Sorry if the photo is a bit blurry but my hands were cold. This is a shot of one of the many stands at the Christmas market (or Weihnachtsmarkt in German) in Schmalkalden, Germany. I was visiting this central German town on part of a chocolate & candy tour through Germany. Schmalkalden is in a kind of random part of Germany, but the small town (population is around 20,000) has an incredibly scenic downtown. Old buildings and surrounded by forested mountains on all sides.

I was in Schmalkalden visiting the Viba Nougat factory. Germans love their nougat candies and Viba has been around since 1893 selling German-style nougat and pralines. In February the company is planning to open up an entire museum & learning center solely about nougat. I had a small preview of the new complex and I have to say it looks like an impressive undertaking. But, like I said, Germans really do love their nougat candy.

Read about more travel information about Schmalkalden, Germany. Also, if you look closely you’ll see Cybele from the very tasty Candy Blog.