Life as I know it.: Frohe Weihnachten aus Deutschland!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Frohe Weihnachten aus Deutschland!

Heppenheim Weihnachtsmarkt

'Tis the season for Christmas music, Advent calendars and candles, glühwein and many, many Christmas markets! What I've learned so far about the German Christmas season is that every single German town has a market, whether for one weekend, one day or for every day of December, and more importantly, Advent. Derek and I have concluded that Germans always have a reason to celebrate, whether it be carnival with Easter season, opening of the wine season, summer festivals, closing of the wine season, Autumn beer fest, wine walks, and now, Christmas markets. From my one weekend of experience I've decided that Christmas markets are not just places to buy adorable Christmas decorations, but also a gathering of intense glühwein drinkers trying to stay warm. I'm also not sure that a more adorable, romantic ambiance could be created for Christmastime.

This past weekend Derek and I took the train to Darmstadt for a meetup of Derek's colleague and my friend. As a larger city, Darmstadt did not provide the charm of half-timbered houses or quaint cobbled streets, but was a good start to our weichnachtsmarkt experience. On Saturday, Derek's birthday, we headed to our initial home-base in Germany and charming town of Heppenheim. Talk about romantic and adorable, Heppenheim had it all. We enjoyed glühwein with friends, explored the market stalls and strolled through the town. The old rathaus accompanied the Christmas tree in lighting up the marktplatz as a local band shared holiday joy. For a birthday dinner, we settled into a charming weinstube where Derek indulged in Argetentine steak and I had a schnitzel. On Sunday we ventured to the town famous for its rathaus and cuteness, Michelstadt. With fresh snow on the ground, the town was a hustle and bustle of holiday cheer. After collecting a glühwein mug for our collection (you pay about 2 Euros for a deposit), we met up with Nadine and Denis in Derek's town of work, Reichelsheim. This may be the smallest market we visit, but nevertheless, it was a wonderful yet freezing evening spent among the star-studded church. I can promise that this month's blogs will be filled with Christmas cheer (singing loud for all to hear!), so stay tuned!