Christmas Markets in Europe

On December 8, 2017December 8, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Austria, Colorado, England, France, Germany, Romania18 Comments

We were told by many people about how wonderful the Christmas markets in Germany and other places would be and they were certainly right. Whether in our home town at the time, Frankfurt, or some of the places we visited during the holiday season like Prague, Vienna, Strasbourg, Cologne, and others, we were fortunate to go to several different Christmas markets. We had made the assumption that each city would have one central market that everyone would visit, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. Each city has several different markets, usually one near the main cathedral, but then there are a half dozen or so more markets at different popular areas as well.

In today’s world, unfortunately, any event that brings a large number of people together also means that it becomes a target for those who wish to harm people. That means that a common sight at most of the markets that we visited were armed police and plenty of barricades. Fortunately, that doesn’t stop most people from going out and having a good time, shopping, drinking, and eating at the various stalls in the markets. The Christmas markets are truly wonderful and it would be a shame if people didn’t bring their families out to enjoy them. For children, the markets can be a wonderland with all of the decorations, candy, music, and general merriment. They are a playground for adults as well with the gluhwein, sausages, and gift stalls for shopping.

The Second of Four Christmas Markets in Vienna

You might ask us what our favorite Christmas market was, but we couldn’t choose a favorite as they were all great in their own ways. Perhaps one of the most unique might have been the one in Vienna, Austria, where they turned the sidewalks into skating rinks. Although the market at the harbor in Cologne was also pretty interesting with its nautical theme. Of course Frankfurt has a special place in our heart since it was our home for a time.

Skating at the Market in Vienna, Austria

Obviously there were plenty of beautiful Christmas trees at each of the markets and they are beautiful both during the day when you can see the ornaments as well as at night when the lights shine brightly. One of the biggest trees that we might have seen was actually in Brasov, Romania, which we visited just shortly after Christmas and the markets had just completed. There is nothing like a beautiful Christmas tree to get you in the mood for the holidays.

Christmas Tree in the Old Town Square of Prague

So, the advice that we would give to anyone traveling in Europe during the holiday season is to get out and enjoy the Christmas markets wherever you can. We have even gone to a wonderful Christmas market here in Denver, Colorado, and intend to visit one in Chicago over this holiday as we visit our youngest daughter. Our very first Christmas market was in Stratford-Upon-Avon in England, but the tented stalls were nothing in comparison to the wooden stalls with their ornate decorations that we saw in Germany. If you do go, have a gluhwein for us, but be careful, sometimes they add rum to them and the alcohol can sneak up on you.

Christmas Markets and Traveling in Germany

On November 21, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, Travel Tips18 Comments

We had heard a lot about how wonderful the Christmas markets would be before we ever left the United States to spend some time here in Germany. Even though the markets are just now being put together in Frankfurt and will be opening this Wednesday, we have already been to several Christmas markets as we have travelled the past couple of weeks. Obviously we will share posts on all of the food, wine, Glühwein, and various souvenirs, but we thought that we would share some things that we have observed that we were not told about and were not prepared for.

The markets seem to be around all of the major attractions in the various cities and towns. While this can be awfully convenient in some respects, it does detract from the ability to truly absorb the sight that you are trying to see and photograph. Having all of the stalls in front of a cathedral or palace doesn’t make for ideal picture taking and sometimes one of the giant Christmas trees blocks the view completely. Add to it the extra crowds that come to the market on top of those visiting the attraction and it can feel quite claustrophobic.
Market outside of the Dom in Cologne
There can be multiple Christmas markets all going on at the same time in various parts of the city. It probably isn’t true of some of the smaller villages, but in the larger cities there can be many different Christmas markets. At this point, we have seen up to eight markets in one city, Köln (Cologne) and are not sure how many we will have in Frankfurt, but we have walked past two getting set up just in the old town area. In theory, it should keep down the crowds because they have multiple to choose from, but as far as we can tell, people go from one market to the next, so it doesn’t keep down the number of people you have to traverse through.
Setting up the Market in Old Town, Frankfurt
The items sold are not often unique, hand-made, items, but tend to be the same items sold at each of the various markets. Obviously the markets are commercial, so it isn’t too surprising, but if you are hoping to find that perfect gift that can’t be found anyplace else, you will have to do some searching. It isn’t that there aren’t some truly special items that you can’t find anyplace else, but you will just have to take some time to figure out what is from a local artist and what is mass-produced.
Market outside Cathedral in Vienna
Not all Glühwein is the same. You have to be careful, some places will add rum or other liquor to the delicious, warming treat, making it even more likely to take you to a happy place. Often you can ask to have something added, but other times it is just added for you. Be careful, it can sneak up on you if you have a couple of glasses, but it will definitely put you in the holiday spirit.
Glühwein Mugs
People don’t pay any attention to where they are walking. We see the same effect in airports and train stations, where people walk without looking where they are going, but they are especially bad in the markets. Perhaps it is all of the shiny lights making them look anywhere but in front of them, so don’t be surprised to have several people walk right into you as you make your way through the crowds. Don’t get us started about the parents with strollers who fall into this category, it is as though they use their children as battering rams to move through the crowds.
View from inside Alten Limpurg

As we mentioned, we have already enjoyed some wonderful markets and are definitely looking forward to ones that are about to start here in Frankfurt. We will likely avoid them on the weekends, when the crowds will be even worse, and we wouldn’t be surprised if by the time Christmas actually gets here, we are a little tired of having to walk through the markets to get to some of the places we like to go. Unfortunately, the market in the town square is directly outside of our favorite watering hole, Alten Limpurg, and you can no longer even see the fountain and buildings from within restaurant.

Hochheimer Market

On November 7, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany3 Comments

We didn’t go far this weekend since we needed to take care of some much needed shopping while the stores were open, but that doesn’t mean that we didn’t have a good time over the weekend. As we have mentioned before, all of the stores in Frankfurt are closed on Sundays, so if you need anything, you have to buy it during the week or on Saturday, therefore we spent Saturday taking care of buying a few things for our new apartment. On Sunday, though, we took a short thirty-minute train ride to the town of Hochheim to visit a market that one of our new friends here in Germany had told us about.

It is one of the oldest markets in Germany having been established in 1484. Based on the crowds, it is also one of the most popular, we can only imagine what the Christmas markets are going to be like once they start at the end of this month. There are stalls selling sausages, hot mulled wine called Glühwein, nuts, popcorn, and candy galore. There are also rides and carnival games, but it was hard for us to see much of anything through the wall-to-wall crowds.

Bratwurst, Currywurst, Rindwurst, and More

We had some of the Glühwein and enjoyed a wonderful bratwurst as we scanned all of the crafts on display for sale. We even found a nice children’s book as a souvenir, but we did not take a photo of it to share. We shared a German market from Denver last year, but clearly it did not prepare us for the size of this market. They even jammed the use of cell phones so that there was no risk of anyone detonating anything with all of the large crowds. It was a quick trip, but definitely a fun one, but the size of the crowds made it a little difficult to enjoy everything that the market had to offer. We look forward to many more festivals and markets during the months ahead.