Braunschweig Weihnachtsmarkt

I can't believe how quickly Christmas is coming. My family comes out to visit for the holidays in only 3 more weeks, and the Braunschweig Christmas Market, or Weihnachtsmark, has already begun. Because Braunschweig is a relatively small city, I didn't expect too much when a handful of us check out the market on opening night. I figured that it couldn't compete with the markets put on by huge cities like Berlin and Munich. But, I was happily surprised. The Weihnachtsmarkt is like nothing I have ever seen before when it comes to celebrating Christmas. It is only what I can imagine like Time Square must look like during the peak of the holiday season. The market takes up the entire Burgplatz in Braunschweig, and reminds me of something like a carnival. The castle square is filled with Christmas lights, Christmas trees, ornaments and decorations, and 150 small shops or booths ranging from carnival games, to bakery and candy stands, to gift shops, to Bratwurst booths, to small bars and pubs. Everything looks amazing surrounding the old castles, and looks like something out of a movie. One of the biggest attractions, it seems, at the Weihnachtsmarkt, is the Gluwein stand. Gluwein is a specialty hot spiced wine, which is a bit different, but definately warms you up on a cold winter day at the market. After seeing this Christmas Market in Braunschweig, I'm really looking forward to checking out some of the others during the Christmas break.

I'm off to Amsterdam in the Netherlands in the early morning for the weekend. A bit of a train ride, but hopefully it will be fun!