Welcome to my new blog! Following many years of graduate study in musicology (see my bio if you don't know what musicology is), I am finally embarking on my fieldwork portion of my degree, spending one year in Germany. For all the latest updates on Music, Life, and Travel, read on, friends!
In this part of Germany, along the Rhine between Cologne and Bonn, it is said that there are five seasons, or "Jahreszeiten," instead of four. Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall and Carnival!!! Attending the opening of the Weihnachtsmarkt in Bonn, however, makes me think that there may be six seasons here!
The market is beautiful. Everyone has a sense of child-like wonder for all the lanterns, lights, crafts, and treasures. The air smells of cinnamon and bratwurst! Right now the weather hasn't quite transitioned into winter, so the rain from last night and the general "warmth" outside today didn't complement the market as nicely as crisp air with snow flurries. It is still early; we still have time for freezing temperatures.
So, enjoy some of the first shots of this year's official "Eroeffnung des Weihnachtsmarkts"
Beethovenstadt Bonn - Ludwig watches over everything at the Christmas market. Blick auf dem Muensterplatz.
Mom, look at what I found! Do you remember these treats from Rothenburg?
Despite the rain, opening day was well attended!
Drink Pyramid - in all its glory!
You can't tell from the photo, but these animals' heads move.
Candles - it kind of looks like wax is dripping from the top of the stand.
More animals!
I have already been blown away by the many different types of drinks and snacks one can enjoy at the market. The sampling has begun, and I am very excited to share my impressions and discoveries with you!
Yesterday vendors were putting the final touches on their booths. The last light strands were being added to the pedestrian zone of the city. On my way to the gym, I observed a second, huge Christmas tree being raised at the Marktplatz. Plus, there are tons of smaller evergreens that have been attached to street lamps and poles all throughout the city. Not that I would do this, nor am I advocating it, but it seems like it would be pretty easy to borrow one of these little trees for one's own holiday decorations!
Whooooo are you looking at?
Vendors have adorned their stands with a lot of different animals.
Anyone a fan of roosters? Anyone? For your garden?
"Bin im Garten" - I'm in the garden. Well, I don't think frogs are in the garden right now, but maybe in the summer?
Either this is ninja bear, hostage bear, or a gummy bear that someone has liberated from the Haribo factory.
This pigeon I photographed on the way to one of Bonn's outdoor ice rinks.
Who knew that moose were willing advertisers of Gluehwein?
The final light strands were being stretched across the sidewalks today. I can't wait to see everything on at night! I do wish that I had a nicer camera and a tripod for capturing those dark shots!
Today the market officially opens! I am going to need a lot of friends to visit with me, as I may be working up a plan to visit as many food/drink vendors as I can! And, who wants to enjoy all these things alone, right?
Since today is Thanksgiving, and there really isn't a huge need for me to overload you all with Christmas-y cheer and whatnot, today's post is about Bonn weather! Don't worry, I am heading out soon to scope out the Weihnachtsmarkt progress.
Normally November is filled with gray days and on-again,
off-again rain showers. Since I’ve seen the sun so little this month, each time
that he does make an appearance, I can’t help but feel an extra spring in my
step. On one rainy Sunday a few weeks ago, I thought all would be wet as usual.
To my surprise, the sun did show up, right around sunset, and during a rain
storm. (I guess one still has to take the good with the bad, the sun and the
rain together!).
This weather combination made for an impressive sky. Here are some photo highlights I took while running from one end of my apartment to the other like a crazy person! Luckily one of my other roommates was also home, right next to me, taking pictures too.
Double Rainbow!
The rainbow from my roof skylight.
Here is proof that it was complete!
The sky turned an ominous yellow color after the rain.
For those interested, here is what my roof looks like! Yes, I do think there is moss growing on it. Perhaps this will help with winter insulation issues??
Where the rain clouds came from.
The sunset was stunning!
Hello, Siebengebirge! Why yes you look lovely after the storm!
The last photo from my apartment.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope that those of you celebrating are able to spend the day with those most dearest to you! All of you will be in my thoughts, even if I am thousands of miles away on the other side of the world!
