Christmas traditions - fun festivities

Timothy loves to decorate the Christmas tree. I was lucky that in my brother's family, tradition is to decorate the tree very close to Christmas, generally only a day or two before the big day. (As opposed to the day after Thanksgiving, which is a big day in the States for folks to get and decorate trees.) This all means that I got to be there and help with the job. I have wonderfully fond memories of decorating the tree as a family, and since D and I didn't have the option of doing a tree in Belgium, it was a joy for me to get to share with Timothy this fun task. I know that I am prejudice, since he is my nephew and all, but I LOVE this picture because he is just to cute! Look at that face, that infectious smile. Who wouldn't want to hang out with this loveable bundle of joy? (I am a smitten Aunty.)


As is the case all throughout my family, we had more than enough ornaments in which to choose from, so my job was to help Timothy (clearly the most excited to decorate) get ornaments on the tree and make sure that the tree was balanced (that was more for the rest of us, Timothy didn't really care about that bit). I liked the slightly smaller tree (than what I am used to in the States)- it made the job fun but not so long that you are ready to be done long before the tree looks ready.


Now, Timothy loves the Christmas tree, but my favorite FAVORITE memory from Christmas time as a child was making, decorating and eating my mom's sugar cookies. There are many wonderful cookies that both D's and my family make around this time of year, but for me, this is the one that I have to have in order for it to "feel" like Christmas. I cared enough about it that I mixed the dry ingredients in the US before our trip over and saved it until we made our way over to Frankfurt. (I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find Cream of Tartar or Baking Powder or something crucial. I am a planner, and if it is important enough for me, I will jump through some silly hoops to make what I want to happen, happen.) Thankfully, since I have a fabulous sister-in-law, Dany let me use her kitchen to bake the cookies the day before (we used a wine glass as the cookie cutter, and I was really amazed how much the cookies differed in size. Weird.) So, on Christmas Eve, we were able to spend the day decorating the tree, and then decorating -and eating - the cookies.


And, of course, you CANNOT make cookies without sampling them to make sure that they are up to par for all others to taste. Timothy was an excellent frosting spreader (he actually preferred that job over putting the sprinkles on - that surprised me) and D did quite a good job of applying the sprinkles - and an even better job of helping make the cookies disappear. Funny, once the cookies are available, only the children are good about asking for permission to eat them, and then are good at restraining at just one or two. We adults were sneaking them right and left and looking like guilty children when caught. Funny. The taste of home and happy memories, hard not to gorge on that.

Happy Birthday Jen!

Dany is a great sister-in-law. Since we were in Frankfurt for my birthday, Dany went out and bought some lovely confections to celebrate. I am a sucker for good pasteries and these were fantastic.


I also really enjoy a Frankfurt specialty called Bethmaennchen which are marzipan balls with pealed almonds halves stuck on all four sides. The tops are toasted so they have a caramelized sugar yumminess. They are small nibblets that slide down easy and you loose count of how many you have had real quick. A dangerous habit that I indulged in while in town but gratefully (for my wasteline) stopped once I left.


D and I enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Taj, a good Indian restaurant recommended by my brother, and a nice walk downtown Frankfurt. Nothing too exciting, just a sweet day.

Final Fest in Frankfurt

The final glorious Weihnachtsmarkt was in Frankfurt - sort of a full circle moment for me. I was finally able to visit the place that started my German Christmas market dreams. The wonderful thing about this one, however, is that since my sister-in-law grew up in Frankfurt and had been coming to this festival her entire life, she was a stellar tour guide.


We basically ate and drank our way around the fest, and it was glorious. Dany took us to this fantastic meat vendor - and I don't narrow the description down because they sold so many different kinds of delicious, grilled confections that it would be difficult to characterize them. They cooked all these sausages and steaks (pork, beef, etc) and ribs on a giant saucer grill. It was about 5 feet in diameter and was suspended from the ceiling of their hut, swinging gently around and around. It was a beauty. If we can figure out how to post the video I took we will. Sausages for dinner were a must, and I was remarkably impressed with my nephew Timothy (who is 3 years old), who ate as much as I did. He was a little smarter than I am, though, (a frightening thought) since he waited until the sausage cooled down (mostly by his dad blowing on it and cutting it for him - such good service) while I just burned my mouth by devouring it immediately.


