German Christmas Adventures

Is it just me, or is Christmas on overdrive this year?

Nope. This is just how the Germans do Christmas. And it’s bloody fantastic! There is no better country to get you into the Christmassy mood. This is hands down my favourite time of year, and the Germans like to embrace it. Big style.

I wrote in my blog a few days ago that I was determined to make these last few weeks of term count. And that’s what I’m trying to do. When in doubt, do as ze Germans do. Here’s a snippet of some of my adventures:

Last weekend, just as Bensheim was beginning to prepare for its own Christmas market, I met up with one of the Emily’s, and we went for a hot chocolate and a chinwag in this dainty little coffee shop in town that I’ve adopted as my new favourite watering hole. It’s good to have someone to chat to – although only a mere 16 years of age, she is lovely and wise beyond her years, and it’s comforting to know that she has been experiencing exactly the same culture shocks as I have been. Bensheim is beginning to look very festive, and I’m looking forward to discovering all the delights its Christmas market has to offer over the next weeks.

This week in school passed as per, with relatively little going on out of the ordinary. That was until we got to Thursday. During my first period English lessons, we were studying writing invoices and payment reminders; very interesting, yet perhaps not the most spine-tinglingly exciting of topics. About half way through the lesson, some b.e.a.uuu.tiful piano music started up from the room adjacent to ours. Even though its sound was slightly distorted as it came through the wall, you could tell that whoever it was who was playing was really rather talented. After about 10 minutes, one of the girls asked Frau Fuda is she knew who was playing. It was apparently a young guy who had come in to practice. Well, you can imagine the effect that this had on the girls in the room. A mass exodus occurred, with pretty much only the boys, Frau Fuda and I staying resolutely in our seats. Even though I was desperate to go and have a look as well, I thought to myself, ‘No. I am supposed to be a responsible adult here. I will not be tempted out of the room by the prospect of a good looking guy and a piano.’ Screw that! The temptation quickly overcame me, and I went to watch, too. Well. What can I say. I wish I had recorded it, because I have seriously never heard anyone play the piano like that before. He was incredible. I had goosebumps and may even have shed a tear oder zwei. I think I may have fallen slightly in love. It was just so incongruous to what normally occurs during lessons; I could have stayed there all day.

So, after I had recovered from watching the beautiful man on his beautiful piano, came the news that some school students and a couple of youth workers from Amersham, UK had arrived at school, as they are looking to set up some kind of exchange partnership with the Karl Kübel Schule. That’s right; living, breathing, British people had arrived in my little corner of Germany. I’m not sure what made me so excited about it. I guess it was just nice to remember that people from my Heimatland do genuinely still exist! 

Anyway, the words ‘Christmas’ and ‘Germany’ are synonymous with one thing. Yes, Christmas markets. Christmas markets are what make Christmas feel like Christmas. They take those quintessential images of the holiday season; wooden shacks topped with snow, gingerbread, woolly hats, ‘chestnuts roasting on an open fire’ etc. etc. and squish them all together within a 100m x 100m area, (usually accompanied by bright lights, Christmas songs and of course Glühwein to make it feel even more atmospheric.) My first proper experience of a Christmas market à la deutsch was in Mannheim. I headed over there with two girls from Simone’s Yr 13 group, who are both so nice.  It’s such a cosy atmosphere, wandering round; a mug of Glühwein in one hand, a Bratwurst in the other, looking at all the quirky gifts on offer.  After that we ventured over to the National Theatre to meet up with some other people from their class, Simone and Thomas to watch a production of ‘Avenue Q.’ I’m forever seeing adverts for it whenever I walk through Leicester Square or Piccadilly Circus, so it reminded me a little bit of home, which was nice. It’s not what we’d call your ‘typical’ musical. It’s a little bit like The Muppets in that the actors carry puppets around, and it’s quite easy to forget that there are actually humans doing all the actions for them. The storyline and songs were a little bit eyebrow-raising, though. When they piped up with one number entitled ‘Das Internet ist für Pornos,’(I don’t think you need an English translation,) succeeded by a scene in which they undressed the puppets and showed them err…having a good time…I did wonder a little bit what we were in for. But it was very good fun, nonetheless. Afterwards we finished off the evening in a restaurant for a drink, a pizza and a chat, before heading home. The students from Simone’s class are the same ones I got to know a bit in Amsterdam, and it reminded me just how nice and friendly they all are! Apart from the fact that it has suddenly turned so damn cold, it was a really lovely evening, with really lovely people and I hope there are more opportunities like that one before I leave.

Then reality kicked in and I realised I had better start getting organised with my Christmas shopping. Call me crazy, but I actually really enjoy it. Ok, so it can be mildly stressful when you’ve left allyourshoppingtothe23rddecemberandthencan’tfindanythingbecauseit’sreallybusyincentrallondonandithasallsoldoutandahhhhh, but most of the time, it is fine. So on Saturday, I wrapped up warm and headed out into the cold to buy pressies for my beloveds. I was merrily buying away, when something dawned on me. Somehow, irgendwie, I have got to get all of these presents home in a suitcase. Oops. May have to do some premature package-sending before I fly home.  

You might think that once you’ve seen one Christmas market, you’ve seen them all. Oh no, no, no, sonny Jim. I have plenty more on my list. I got to see a little bit of the Heidelberg market, which is apparently one of the biggest and most famous in the area. I still have yet to properly explore the Bensheim one, which is now in full swing, and next weekend I’m venturing over to the Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg, which is one of the most famous ones in Germany, I think. That means many more opportunities for a few cheeky mugs of Glühwein, so I’m looking forward to the last few weeks over here. 

One last thing. On Wednesday I will have been in Germany for 100 days. That seems ridonkulous. I guess time really does fly when you're having fun.

This is a picture from a pre-Christmas dinner in Leamington this time last year. It's crazy to think how much has changed since then. 

<3 

Bis bald, Emily