Christmas Market in Bremen, Germany

In a word....fabulous!

Four hours just isn't enough time to spend at the Bremen Christmas Market. Chuck and I visited Bremen in August for his birthday and really enjoyed spending time in this great city along the river. On our way to Amsterdam, I thought it would be nice to stop in, once again, for a few hours to see their Christmas market.

Bremen did not disappoint!

Some how I missed Bottcherstrasse in August. Well, I found it in December. I probably dropped about 200Euro on this short little street. Bottcherstrass has some great shops with unique glassware, teas, and other Bremen related items. I also stumbled upon the Bremen Bonbon shop where you can watch them make lollipops and candies from scratch.

The Christmas market was spectacular. There are really 3 sections. One in the square in front of the Rathaus, one between the Rathaus and the information center and one near St. Peter's Cathedral. I found just about everything I was looking for in Bremen...and then some.

A few pictures...

Christmas market with St. Peter's Cathedral in the background.

Christmas market with Bremen Town Hall (Rathaus) in the background.

Yummy marshmallow filled chocolate domes.

Market

Mother in law, Sue, buying some mind twisting games.

Chuck and his mom at the Town Musicians statue

Christmas Market in Lubeck, Germany

Going to the Christmas Market in Lubeck, Germany wasn't exactly an original idea as it seems all of northern Germany was there!

We arrived around 11:30, only to sit in traffic for another 30 minutes, crawling along trying to park. The goal was to be up and in Lubeck by 10am or so (the market opens at 11). This way we could get a parking spot, see some of the sites, and shop a bit before the hoards of people descended upon Lubeck. We didn't leave until 9:30, so getting there by 10 wasn't going to happen.

Recommendations:

1. Get there early! 10am is best. If you get there later in the day, park just outside of the walled city area and walk the 5-10 minutes to get to the market. It will save 30 minutes of waiting in traffic to find a parking space.
2. Get there early! There are hoards of people mulling around. If you want to spend some time browsing the shops, get there early because shopping body to body is difficult. And, if you pass up an item you want, turning around to get it is virtually impossible.
3. Enjoy the hot mulled wine, bratwurst, gingerbread, large pretzels, and great confections. Yummy way to eat your way through the market.
4. Stop in the Marienkirche and browse through the Church. It's a good place to take a break from all the people and it has a great story, so pick up the English brochure at the door near the donation box.
5. Check out the arts and crafts at St. Petri Church. There's a 2 Euro entrance fee, but the wares are worth a look.
6. Skip the Niederegger (marzipan store) unless you enjoy being bumped and grinded (is that the right word?) by old men and ladies fighting to get a look at the latest Christmas marzipan candies. Wowee. It was intense. I'll buy my confections at Cittipark.

Christmas Markets (and tourist stuff) in Dresden, Germany

At the recommendation of a friend, we decided to go to Dresden, Germany for the weekend. We had never been to a Christmas Market, so the one in Dresden would be our first encounter with masses of bratwurst-eating, mulled wine-drinking, all around happy Germans.

We ate, drank, shopped, wondered, toured…and Lincoln was the only one to get a present from Dresden. One of the stands was filled with all these 2” letters on wheels (I should have taken a pic), so I pieced together a L-I-N-C-O-L-N train. Now, the task of figuring out how to mail it to the US.
We also did the normal tourist stuff. Here are the highlights and the slideshow:

• Church of our Lady (Frauenkirche) - The Church was destroyed by the allied fire bombing during WWII. With the use of private funding the Church was rebuilt ($200 million) and dedicated in 2005. It's a pretty impressive structure with various levels of balconies (we assume for concerts). We rode the elevator/climbed the stairs to the cuppola and had a wonderful view of the city.
• Zwinger - The complex was built in the early 1700s in the baroque style. Even in the light drizzle it was a pretty neat place. I'm sure it's gorgeous during the summer months when the courtyard is filled with flowers; however the green sculpted lawn was still a sight for mid-December!
• Christmas Market - We went to two smaller markets in early December and this was our first experience at a larger market. At night, we were shoulder to shoulder walking up and down the aisles, but a return trip during the day was perfect to do a little shopping.

Next stop....Athens, Greece.