The Heidelberg Christmas Market by night, 2013

Living in Heidelberg is pretty awesome.  That lovely downtown area that tourists flock to is also a very much used part of the local culture.  It is a rare week that goes by when we are not down on the fussganger (pedestrian) zone for a doctor's appointment, a little shopping, etc.  This week I have already been there twice--for a doctor's appointment yesterday and meeting up with a math tutor for one of the kids today.  I forgot the camera today, so most of the photos are by night (which is lovely, though hard to capture on film).  I will try to get some day time photos sometime soon and make a second post.

So, when something special is going on, like the lovely Christmas Market--I get to see it without even making a special trip (though I fully admit that it is very hard to LEAVE downtown without spending extra time wandering and enjoying the market).

Heidelberg's market is spread out a bit.  There is a concentration of ten or so stalls right on Bismarkplatz, the main bus and tram arrival area at the edge of the walking district.  It is an excellent place to grab a quick snack or mug of gluhwein when changing tram or bus lines.  At night it looks extra festive with the lights on the big department store, Galeria Kaufhof as well.

Heading down the street, you will come to the next set of stalls, just a handful of food vendors (crepes, candy, brats, etc) in less than 5 minutes at a slow stroll (this photo was taken on the way TO the appointment, there's light!):

After a few more minutes, you get to universitatplatz, where a large number of stalls fill the plaza that heads off to your right as you walk towards the big church at the end of the pedestrian zone.  Here the stalls are mostly wooden, and in lighter colors.  You can buy almost anything here, both gifts and food or drinks to keep your energy level up while you shop, and in the center of this section you will find the larger of the two carousels, the only rides at the Heidelberg market.

Back out on the main drag, it is only a short walk further to the main downtown plaza around the old church.  The lit pyramid that rises up next to the church is the centerpiece of the market in my opinion, and the quaint stalls in this area are just adorable--I love how they seem to glow in the nighttime. There is also a smaller, wood carved carousel here:

Only a few steps further down, another, smaller plaza takes off to the right, and you find a sweet village of white tents and Christmas trees surrounding Heidelberg's statue of the Madonna.  

And, the finally piece of the wonderful, ongoing market is the ice rink just a bit beyond the snowy tents.  It sits right below the castle, which is lit at night and really lends an amazing atmosphere (and yet not one of my photos with the castle came out!  Boo!).  There is a hut to rent skates, and a covered "bar" area to sip your mulled wine or cocoa or eat your roasted potatoes, or giant cookie.  Skating is reasonably price at 3 euro for skate rental and 3 euro to skate.  

Sigh.  I never tire of visiting this market with one lovely little section after another.  Each area has its own theme and yet they all go together so well.  

I hope you enjoyed this little walk through the market with me.

--Hadley

  

First Weihnachtsmarkt of the season

While Marika and her friend, Ayme, were ice skating at the Heidelberg Weihnachtsmarkt today, Dave and I headed off to nearby Mannheim to visit THEIR market (no worries, I'll get to go to Heidelberg's tomorrow). Today we had nice, balmy temperatures for the markets, 7 degrees Celsius (about 45 Fahrenheit).  It was nice to enjoy being out for a few hours without needing hats, mittens and warm boots.

Mannheim was bombed extensively during World War II, which means that the the city is mostly rather modern and lacking in the old world charm that so much of the surrounding areas exude.  Nonetheless, it has a Christmas Market that I really enjoy every year.

At the base of downtown, the old water down DID survive the war.  It is now in a circular park with gardens, large grassy areas and a huge fountain (that only runs in the warm months, of course).  It is here, around the water tower that the market sets up, with stalls running in two concentric circles as well as coming out from there in spokes.

There are more and more stalls each year.  You can find a large variety of gifts (both handmade and mass produced) to purchase:

There are also plenty of stands selling drinks (gluhwein--hot mulled wine, is a staple) and snacks.  A little "train" selling roasted chestnuts is a Christmas Market staple--I love the smells!

There were more rides for little kids this year than in years past (most cost 2-3 Euro):

One difference between German culture and American, is that photo with Santa are just not the priority for German parents that they are for Americans.  While there was a steady stream of little ones going on all the rides, no one was visiting Santa (photos were 5 Euro--less than the least expensive package at the mall in the US when Marika and Rio were preschoolers).

After wandering around and enjoying all of the sights and sounds for a little over an hour, we walked over into downtown to check out the holiday windows at the Englehorn department store.  This year was less impressive than last, but still fun.  The windows were themed after world cities--and all in black and white.  Here are a few:

Tokyo

Paris

The other side of Paris, Ooo La La!

New York

Las Vegas

One bonus of visiting Mannheim this time of year, is that you get two markets out of one trip.  There is a second, more modern/trendy market downtown, behind the Englehorn.

