'Tis the season!

I promised I would bring you a full report on the Weihnachtsmarkt, and I will now follow through.  There is nothing like the atmosphere of a Christmas market on a crisp cold night, surrounded by hundreds of people, drinking Glühwein (mulled wine), and hearing kids sing Christmas carols.  There were all sorts of interesting things that I found at the Weihnachtsmarkt - some that I expected, and some that surprised me.  First, let me report on the menu for the night, because let's be honest, the food was the most important part of the experience.  :-)

First "dinner":  Kartoffel Puffer mit Kräuter Joghurt - two fried cakes of mashed potates with an herb, yogurt sauce

Glühwein #1

First dessert:  Gebrannte Mandeln - sweet, roasted almonds, a very typical food at German markets, fairs, and fests.

Second "dinner" (above): Krautschupfnudeln - potato noodles, sauerkraut, and ham - VERY schwäbisch, and one of my favorite comfort foods here.

Glühwein #2

(After this one, I saw a stand selling homemade maultaschen, in a little wrapper, so you could hold it in your hands and nibble away.  I was so full at that point, but you should know by now how I feel about maultaschen.  This time I could only sit and smell the goodness, and make a promise to myself to come back and eat one.)

Second dessert: Crepe mit Zimt und Zucker - crepes are really popular here, and a warm, cinnamon-y crepe is the best way to end the night.

The best part of the evening was having a friend to share the experience with.

We laughed together about the random people you encounter in a Christmas market.  There were a lot of street musicians out entertaining the masses and adding to the atmosphere.  I was surprised to see several younger kids standing on their own, playing Christmas carols, usually on some sort of wind instrument.  Then there was the typical group of young guys with guitar and percussion singing pop music.  There were trios of more classical types of musicians.  There was a man playing a didjeridoo, and another man playing music (I forget which instrument) with a bright green parrot sitting on his head.  Finally, there were groups of young people singing traditional German Christmas songs.

Wandering through the market, you will find stands selling everything from traditional wood toys/ornaments to silicone kitchenware to kitschy oriental figurines.  There were stands selling knitted or leather/shearling house-shoes (which looked soooo luxuriously warm).  One of my favorites was a stand of handmade pottery and stoneware, where I saw some small stoneware birds that reminded me of something in my grandparents house.  There were a few moments like that, when I saw things that are familiar either from the little bit of German culture that has trickled down in my family, or from traces of German culture that you can still find in Central Texas.  Very cool to see those connections, no matter how distant they are.

Here are the rest of my pics from last night.

Weihnachtsmarkt