Esslingen Christmas Market

When Grandma was in town the week before Christmas we visited several nearby Christmas markets. The market at Esslingen was my favorite. The town of Esslingen was established in 777 (no, I didn't forget a number--777 AD!) and is the perfect backdrop for a Christmas Market.

the entrance to the traditional christmas market


christmas pyramid in the market square


we couldn't resist giving penelope a ride on the carousel

she loved it! (sticking out her tongue and slobbering is penelope-talk for "awesome!")

all of the stalls were decked out with evergreen limbs. this one is selling the traditional wooden decorations from a region in east germany.

our favorite part of the esslingen market was the midieval market.

everyone was dressed in costumes and the atmosphere was very jovial and entertaining. one highlight was this hand-cranked ferris wheel.

this little boy wasn't so keen on the idea, however.

penelope loved listening to the music and singing by these strange looking dudes.

we were happy to find a warm, inviting cafe where we could sit down and have a hot cup of tea. penelope instructed grandma on how to properly eat a rice cake.

and how to share.

this is my favorite facial expression. when you've got to go, you've got to go!

making flammekuchen (german version of pizza?)

where we spent a good chunk of the evening--huddled next to the open fire drinking gluewein.

the rathaus (town hall) lit up at night

the main square where the midieval market is located.

stall selling "schneeballen" (snowballs)--fried sweet dough that is dipped in chocolate or powdered sugar and usually contains some type of sweet filling. i attempted to devour one on the train on our way home. i think i gave the man collecting tickets a good laugh when i looked up to show him my ticket and had bits of chocolate all over my face.

one last picture before calling it a night.

First Christmas

It was the little one's first Christmas.
Time to find out if she was naughty or nice...

We were delighted to find out that we wouldn't be spending Christmas alone in Germany this year. My parents and brother and his wife were able to join us for the holiday, followed by my sister and her husband for New Year's. We rented a large apartment right in the heart of the Heidelberg and did our best to outfit it for Christmas.

The biggest challenge was finding a Christmas tree. A week before Christmas we stumbled upon an old man selling trees on the corner. Most of them resembled Charlie Brown's tree, but we eventually decided on a modest sized one and bargained with the man until we settled on a price. Then we loaded it on top of the stroller and walked across town to our own apartment. Here is where it stayed until the 24th when we moved into the downtown apartment.

After another trip across town on the bus, the tree finally arrived in our rental apartment; and with some help from the Euro store (European version of the 'Dollar Store'), here is the finished product:

Grandma brought some stockings to hang. As there was no chimney, she decided the 17th century wooden beams would do.

Then it was time for some family photos (the Santa hat was Grandma's idea).

Grandma and Grandpa's turn.

And don't forget Uncle T and Aunt A.

Bring on the presents!!!

The wrapping was a big hit.

Penelope got lots of exciting gifts: books, toys, clothes, her first ornament...

And her very own milk and cookies plate for Santa.

As is typical with first Christmases, Penelope was more fascinated with the crinkly paper and the tree decorations than with the gifts themselves.

Heidelberg Christmas Market

Now to backtrack to the week before Christmas...

Grandma arrived before the rest of the clan, so we got to spend a lot of time soaking up the Christmas spirit in and around Heidelberg. It was the coldest week we had had so far, but it was also when we received the first legitimate snowfall of the winter. And my philosophy is that as long as there is snow, the cold is not so bad. The Heidelberg Christmas Market was in its last days, and the crowds were out in full force.

strolling the Hauptstrasse


After church that Sunday the snow started falling, and before long everything was covered.

our little family in front of the outdoor ice skating rink in Karlsplatz


Grandma and Granddaughter covered in snow


wiggling fingers and toes in an effort to keep warm


The snow was the perfect addition to the Heidelberg Christmas market.

crowds huddled around the Christmas market stalls in Kornmarkt

castle and Madonna loom overhead

Gluewein stand--there's no better way to warm up

Gluewein drinker


shopping for ornaments at one of the market stalls

looking down the Hauptstrasse at the Heiliggeistkirche (Holy Ghost Church)

close-up of the pyramid atop a Gluewein stand

As night fell and we started losing feeling in our limbs, we went into the closest store to warm up. After regaining feeling, the Father, Grandma and I ventured back outside. Grandma and I walked across the street with the stroller to look at a candy stall, and we figured the Father was close behind. Well, he wasn't. He kept going down the street snapping pictures and following what he thought was us, but was in fact was two other people pushing a stroller. As you can see below, he captured lots of beautiful scenes from that evening, but his photography cost Grandma and I an hour of the evening spent frantically searching for him in the snowy, crowded streets.

A few days later all evidence of the snow and of the Christmas market disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

Silvester

Happy New Year's!

I have quite a bit of catching up to do, but I wanted to start with one of the most memorable events of the past week--Silvester. This is what the Germans call 'New Year's Eve.' Apparently December 31st is also St. Silvester's Day (yet another saint I was unware of), and for the past several hundred years the Germans have been paying tribute to him every New Year's Eve.

This New Year's Eve was memorable not just because we were celebrating it in Germany, but also because it was the only day all of my family was together with us in Heidelberg. My newly prego sis and her husband and my newly married brother and his wife were in town along with my parents. So we did our best to make the most of the day, and night.

First on the list, a festive dinner at a local German brewery. Notice the size of the beverage of choice.

Uncle M, the Father, Uncle T


Bratwurst, sauerkraut and potatoes--does it get more German than this?


Then we went for a quick walk around the town. This is about 10 p.m. Notice the empty bridge.

Penelope with Uncle M


The castle was all lit up and ready for the festivties, and apparently also in search of Batman.

Uncle T and Aunt A


Then back to the apartment we were renting in the Altstadt to wait until midnight.



Aunt J didn't last too long.

Starting at 11:30 p.m. things really started picking up. We walked back to the old bridge to join in the action. The streets were packed with people.

the Father, Me, Aunt J, Uncle T, Aunt A on the old bridge with the castle in the upper left corner

The big difference between New Year's in the U.S. and Germany is that in Germany there isn't an organized fireworks display. Instead, everyone brings their own bundle of fireworks and sets them off wherever they feel like it. As midnight drew near, things got really crazy. There were people shooting off fireworks all around us. On one side of us a guy was holding up an empty wine bottle and lighting large bottle rockets in it. On the other side of us a girl was shooting off roman candles. A few feet from us a group of people were lighting M-16's and throwing them off the bridge. Craziness. Pure craziness.

From our location on the bridge we could see fireworks going off in all directions--by the castle, across the river, on the mountains, on the streets below. In some ways it seemed a more grand display than the organized fireworks displays that I have seen in years past. The fireworks went on and on, but when a stray firework exploded at our feet we promptly decided to leave our spot on the bridge and push our way through the crowd and into safety.

The strangest thing that evening was that we never spotted a single policeman, firetruck or other regulating force. Although the alcohol was flowing and the streets were crowded with people setting off firewords left and right, there was no fighting or signs of aggression as you might expect in such a large boisterous gathering. The partying went on through the night, and the streets and squares were littered with broken glass and fireworks debris. But when we awoke the next morning, the streets were already cleaned up, and things were set back to normal. Altogether it was the most unique and exciting New Year's Eve celebration we've been a part of.

So long 2009. Here we come 2010....