year were definitely the chilli-almonds. Roasted almonds (so almonds roasted in sugar) have always been a winter-y treat, and this year we tried the ones with an extra kick. Surprisingly spicy, the chilli almonds even made Mum’s eyes water, and definitely warmed us up.

We also walked past the ‘devil’ who sits on a large rock outside of the Marienkirche (Mary’s Church) in the centre of town. The local tale about the rock tells that when the church was first being built, the devil thought the citizens were building a tavern, and, as many men had joined him after visiting such institutions, he eagerly helped with the construction. Work progressed quickly with the devil’s help, but at some point he found out that they were building a church, and in his anger at being deceived, he picked up this large rock to demolish everything that had been built. However, some quick-thinking citizen convinced the devil not to demolish everything, by promising that they would build a tavern across the road for him if he spared the church. Appeased, he dropped the rock, which still lies outside the church, and is now decorated with a bronze statue.

Other things to do in the quaint town include admiring the Holstentor, visiting the sea-men’s pub, which has model ships suspended from the ceiling and offers a very German menu, walk along the pilgrim’s way which passes through the city, or visit the amazing city hall, which features three different styles of architecture. Fan of literature? You can also head to Thomas Mann’s house (author of such tales as The Buddenbrooks, The Magic Mountain, and Death in Venice), or visit one of the many art galleries. Want to see what everything looks like from above? You can also do that by heading to the Petrikirche, which has opened its tower to visitors.