Christmas it’s that time of year where the world unite and celebrate that one holiday at the same time. I love seeing cities transform with retail shops putting up special Christmas shop window displays. The Christmas markets, annual winter wonderland held at Hyde Park in London. I’ve been lucky enough to make a quick escape to Paris this year and saw the city preparing for Christmas.
Germany is known to have one of the best Christmas markets to go, but Hamburg seems to be less known to people. From late November Hamburg will transform into Christmas capital with over 16 Christmas markets. The markets attract 3 million visitors a year and there’s everything for anyone. A gay and lesbian winter pride in the St. Georg district. Santa Pauli for the adult market, for the alternative presents. Little ones can enjoy the big winter wonderland in Hamburg, ice skating at Europe’s largest outdoor rink.
The Hamburg Tourismus invited down to a secret location by London Bridge for a Christmas in Hamburg taster. We were free to roam Borough market before we sat down for our meal. I will always love Borough market for the vibrate atmosphere that it attracts. You can get anything at that market; whatever tickles your fancy in the food department. I got my fresh juice and wheat grass fix from a stall. Bread Ahead has their own baking classes; I hear the donuts are real good!
Once we headed back to the secret location a long table was decorated with Christmas goodies, from sweets, cookies, and cakes and decorations. A representative from Hamburg Tourismus who flew from Germany that very morning showed us a video of city life at Hamburg, and shockingly Germany is most famous for their fish and not sausages. What a revelation!
As we tucked away into the lovely food of cold meats, beer, sweets and cookies, we listened to stories and shared our Christmas plans to one and the other.
