Germany's Top Five

Sip mulled wine and peruse the handicraft stalls at Nuremberg's massive Christkindlmarkt. One of the largest and most beautiful of Germany's traditional Christmas markets, the Christkindlmarkt dates back to the mid-1600s. It runs daily through Dec. 23.

Contemplate modernity at the exhibit "Cezanne: The Dawn of Modern Art" at the Museum Folkwang in Essen. Over 100 masterpieces, borrowed from as far as the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, trace the development of Cezanne's work and his influence on those who followed. Ticket reservations recommended.

Revel in the beauty of Bach as only a boys' choir can sing it. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Leipzig's Thomaner Boys' Choir, made up of boys between the ages of 10 and 18, will be singing Bach's Weinachtsoratorium at Berlin's Konzerthaus on the Gendarmenmarkt. The Thomanerchor has been singing for nearly 800 years -- isn't it time you heard them live?

Slide on your backside down the longest moveable sledding run in Europe -- seated in an inflatable innertube, of course. What makes this run so special is that it is located right in the middle of Berlin's Potsdamer Platz, in the shadow of the Brandenburg Gate. You can bring your own innertube and sled for free, or you can rent one for a pittance to fly down the 12-meter (40 feet) high and 70-meter long course. Part of a larger event promoting alpine tourism and the joys of snow, you'll also find ice skating, oompah bands, food specialties and other winter fun activities.

Laugh at modern art. Come on , we know you always wanted to. Now you can do it legitimately, at the newly opened "Funny Cuts: Cartoons and Comics in Contemporary Art" at Stuttgart's Staatsgalerie. The exhibit, covering some 40 artistic takes on the influence of comics on modern art, is comprised of works from the likes of Andy Warhol and Mike Kelley.