The day after Thanksgiving Steve and I headed to Cologne, Germany. By train Cologne is just shy of two hours from Brussels and we had heard that they have fabulous Christmas markets. We did not leave disappointed.
Within reasonable walking distance from our hotel there were about six Christmas markets. We ended up going to five of them. Each market had a little bit of its own personality. They are all different sizes, the booths are all different in each market and sometimes the market will have a specific theme. The first one Steve and I went to was right on the river and had a little bit of a maritime feel. The vendors were all wearing captains hats and sometimes outfits. Some of the markets we went to had merry-go-rounds or Ferris wheels. One even had a pretty big ice skating rink. Each market had a variety of vendors selling things like ornaments, candles, lace, jewelry, toys, candy etc.
What all the markets had were the traditional Christmas market foods like brats, pretzels, cheese and baked goods. They also all had beer and hot wine. We of course took in more than our share of brats and hot wine. Each of the different markets have different vendors that are selling the hot wine. Beer and wine at the markets are served in plastic mugs or cups, instead they use proper glasses and mugs. Each market/vendor has its own unique glass or mug. They come in different shapes and sizes. When you buy wine or beer, you also put a deposit on the mug. You can either choose to keep the mug or return it to get your deposit back. As you stroll through the markets, you see everybody walking around with these steaming mugs full of wine. It was fun to see all of the different mugs and beer glasses. We spent hours eating, drinking and taking in the sights of the Christmas markets.
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| Brats on the grill, the smell was intoxicating |
It was a fun way to kick off the holiday season. Everybody seemed to be in great moods (I'm sure the wine had a lot to do with that) and everything was so festive. There were lights everywhere and you could almost always hear Christmas music (although in German). The only thing we were missing was a little bit of snow.
Within reasonable walking distance from our hotel there were about six Christmas markets. We ended up going to five of them. Each market had a little bit of its own personality. They are all different sizes, the booths are all different in each market and sometimes the market will have a specific theme. The first one Steve and I went to was right on the river and had a little bit of a maritime feel. The vendors were all wearing captains hats and sometimes outfits. Some of the markets we went to had merry-go-rounds or Ferris wheels. One even had a pretty big ice skating rink. Each market had a variety of vendors selling things like ornaments, candles, lace, jewelry, toys, candy etc.
What all the markets had were the traditional Christmas market foods like brats, pretzels, cheese and baked goods. They also all had beer and hot wine. We of course took in more than our share of brats and hot wine. Each of the different markets have different vendors that are selling the hot wine. Beer and wine at the markets are served in plastic mugs or cups, instead they use proper glasses and mugs. Each market/vendor has its own unique glass or mug. They come in different shapes and sizes. When you buy wine or beer, you also put a deposit on the mug. You can either choose to keep the mug or return it to get your deposit back. As you stroll through the markets, you see everybody walking around with these steaming mugs full of wine. It was fun to see all of the different mugs and beer glasses. We spent hours eating, drinking and taking in the sights of the Christmas markets. 
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