We added three more Christmas markets to our 2019 collection!
We started Kristen and Seth’s visit off with a taste of Germany, enjoying dinner at our favorite German restaurant (where Seth devoured the notorious “Pork Knuckle”), a few rounds of Alt bier at the brewery, and a shot of Killepitsch from the window, which was closed, so we actually had to knock, providing the ultimate Killepitsch experience!
On Thursday we woke, ready to celebrate a “German-style” Thanksgiving. We took a casual stroll down Nordstraße, popping into a few shops and stopping at a mom and pop liquor shop where the boys tasted different liquors and picked out a delightful whisky to enjoy after our festive dinner. We stopped by the grocery store (happy to avoid the U.S. Thanksgiving Day crowd) and picked up the ingredients for our big meal while showing off the local items which include “American style” hot dogs in a jar.
Next up, we took a trip down to our first Christmas market, filling up on smoked salmon sandwiches, Raclette (heated cheese that is scraped off a wheel onto a slice of thick bread which is covered in herbs… delicious!), and of course a day dog. We continued our Düsseldorf tour by wandering through Carlsplatz market, picking up some cheese for an appetizer, taste testing the local mustard, and popping into Gut & Gerne to dry off and warm up with a cup of hot cocoa (milk chocolate and peanut butter for Amy, white chocolate for Jeff and dark chocolate and orange for Kristen and Seth… mmm!).
We continued our city tour, stopping at Confiserie Heinemann (the “fancy” cake shop according to Amy’s German teacher) to pick out our Thanksgiving dessert. Talk about a tough choice! We ended up choosing a slice of Black Forest cake (an item on the “Foods to try in Germany” list), a raspberry and cream combo, a unique baked apple slice, and a chocolatey mousse mix, all of which were delicious! We made one final stop on our way home, hopping across the street to the mall where we gathered around with the locals and tourists alike to watch the dancing Christmas tree.
Eventually we made our way back to the apartment and started cooking our Thanksgiving meal. We could not find a turkey at the local grocery store (just duck), so we swapped the usual turkey out for chicken, and prepped a slew of traditional thanksgiving sides including fresh rolls from the bakery, and of course, our mouth-watering cake. We spent the evening in the usual Thanksgiving state, stuffed like a turkey and gathered around playing games.
We caught the train to Cologne on Friday morning and spent the day wandering through the city, and of course, the Christmas markets. We began the Cologne tour with a walk across the “locks” bridge, a stop at the window to admire the Dionysus Mosaic from 220 AD, and of course a stroll over the old Roman road. We wandered through our first Christmas market of the day, buying Kristen and Seth their first glass of glühwein and finding a few treats to energize our systems as we prepared for the climb up the 533 stairs at the Cologne Cathedral tower… what better way is there of earning your Christmas treats for the day?
We followed our climb up the tower with a stop inside the cathedral, then set off to escape the cold at the local Kölsch brewery. Along the way, we found ourselves immersed in Cologne’s Fridays for Future strike.
After warming up, we set off to see more Christmas markets. We wandered through the old city gates, visited the colorful Heavenue markets, tasted the reibekuchen (potato pancakes) and cheesy pretzels at the Angel markets, and made our way back to Altstadt to our favorite market with the Heinzelmännchen (house gnomes). There, we warmed up with a glass of glühwein while standing on the deck of the gnome's house, overlooking the skating rink.
As we made our way back to the train station, we stopped for one last “fancy” glühwein, and our favorite, feuerzangenbowle (glühwein topped with a sugar cube soaked in rum and set on fire… aka spiked mulled wine).
We enjoyed a lazy Saturday morning as we waited for the Christmas markets and ice-skating rink to open. Along with the Christmas markets and Ferris wheel, Dusseldorf also sets up an ice-skating rink in the middle of town during the Christmas market season. Last year, we talked about going out for a spin, but never did, so this year we had to do it! We strapped on our skates and set out gliding across the ice and around the fountain. Jeff and Seth showed off their figure skating skills, twirling and spinning and skating on one foot while Kristen and Amy enjoyed the silly show.
From there, we made our way to our favorite Ramen restaurant for lunch. There is always a line at this place, and even though it was a chilly wait, it was totally worth it!
After lunch, we took an impromptu sprint to the train station… with full soup bellies… We realized as we set off for the train that it was either run and barely make it, or wait 45 minutes for the next train... we chose to run and made it with one minute to spare! Let’s not do that again!
We arrived in Dortmund, excited to see one of Germany’s largest Christmas markets and the largest Christmas tree in the world (measuring in at 147 feet and made up of 1,700 individual fir trees). As we turned the corner to the town square, we caught our first glimpse of the tree and as we kept walking, the tree got taller, and taller, and taller. It was massive! We snapped a few photos and settled in with our heart-shaped glasses of, you guessed it, hot glühwein. We strolled through the city and around the countless stalls, listening to live music while taking in the smells of freshly roasted almonds, waffles, and crepes galore. We admired the beautiful woodwork and nativity scenes, fun pop up cards and Christmas ornaments, cozy wool socks and scarves, and a mini mockup of Grimm’s fairy tales including Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel in the middle of one of the markets. You just never know what you'll find!
On Sunday, we made our way to Aachen for our final Christmas market with Kristen and Seth. We strolled through the first few stalls and took a break to admire the incredible and unique cathedral in the middle of town. Aachen Cathedral was completed in the 800s under Charlemagne’s reign and had a unique octagonal basilica that is covered in incredible mosaics. It was unbelievable, the art within the cathedral was absolutely stunning! No wonder it was once used as the coronation church for German kings!
Following the cathedral, we made our way to Carolus Thermen (aka bathhouse) to warm up and relax. We hopped around the different pools, braving the cold outside by swimming through a corridor from the indoor pool to the outdoor pool, and testing our endurance in the bubble pool and whirl pool. We detoxed in the sauna and also spent time just sitting and soaking. It was the ideal way to spend a chilly afternoon!
Next up, another set of Christmas market stalls. We found some treats including amaretto hot chocolate, eierpunsch (spiked and fruity eggnog), an apple pastry, and quarkbällchen (fluffy dough balls rolled in sugar, similar to a donut). Yummy! We ended the evening with a trip to the local doner shop and a picnic on the train. What a fun day!
We decided to take it easy on Monday, staying cozied up indoors and working on a puzzle while watching Christmas movies. Later, in the evening, we took one last stroll around the Düsseldorf Christmas markets and indulged in one more set of churros and one last glass of glühwein.
The perfect way to end a perfect visit!
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