Christmas - Christmas Market - Dresden - christmas tree - lights - holiday spirit - China - holidays - Beijing - The Place - festivities - Prague - Germany - Spain - stollen - Striezelmarkt - Tyn Church - bakery - Malaga -
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This nun works one of the gluhwein (spiced wine) and beverage stands at the Neustadter Christmas Market. She represents a convent and monastery that brews beer and other drinks and spirits such as mead and punch. A poster of Martin Luther hanging just over the wine taps holds watch over the evening's affairs.Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
Trying to get into the holiday spirit at The Place in Beijing. Not quite the same as a European Christmas Market. Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
Prague Chrismas markets are bursting with decorative gingerbread cookies.The fish is a carp, the most recognized Czech Christmas symbol, as Czech families eat carp and potato salad as their Christmas evening meal. About 10 days before Christmas, large plastic tubs of water loaded with fresh fish swimming around appear on every other street corner. Families choose a fish from the tub, and have the choice to take it home alive and allow it to swim around the bathtub until Christmas Eve arrives.Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
So many smoking santas to choose from.Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
What says Bejing Christmas more than a Christmas tree decked out in lights under the world's - correction ASIA'S - largest LED screen (250x30 meters)? Taken at The Place in Beijing. Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
Christmas has a special feel in Beijing. The Place is decked out in the Christmas spirit while its LED screen (the largest in the world) takes us on the tour of the solar system. Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
No Christmas Market would be complete without nutcrackers standing at the ready.Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
Three busy bakers work the Stollen booth at the rear of the Striezelmarkt all day long. This man was responsible for shaping the dough and weighing each batch (and its invidivual ingredients) to ensure equal weight and consistency with the other loaves.Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
The world's largest LED screen takes us through the solar system at The Place in Bejing. Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
Beijing's shopping centers go all out in their decorations for Christmas, a relatively new, and completely commercial, holiday in China. Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
If, as you stroll the Christmas market, you are overcome by the smell of incense, it's likely coming from one of Germany's famous smoking men. A cone of incense is usually placed inside the base or back of the figure and lit, allowing the smoke to escape through its mouth. Smoking men, often kept company by the more well-known nutcrackers, come in many varieties and often portray some type of profession or activity (e.g., woodcutter, baker, gardener).Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
Stollen, originally known as striezel (from which the market takes its name), is a traditional Dresden Christmas sweet bread. It is full of raisins and other candied or dried fruit and topped with powdered sugar. Many bakeries and stalls sell the cake already packaged, but the bakers in this stall put in a full day baking it fresh - gathering the ingredients, carefully shaping and weighing the dough and baking the loaves a wood-fired oven. Its sweet smell wafts through the market, drawing crowds all day long.Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
No German Christmas market is complete without gluhwein (hot spiced wine). As locals catch an evening drink with their colleagues on tall wooden tables and visitors wander the market, the sweet smell of spice permeates the air and all can be seen hand-hugging their mugs to ward off the winter chill. At the end of the evening, you can either keep your mug as a souvenir or return it for a refund.Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
In addition to the main Christmas market on the Old Town Square, there are several neighborhood Christmas markets including this one at Namesti Miru (Peace Square), where locals drop by day and night to shop, spend time with friends, and fill up on svarak (spiced wine), sausages, nuts, and sweets.Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
The small Christmas Market in Hall, Austria wins the award for the best gluhwein and roasted chestnuts award....at least it was like that in 1998 when we were there. Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
A stand selling goods made by kindergarteners to raise money for the school at the small town Christmas Market in the town of Marjamaa, Estonia. Audrey started this Christmas Fair in 1999 when she was a Peace Corps Volunteer. The tradition continues today. Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
Known affectionately as el caganer or the crapper these are part of Catalan's Christmas nativity tradition. This row of el caganers was at the Christmas market in Barcelona, Spain.Read more about European Christmas Markets and Reflections on Dresden's Christmas Market.