As at other fests, tasting the gluehwein was something I had been looking forward to - and again, Dany was our education guide. She introduced us to the different types of hot, spiced wine available. The standard/foundational/regular-no-frills hot mulled wine is gluehwein - red wine heated in a pot spiced with cinnamon, cloves, citrus fruit, vanilla and sugar or honey. (In some locations, you can purchase bottles that are ready made and you just pour the prepared liquid into a microwave safe cup, heat and serve. I, for one, do not like the presentation of this method and believe that it cannot taste as good, although D has told me from the vin chaud (hot wine, as they call it in French speaking countries) that we had in Brugge this way tasted very good.) However, you can have gluehwein with shots of liqueur in it, like amaretto for example, or with rum which is called Feuerzangenbowle. This word literally means flaming fire tongs punch. This is one that I had been wanting to try since German Club in college. The red wine is prepared as above, but then a giant sugar cube is soaked in rum and then set afire over the mixture, melting and caramelizing the sugar. Yummy. My favorite, however, was the Mon Ami, which was the name for the gluehwein that was made with cherry wine instead of red/grape wine. It was WAY good. The whipped cream and cinnamon, as shown above, only added to the glorious experience. It was good we ate first - although they served the gluehwein in smallish cups, after 3-4 cups one is feeling warm and friendly.


We tromped around and sampled the sugar encrusted almonds and the giant dumplings smothered in vanilla sauce and poppy seeds (another item that was served in a ceramic bowl - it really does help make it taste better) and enjoyed the atmosphere. I was grateful that the weather cooperated and the crowds weren't too awful. My brother had mentioned that crowds could get to be a mess, and that he was pleasantly surprised that there was a reasonable number of people, but not the regular crush. We were going on the last day of the fest, so the fear was high that the crowds would appear.


What a wonderful day. With tummys full of goodies, we started for home just as the crowds started showing up. I have to say that I had The Night Before Christmas running through my head. I felt like a kid who had got to live in the dream with sugar plums. A special day with special people.

Eau de Cologne...more than a scent

I feel silly, but I didn’t realize that the reason “perfume” is equated with “cologne” is because of the city of Cologne, Germany. As we were prepping for our Christmas market tour, I wanted to find cities that looked interesting and fun to visit (just in case the market was a bomb, I didn’t want to then feel like the trip was wasted, so it made sense to go to a city that wasn’t a one-hit-wonder.) As I read about Cologne, I discovered that this city was world known for its “scented water”, first produced in 1705 from a secret Italian formula. The fragrance was aged in oak barrels. The most famous cologne formula is known as 4711. The name comes from the firm’s address at 4711 Glockengasse. Once I learned this, I wanted to make sure that I picked up a bottle. My sister-in-law informed me that by today’s standard, 4711 is not the nicest scent. I can see why, but I am still excited to have it and enjoy the history of the perfume. So fun!


On to the Christmas markets: we were excited about Cologne because they have 3 larger markets and a couple of smaller ones. Although we wanted to do most of our trips via train on this leg of our European adventure, we drove to Colonge because the train was silly expensive. Within the borders of any one country, on the weekends, the national train service generally has "shopping specials." This just means cheap tickets to travel where you might not otherwise and boost the economy with a little discretionary spending. This has been great for us when we want to go to Brussels (or Brugge) and we will take advantage of it to go to Antwerp and Ghent soon - but it doesn't carry over borders. So even though we are so close to France, Germany and Luxembourg, the international trains are expensive.


