Christmas Markets 2013

The last weekend before our trip to the US was dedicated to Christmas markets.  Friday night we visited Leuven (my favorite town in Belgium), Saturday was a stop in Brussels (but we never actually made it to the market due to basketball games), and Sunday we were off to Cologne, Germany.  I love the Christmas markets.  The food is terrific.  The atmosphere is exactly what you would expect of Christmas in Europe.  But, the goods they sell are usually less than impressive.  I have been looking for a nativity set for two years now.  No luck!  But I did find a scarf and gloves, and Chris got a giant Duval glass.  So it wasn't a total loss…but definitely not very Christmasy.  

Leuven, Belgium

Christmas Leffe!

The beautiful town hall!  Unfortunately, not the greatest picture.

Sadly, this was the last night we were going to get to spend with the Westercamps before Lisa heads back to the US with the kids.  Scott will be staying to close up the house.  So, the night was a bit of a farewell evening too.  Gifts were opened when we returned to the house.  We are very sad to see them go.

Cologne (Köln), Germany

We were excited to finally make it to this market.  We arrived before it opened, so a Starbucks stop was in order.

Twins! :)

 Chris contacted a high school friend (Bill) who is living in Cologne.  We were thrilled he was able to spend the day with us.  And, with his help, we were able to visit five of the seven markets in Cologne.  That never would have happened if we were on our own!

The first market is in the square next to the DOM.

And, the food was delicious!

Bill suggested we leave that market and visit some of the less touristy ones.  The next market was a hit!  It had ice skating!  The kids were in heaven.  I didn't think we would ever get them off the ice.  So, the adults utilized the time to enjoy the glühwein. ;)

Flat Gaby was along for the trip.

Made me laugh….

Bill and Chris

 Off to market #3.  I cannot remember the name of these fried potatoes, but I can assure you they were one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten.  We went back for seconds.  The kids were devouring them!

Mug collecting…so you must drink more glühwein. 

He'll ride any horse…real or fake.  So darn cute!

 Market #4!  Flat Gaby loved the giant Santa!

The graffiti along our route to the next market was too cool.  I can't read it, so I apologize if it's offensive.  Hahaha!

Here comes the smolder…..

 Market #5!  This market was located near Bill's house.  It was very quaint and very crowded, but it did not disappoint.

It's nice to travel with others because we get some family pics.  Allison got that cute new hat at market #3.

 We parted ways with Bill and headed back to the 1st market where our car was parked.  The sun had not made an appearance all day.  But, as we were passing by the DOM, this happened…..

Magnificent!

Back to market #1.

Hot chocolate break

And, one last stop for German food.  Chris can't get enough of it!

And, as night started to fall, we decided it was time to head back to Brussels.  

 And, that concludes our Christmas markets for the year.  Hopefully next year, we will visit more in Germany and France (and Brussels of course.)  

Until next time,

Wendy

The Things We Do For a Shot!

This post would be a lot more festive if I had actually done it prior to Christmas.  But, with the Christmas rush, blogging was not in the cards.  So, now it is time to do a little catching up since we are back from our whirlwind trip to the US.  

In early December, our family went to the Grand Place for dinner at Hard Rock (of course) and were thrilled to finally see the Christmas tree and light show set up for the Brussels Christmas market.  We never did make it to the actual market this year (darn it), but the new LED lights and beautiful tree were a must see. 

With all of these people in the Grand Place, it was was a little tricky to get a shot without people walking by.

And, that's how this happened…..

Ericka and I flippantly discussed how fun it would be to go down to the Grand Place in the middle of the night to get pictures without any people in them.  And, within about two minutes, it was decided we would go the next night.  A friend recommended a webcam for the Grand Place, so I could verify the lights were on and not waste a trip down there at 1:00 AM.  Yes, you read that right. 1:00 AM!  The husbands were not too thrilled the two of us were heading down there in the middle of the night, but who is going to mess with us?  Hahaha!

Once down there, we got our wish.  Much of the city center was deserted!

Galeries Royale Saint-Hubert

I wish I could have moved those obnoxious white signs around the tree.

Glistening cobblestones are a favorite!

These three intoxicated lads wanted me to take their picture. Alright boys, and you even made the blog.  Congrats!

The crèche had live sheep in the middle of the Grand Place.

Ericka took it upon herself to move the can.

This made it all worth it!

A little more wide angle distortion

I can't decide which one I like best.  I only had about 150 to choose from. ;)

I did stand on a chair at a restaurant at the end of the Grand Place to get these shots.  We might have been told by the police we could not do that (in French…no clue what they said…but I knew it had to do with getting into trouble.)  And, I might have moved faster than humanly possible to get off that chair (I don't like to get in trouble).  But, the police also offered to take our picture, so they must not have thought we were that bad.  Ericka still laughs about it.

My partner in crime!

 And, that is one of the best nights I have ever had at the Grand Place.  Thank you, Ericka for the sharing the fun with me!

Until next time,

Wendy