Christmas Market #2 & #3--St. Wendel & Kirchheimbolanden

It was tough sledding this past weekend concerning the local Christmas Markets. The main issue was wind and rain. Normal temperatures this time of year, in this part of Germany, are in the mid 30’s. Saturday, when we were out-and-about, there was an almost constant drizzle to light rain. Usually, that kind of precipitation isn’t much of problem for outdoor activities here, but at a German Christmas Market, between the booths and the vendors, with everyone carrying an open umbrella, it got crowded fast and, it’s not only hard to walk around, but difficult to see things.

Our plan for Saturday was to visit two markets. One in St. Wendel and the other in Kirchheimbolanden. These two towns are in opposite directions from our home here so we decided to incorporate St. Wendel with another activity that would at least save us some gas. We’ve been planning on test driving a BMW for a couple weeks to that's what we did Saturday and drove it to St. Wendel.

Sankt Wendel (St. Wendel) is a small city in the German state of Saarland about a forty minute drive from our home in Weilerbach. Jeff and I had never been there before but were quite pleased with what we found. Here’s some of the rather damp images of the St. Wendel Christmas Market.

Here’s the BMW we drove to St. Wendel, an X6. They call it a Sport Activity Vehicle. Very sweet!! But, do I need a car that makes me look even shorter?

Upon arrival in St. Wendel, I needed a loo. What better place for that than a fine German gasthaus and this one, the St. Wendeler Brauereihaus was an excellent choice. Very nice, quaint atmosphere, great menu, their own brewed beer and, the main reason for the stop, a clean toilet. We had a quick beer and moved on to the market but we’d love to sit and have a meal here during another visit.

Pretty table settings at the St. Wendeler Brauereihaus. Just got better with a couple of St. Wendeler Dunkles.

The St. Wendeler Brauereihaus crest.

Outside again. Frohesfest.  Happy festival.

The St. Wendel Basilica. Different combination of cathedral spires.

St. Nicholas and a couple of his reindeers were there.

In the St. Wendel city square this archway welcomed folks to the Weihnachtsmarket.

Just a small part of the St. Wendel Christmas Market in the city square.

A giant Christmas pyramid in St. Wendel.

This is a video we took in a little puppet village set up for the kids. The Germans view of what is for kids is quite different from ours in the U.S. Even the first part of the video, which takes place in a typical German home, has some guy giving his naked puppet wife a bath. The second location is a typical gasthaus complete with a little puppet bottle of Jagrmeister. A sauna is the third setting complete with lounging naked women and a little guy flashing folks as they walk by. The final scene is leaving the puppet village, a little drinking vendor. I guess this supposed to be where mom and dad wait while their kids check out the soft porn puppets.

Well, the St. Wendel Christmas Market was quite pretty and in a beautiful setting. But, the drizzly rain certainly put a damper on the festivities. So we took the BMW back to the dealer and hopped into our car and drove a half hour to Kirchheimbolanden.

Kirchheimbolanden (Kibo, for short) was the town Jeff and I lived in 25 years ago and is still one of our favorite places in Germany. Whenever they have a festival here, beer, wine or Christmas festival, it’s always special because it takes place around the city’s medieval wall and towers. It’s always like a little homecoming when we visit Kirchheimbolanden.

I’ve mentioned this before. Whenever we go to Kirchheimbolanden we have to get a picture of the big brass wild boar in the city square. This time it’s my turn with my cup of Schneemann (snow man) drink.

Lots of winter festing in the Kibo town square.

St. Nicholas and his helper. St. Nic gave both Jeff and I a bag of gingerbread cookies when he found out we’re from the U.S.

A side street in Kibo.

Up along the Kirchheimbolanden wall; a really special setting for a Christmas market.

Kibo’s city clock tower and half-timbered buildings.

A video of the Kirchheimbolanden Christmas Market near the city wall.

That's Christmas markets #2 and #3. More to come next weekend. Hope the rain is gone by then.