It is December! The advent calendar had begun, the Christmas jumper has been worn out of the house, the first slice of Christmas cake has been eaten and I'm writing this whilst listening to carols. Fortunately, Germany's level of excitement for all things Christmas seems to be as high as mine. The pupils have organised secret Santa, there are fairy lights everywhere and the bakeries are going Lebkuchen crazy. But possibly the most famous thing about German Christmas is the Weihnachtsmarkt [Christmas Market]. Therefore, this December I want to experience real German Christmas markets in Germany (as opposed to Birmingham). The markets open at different times in different areas, but the Niedersachsen ones opened on the first weekend of advent. Joined by my parents, the quest to visit the Christmas Markets began.
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| Braunschweig Weihnachtsmarkt |
German Christmas markets have apparently become a bit of a cliche, springing up everywhere and offering exactly the same stalls regardless of whether you are in Berlin, Birmingham or Chicago. However, my experience here has been nothing like that. Obviously there are set types of stall; no self-respecting German Christmas market would be without Bratwurst, Glühwein and Lebkuchen but there is still variety. For me, the thing that makes German Christmas markets special is the setting, and beautiful historic town squares is something that Niedersachsen seems to specialise in. It didn't matter that my hands were freezing, my nose was numb and it was pouring with rain: the markets still looked wonderful. I should also apologise for the lack of photos... it was getting too rainy to use the camera!
BRAUNSCHWEIG.
The first and biggest Weihnachtsmarkt that we visited. We wasted no time at all in buying our first mug of Glühwein and sheltered underneath the Weihnachtspyramide to drink it. The market smelt amazing: either of cooking sausages or sugared almonds depending on which stall you were walking past. Unfortunately the weather was so bad that we retreated into a museum so it looks like I will have to go back to Braunschweig sometime before Christmas.
WOLFENBÜTTEL.
A much smaller place with a much smaller market. The rain continued so we went to an indoor Christmas craft market in the residential palace before braving outside. It was beginning to get dark, so the market looked really pretty as we drank apple Glühwein (mixing things up).
GOSLAR.
The best Christmas market ever. I loved Goslar on my previous visit but this one was even better (we went twice in two days). The highlight has to be the Weihnachtswald [Christmas forest]. Yes, they bring lots of enormous fir trees into the market (we're talking 30ft) and assemble a forest by the main square. The idea is that you buy a Glühwein and enjoy it standing in a forest. Incredible. There was also a nativity with real llamas and donkeys, and more types of sausage than I have seen in my entire life. Of course we had to try the food so had a couple of sausages and Kartoffelpuffer (according to google 'potato pancakes') with apple sauce... surprisingly tasty. And all this against the backdrop of a medieval square...
HAMELN.
The final market and the only one seen in sunshine. The market was much smaller than those Goslar or Braunschweig but was still pretty. We had some Glühwein, Bratwurst and deep fried cauliflower (?) before it was time to head home.
Rather than staying in Bad Salzdetfurth, the parents and I spent two nights in Zellerfeld, a village in the Harz Mountains. So on Friday night, after my choir rehearsal, we set off driving into the mountains. The roads were understandably deserted and all we could see was blackness. As we entered the village it began to snow, progressing to a blizzard whilst we unloaded the car. After checking in we went for a walk in deserted, snowy Zellerfeld. A truly magical way to see my first German snow.
Up in the mountains the visibility was ridiculously limited (about 10 metres). Each day we drove off into white nothingness as all you could see was snow and cloud.
In amongst all the Christmas markets and snowy-ness was my choir Christmas concert in Hildesheim. It went really well, and there was only one song I needed the words for (to be fair it was Ukrainian). Mum and Dad came along and got to meet my friends from Ö-Chor as well as enjoy the concert. The audience participation on Leise rieselt der Schnee might have been asking a bit much but I think they had a good evening... it certainly put me in a Christmassy mood.
BRAUNSCHWEIG.
The first and biggest Weihnachtsmarkt that we visited. We wasted no time at all in buying our first mug of Glühwein and sheltered underneath the Weihnachtspyramide to drink it. The market smelt amazing: either of cooking sausages or sugared almonds depending on which stall you were walking past. Unfortunately the weather was so bad that we retreated into a museum so it looks like I will have to go back to Braunschweig sometime before Christmas.
WOLFENBÜTTEL.
A much smaller place with a much smaller market. The rain continued so we went to an indoor Christmas craft market in the residential palace before braving outside. It was beginning to get dark, so the market looked really pretty as we drank apple Glühwein (mixing things up).
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| Braunschweig Weihnachtspyramide // Wolfenbüttel Weihnachtsmarkt // Hameln Weihnachtsmarkt // Goslar nativity // Hameln // Goslar Weihnachtswald |
The best Christmas market ever. I loved Goslar on my previous visit but this one was even better (we went twice in two days). The highlight has to be the Weihnachtswald [Christmas forest]. Yes, they bring lots of enormous fir trees into the market (we're talking 30ft) and assemble a forest by the main square. The idea is that you buy a Glühwein and enjoy it standing in a forest. Incredible. There was also a nativity with real llamas and donkeys, and more types of sausage than I have seen in my entire life. Of course we had to try the food so had a couple of sausages and Kartoffelpuffer (according to google 'potato pancakes') with apple sauce... surprisingly tasty. And all this against the backdrop of a medieval square...
HAMELN.
The final market and the only one seen in sunshine. The market was much smaller than those Goslar or Braunschweig but was still pretty. We had some Glühwein, Bratwurst and deep fried cauliflower (?) before it was time to head home.
Rather than staying in Bad Salzdetfurth, the parents and I spent two nights in Zellerfeld, a village in the Harz Mountains. So on Friday night, after my choir rehearsal, we set off driving into the mountains. The roads were understandably deserted and all we could see was blackness. As we entered the village it began to snow, progressing to a blizzard whilst we unloaded the car. After checking in we went for a walk in deserted, snowy Zellerfeld. A truly magical way to see my first German snow.
Up in the mountains the visibility was ridiculously limited (about 10 metres). Each day we drove off into white nothingness as all you could see was snow and cloud.
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| Clausthal-Zellerfeld |
So, the first weekend of advent is over and it was brilliant. I look forward to the next three!
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