Christmas Markets 2010: Stuttgart, Esslingen, Germany

Its getting to be that time of year. During our 3 years in Europe the Christmas season has meant trying to make the hard decision as to whether to go home or to venture elsewhere for Christmas. It also has presented a not-as-hard annual decision as to which Christmas markets we want to visit during the year. 

This year we choose an area that not only has one famous market, but several; Stuttgart (and Esslingen and Ludwigsburg).

We flew in on a Saturday morning and despite a nasty 30 minute passport control line, made it to Esslingen by about noon, ready to tuck into the first glass of Black Forest gluwein (mulled wine - often times with some type of liquor added for extra yummy effect)!

Esslingen, unlike Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg, was completely unharmed by the world wars, so it maintains a Hansel and Gredel fairy-tale effect on all the visitors entering either of the three squares with Rick Steves eatable character.

This is behind the Esslingen Rathaus, a key figure in the town that is at its best during the Christmas market time.

This is the other square, likewise filled with what you would visualize as the proto-typical german village. They even have a cool Christmas pyramid that is on top of a gluwein stand; we obviously got a glass.

 Once we let the gluwein numb our senses, we headed to Stuttgart at 4 o-clock or so, dropping our stuff at the hotel and hitting up the Stuttgart market for the night, checking ourt nearly all 200+ stalls. They also have a choir in this beautiful church courtyard at 5pm. There is an electric atmosphere to the area around the city center.

It got extremely cold when walking around....in fact, this is surprisingly the first white christmas market experience we have had in our visits to about 15 different Christmas markets. Good ambiance, cold feet. We ate at a nice microbrewery that serves up some mean german cuisine.

The next morning we hit the town of Ludwigsburg, who have a nice market in front of the church. It was our least favorite of the three markets, which isn't a knock on this market, but more of a testament of how great the other two are.

After seeing the final market, we had most of the day to kill and decided to go back to Esslingen to take in yet more of the festive vibe. You can see by the pic below that Germans don't discriminate, they like wine too!!

This tower behind us below dates to the 1200's and the surrounding street is equally as impressive. One of the shops even sells the building as part of the Esslingen Christmas village set. They literally had over 10 buildings that were shrunk and cloned so one can take the charm of Esslingen home with them.

I think of all the markets we've been to, the top five after 2010 are as follows; Strasbourg, Esslingen, Prague, Regensburg and Munich (Erin may or may not disagree)!

Columbia Road Sunday Flower Market and Bistroteque

With the recent cold spell in London (and blizzards in the Minny), I thought it'd be a good idea to reflect on brighter, sunnier times. Erin, Cam, Emily and I recently (but not so recently to be before the recent cold snap) went to the Columbia Road flower market to experience the most colorful market in London and to see if the much-hyped market is as flowery as people make it out to be, including a good article in the New York Times that has some good ideas to help your East London exploration. 

Cam and Emily are regulars at the market and unlike many people in many markets, they actually buy stuff! The market itself (off of Old Street tube station and a 10 minute walk).  The link above has specific directions. 

The market itself is not just a flower market, as there are countless gift and gardening shops, cafe's and antique stores, but the main attraction is obviously the flowers, not, for instance, the Colchester Oysters.

Emily and Cam bought a mini bush to spice up indoor spaces, I bought a coffee and bagel...their purchase was definitely more posh, but not quite as posh as this lavender. And for all those in the US who use the word posh, here is a good factoid on the origin of the word.

All in all, the market definitely is a great day out and even better if you are in the market for some flowers or plants! I am definitely going to bring my mom there if she ever visits me!!!

You can also finish off your east London experience at a restaurant called Bistrotheque, a trendy restaurant complex that combines a cool old-world bar (below), a warehous(ie) restaurant and surprisingly, a burlesque/cabaret venue. Definitely a good night out, make sure you write directions down as there isn't a name on the inconspicuous building down a random side road near Bethnel Green tube stop (central line)!

Brewery Tour: The Kernel

While awhile outdated, a late October brewery tour is a must-report. Especially a tasting at the little engine that could, The Kernel, tucked away in Southeast London underneath the railroad tracks just east of London Bridge station. Please visit the website, especially if you are in London. They pull open the garage door every Saturday morning and the gentlemen that share the space with him, a cheese maker and a parmesean and cured meats specialist, also have their goods available for tasting and buying. 

 This place is the perfect, low-key alternative to the Borough Market, especially with other nearby speciality stores, you can get away from tourists snapping photos and into some relaxed Saturday morning/afternoon marketeering!

 The Kernel offers about 6 different beers, most of which change regularly. When we were there the range included two different IPAs, two Pale Ales, an Amber Ale, and two Porters.

 While I do enjoy the traditional english ales and love the history surrounding them, its exciting to see a new culture of British brewing that are challenging the norm in the UK and venturing to new territories. Another example of this is BrewDog, a Scottish brewery that has great marketing and more importantly, great beer that is aiming to redefine the British beer scene....I think both them and the Kernel are onto something! Try for yourself!