but sadly, all too soon i had to return from my jaunt!

My first trip to the Weihnachtsmarkt of Germany was back in 1998, the seed was sown and although it was another ten years before i returned, the trips have become something of a fixture on my calendar ever since. Oh i know there are 'Christmas' / Winter fairs/markets here in the UK but for the most part they lack the whole heimat experience, mostly charging extortionate prices for mass produced tat and food, there is little or no atmosphere and even your gluhwein comes in a plastic beaker! Well i prefer the real thing, yes there will be some tat stalls but there will be local artisans/traders with more individual products beside the traditional brush sellers, candle makers and leather workers, often with goods produced on site.

And the food and drink, gluhwein of course, but other beverages hot and cold, the food is dominated by plain old wurst and frites with more seasonal specials like saute'd mushrooms and soup. Christmas markets are not the destination for tapas, jerk chicken or 'wraps'. They are a social event as much as a shopping destination, something that i know a lot of Brits & Americans really don't get. Over the years i've visited a lot of different, predominantly German markets and whilst some are 'better' than others, they all embrace our need for some cheer in the dark, damp, winter months.

For 2025, a tight budget and i'll admit, some insecurity after last years solo trip, had me booked on an organised tour based a few kilometres east of Dusseldorf with included excursions to the markets of that city, Koln and Bonn. For Brits and those in northern France and the low countries, this area along the Rhein is easily reached, Koln and Dusseldorf in particular have as many visitors, if not more in December than in August! So my destination was based on budget and enough experience of the 'en ar vey' (NRW) to get a bit more out of the trip!

My departure from Brizzle on Monday was at stupid o'clock, well just turned five am, a crossing via the Channel Tunnel then the long haul through four countries to reach the hotel in Mettmann @ 14 hours later. Oh there were stops, an interchange at Folkestone, waiting for the train and a time leap in that but i can't say i was sorry to stop travelling! By comparison, my similar, independent journey last year took 26 hours!

Tuesday arrived brisk and dry, the first day was to be the short drive into Dusseldorf and back but i had other ideas. So on arrival i bought a day transport ticket and ignoring the cities delights, headed out to Hilden, primarily to visit a model road/rail shop that i have favoured for best part of twenty years. Of course, afterwards i had to get my first gluhwein of the trip at the small town market , you might want to keep a tally here as i lost count during the day!

Back into Dusseldorf and another similar shop was patronised before i headed to the markets on foot, it was now early afternoon, the markets starting to get a bit busier and atmospheric. Gluhwein 2 was at the new Promenade market then after a walk along the river i went for a hot chocolate at the big wheel. I was getting hungry again so at the Altstadt market i grabbed another gluhwein and a bratwurst before making my way, via the Karstadt department store to much enlarged group of connected markets around the lakes and Shadowplatz, essentially five markets in one.

Another hot chocolate and a bowl of pea soup with sausage and i was pretty much done. I had originally planned on going back to Mettmann on the train but as i waited for a tram to the main station, another, going to Ratingen arrived. I hadn't planned on going there this year but hey, why not, i had the ticket after all. And so i visited Ratingen market, another gluhwein of course, then instead of going back to Dusseldorf for the train i ended up on a bus going directly to Mettmann.

I got back to the hotel at 19.45, a long day, a coach, a bus, two trains, three trams and about 14km of walking! I finally relaxed by watching a retro double bill of Gaby's favourite cop show, Tatort.

Day two started much the same, a longer drive down (up?) the river to Koln.Once again i eschewed the markets on arrival, instead taking another train excursion to a favourite market at Bergische Gladbach along with a bowl of gulaschsuppe and of course my first gluhwein of the day. Back in Koln i embarked on the long hike around and between six of the supposed 8 market sites. Angelmarkt - gluhwein, Dommarkt nothing, Weihnachts Pyramide - gluhwein, Altstadt - hot chocolate, ice rink - nothing, Hafenmarkt - gluhwein, pretty sure i had a sausage in a bun somewhere but not sure where! Even more walking today, 16km just in Koln!

But it didn't stop there, back in Mettmann i walked into town to visit another favourite, the Blotschenmarkt. I went in search of food, frites in the end.

Day three was Bonn, a longer drive beyond Koln but a much smaller market than either of the previous cities.Once again i didn't go straight to the market, a walk around the town and look in a few bricks and mortar stores before embarking on the days heimat experience. Fewer tourists get here, its less hurried as a result, still busy of course but with more local visitors. A hot chocolate at one end then a Schweinsteak for lunch and after a bit more 'shopping', a final gluhwein - or so i thought.

We got back to the hotel about five thirty and i needed to eat, the hotel restaurant wasn't the cheapest so i set out once more for the Blotschenmarkt. Okay, so it was hardly cordon bleu but i enjoyed my frikadelle and gluhwein, definately the last this time. A more relaxed day and a mere 10lm walked.

The return trip was shorter, delays at Calais immigration added a couple of hours to the journey but even so i was back in Brizz just after 20.00. A great week with no real drama, i walked over 50km in total and added 14 new beverage containers to my collection. as for how many gluhwein's i drank, well i think it was 10, split about 50/50 red to white. Now i just need to think about next year and where my budget can take me.

I had planned on a bike ride either yesterday or today but to be honest, the weather here is abysmal, wet, cool and windy so i've stayed in doors catching up with stuff. I have posted a new Gaby chapter this morning, Balancing Trick Chapter 25 sees the start of the final element of the Bremen three stage and more machinations from our heroine!

Lastly, a big thank you to all those who have been supporting me via Patreon and your Kindle purchases, i'll never get rich but i can just about keep beans on the table and tyres on the bikes. I'll be back writing brand new Gaby this week, Patreoneers should look out for postings as early as tomorrow. I'm off now to buy said beans, the German trip really has cleared me out, but hey ho, losing a few pounds wouldn't be a bad thing.

So that's it for now, see you midweek,
Tschuss,
Madeline Anafrid