Thankfully, we had an easy drive and no problem finding a parking garage close to the main market, and across from the Intercontinental. I mention the hotel because D and I have become connoisseurs of concierges and services at hotels – particularly free maps and helpful advise, not to mention free bathrooms. [Aside: It is hard to find a free bathroom in Europe! Even harder to find a pleasant, free bathroom.] The Intercontinental is the godfather of hotels. With old school style and service in a modern shell, it is a lovely place to stay. D was CLUTCH and remembered the layout of the Intercontinental from Frankfurt (stayed there once when visiting my brother – and it was awesome) and found the bathrooms right away. German bathrooms are great because they have floor to ceiling doors on each stall – such lovely privacy. We then meandered over to the concierge and asked about the Christmas markets. (Now, I am unsure if I need to feel bad about this or not, but I think he thought that we were staying at the hotel, and I didn’t correct this impression. Is that awful? Am I taking advantage of him or the hotel? I hope not, because as a tourist, I really count on good hotels providing the free city maps – especially on Sunday when the tourist office is closed.) He whipped out a great, seasonal map and proceeded to tell us where to go and when, so that we could get the most out of our shopping day. Lovely. I say a seasonal map because it had little Christmas tree icons on the map noting where the Christmas markets were located. Fabulous!


Off we went, and I was SOO not disappointed with the wait. The first one we went to was in the Cathedral square (actually leading up to, in, and out of the square) and was beautifully presented. There were row upon row of vendors, and we especially appreciated the care taken in signage by the organizers. There was a sign at each row that gave the category of items/shops down that row. D and I appreciated the signs to the toilettes the best. A good sense of humor is always appreciated.


As we wandered through the streets admiring the wares, we stopped to enjoy the tastes of the season. I wanted to sample some gluehwein and wasn't disappointed. I appreciate the way the German's serve specialty food on ceramic tableware with silverware and not with disposable plates, bowls and cups. With the cups, the price includes a pfand, which is German for a deposit and is generally between 1-2 Euro. What I love about this is that if you want to keep the cup, for a souvenier for example, you don't have to do anything other than try and not break it on your way home. You have already "purchased" it, so all is well. I love this because I had been looking forward to getting another cup to go with the one I had gotten years ago. D and I had to look around and find the one I liked best, and then we enjoyed a lovely cup of hot wine and warmed up. (With the plates and bowls, it is on an honorary system, which seems to work.)


We determine what foods to try according to what grabs D's eye and attention - I know when I hear "What is that!?!" that we have a food purchase coming up. For those of you that have seen the movie Over the Hedge, it sounds just like when Hammy says that line after the bag of nacho chips is opened. So, when he saw the Reibekuchen, which is German for shredded cake, we had to hunt them down. There are different names for Reibekuchen but they are essentially big tater tots or hashbrowns. The interesting thing is, though, that the Germans eat them with sugar and/or applesauce. Interesting. I put sugar on mine before I realized that it wasn't salt. It made the taste a bit weird.


Part of what I liked so much about this market was the effort put into decorations. Fresh, decorated Christmas trees were everywhere, which made the air smell wonderful as well as make you feel like you were in a decorated forest. Many of the vendors were dressed in costumes - they went with a gnome theme, as the toilette sign picture suggests. Furthering that theme, they had carved gnomes throughout the market - they were carved by a chainsaw artist and were made from tree trunks, and were therefore substantial in size. They were quite beautiful. To be fair, gnomes have nothing to do with Christmas and I would have liked to see more nativity scenes and fewer fantasy figures. At least there weren't a lot of Santa Claus characters - I dislike them and find that they detract from what is unique and special in local Christmas traditions. There were a lot of nativity scenes for sale, so I am glad for that.


We made it to the other 2 large Christmas markets before we burned out. The light was fading which was nice for the decorations - all the lights up - but more challenging when trying to navigate in an unknown city. We both agreed that the market around the cathedral was the best. The others had lovely food (dinner was a lovely wurst - we are suckers for German wursts in bread, and I finally tried some roasted chestnuts which I really enjoyed) and nice atmosphere, but it is hard to compete with the background of that stunning cathedral - not to mention more dedicated space.

After a time, we trudged back to the Intercontinental (to use the bathrooms before the drive home) and back we went - home again, home again. A lovely day. Next, finally, will be Frankfurt and the Christmas market I had just missed when I visited as a student.