Actually, this year there is yet a third addition--just across from the water tower in the entry area to the Rosengarten theatre.  It was a nice, more open, area just for food and drink--where we chose to have our gluhwein, Coke, crepes and currywurst.  There was a great central fire to warm up by--not really needed today, but it would be wonderful on the typical cold night.

Happy Advent!

-Hadley

Black Friday

Yesterday in America was Thanksgiving. It's always the day of the year in which I feel the most homesick for the USA.  In New Hampshire, we always spent the last Thursday of November gathered at our neighbors, Don and Melissa's, house.  The foods and the friendships were so much fun.  Now, well it is a regular school and work day, and unlike Christmas or even Halloween, there is absolutely celebration among the locals -- so it is easy for us to feel left out and lonely, even while we are happy to be here and do our best to have a good time and make some traditional foods, watch Christmas specials online, etc.

Today, is "Black Friday" in the US.  This is a tradition that I am often asked to explain to Germans, and which seems to baffle them a bit.  Unlike Thanksgiving, it's also one I am just as happy to miss.

Black Friday, so named because it is the day in which many retailers go from "in the red" for the year to "in the black" (profitable), seems to be a uniquely American ritual (only Boxing Day in the UK seems to come close).  I think there was a time when many people had the day off from work and took the chance to go out and get much of their holiday shopping done.  Somewhere along the line, store managers and corporations realized that this busy shopping day could be even more profitable if they offered the best sales, or opened soonest, to get shoppers into their establishment and not others.  And so, a strange tradition was born.

Most major retailers put out Black Friday ads a week or so before Thanksgiving, though the Thanksgiving Day newspaper will also be filled with such ads.  Nearly every big chain store offers a handful of items at HUGE discounts.  The stores are losing money on the sales of these items, but banking on the bargains to draw in enough customers to offset those "loss leaders"  The sales can be so good that very often people line up for hours, or even a day or two, often in very cold weather, to be one of the first in and be able to snag the bargain:

Often, the rush to get one of the limited sales results in injuries (and in a few cases over the years people have even been trampled to death or shot in arguments over parking or items).  

This is where many of the German I try to explain this to get a little confused.  They'll ask things like "why not wait and go in later in the day?"  Etc.  You know, employing that ever present German logic.  

You see, as I understand it (and, please do correct me, German readers, if I am wrong), this type of dangerous stampede to grab one of a coveted few bargains could never happen here.  As I understand it, in Germany if a retailer offers a sale, the sale must be all day, and they must offer rain checks if they run out of the item advertised.  If, and only if the items is something the store will not be carrying again, is the quantity allowed to be limited (to all the stock the retailer has--ie they do not have to give out rain-checks and order more of the item once they run out).  Otherwise, they cannot simply say (as US retailers do on Black Friday) that the first 50 people to arrive get to buy the TV for $100 and after that the store continues to sell that TV but now priced at $800.    

SIMPLY by not allowing limited quantity sales, the whole dangerous scenario that happens in the US could be eliminated (and, hey, good sales could still be offered and it could still be a big shopping day--just not quite so dangerous, and maybe a little more fair).  

I found it interesting that this year Target opened on Thanksgiving Day itself, instead of at midnight or two a.m. on Friday (as has been tradition with more and more retailers).  I think I saw more facebook posts upset about this than I did about the entire US government shutting down last month (and, no, I am not kidding! And, yes, I am a little concerned about what that says about our cultural values). 

 Personally, while I do think it is nice when holidays and the like can be less commercialized and allow more time for families to be together (hey, I have learned to love that nearly everything closes on Sundays here in Germany), I would MUCH rather work (or have a relative work) on ANY holiday in a store that did not create riot like situations with limited quantity sales, than be working on Black Friday anywhere that is running a big loss leader sale.  I really do find it a little odd that the one dangerous situation seems to be accepted by most, but asking retail people to work on the holiday causes such ire (not to mention that many of those same, angry people probably watched football players, TV news anchors, etc work yesterday without hesitation).  

In any case--while yesterday is a day I was very sad to miss out on in my homeland, I am thrilled to be able to do my holiday shopping in lovely historic downtown areas and at Christmas Markets, instead of in big box retailers and shopping malls.  And I can always fill in with the computer sales bargains of the much safer and less stressful Cyber Monday (which, actually HAS migrated across the Atlantic!).  

If you shopped (and most will be done shopping by the time this posts at nearly 7:30 a.m. EST) earlier, I hope you found what you were looking for, had fun and stayed safe.  Meanwhile, I'll be at Christmas Markets in the coming weeks and posting photos of my shopping fun here.

