Fare Thee Well Weihnachtsmarkt Frankfurt

While Jay is slaving away at work, me, Emily and Ivan are wandering happily (and sadly) around the Frankfurt Christmas market.  Happily because the Christmas markets are one of our favorite things in Germany and sadly because today is the last day it will be open and we will not be here next year to enjoy it. 

Tomorrow all the temporary shop/booths will begin to be taken down and put away until next November. 

I didn't take pictures of all of our favorite things, but here are a few soon to be only happy memories for us to share with you.

Did somebody say greasy fried potato pancakes with applesauce?

Yes!!

Oh, Yum!!!

Did somebody say chocolate covered marshmellowy treats with a rice paper bottom?

Oh, yeah, now we're talking.....!!!

Emily's treat - a ball of cooked strips of dough formed into a mass flavored with cinnamon and sugar.

You have to smack it with this wooden mallet to break it into pieces.  Otherwise, you might break your teeth trying to eat it.  

The heart of it all - Romerplatz.

The buildings behind Emily and Ivan are the government buildings this plaza are named after.

Question: Who put the bow on the very tippy-top of this giant Christmas tree!!??

Peeking through one of the magical Christmas shop windows filled with the traditional wooden creations of Germany.

One last thing to add:

Every Christmas the markets come up with a new design for the ceramic cups they sell their gluewein in (or, in our case, the kinderpunch and, of course,  the difference is alcohol or no alcohol - oh and more surprises this year they are actually selling hot chocolate, too! Bravo, it's nice to have a choice ;)

So, here it is, this year's cup design (feast your eyes on it):

Frankfurt Christmas Cup design 2015

And for the more curious, this was last year's design:

Frankfurt Christmas Cup design 2014

Colors of Freiburg

Saturday morning the kids and I (and Jet) drove to Kandern to spend the day with a friend.  Kandern is a 30 minute drive from Freiburg so we decided to go the Christmas market there.

Here are some pictures of the day spent in the Freiburg Christmas market.  There were stalls on various streets, but I found the places near the cathedral were the most colorful (and least crowded!).  The pictures I took were mostly of this area.

It would have been practically impossible to take any pictures of the stalls in some other areas as we were reduced to sardines.  There is nothing artistic or interesting or captivating about a sea of people being squished together trying to see things while walking along.

This is one of many signs indicating a street harboring Christmas market goodies.  Ivan is seated there with his notepad in hand.

Ivan with Christmas market kinderpunch.  It is grape juice with mulling spices in it.  Just for the record, Frankfurt's kinderpunch beats out this watered-down jello-ish tasting over-priced junk by a long shot.  We drank it anyway and Ivan kept the mug for a souvenir.

Does this look crowded? Oh no, it isn't.  There is still air molecules around everyone...crowded is when you are literally forced to squish out all the air molecules between everyone walking and sometimes not in the same direction.

This is German humor.  It is kind of quaint.  Do you see the four santas climbing up the building?  Just for the record, you will see this type of "decoration" and variations of this same theme in any German town you go to in the month of November and December.  

This is possibly the most obnoxious street singing group in Freiburg.  Note the open mouths and that will give you an idea.  However, as time wore on I do think they started coming together a little better.  Think Latin dance and you've nailed it.

This is the plaza where the cathedral stands.  You can see a corner of it on the left.

more cathedral plaza pictures....

colorful...

and bright....

not much color on this side of the cathedral, but here you can see a good portion of it.

more of the same

The best part of this Christmas market are the lights and the flower stands.

The sun is setting and the flowers begin to stand out under the artificial lights.

If you could imagine yourself there you could smell delicious gingerbread and suffocating gluiwein (pronounced glue vine).

In our cozy room for the night.  We had a very nice time together.  Tomorrow we have a 3 hour drive back to Frankfurt.

Twas the Night Before Metz

Oops, I forgot to share this quaint, charming, lovely, etc. etc. AirBNB home we stayed in overnight before our jaunt through Metz, France.

The owners were so gracious and kind.  Although I don't have a photograph of the owners, have a look at their pride and joy along with the beautiful countryside.

This is a great place to stay when you visit Metz.

What can I say? It is charming inside and out!

This picture is taken from the balcony.

another balcony/backyard picture (love the flowers!)

cozy livingroom with television set 

kitchen with all the necessary items

exit to the balcony

Here we are preparing to leave the lovely Chateau.  We have said "good-bye" to our wonderful hosts and we will be heading into Metz.  (We had a restful sleep here.)

Emily and Ivan waiting patiently for take-off.

The Metz Finale

You've seen the cathedral in Metz, France, now walk the streets for a little while and soak in the ambiance!

These buildings look "Germanesque."

Jay and Candy walking back through town after seeing the cathedral.  They are on their way back to the car (where Dean is resting).

We pass many shops with delicious looking creations in their windows.

Here we watch a cake being made with "coiled" merengue iced with whipped cream and coconut.

An interesting street view.

narrow streets with European flair...you must get along with your neighbors...there isn't much between them and you ;o)

Here, at this square or plaza, Jay tells a fantastic story from his mission.  He and his companion are arrested and they are then rescued in the most amazing way.  A "fleet" of cars arrive from a prominent official who knows them and they are quickly set free. 

It is never too late to smell the roses...even if it is in your memory!

The 3 musketeers....

Here is the Moselle river.  I bet you never guessed.

and here is the Moselle river as it surrounds it's surroundings.

A quick look to the right....

another look to the right...notice the quantity of swans present.

It's Candy...and she is as beautiful as the French countryside.

I suppose we've seen enough of Metz and we are on our way home (to Frankfurt), but on the way we stop for lunch...it happens to be a tavern of sorts.

Our friendly waitress...

German food in the tavern....looks very "heavy" for the tummy, but welcome just the same for weary travelers.