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Christmas market season is here! A good list of European Christmas markets is available here.
Of all the Christmas markets we’ve been to, my favorite has to be London.
We visited two years ago on the “preview” night before the Christmas market officially opened the next day. (If the kids look small, that’s why; they were.) It was the last night of our first trip to London. This was the most grand of all the Christmas markets I’d seen—there were elaborate set ups, crazy-big carnival rides and vendor booths that stretched over and along the bank of the Thames. After a week of hotel beds and lugging a stroller up and down tube steps, we were beat. So we stayed in the park had a pint on cask, cotton candy and gummies. Jacob desperately wanted and was so happy to get a Sponge Bob balloon. I thought we’d deflate it and take it home the next day, but he let it go when we got back to the hotel.
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From London Christmas Market. Shot Nov 19, 2010 in London, England
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There are seven different Christmas markets in Köln/Cologne. Each has a theme. Most are situated within walking distance of each other and all but one (the floating market) are free. Of those seven, we made it to three: the Angel market, Fairytale market and Cathedral market. The first two seemed to have better prices and were less crowded (of course those were first the ones we went to). But I think any of them wouldn’t be too bad during the day. But, once it starts getting later in day, it gets super crowded and it’s difficult to see or buy much other than gluwine.
I went with a friend, on a Sunday, without any kids. During the day, to might not be so bad with kids. I probably wouldn’t do it tho.
A little disappointed the cathedral wasn’t lit up, but one of the cooler things we saw was the pastel work on the ground outside. Page thru thru the pics below—they’re close to the end.
More info on each of the markets on the city web site.
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From Köln Christmas market. Shot December 11, 2011. Cologne, Germany
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I forgot my camera. So I pre-apologize for the quality of some of these pictures. There are some people that take fantastic photos with an iPhone. I am not one of them.
Anyway, Dusseldorf Christmas market. The market is held in six different locations, all with in walking distance of each other. Each area has it’s own theme, and there’s also an ice rink. Neat thing about this one was: there were a few craftsmen (glass blower, blacksmith, woodworker) demonstrating their skill. A nice variety of vendors—it didn’t feel like more of the same over and over. And there was a good ratio of food booths to booths selling merchandise. Some of the other markets I’ve been to seemed like there was a disproportionate amount of food vendors. Not I’m complaining because the food is awesome, but how many stands selling brats does one really need?
I tried white wine gluwine. Pretty good. (I do not like the traditional red. Blech. No amount of spice is going cover the sulfates and cheapness. And I’m not a wine drinker. I’m sure there has to be better. Somewhere.) First time I’ve seen white gluwine, but I’ve never really looked since gluwine is, well, gross.
A few (crappy cell phone) pictures:
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From Dusseldorf Christmas Market. Shot November 19, 2011. Dusseldorf, Germany
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The Christmas market in Aachen, Germany is held in the city center around the Rathaus (city hall) and the Dom (cathedral). I like it because it’s small enough to do with kids and opens earlier than most of the other Christmas markets. Good way to get into the holiday spirit before it gets so dang cold. We were there opening day—November 18.
Little bit of history: Charlemagne ruled the Roman empire from Aachen. He was was King of the Franks from 768- and Emperor of Rome from 800 until his death in 814. The domed portion of the cathedral was Charlemagne’s original palace chapel, built more than 1200 years ago. He is buried here. The interior is covered with beautiful Byzantine mosaics. (I have yet to take any photos because a donation is required to do so. I’ve either not had the good camera or had the kids.) The Rathaus was built in the 14th century on the foundation of Charlemagne’s palace.
Aachen is also known for Aachener printen— chewy spice cookies with candied ginger. They come plain, coated in chocolate, with nuts, etc. In Aachen, there seems to be a printen shop on every corner. In the shops around the Dom, there are usually samples on the counter. Try before you buy; one of the big cookies runs close to 7€. They’re good, but I’d say not any better than the bags of Aachener printen I buy at Real (the German Walmart) for 99 cents.
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From Aachen Christmas Market. Shot November 18, 2011. Aachen, Germany
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Went to Brussels last week. The main reason was to go to Drie Fonteinen and Cantillon to get some beers and some glasses. The Brussels Xmas Market was the deciding factor.
It started Friday as part of the city’s Winter Wonders events. Thru the beginning of Jan, the Grand Place is lit up, there are concerts (this year: every Saturday by a famous soprano) and an ice skating rink, a farris wheel, carousels and a sad toboggan run at the market.
The market is pretty good. Some things you don’t see at every other xmas market, like reindeer hides and quiche (not at the same booth). There were a lot of alcohol booths (disproportionally so)—Timmerman’s had one where you could get warm kriek, Moeder Lambic was there selling bottles, but most were warm wine and full on bars. Not a bad idea considering how cold it was. It was the first day, so not every booth was open; some were still setting up. On the plus side, it was not busy at all.
We ate brats, which were labeled “big white sausage” on the sign. I noticed because some tourists were taking pics of it. Afterward J&N rode the carousel. Jacob yelled, “Woo! This is awesome! Yeah!” the entire time. Nicholas whined looked afraid for his life—I don’t think he expected the rocket he was in to move up and down. The attendant went over a few times; I think he was afraid Nicholas would wiggle out of his seat belt and fall out.
We skipped going to the Grand Place to see the lights in hopes of making it home quickly. I say “in hopes” because Brussels traffic sucks. We left at 6:30 and spent 1.5 hours on R0 going 0-8 kilometers per hour. It took an hour and a half to get out of the city; that’s usually how long it takes to get home. Should have just gone to see the lights.
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From Brussels Xmas Market. Shot Nov 26, 2010. Brussels, Belgium
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