A study in Christmas Markets: Background and Brugge

There are several reasons we wanted to be back in Europe before Christmas – the opportunity to spend Christmas with my brother and his family in Germany, experiencing a different culture/country celebrate Christ’s birth, etc – but I am ashamed to admit that the #1 reason was that I really, REALLY wanted to go to Christmas markets. As the name would suggest, they only happen around Christmas, and although they start in late November, they often end several days before Christmas. When I studied abroad in college, I had come over literally days after Christmas and came to realize then that I had missed something good. My brother had taken me to the remains of a Christmas market (we figure they had food left over and were happy to sell it to us) and I then experienced the rapture of gluehwein, which is mulled/spiced red wine, in the special sized and marked cup (generally telling the year and name of the market). I was hooked. Ever since then, I have desired to spend Christmas in Europe, mostly to experience the markets, without really thinking it would ever happen. When D’s work opportunity here cracked the door to the possibility, we ran through it. D is a gracious and loving husband to indulge me in returning before Christmas, he was up for the adventure.

A “Christmas market” is an open air/street market held during advent, mainly the four weeks preceding Christmas Day. These markets originated in Germany and Austria and are known by the names of Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) and Christkindlmarkt (Christ Child’s market). They date back to the Middle Ages in the German speaking sections of Europe. No one city has claim to being the first, but there are several that have documented markets ranging back to the late 1300’s and early 1400’s. Christmas markets have been a German tradition since at least the mid 1500s. Seasonal markets were held in Germany year around. Christmas markets were an especially anticipated event, as they brought light and laughter to a cold, dark season.


Each town’s market would have been unique. Local tradesmen would have sold their wares at the market, giving each market an individual flavor. Food and beverages served would have been produced in the region, making each town's offerings a little different. Tradesmen would have lined the streets with handmade wares, displaying distinctive regional characteristics. This is why different markets visited today will have different wares and qualities. The different names are from different traditions adopted in the north and south of Germany. Christkindlmarkt’s are a southern tradition where the Christkindl delivers presents to children on Christmas. Christkindl is a romantic, fairy like being, dressed in white and gold, with golden hair topped by a golden crown. Christkindl is the German equivalent of Santa Claus. (Not sure, really, how the Christ child became a fairly like figure…must be something like the game of Telephone over the centuries…)


Like other aspects of Christmas, unfortunately, Christmas markets have become commercial products and there is a trend of mass produced items for sale and non-traditional foods provided. I saw this less in Germany than in adopters of the Christmas market tradition. Nonetheless, I was determined to enjoy my market season, warts and all.


Brugge was the first city that we visited upon our return back to Belgium. Brugge is a perennial favorite of ours and we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see it dressed up for Christmas. The decorations were lovely and I always enjoy the opportunity to get a hot cup of gluehwein to warm me up from the inside out. But, it wasn’t what I had hoped. It was fairly small, cramped into the grand-place, and the wares were mostly mass produced and lacking in quality or uniqueness. We were glad that some of them were of a winter variety (we were with friends that had not brought a winter hat, and it was -5 degrees Celsius, so purchasing one was on the top of the agenda) but it felt like a Sunday market (prepared food, veggies, household goods for sale on a weekly basis on the day that all the stores are closed – Sunday) just dressed up for Christmas. A fun trip, but not the start I had hoped for on my Christmas market extravaganza tour. So, since one of our travel companions to Brugge was the master-mind of travel and food, I asked him where we should go next. Taking into consideration our limited time (one weekend before our trip to Frankfurt, Germany for visiting family and celebrating Christmas), he recommended Cologne, Germany, a short car ride away but with multiple markets to choose from and a good tradition to fall back on. Cologne was next.

The Golden City - Last Day

We got up early again (relatively speaking) and found a wonderful local shop off the beaten path that sold beautiful crystal (that was on sale – oh the joy!) and we quickly found one that both D and I liked. How wonderful! Now, of course, the trick was getting it back home without breaking it. Then, to spend our last day, we decided to simply go visit the church on the castle mount and the Lobkowicz museum.


