While G was at work on Thursday, D and I went to Mainz, his
home city. I think he really enjoyed showing me around, as we wandered quite a
bit, and really got to enjoy the Christmas market before it was completely full
of people!
Mainz is famous for its Medieval Cathedral, and the creation
and legacy of the Gutenberg printing press. I’ve been to the Gutenberg museum
with B before, and I of course got to go to the Mainz soccer game!
At the market, I got my last Reibekuchen (potato pancakes), and I
could barely finish them. They are oh so tasty, but they are not light fare at
all. I also got a nice Christmas surprise for B, a medieval-style red suede bag for his new copy of Carcassonne!
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| Muenster and market lights! |
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| Another one of these! |
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| Vendors everywhere! |
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| Again with the Romanesque cathedral! |
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| Game of the year! Kingdom Builder - who would have thought that such an advertisement would be in a major city! |
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| Another nicely-decorated Christmas tree! |
With this post, I end my ode to German Christmas markets!
Below is a summary of each that I went to, and what stood out to me.
Aachen – I found this market almost rivaled Bonn’s, in that
it was very cute, had lots of interesting stands, and it had boot mugs!
Bonn – I am a loyalist, and Bonn’s market was my favorite.
It will be truly sad come January and the market is gone and I don’t get to
walk through it on my visits to the city center.
Cologne – Great Christmas tree, great background (the Dom!),
but too mall-y. It was also very crowded.
Hamburg – Crowded, and multi-faceted. There were a lot of
great small markets, all near each other, all offering a little something
different.
Koblenz – Small, spread out, and not worth the visit if you
can make it to one of the markets nearby.
Mainz – Here I tried “Heisse Marone” for the first time, and
I really liked getting to experience the market through the eyes of my host
dad.
Salzburg – Magical! I really like this market, and having
the snowy weather, the backdrop of the Altstadt, and experiencing it with great
friends made this my second favorite market!
Siegburg – I kind of wish I had bought that dragon wind
chime…
Wiesbaden – I really liked the vendors at this market, and
it was so fun to check out my host mom’s favorite stands. She knew so much
about each, so that I really was able to appreciate the shopping experience!
Adding Freiburg (2006) and Chicago (2009-2011), I have been
to eleven different cities for German Weihnachtsmarkten. I am hooked, and I
hope you are too! If any of you ever need travel advice concerning these
markets, I am your girl! Or, if you would like a personalized tour in Germany,
pay my way and I’ll be by your side in a heartbeat!
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