German Christmas Market Meetup

The Christmas days were spent this year as well celebrating in the surrounds of Wiesbaden in Germany. Unlike previous years, there was no snow on the ground, no freezing temperatures and no chaos at the airports. However, Lufthansa still managed to make us wait an extra hour in the plane before take off because "...there are a lot of people on board". Yes, without the annual excuse of poor weather conditions to blame, they resorted to telling us that they were not prepared for a plane to be nearly full during the festive season.

In Mainz we were able to meet up with Mar, Ali, Roberto and Mamen. A visit to the Christmas market also was not forgotten, but the poorly laid out stalls (like every year) meant that one was forced to squeeze between people to get to where the drinks were being served, and then try and squeeze out again without spilling your drink over anyone nearby. This is where the Hyde Park and Oxford xmas markets do have their advantages.

It was then off to the villages of Wiesbaden to see Friedi, Marc, Julianne, Christiane and the rest of the family. Much was eaten, drunk, and many a sudoku filled in during this time. The usual walk in the snow was of course slightly altered to being a quick walk in the surrounds of the house, as it's not as much fun without the crisp crunchy stuff to tread on.

Back to Mainz to see Vera and Kiani (what a lovely drawing I was given) and then afterwards we met up with Britta, Johannes and Maya. Great to catch up with all the news since we last saw them, and to see that they are still doing well.

Finally time to fly back, and this time the flight actually left on time (although did arrive 20 mins late).

Since then, have met up with the parental people for a late xmas meal (next time we'll reduce the number of carafes of wine I think...) and hopefully get to meet up with more come New Years Eve.

Good luck in the sales !!

Winter Wonderland @ Hyde Park

What with Oxford's Christmas Market not quite standing up against the ones of Germany, the week afterwards we decided to go and have a visit to what London has to offer.

The plan was to take a leisurely stroll through the markets of Hyde Park, South Bank and opposite the Tower of London. A visit to Oxford Street to see the lights was also on the todo list, as was a possible visit to some of the big department stores.

Arriving at Hyde Park Corner, we noticed straight away that something was happening. The tube was a lot more full than usual, and as we came out to ground level, we saw the mass of people before us. However, looks could be deceiving, as at a slightly slower walking pace you could actually get to where you wanted without having to push past many people (a far cry from the (Mainz Christmas Market).

In Hyde Park, they have erected many stalls selling Christmas gifts, handicrafts, food and drink. There was a German village area with German beer, sausages, music and Gluehwein; there was a helter-skelter, lots of other amusements, as well as an ice rink.

Walking around this wonderland really did impress us. Not only did it take two and a half hours to return to the beginning again (this place is huge!), but the selection of food was great (Christmas Dinner in a bap anyone?), the glow juice was also very tasty, and you didn't feel cramped, sticky or dirty (adjectives that I would often use when in the Mainz Christmas Market).

After enjoying all Hyde Park had to offer (ok, we didn't try something from every stall...) and looking at what time it was, we decided to give the other markets a miss, and instead head off to Harrods.

Looking around this huge store, with all the festive lighting and decorations was definitely a good choice. Amongst the noteworthy things seen was a throne for a dog, a Christmas pudding cat bag, and a leg of ham costing 1500 pounds (they didn't give us a tester of this though)...

Next up was Oxford Street, where, to our surprise, all traffic was blocked, and the streets were taken over by pedestrians. This really made a difference to getting down this road that would normally be packed and difficult to maneuver. Whilst consuming a belgian waffle, we were delighted to see that a firework was just beginning, which we watched from the middle of the road.

Once the light display was over, we moved down to the Liberty store, which was also nicely done up for the Christmas period. From here it was time to head back to Paddington to get the train back to Oxford.

A very nice Christmas trip to London to finish off 2011.

More pictures can be seen here.

Oxford Festive Market

Also a bit delayed, but at the Oxford Castle there is currently the Oxford Christmas Market. Not that big, but still has a stand with the German sausages, another with mulled wine, one with Fruit Punch (Feuerzangebowle) and a selection of handicraft stalls.

So, as the first market we had visited this winter, it was pretty good, and gave a god taster for what was to come.

To see more photos, click here.

Mainz Meetup and No Christmas Markets

A couple of weeks ago we were back in Mainz and managed to meet up with many people still there (although just missed Luigi, who arrived a week later). It was much colder than in the UK, which meant I had a whole week to catch a cold as I had forgotten how the weather there can feel a lot worse than the thermometer says.

So Carlitos, Roberto, Ali, Mamen, Patricia and Valentin were there and with Olgui and myself we managed to fill up the long table again. Food was the usual staple of Flammkuchen, Quiches, Salads and a big piece of meat (yes, that was Carlitos).

A good evening was had by all, and it was great to meet up again, despite it being just one meal.

The Sunday was spent at Friedi, Marc and Juliane's place, with Christiane playing the aunty. It was very good to see the whole family again, and see Juliane grow up so quickly (next time she'll be able to clean more than the sofa table).

And as predicted, by the time of the flight home, the cold had fully hit and so I arrived back in the UK with my ears blocked. Not the best way to experience the change in pressure of an aircraft.

Next time will hopefully give the opportunity to see everyone for a bit longer and we'll be better prepared for the cold weather...

(more photos can be found here)