Cologne Christmas Markets Part 2

Earlier this week I told you all about our wintertime trip to Cologne. Well, after a steam and a long bath at our hotel, the gluttony continued with Christmas Market adventure part two! There are several markets throughout Cologne, and we were determined to make it to them all before our time was up in this romantic city. Our first stop of the evening was the Angel’s Christmas Market, a beautiful outdoor space draped in white, glittering lights. While we were tempted by the delicious aroma of currywurst and the loud crackle of potato fritters, we instead decided to start with something more simple – mulled wine.To drink, you pay a small deposit for your mug which then stays with you for the rest of the night. You can go back to the bar again and again and have your mug filled with mulled wine, warm cider, or amaretto for a very slim price. At the end of the night, if you remember to return your mug, you get your deposit back and you can go in your merry way. Or you can keep your mug as a keepsake or gift which is what B and I have done for the past two years!The Angle’s market was truly beautiful, and had many craftsmen busy at work, tending to their stalls.With the option to purchase anything from roasted chestnuts to hand painted ornaments, the booths range wildly and taking in the sights is half the fun. After a few glasses of mulled wine (and a shameless selfie) we ventured towards the cathedral to admire its beauty by night.It was stunning, as usual. Tall and looming and elegant in the dark, we strolled around the cathedral until we found something truly magical.. . . I probably shouldn’t tell you this since technically you’re strangers and this is the internet and I should be sensitive to my privacy and blah blah blah. But since it’s changing in 6 months anyways and I’m a trusting person, I will tell you that my last name is Ronca. And as you already know, my first name is Ali. Hence my astonishment at finding the following sign:
I showed this photo to my mother and she thought I had photoshopped it. And then after showing her three more identical ones she exclaimed ‘WHY DIDN’T YOU STEAL THIS SIGN?!’ Ah, I love being home! But I also love this sign, and I may have to go back so I can take my mom’s advice (isn’t mom always right?) But in the meantime this next photo will have to do, the one of me pointing to a sign that has my last name and first name (with only one extra little ‘l’) and what I presume is the word ‘place’ (German readers, is ‘platz’ place?!) Amaze.I seriously could have hung out on Roncaalliplatz all evening because it’s the coolest street ever. But then we saw some signs with gnomes and sheep and donkeys, and these looked somewhat interesting as well. So we followed our nose (mmmm currywurst!) and some adorable signs and found our way to the Old Market Christmas, a beautiful gnome themed Christmas market in front of Cologne’s town hall.This market was by far the most stunning. All of the tall trees were lit with radiant lanterns. There were wood carvings and a ferris wheel and a large outdoor ice skating rink. If we had spent another night in Cologne, this would have been our first stop.However, we wandered all around and could not find currywurst!! We had seen it three markets back and were dying for some soggy-sweet sausages and fries. So we downed two more mugs of mulled wine, and strolled back through town in a cold fuzz.We ended up back at the Market of Fairy Tales, which is even more so enchanting by night.And to every Christmas Market adventure, there is a happy ending – and this one ended with currywurst!Now that I’m good and hungry, I’m going to go to bed. In my next post I’ll do a little summary on the markets in Cologne and perhaps even include some special highlights on Cologne vs. Dortmund, so if you’re thinking up your own Christmas market trip you can plan accordingly. Night night for now! X