Weihnachtsmarkt Cuisine

I follow a very routine and healthy diet during the week and only splurge on dishes when we travel. Once the markets opened, however, all hope for maintaining that diet was lost. We live in the Swabian region of Germany. This means our primary local eats are sausages, beer, and wine, all of which are absolutely amazing. While the weather has currently taken a snowy turn, we were unbelievably fortunate to have pleasant weather to the point of being able to spend all day outdoors eating treats and never getting too cold. The glühwein may have had something to do with that as well...

Specialty nut and candy stands were everywhere. The primary German sweet offered were Lebkuchen cookies, or large gingerbread cookies often decorated and written on with icing. They're much like a giant gingerbread Valentine, as they say things like Ich liebe dich, I love you, and Frohe Weihnachten, Merry Christmas. I didn't make the cookie commitment, but I devoured my favorite cinnamon sugar almonds.

The wildcard mind blowing treat were the Wilde Kartoffeln, or wild potatoes. We got ours with a creamy garlic sauce.

My top picks in the tubed meat category were the chili paprika wurst (above) and the käse wurst (cheese sausage). They were served in their own baguettes, because regular buns are not hardcore enough. One thing I adore, and will miss terribly, is the quality of the food. Even the basics like sausage and wedge fries are so fresh and full of flavor. This ensures you leave full, but not full of guilt and fried food shame. The bread is made just hours before and is still warm inside. I never thought I would enjoy meat and carbs so incredibly much. I am mentally planning a return in the near future.

Weihnachtsmarkt - the Holidays in Stuttgart

Stuttgart rightfully maintains a reputation for having the best Christmas market in all of Germany. The markets are a great place for everyone in the community to shop, eat, and drink lots of glühwein (hot wine). We were able to get a sneak peak of the set up while walking downtown mid November. I was eagerly anticipating opening day. 

My mom came for a visit the second week of December and made a great partner in crime as we walked through every aisle, avidly searching for the ideal gifts for family back home.

During the week she was in Stuttgart we visited the markets three times, two days in Stuttgart and one day in Cologne. We would arrive before noon, when the crowds were minimal. By the time we left mid afternoon, we had to fight our way through throngs of people!

A beautiful, and functional, German pyramid windmill

While shops of all types book ended the markets, there was an ice skating rink and children's train near a shopping plaza in the middle. For years we've discussed wanting to set up a train village during the holidays, and at the markets we had the opportunity to see our dreams come to life. There were conductors for the children's trains and electric trains running through the Bavarian style houses and village scenes.

The night before my mom left, we had a delicious farewell dinner at our favorite tapas place, Besitos. Taking the scenic route back to the train station, we passed through the markets again at night and I am so glad we did. To see everything lit up was beyond picturesque. A brilliantly lit tree towered over everyone in the market square, and a mechanized nutcracker was nearby.

Not only have I been looking forward to these Christmas markets for years, but they held extra significance for us. When moving to Germany, we packed only the essentials of clothes and minimal personal items. Packing any sort of decor never even crossed our minds. Our holiday decorations this season have consisted of poinsettia napkins and a roll of wrapping paper in the corner. As a person wholly obsessed with Christmas and all the festivities that accompany it, to be so close to these beautiful markets has helped me to feel at home.

Take Your Husband to the Zoo Day

Germany has an insane amount of zoos, or Tiergarten. More than anywhere else in the world. This means 400+ zoos occupy this relatively small country. Tom loves the zoo. Whenever visiting one, my professional, dignified husband turns into a man child. We went to the Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart one Sunday, and I must say, being in a foreign country does not lead to any change in his typical zoo behavior.

The "hop like a kangaroo" display. For children. At least he stuck the landing.

Honestly, I feel like all zoos are the same. I enjoy going and it is a good way to spend a relaxing afternoon, but often it's nothing special. This trip successfully changed my mind.  

The rain forest house was beautiful. The temperature was humid and warm to mimic the appropriate climate. There were fish, birds, butterflies, and a variety of snakes throughout. The snakes were well contained in transparent, enclosed displays, but the butterflies were fluttering about. It's mind boggling they never seem to escape the building.

As we progressed through the displays, many animals were indoors and closed off for one reason or another. This was a bit of a let down and we perused the indoor portions of the animal houses when we could. Most were empty, although we did see a super sweet orangutans and other monkeys. Then, we happened upon this hippo. A huge crowd was gathering and we managed to wiggle our way into the middle to see what the fuss was about. Two hippos were being bathed in an open area and we had the opportunity to see one slipping into a pool of water. The pool was admittedly small, the poor guy could only float in one spot before turning around and climbing out, but I don't think I have ever been that close to a hippopotamus.

Ever see a mother seal nursing her pup? We have. As we were leaving the hippopotamus area, we paused to watch the seals. There were three of them, (presumably mother, father, and baby) just as we were going to leave the baby seal start flopping around and making noise like crazy. Not too sure of what was about to transpire, we stayed put. I am glad we did because we got to witness something I've never seen before. The baby seal began chasing her mother before the two settled in and feeding began. It was a really sweet moment between them, and the mother looked so peaceful while nursing.

On our way out, we meandered through some other displays and cleared out before the 4:30 pm closing time. Visiting the zoo that day was about much more than just walking by a bunch of animals and reading their information signs (or attempting to read them as they were only in German...). We had the chance to observe the animals and see so many unique interactions. I have a new found love and respect for zoos. I fully understand and support Germany's Tiergarten obsession.

Plus, we got to walk through my favorite park on the way home, making for the perfect Sunday afternoon.