more christmas market awesomeness

we left germany for the holidays almost a week ago, but there's still so much i feel i have to say about the christmas markets in bonn and cologne! i've just never seen anything like them. it's hard to know which aspects to focus on to really capture the essence of them. i think one of the most incredible things is the atmosphere at these places -- germans know how to do christmas! the various markets all open around the end of november or beginning of december, and they're basically packed with people throughout the entire month leading up to christmas. i usually leave max planck around 7 or 8 pm, and even at that time on a tuesday evening the streets are choked with people going about their shopping or enjoying glühwein (hot mulled wine) or just soaking up the general festivities. p has observed that christmas in germany is not so much a big lead-up to a single climactic day, but a whole season of sustained merriment and celebration (and she's right).

so what else to say? speaking of glühwein, i have to mention all the appealing christmas beverages on offer at the markets -- in addition, there's hot mead and eierpunsch (egg punch) and on and on. this place was especially tasty:
in some sense, it's not so different from a good bar -- nice selection of drinks, hip music, good vibe. but the mix of people is especially great -- hipsters and middle aged women and old fogeys all crammed together (and i do mean crammed, as it was always packed), all enjoying warm drinks against cold hands. and the propeller moves! actually, so many of the physical booths themselves are incredible, filled with fantastic embellishments and intricate details. it's hard to believe they're all temporary structures.and the items for sale are great too! i feel like most similar "festivals" i've been to have at least a 90% tchotchke rate, but it's more like 50% here (which is damn good if you think about it). so many of the vendors are genuine artisans -- you can watch them blow glass or carve wood as you walk the aisles. one of the bakers even had a small stack of firewood piled outside to fuel the oven.
and yes, the ferris wheel is great too. so sad to think it'll all be gone when we return!