--Hadley

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Possibly my favourite "season" in Germany is "Weihnachtsmarkt Season"  when all of the Christmas Markets are up and in full swing.  I dearly love wandering the markest in carious cities and small towns (or, in the case of my favourite one, in a little gully in the forest), smelling the almonds roasting, sipping gluhwein (mulled wine), munching on any of a dozen delectable treats, and "window shopping" at all the festively decorated carts.  Every market has its own feel, and I have yet to meet one I do not like.

The earliest, and longest running markets opened this past weekend (Heidelberg included), though the majority will open this coming weekend (some, like Mannheim, open mid week this week to get everything running smoothly before the Friday evening rush).  Knowing that we will likely leave for our holiday vacation on the 20th, this gives me three weekends (and a couple of mi week trips) to soak in my fill of markets, and YES, I do make a plan of attack!  I like to be sure I get in all of my favourites, and add one or two new ones to experience each year.

This year I intend to make midweek trips to both Heidelberg and Mannheim.  Heidelberg's market is almost like several little ones spread out throughout the downtown area.  I love how simply running an errand in town puts me right in the middle of it all this time of year.  Mannheim has a surprisingly nice market that skirts the water tower.  The other repeat this year is in the Black Forest and I insisted on dragging everyone there on the weekend nearest my birthday every year (this year ON my birthday).  It is small, nearly everythign is hand made, there are camp fires and up to now there has always been a nice coating of snow to really bring in the winter feel.

New this year, yet close to home--I have never been to the 12 day long smaller Heidelberg market in the castle courtyard.  We will be visiting that one this year for sure.  I have also never gone just down the road to Schwetzingen's market--we have plans to do so with friends this year (because meeting up with friends to go to a market and have a drink is the thing to do in Germany in December).  I am also hoping to see the market in Mainz when we head to that city for a business dinner.

I am sure I will take several photos of each and every market and I hope I can convey some of the charm, and the uniqueness of each for you, my readers.

Until then, we have the decor up and ready in the house.

--Hadley

The Porsche Museum, Suttgart

We had a cloudy and chilly weekend.  This is my least favourite time of year in Germany.  it is dark and dreary (dark by 5;00 these days and getting earlier every night).  It is cold, and feels more so daily.  Yet, the snow hasn't come yet.  Christmas markets are not open yet.  None of the fun and cheerful things that make winter in Germany like a fairy tale are happening just yet, but all of the grey skies and and cool temperatures are all working to bring you down.

So, Sunday we were looking for somethign to get us out of the house, but keep is in a warm, indoor environment.  Which is how we ended up checking out the Porsche museum in Stuttgart.

Located right next to some of Porsche's factories, and with an S-bahn train stop next to it, this is an easy place to find.  We drove, and on a Sunday found street parking less than a block away so did not end up paying for the parking garage.

The museum building itself is very interesting architecture with it's mirrored cube, and integrated fountains that would be running in warmer months.

Admission to the museum is 8 Euro for adults.  Kids 14 and under get in free with an adult--we just barely scraped y with Rio on that one!  Audio guides are provided with the cost of admission and can be played in several languages, including English.  

I don't adore cars--so I was not really expecting to love the museum.  I was underwhelmed, even based on my expectations.  The guys were also underwhelmed, and they DO love cars.  There were cars to look at.  Yep, that is pretty much it.  Nothing interactive.  No old photos near the historic cars showing them winning races, or the workers designing some of the older cars, etc.  The cars were nice, but with NOTHING else to go with them, it was a bit bland.  one good thing though, you could get right up next to the cars.  There were no barriers holing you back.  I only saw one person touch any of them--people were very respectful.

Here is some car themed eye candy for those who like them:

The first ever fire truck that did not need horses to pull it.  Also the first designed to carry men and equipment on one vehicle together.

There was a little area set aside for kids' birthday parties.  They had race suits and helmets for the kids to wear and a slot car set for them to play with.  I could imagine a group of 8 year olds loving that:

There was one more interesting display, in which a car had been cut into thirds and they had each third in a display case so that you could see interior parts--it even went right through the owner's manual LOL

After you wind your way past all the cars, you are rewarded with the chance to sit in one:

Yep, that is about it.  Well, there was a gift shop.  All in all we were there about an hour, maybe a it longer-and we took our time an listened to the audio guide, etc.

There is a showroom directly across the street.  Even though it was a Sunday and no cars could be sold, they did have it open for people to look around in, knowing that it is almost like part of the museum for visitors.  The new cars were here (though the top end ones--like the new Spyder, were locked away on an upper level, so not really available to view at all).

In conclusion, I would say that the museum was worth the cost for us to see it once, as locals, needing some entertainment on a November day.  I would not recommend making an effort to see it while travelling, etc though.  There are a lot of better places in Germany to see cars, like Nurburgring or Autostadt or even the Tecknik museums in Mannheim, Sensheim an Speyer.

--Hadley