YA: Weihnachtswunderland

Well, hasn’t it been a disgustingly long time since I posted anything? The reason for this is simple: I’ve been having far too much fun.

From my repeated whinging you might be wondering how I’ve achieved this. Again, the answer is a straightforward one: GERMANY AT CHRISTMAS ROCKS! You may think we go to town at home, but you’d be wrong. We have nothing, NOTHING, on the Germans.

Germany, much the same as the Brits, starts getting into the spirit of Christmas round about mid-late November. But rather than installing garish Santa Clauses in shopping centres and putting Slade on repeat in every shop, bar and club, Germany begins to whack out their infamous Christmas markets. I’m lucky enough that my walk to and from the station every day takes me right through the centre of Duisburg so I could bear witness to the gradual construction of the Weihnachtsmarkt, from erecting the stalls to the building of the ice rink to wrapping every lamppost with a real Christmas tree.  I have to say, for all my complaining about Duisburg and its (at best) mediocrity, the result was stunning. Trees strewn with lights, German delicacies galore and a full size sailing boat in the centre, the sides of which open out to turn it into one of the many bars serving hot and scrumptious mulled wine.  And that’s just Duisburg, a city considered overly-industrial (ugly) even by Ruhrgebiet standards. Can you imagine Düsseldorf, Cologne, Münster, Dortmund, Bonn and all of the other wonderful cities NRW has to offer? The result is breath-taking; even the most committed Scrooge couldn’t fail to enjoy the festive atmosphere.

I’ve visited a fair few markets in the last few weeks and I won’t bore you with my rapturous details of them all. My favourites were definitely Cologne Heumarkt, a gnome-themed (??) market much less crowded and much more traditional than the one offered near the Cathedral, and also the various markets of Münster, which set amongst scenery of stone buildings and cobbled streets can almost fool you into thinking you’d stepped right into the pages of Dickens. I've eaten Bratwurst upon Bratwurst, crepe upon crepe and drank a vast quantity of Glühwein* (and one Feuerzangenbowle - Glühwein served with a sugar cube and doused in a shot of unspecified alcohol, which they then set on fire). I've sampled traditional German Stollen cake, listened to carollers and brass bands and purchased a lot of hand-carved wooden decorations. And all of this under the bright German stars. 

Even though I've been enjoying the Christmas season almost throughout, there are definitely some highlights which I think deserve a mentioning. First and foremost is the weekend my mum came to stay. It started of badly to say the least, with her plane having to return to East Midlands due to cabin pressure failure. However, she arrived in one piece only two hours late, and one sleepy train journey later we were tucked up in my little flat drinking tea and having a good old catch up. To say I had missed her would be a vast understatement. The next three days were just brilliant. I took her around Dusiburg and Düsseldorf, and we visited Münster and Cologne. We ate lots of lovely meals, purchased lots of lovely things and she developed a distinct liking for Glühwein. It was a wrench to say goodbye again at the airport, even though I knew I would be seeing her again for the Christmas holidays in less than a fortnight. 

Another highlight was Christmas dinner at Carol's. For someone who hadn't eaten a roast dinner since sometime in September, it was an absolute dream and I fell on those carrots with all the decorum of Keira Knightly when she's told to eat the chicken in Pirates Of The Caribbean (ie. none). We had crackers and cake for Ally's birthday, and then we proceeded to drink our way through a copious amount of alcohol whilst simultaneous creating a small club in Carol's room with fairy lights and a laptop. It was a great night and I had a most jolly walk home (sloshed, head phones in) at 4am through a deserted and snow-sodden Duisburg city centre.

Oh, dear, this is turning out to be lengthy post again, isn't it? In this case, I'll name one more highlight: Cologne last night. This isn't to say there aren't many more I could pick (seeing a Christmas Carol, present shopping in Münster with Lyndsay - an event which gave rise to the knowledge of the Christmas Cucumber - and a truly bizarre night out in Oberhausen to name but a few) but I feel I should give this one a bit more credit because it was my last proper time at the markets that have made me so happy these past few weeks. It was fairly standard really; I met Sophie and we went to Heumarkt to enjoy bratwurst and Swiss cheese and Glühwein (there's always Glühwein). However, it was especially lovely because, as I wandered around, I realised how comfortable I felt; it was nice to discover that it is possible for me to feel at home here and not just like a confused tourist. The markets will be gone in a few days, but I hope that the homely feeling I felt last night remains. I will miss Christmas Germany very much and I feel so glad that I have been able to live here and enjoy it.

Look at me, getting all sentimental. I should be worrying about packing and flights and snow and other such nonsense. I'm heading home tomorrow and I can't wait! Don't expect any blogs in the near future, I'll be too busy having a bloody brilliant British time with my friends and family, something which I can barely contain my excitement for. So, until next time, I hope you enjoy the festive season - remember to laugh, get pissed and eat until you explode. Merry Christmas!

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* A fact proven by how many mugs I've stolen. Each market has it's own Glühwein mug (and sometimes more than one) and because you pay a 2Euro deposit on each one you don't necessarily have to give it back. I have a grand total of eleven. Heaven only knows how I will get them home.