This past weekend I had a fun opportunity to go shopping in the Christmas Markets in Germany. We hit the markets in Aachen and Cologne, Germany. Aachen was a small, quaint affair with lots of character. Cologne on the other hand, is a HUGE shopping mecca. Not only were there 6 different markets, but hundreds of shops too. The town was packed. Lots of Christmas gifts being bought - especially knitted caps, gloves and scarfs. I still dont understand how Germany cornered the market on Christmas, but they claim it. No Santa though, it's all St. Nicklavs or Father Christmas. Many of the locals could speak a few words of English, but currency IS the international language, so we had no problem buying!!! The very famous Kathe Wohlfahrt store was beautiful and packed with people. I think it might be the original Christmas store. We made our way back through my favorite city, Brugge, Belgium. Their market was low key, but I hit my favorite Chocolate shop - Pralinette. YUMMY!
We drove on a "coach" known as a bus in US. It was an all-lady trip and tons of fun. It's a long time to ride on a coach, but that way there isnt any limit to the amount of bags you can bring home like there would be on a airplane. The ferry crossing back home was very wavy. The winds were very high and they had only made 2 crossings on Sunday. We got on the 2nd boat luckily. There were lorries lined up for miles waiting for a ferry in Calais, France. But for some reason, they were letting the coaches on the ferry instead of the lorries. lucky for us.
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Most of our citizens are not aware that German Americans gave us some of our most revered Christmas traditions. Like the favorite, "Silent Night" and "O Christmas Tree." And the tradition of family and friends gathering for a Christmas dinner and opening presents. Oh, and I almost forgot the ritual of decorating the Christmas tree. My students in ethnicity are usually surprised to learn of these contributions to our cultural practices around Christmas.
Glad you are seeing these places. We can't wait till you all come home for Christmas!
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