My city has joined the worldwide phenomenon of setting up a German-style Christmas village with tons of stalls selling food, drink, and gifts. One of the recent OTs had a link to a different one in Shaqville.
My family went a few days before Christmas, and being cynical and too cool for school, I was sure it would be touristy and schlocky, and it sort of was. But it was also pretty fun.
It was lit up at night with a million lights, and looming over the whole thing is a “pyramid” based on the tabletop versions seen in Germany.
The top of it spins in imitation of smaller home versions, which have propellers at the top that turn when hot air rises from lit candles at the base. There are figures inside which go round and round as well.
There’s a big tent with this sign over the entrance….
… which is flanked by nutcrackers.
And of course inside there’s a biergarten.
Plus there were lots of fancy German decorattions for sale.
Outside the tent, there were all kinds of German foods and drinks for sale; bratwurst, currywurst, schnitzel and raclette cheese, kinder punsch and gluhwein (and Irish coffee).
The best thing of all was walking around among all of the people outside ducking in and out of the vendors’ stalls, with everything lit up like constellations.
The vendors ranged from high end artistic goods to tourist-oriented souvenirs to unusual food and drink, such as this stand selling seven deadly sins-related cocktails.
People were happy, murmuring softly, couples were walking hand in hand, parents pushed little kids in strollers, and at one point a giant troop of joggers streamed through, part of some local running club no doubt. Even dogs meeting strange dogs were in a good mood.
It’s just plain fun to be wandering around in the dark in a place like this.
The Christkindlmarkt! Yes. I love a good one. The Glühwein. The Lebkuchen. The Christmas-themed items for sale. There is a reason why kitsch is a German word. But I love all of it.
Actually, there is a British word for kitsch: “tat.” That gets trotted out whenever a Royal does something memorable, like die or get married.
There are stores and entire towns that do Christmas 365 days a year, which seems like a nightmare.
https://parade.com/102095/joannekaufman/25-the-365-days-of-christmas/
But for a short window, it’s great.
You had me at biergarten!
I was the designated driver, so unfortunately I couldn’t settle in.
damnit….its nutkrackers again….. no escaping that fucker
looks like a fun christmas village tho……my city didnt bother setting one up other than an ice rink and an oliebollen place
sucks…..
i need my germans goddamnit……i mean they can keep gluhwein unless its like -40
but i need my sauerkraut mit brat wurst….or at least a curry wurst?
I had no idea what oliebollen was, so I looked it up, and now I think it makes sense — oil ball, like a ball of dough fried in oil?
https://dutchreview.com/culture/food/dutch-oliebollen-the-traditional-new-years-snack/
That photo of an oliebollenkraam looks fun. And I love this bit:
I think I may have managed this December even without them.
batavians and frysians?
wonder if at the time of the voc we kept crews fairly region locked
coz batavia is a fair ways away from friesland
frysians are plenty fucking odd tho
actually come to think of it…..they must have kept frysian crews seperate coz no one else can understand them
There was a girl in my high school who had parents or grandparents from Friesland and could speak a bit. Supposedly it’s vaguely close to English, not that I could tell.
it has similarities to olde english
but you know….. i’d say its closer to the scandinavians
which makes sense considering most sea faring was done along the shore back then