Now that Advent has officially started, the Christmas markets in Europe are in full swing!
On Monday night, a friend and I visited Karlsruhe, about an hour west of Stuttgart, to check out their market. Karlsruhe is actually the first market our family visited during our first December in Germany in 2021. Covid was still a big thing, and we were wearing masks and social distancing at the time, so it was cool to see the market under “normal” circumstances. In typical German fashion, though, it started pouring rain once we arrived. We bundled up, though, and persevered.
The Karlsruhe market is spread over two squares. A smaller section is set up on Friedrichsplatz and seems more geared towards families. There were many rides for kids, and the trees and parkland were heavily decorated with lights. Christmas lights and decorations are not as common in Germany so it was really pretty. We grabbed some langos and gluwein and had a quick dinner before heading over to the larger area on the Marktplatz.
Over at the Marktplatz, they had a Ferris wheel, a Christmas pyramid, and much more shopping. By then, the rain was just dumping, so we grabbed two more gluweins and tried to take cover for a few minutes before giving up and heading back to the car. Despite the rain, the market was pretty, and the weather kept the crowds away. I ended up with two new mugs, so it was worth the journey!
On Tuesday night, we tried a new restaurant with friends, Sitt Wein Bar. The first Tuesday of every month is ‘Tapas Tuesday,’ so we reserved a table within their wine cave. The restaurant is like Dave & Busters for adults: you put money on a card and then can try up to 200 wines from their wine distribution machines. The tapas were delicious, and the wine experience was so cool and so much fun that we already made a reservation for next month!
The rest of the week flew by, and soon, it was my Friday off. I left just after Matt and the kids for the train station to travel north to meet with a friend and do a market marathon.
We met in Mainz, where we had coffee while we waited for their market to open. Once it was open, we had lunch and a gluwein and walked the entire market surrounding the Domplatz.
When we were done at Mainz, we drove up the river to Rüdesheim am Rhein for the next market. When we arrived, we noticed the wind had picked up considerably. It was so choppy that you could have surfed on the Rhine, and we had to hold on to our hats and gloves lest they blow away.
Rüdesheim is still the cutest half-timber town, filled with many wine caves. It is a popular stop for Rhine River cruises, but thankfully, it wasn’t busy during the day on Friday (maybe due to the wind), and we could fully enjoy it. I got potato soup in a bread bowl for lunch, and Susan had flammlachs, salmon cooked on an open fire in the market. We both got a gluwein and collected the cute little mug and then we were on our way to the final stop.
We finished the day at the Wiesbaden market, which has a Ferris wheel and ice skating rink.
The Wiesbaden market is beautiful and themed gold and blue, the city’s colors. A school chorus performed, adding to the atmosphere. We were getting close on time, as I had to catch my train back to Stuttgart, so we had one last gluwein and then parted ways.
Back in Stuttgart, Matt picked me up from the train station, and from there, we went straight to the Kelley Theater for their performance of Matilda. Some of my co-workers are in the show, so several of us met to watch and support them. We didn’t get home until almost midnight. It was a long but full day!
Saturday, I left early for a Christmas Market trip with my friends. We met at 7 a.m. and then made the three-hour car ride to our first stop, Basel, Switzerland.
It was still sunny when we arrived, but by the time we parked the car, it had started raining, and it poured the entire time we were there. We still got to see both markets, eat some fondue, and have a gluwein before returning to the car.
The next stop was Mulhouse, France. Here, the city, which is famous for textiles, designs and creates a special Christmas fabric, which is used to decorate the whole market: stalls, light posts, cups, the town hall, and more.
The next stop was Freiburg, back in Germany. It was jam packed but we made our way through both markets, collecting more gluwein mugs and doing more shopping.
Our final stop on Saturday was the Ravenna Gorge Christmas market. This one is really special as it is located in a river gorge under the archways of a train bridge.
We visited as a family during our first Christmas season in Germany in 2021. This experience was more packed than it had been during Covid. It rained this weekend, where it had snowed in 2021, but it was still magical.
Sunday morning, we were up early again. We drove back to France, where we started the day in Eguisheim, France. Eguisheim is one of the towns that inspired Belle’s village in Beauty and the Beast, and I traveled here last year with my parents on my birthday in the Spring. It was just as beautifully decorated for Christmas as it had been for Easter the year before.
The town is so cute, and because of that, is very popular. We arrived before the Christmas market even opened and were able to walk around town. As we reached our starting point again, it started to get really crowded so we were glad we arrived so early.
Our next stop was Riquiwihr, France, a walled medieval village. I visited the Christmas market in 2022 with Matt and Ryan, and on the day we went, it was so foggy that we could barely see the buildings and couldn’t see the surrounding countryside at all. This day was clear and sunny, so I was glad to have a second chance to check it out. The village was packed, and it took us an hour to walk the short main street from end to end, but we managed to find lunch and a mug before getting back in the car.
The next stop was Ribeauville, France, another medieval village with a medieval-themed market. By this time, it was super crowded! We made enough time to walk the length of the market and back, find a Vin Chaud in a mug, and return to the car.
The final stop of the day was Gengenbach, Germany, which is famous for its Town Hall, with 24 windows decorated as an Advent Calendar. Each night at 6 p.m., a skit about something special about Gengenbach precedes the opening of the next window. This evening, the skit was about the delicious Gengenbach apples. When the window was opened, a scene full of apples was revealed.
After Gengenbach, we made the final drive back home, arriving around 8 p.m. It was a crazy, busy weekend!
Out of all the markets we went to, it’s hard to pick a favorite as they were all so different! I love the textile in Mulhause and the advent calendar in Gengenbach. Eguisheim and Ravenna Gorge were also so pretty so if I had to choose, it would be them.
Saturday was also Brooklyn and Ryan’s first wrestling match of the season. I was so sad to have missed it, but I had committed to the group trip months ago. Although he didn’t win any matches, Ryan did great for his first time out!
On Sunday, Brooklyn also had her piano recital. Again, I was so sad to miss it, but she did a fantastic job, and Matt was able to film the whole thing for me!
Gilcrests Abroad 