We got to St. Vitus Cathedral before there was a queue, and took our time walking around inside. This is an amazing church in that it took almost 600 years to complete. Construction started in 1344 and wasn't complete until 1929. This makes the style somewhat hard to categorize since so many different styles are included. The building is foundationally Gothic in nature but large sections are Renaissance and Baroque. Then, there is the Neo-Gothic half and a few Art Nouveau parts. A push to finish the cathedral in the late 1800's also resulted in a renovation that helped unify the building, preventing a fractured finish to a meaningful city treasure. Despite the fact that the entire western half of the Cathedral is a Neo-Gothic addition, much of the design and elements developed by Peter Parler (the architect who took over the project in 1352) were used in the restoration, giving the Cathedral as a whole a harmonious, unified look.


We found the Mucha stained glass at the very end of our tour around the Cathedral. As a Mucha fan, it was thrilling to see an original. It was easy to find because his style is evident, but at the same time it wasn't out of place. I actually really enjoyed all the stained glass. I am impressed with the beautiful job the modern artists have done in marrying old and new, so that the stained glass still fit the character of the church while also including/representing contemporary elements. I don't remember enjoying stained glass windows quite as much in any other church I have visited. My pictures don't do them justice; they were awe inspiring and majestic. A wonderful tool for representing the character of God in His house.

Next, we trotted down the way to the Lobkowicz Palace Museum. It was possibly my favorite visit of the trip. The story behind the family is almost unbelievable. I will try to summarize it here. With the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, titles were abolished and large scale nationalization took place. Maximilian Lobkowicz, son and heir of the last Prince and Duke of Roudnice, was a noted Czech nationalist and dedicated Republican supporter. Max joined the diplomatic service becoming First Secretary and later Ambassador to Great Britain for the Czechoslovak government in exile during World War II. He was active in the underground movement against the Nazis and was decorated for his service to the country in 1947. He held his ambassadorial post until he was forced to flee Czechoslovakia after the Communist take-over in 1948, leaving everything behind. One of the results of the Velvet Revolution of 1989 was the passage of restitution laws (incredibly unique world-wide), designed to repair the injustices of the previous 41 years and encourage swift revitalization of the country. The process of returning immovable and movable assets was thus set in motion. In addition to the Prague palace's return, the family recovered paintings, decorative arts, original musical scores and instruments, an extensive library of rare books and archives, and important arms and armor, spanning seven centuries of art and music patronage. Some of the pieces that most amazed D and I to see included: original scores of Beethoven’s Fourth and Fifth Symphonies (the 5th was dedicated to his generous benefactor, Joseph František Maximilian, the 7th Prince Lobkowicz (1772-1816), who subsidized some of Beethoven's best work), two paintings by Italian master Canaletto, and Pieter Brueghel the Elder’s 1565 masterpiece Haymaking, possibly the finest example of the artist’s work still in private hands.

The restoration of the palace, as well as many of the masterpieces inside, took time and it had just opened in April 2007. D and I were thrilled to be able to see it. It was like an oasis for many reasons. First, we had it to ourselves – we only saw a handful of other people as we went through. This was the only place in the entire city that had such a peaceful and non-crowded atmosphere. Second, since we didn't have anything else planned that day, we were able to take our time and really enjoy this unique and wonderful collection. Third, when we were done, they possessed a cafe that had the best view overlooking Prague – and God had given us a glorious day to sit and enjoy a good hot lunch with blankets and furnaces to keep us warm and a fabulous view to keep us occupied. It couldn't have been a better way to wind up a magical visit.

And for the last few minutes in the Golden City, we decided to sit on the edge of the town center and simply watch people and revel in the beautiful weather and square. We enjoyed this more than I thought we would have. We saw tourists from all over the world (Japan, USA, Germany, France, Russia, etc) and oddly felt like we all quite fit in. Just as I was commenting to D how no one seemed to really stand out - either because of clothing or behavior - a remarkably attractive woman in what I would call a "showier" outfit walked by. D didn't notice her and doesn't remember her - God bless him. We women are funny creatures. It was nice to have the luxury of just sitting and reflecting on the past few days - and couple of months for that matter. It seemed odd to feel like we fit in (or at least didn't stand out) in such a different place, somewhere so far from home. I honestly feel like part of it was because there were so many groups of decidedly diverse and different people - in their language, dress, behavior - that to fit in was to stick out.

