Weihnachtsmarkt

One of the things Germany is famous for is the fabulous Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Markets). The Weihnachtsmarkts are basically large street fairs with booths selling crafts, gifts, Christmas decorations, and lots of yummy food and drinks. The most well known of these drinks is Glühwein, which is a mulled wine drink similar to grog. A mug of Glühwein definitely keeps you warm :)

The market closest to our house is at the Kulturbrauerei, which a an old brewery complex that has been converted into shops, restaurants, and a movie theater (www.lucia-weihnachtsmarkt.de).

One of the most popular attractions is the warming benches - a semi-circle of heavy coats atop radiators that are heated by a wood stove:

awesome :)

We've been back to this market several times since it's so convenient to us, and because they have the best Glühwein mugs:

 Glühwein is surprisingly strong, by the way.

The food stands offer very traditional fare, from Grünkohl (a seriously delicious kale dish), to Lebenkäse - which, as far as I can tell, is the German version of Spam:

(yes that is meat, not bread)

But the best food stand (for carnivores at least) is the "swinging grill," where they have everything from Bratwurst to massive steak sandwiches:

(feel free to make your own 'swinging sausage' jokes here)

So we are officially huge fans of the Weihnachtsmarkt! I can't wait to check out some of the other markets close by - supposedly there is one in every neighborhood.

Frohe Weihnachten!