Kicking off the holiday season with a short visit to the Heidelberg Christmas market

Germans love Christmas and no where is that more evident than in the ubiquitous Christmas markets that pop up in nearly every little town and big city for at least some portion of advent, or the stretch between Christmas and epiphany.  Germans also love to get out in the fresh air, no matter the weather, as evidenced by the fact that the vast majority of sidewalk cafes stay open with outdoor seating right through the winter--only adding some cozy blankets and occasionally outdoor heaters to the space:

So, it is really not surprising that the major social event of December takes place in the out of doors.  Friends and families often plan to meet up at a Christmas Market to sip some gluhwein (hot, mulled wine), munch on freshly made treats and generally soak up the atmosphere.  The markets are a huge draw for tourists, but are loved equally by the locals and they are about so much more than shopping (don't let the name fool you).

I love the Heildeberg Market, which happens to be one of the longer running and earlier opening ones.  This coming Sunday will be the first Sunday of Advent, and in Heidelberg the market opens on the Monday before that, so that it runs fully throughout the Advent season.  I was happy to have an errand to run downtown as it gave me an excuse to poke around the stalls for a few minutes and just enjoy.

The market starts (for me, anyway--as it is where the tram stop is) right at Bisrmarkplatz, with booths offering several foods, sweets, and drinks as well as a few shopping booths:

There is more food on offer about halfway down the pedestrian zone, and the largest grouping of stalls with food, drinks and merchandise is in Universityplatz.  That's also where you'll find the larger carousel (nearly every market seem to have one!).  But I was headed for the heart and soul of the Market--what makes it feel like the HEIDELBERG Markt:  Heiliggeistplatz, with the huge Christmas pyramid behind the church:

Then on a bit further to Kornmarkt, where every year trees are brought in and the stalls are tents with little twinkling lights that make nighttime magical, and the castle oversees it all:

and finally, just a bit further to the big underground parking garage which is topped for the next 6 weeks or so with wood framed stalls selling hot and cold foods and drinks, a skate rental hut and an ice rink--all with a full view of the castle once again:

I didn't have long to wander yesterday, and was too full from lunch to partake in any of the treats, but I am sure I'll be back soon, and it was sure nice to spend a bit of time and really start to get into that holiday mood.  

--Hadley