Perhaps another part of it was that I wasn't trying to fit in and didn't really care if I did or not. What a freeing feeling. I need to apply these lessons learned to my "real" life and not just on vacation. God is gracious that way, to teach a lesson when I least expect it, and in such a gentle way. We all stick out and are odd in some way, but in Him we have the freedom of fitting in. We don't have a mold we have to conform to, we simply have to recognize the Truth for what it is and believe it. Then we get to stop judging ourselves and others - oh, what a burden lifted, a freedom received. Who doesn't want to be accepted, just as they are?


Prague had a lot of tourists and is expensive – it has been discovered and is no longer off the beaten track. Still, it was worth the effort and expense to visit. The streets oozed mystery and ancient charm. I was so glad I got to visit this majestic city. I am blessed.

The Golden City - Day 2

What a difference the time of day makes in the crowds! We got up early (meaning we were out the streets by 10am when everything opened) and virtually had the town to ourselves. We were blessed with another clear beautiful day and amused ourselves by checking out a bit of the New Town section, particularly Wenceslas Square, named after the patron saint of Bohemia. The name is a bit of a misnomer; it is really a large street with substantial green space in between the opposing lanes. At one end is the Czech National Museum with a bronze statute of St. Wenceslas on his horse out in front. It is a significant landmark in that it has been home to tragedy and triumph alike. It was here that the proclamation of independence for Czechoslovakia was read in 1918 and where Nazis staged mass demonstrations. A student set himself on fire to protest the Soviet invasion in 1969 and where hundreds of thousands came to demonstration in 1989 during the Velvet Revolution. It is lined with some beautiful buildings, particularly the Hotel Europa, which boasts of an exquisite Art Nouveau facade.


Finally we made our way over to the Prague Castle. In order to get there, one is required to cross over the Charles Bridge, which is just beautiful. It is often the visual that most people associate with Prague. Construction on it began in 1357 and finished at the beginning of the 15th Century.

The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, erected around 1700. It is currently undergoing a reconstruction that will protect it from damage as a result of flooding, which has been a problem over the centuries, the latest having been in 2002. It is a grand avenue leading you to a grand castle.


The Castle is more of a compound than a castle proper. It consists of a not so small town within the walls of the castle. The buildings include the St Vitus Cathedral, Basilica of St. George, a monastery and several palaces, gardens, defense towers, museums and picture galleries. Knowing that we couldn't possibly see it all (nor did we have the energy to do so) we decided to stroll the streets, visit St. Vitus Cathedral and the Lobowitz Museum.


Overall, we were pleased with our decision. The lines everywhere were long, despite this being an off time, so we decided to take our time looking for a crystal decanter (it seemed only appropriate that we should buy Bohemian Crystal in Bohemia) and enjoying our view. We would come back early the next day and enjoy the museum and church.


In the meantime, we chatted with a vendor on the castle mount and asked him about the changes that he had seen in Prague over the years. What surprised us most was that he commented on how few people there were now that the Czech Zloty had been strengthening against the Euro, Dollar and Pound. He had said that regardless of the time of year, it used to be that it was virtually impossible to cross the Charles Bridge because of the mass of humanity on it. We found it crowded during peak hours but never that bad. I was really quite shocked. I knew that Prague was beautiful and popular, but that gave me a perspective of just how popular it has become as a tourist destination.


We finished the day with a visit to the Alfonso Mucha Museum. For those unfamiliar, he is a artist whose lithographed posters took Paris by storm in the late 1800's and had a great deal to do with the popularity of the Art Nouveau style. He did it all – paintings, ads, jewelry, design work for carpets, wallpaper, theater sets as well as new Czech stamps and currency and a stain glass window for the Vitus Church. His work is beautiful and I am grateful to my sister for really introducing me to him. I had been familiar with Art Nouveau with some of its other names (the German Jugendstil and the Austrian Sezessionstil) but Mucha really has a unique presentation that has a fantasy, and escapism almost that I truly enjoy. The museum had a lovely collection of his work as well as a film detailing his life (around 30 minutes long, it was wonderfully comprehensive). I so wanted to buy something, but all the posters just didn't seem to do justice to the colors that the original had. I really liked his seasons cycle and would have bought that, but they didn't have it. Darn it.