As the seasons have changed, and it seems like Europe spends more and more of its days in darkness (see e.g., the sunrise today at 8:00 and the sunset at 16:30), one of the only ways to bring a bit of life into your home is to bring some of the greens indoors. The Bonn markets have obliged in helping with this; most of their Blumenstraeusse (bouquets) have been replaced with evergreen wreaths and red berries. And yes, they even cater to our mistletoe (Mistelzweig, auf Deutsch) needs.
Winter plants and sticks at the Marktplatz.
Advent wreaths are very common at this time of year.
What is that stuff!?!?!
Growing up, I never really thought much about mistletoe, except that you might get assaulted kissed if you lingered under it for too long! I remember seeing plastic globes like these as a child:
These other-worldly looking, artificial balls have nothing in common with their natural counterparts, as I realized during my first Christmas in Germany. At first I didn't recognize the bunches of greenery that dotted the marketplace in Freiburg. I have rarely noticed seeing mistletoe in the wild in the USA, but it is all over the place in Germany!* I started spotting it last month as the trees along the Rhine began to lose their leaves. Below are my feeble attempts at photographing some of the clusters along the river:
The elusive mistletoe cluster!
This tree had tons of mistletoe.
I think this is the same tree from above, just on the way home from Koblenz!
Pretty soon the markets will have HUGE bunches of mistletoe available for all your Christmas ritual needs!
Now available at a market near you!
*So, it makes a lot of sense that I never noticed live mistletoe in the US because the plant is not native to North America. For other mistletoe insights, such has mistletoe's use as an ancient form of birth control, check out Wikipedia!
It is now time to reveal my surprise! While most of you are preparing your turkeys and trimmings, the next holiday season has already begun all around us. As evidenced by my post on Halloween, there have been advertisements and decorations for Christmas around Bonn for months now. Each week the holiday chocolate section at the grocery store gets bigger and taller! I could have bought a chocolate Santa in July here if I had wanted to!
Bonn advertisement for Christmas! Original photo here.
So, in honor of Christmas, I am going to post some highlights each day on my blog, documenting the wonderful German institution that is the "Weihnachtsmarkt!" Germans, and Europeans in general, have got it going on when it comes to celebrating Christmas. Ever since I attended my first Christmas market in Freiburg six years ago, I have been hooked!
Archival photo from Freiburg Weihnachtsmarkt, circa 2006!
This obsession has also resulted in yearly pilgrimages to Chicago for the past three years, all in an attempt to grasp onto some of this authentic German Christmas spirit! The Chicago Christkindlmarkt is the largest German-style holiday market in the USA, and they do a pretty good job of recreating the Christmas magic. (For more info on the Chicago Christkindlmarkt, which coincidentally OPENS TODAY!!!!, read all about it here (including my recipe for Gluehwein) and here.)
The first Christmas market pilgrimage to Chicago, 2009. B and I visited on the COLDEST day of the year. The high didn't reach 0 degrees Fahrenheit.
Now that I know how "einmalig" (one-of-a-kind) these traditions are, I have developed a quest to visit as many different markets as I can. You all will get to benefit from my daily synopses and photo journalism dedicated to this celebration of winter and lights! To begin this journey, I would recommend that all take a look at this video from Rick Steves, travel guru and avid fan of Christmas in Europe.
The preparations in Bonn have been going on for weeks now, and this week more and more stands are being built, more lights are being hung, more people are gathering! Bonn's market opens on Friday!
The first signs of the market - spray-painted markings on the streets and market squares in Bonn. I wonder which stand gets this number!
Muensterplatz Christmas tree - it was delivered by crane and truck on Thursday.
German markets include lots of things for children, like this carnival ride.
I do find the imagery a bit startling. I don't really know why this ride has the "Cristo Redenter" statue from Brazil on it, or what this colonial-looking boy is doing next to Jesus.
Maybe there is some sort of message about the diversity of the world, and how Disney characters unite them all? At least I know there is a Disney park in Paris.
These stands are closed right now, but their halls will be decked soon!
I think this German Christmas Pyramid will be a Gluehwein stand!
Many businesses are adding exterior lights. All of the trucks and machinery needed to transform the city makes walking, and especially biking, rather challenging in the pedestrian zones these days!
I hope you all enjoyed this teaser! Stay tuned for more on Christmas in Germany!
