Weihnachtsmarkt Dudeldorf 2015

Today we went to the Christmas market in Dudeldorf which is a small town near where we live. Dudeldorf is a small town so for the market you just park along the street. We didn't have a problem finding parking which was one of our concerns when going there.

 Like usual when we got there we did a lap around the market to check everything out. The market was in the center of town and down a few streets. People were selling stuff out of their garages and basements.

 Our favorite thing about Christmas markets is the food. We always get a bratwurst and at this market they had huge bratwurst. They were so delicious. Bill and I each got one. Bill was able to completely finish his but I wasn't so he finished mine as well. They definitely were filling.

After lunch we walked around and did some shopping. The stands were selling the usual wine, honey, Christmas decor and outerwear. We would have loved to have gotten a sweet treat but we were stuffed from our bratwurst. We spent about an hour at the market looking around. Even though it was a smaller market and didn't have the Christmas displays like some of the bigger ones it was still a nice market that was close to home. 

Traben-Trarbach Christmas Market 2015

Today we decided to go to a Christmas market later in the day so we could be there when it was all lit up. Usually we like to get there as soon as they open to avoid crowds. The market we went to today was in Traben-Trarbach which is about 45 minutes from where we live. Traben-Trarbach in on the Mosel River and is a wine town. We got there and found parking with no problems but we couldn't see where the market was so we decided to follow a group of people that seemed like they were walking with a purpose. Following them ended up being a great idea because they lead us straight to the market.

 The market is inside wine cellars under the town. The first wine cellar we went into didn't have any Christmas items but showed the equipment used to make wine.

 After we looked inside a few cellars we decided to get a bratwurst for dinner. After dinner we walked around the market that is above ground. There are over 10 different sections to the market.

Inside the wine cellars they had various stands selling cheeses, wine, christmas decor and winter items. After we saw all the stands we went and Bill got glühwein which is a hot wine and we watched as a group of people dressed up with torches standing about. We think it might have been a parade or something but we went into another cellar and when we got back out they were gone so were unsure about that. We then decided it was time to head back home so we walked across the bridge over the Mosel back to our car. It was really cool to go to a market inside wine cellars and it kept us nice and warm on this cold night.

Bernkastel-Kues Christmas Market 2015

Today we went to our first Christmas market of the season. We went to the market in Bernkastel-Kues  which is about 45 minutes from us. We got there just after the market opened because we have found that the crowds are less when festivals first open. Bernkastel is a traditional German town with lots of small streets. The market was spread out around the town square and the side streets around it.

When we first got to the market we walked around and check out all the stands. After our first walk around Bill decided to get some glühwein which is a hot wine and then we grabbed some bratwurst for lunch.

Weihnachtspyramide or Christmas pyramid

In the center of town this house is decorated to look like an Advent calendar.

After we walked around the market we decided to climb up the massive hill to see Burg Landshut. Its currently under construction so we could only see it from the outside. The view of the Mosel river from the top of the hill was absolutely breath taking. The walk back down from the Burg was a lot easier then the walk up. We went back to the market after that and got a donut like pastry that was kind of shaped like a cinnamon bun but it had apples inside and cinnamon sugar on the outside. Then it started pouring rain so we made our way to the car and headed home. It was a nice small Christmas market to get us started for this season.