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Last weekend, cities and towns all over Europe welcomed in the holiday season with the traditional outdoor Christmas markets. We thought it only fitting to join in the festivities, so on Saturday, we bundled ourselves up and drove to the medieval city of Bruges.
Wooden Christmas stalls encircled an outdoor skating rink in the center of Markt square. The vendors sold everything from hats and scarves to toys and locally made gifts. I found it difficult to pass by each of the tasty smelling stalls filled with the aromas of waffles, crepes, hot chocolate, sausages, frites…the list goes on and on. We did settle for a little treat of fried apples covered in powdered sugar…YUM! They hit the spot while we watched children ice skating or at least doing their best not to fall as they moved slowly across the ice. I loved watching people stroll by, greeting their friends along the way. Many of them stopped to share a hot drink together before continuing their shopping. One could truly feel Christmas in the air. We even saw Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet (his helpers).
To top off our great day, we made a stop at one of my favorite Christmas stores in Europe. Each time I go, I could spend hours looking at the wooden ornaments, nutcrackers, and Christmas carousel pyramids while familiar Christmas song play in the background. After selecting several ornaments and gifts, we left the store ready to spread our Christmas cheer! Cold weather, a festive atmosphere, and holiday shopping…I can’t imagine a better way to begin the Christmas season than this!