Tübingen’s Weihnachtsmarkt, “Christmas Market”, was held this past week weekend. Chris and I have had the opportunity to go to a few different kinds of Weihnachtsmärkte over the past few years, and the one here stands out since most of the stands sell hand-made goods, and not cheap trinkets mass-produced overseas. Many stalls are sponsored by local groups that also offer the requisite Glühwein (mulled wine) and non-alcoholic spiced punch as a way to warm up when taking a break from scoping out the stalls. It’s got a totally different feel from the more commercial markets elsewhere, including the one we were used to when we lived in Bolzano.

Another fun aspect of this market is that there are many pint-sized street musicians — i.e. kids — that set up stands to play seasonal music.  There were solo performers and also small groups of 2-3 kids who were clearly just there on their own, as opposed to being part of a larger band, although there was that, too. I’m not sure I would have had the courage to stand out there at 10 years old all on my own and play an instrument like that. Very impressive.

Anyway, we wandered around the market a bit on both Saturday and Sunday, sampling seasonal treats like Magenbrot, a tasty spiced (cloves, cinnamon, star anise and nutmeg) cookie-like confection that only seem to be available at these Christmas markets.

Magenbrot (“stomach bread”)

We didn’t wind up tasting any new savory things this year, but you can refer back to my post from last year about various festival foods that are typically offered.

This year I didn’t take very many photos, as it turned out. Not sure why. The weather was neither snowy nor sunny, and maybe that made it less appealing photographically. However, the stands were pretty similar to what we saw last year, with handmade crafts, jellies, honeys, and ornaments.  Photos from last year’s market are here.

There was one thing that did catch my eye this year, though. In a stall that had a variety of Christmas ornaments for sale, there was a really nice reflection — in the shiny silver balls hanging in the stall — of the half-timber style building across the way. In the photo below, you can see not just the reflection of the building (on the right), but also a few of the other stalls stretched along the street in the background.

Plus, more prominent in the photo than I would have liked, there’s an unintended portrait of a local photographer at the market. 😉

Ornament Reflection, Tübingen Christmas Market 2012