The Christmas Markets are here!!

Every year, around late November to the beginning of December, everyone in Germany is anticipating for one thing – and that’s the Christmas markets! Almost magically, there are all these booths set up in the city centre, selling everything from gingerbread hearts, to homemade crafts, to the beloved “Glühwein” (also known as mulled wine). They’re hard to miss since the booths can be quite extravagantly decorated and with the smell of Glühwein, roasted almonds and bratwurst in the air…

Ah, well now I’m getting hungry.

This year I’m no longer a Christmas market virgin, having gone to not just one, but FIVE Christmas markets last year! WOOHOOOO!!! (You can read about them here).

Obviously the excitement of Christmas markets hasn’t worn off yet, although this year they sort of crept up on me. When I was in Munich a few days back, I was so surprised to see Marienplatz lined up with Christmas market booths. Then I realized it was almost December! And as if the heavenly forces of the Christmas markets wanted to rub it in that I almost forgot about them, it started snowing (a very white, circular snow globe like snow I might add), and Santa Claus rode by on a bicycle (because it’s Europe and everyone has a bike. Santa is not exempt).

This weekend, I’m planning on going back to Munich, as well as some trips to Nürnberg and Bamberg, so if you’re not sick of all the Christmas market photos I’m going to post of Regensburg now, you will be in my upcoming post! Just kidding – No one ever gets sick of Christmas markets! (Except maybe if you’ve had one Feuerzangbowle too many!)

In the meantime, here’s some photos of the Christmas market here in Regensburg!

This year, I also have a very special mission at these Christmas markets, which is to find a really nice Glühwein mug. For those of you who might be unfamiliar with Christmas markets, when you buy a drink at one of the booths, they serve it to you in a mug. They usually charge about 1-2 euros extra for your drink (a “Tassen-Pfand”), which is returned to you once you return the mug. However, if you like the mug, you can also keep it as a souvenir and forfeit your Pfand money.

It’s a pretty neat idea, especially since every city has a specially designed mug. Last year, somehow I never managed to find any mugs that I really like, but this year, I’m out on the hunt for my first souvenir Christmas market mug!

And I’ll find it, no matter how many cups of Glühwein I have to drink!

To be continued…. 😉

Have you guys been to any Christmas markets? What are you favourite things about them?