As promised, I have a few photos to share with you from this season’s first visit to the Weihnachtsmärkte.  We happened to be in Hannover this past weekend for a family birthday celebration, and took advantage of our free Sunday afternoon to explore some of the markets within walking distance of the main train station.

After hearing that the Finnish Christmas Market was a must-see, we head over to the Altstadt first.  And indeed, the atmosphere was lovely, set amidst Hannover’s Fachwerk.  The booths offered lots of upscale Finnish goods, including wine, slippers, and wool hats. They were even selling warm, smoked salmon to eat!

Afterwards we wandered over to the Medieval Christmas Market, where all the booths are designed to look like they came straight out of the middle ages and the sellers are in costume.  We shared a mulled berry wine here, which tasted sweet, but was definitely not comparable to Glühwein.

We continued our tour by meandering through the Old Town and hitting up two more markets, enjoying the atmosphere, Schmalzkuchen, and a couple of mugs of Glühwein along the way.  There was even a small forest of trees set up (although I couldn’t tell you exactly where), which offered a cozy, warm place to enjoy your drinks.

Overall, I was really surprised by how much Hannover had to offer!  Apparently many of the markets that we visited are relatively new and even mein Schatz, a native of Hannover, was impressed.

That’s it for now, but keep your eyes open for more Christmas Market updates!

Christmas Market 2012 Statistics:

• Christmas markets visited: 5 (so far, all in Hannover!)
• Mugs of Glühwein consumed: 1.5
• Souvenir mugs collected: 0
• Bags of Schmalzkuchen consumed: 1
• Ornaments purchased: 1

Looking for more Christmas in Germany posts?  Check these out:

• Frohe Festtage!
  
• Let the Weihnachtsmärkte Begin!
• Der Weihnachtsmarkt in Ottensen | Hamburg