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White Christmas in Germany

Meißen, 8th of January

We were invited by a colleague to a ramblers' weekend in the Thuringian Forest: birches, pines, lovely frozen streams, half-timbered 17th century water mills and frost covered trees. The landscape is so breathtaking! You could almost tell the director of 'Lord of the Rings' that for his next movie he can come down here and save some money, the landscape is just as breathtaking! Having taken the wrong turning to the meeting point with the other ramblers, we arrive seven minutes late and 40 pairs of condemning eyes certainly add to the chill in the air! Don't ever underestimate the importance of punctuality to the German psyche! Fortunately, some ´³Ã¤²µ±ð°ù³Ù±ð±ð, hunter's tea (in fact a hot apple schnapps) and flasks of various Weinbrand, brandy, and ³¢¾±°ìö°ù, liqueur, later, we are finally accepted as an integral part of the group.

Cakes, breads and half a smile

In our local shops in Meißen we spend substantial sums on Eierschecke, a gorgeous Saxon cake, Pflaumenkuchen, plum cake, °­Ã¼°ù²ú¾±²õ°ì±ð°ù²Ô²ú°ù´Ç³Ù, pumpkin seed bread, Vollkornbrot, wholemeal bread, - the range of breads is amazing! We are now being treated like 'regulars', so we get a treat from time to time: a few extra sausages thrown in, a complimentary bread ... and sometimes even half a smile!

A month of celebrations

November sees a series of visits starting with Anne's mum who braved all linguistic barriers to boost our morale. Friends arrive from the USA, Paris and Nottingham as a big surprise for Anne's 40th birthday. Kingsley and I had been organising this since the summer, and she didn't have a clue! We are all euphoric and ecstatic, being able to chat and joke for hours in the company of people we love dearly, but after each farewell we all feel depressed, lost and talk about going home. This is quickly tempered by a whole range of fantastic traditions and celebrations which relaunch our love of our adopted home.

There was no Bonfire Night on the 5th of November, but on the 11th Sankt Martinstag, St Martin's Day, was celebrated with lantern processions. Then on the the 6th December was Nikolaustag, Santa Claus' day. On this day Sankt Nikolaus brings ³§Ã¼ÃŸ¾±²µ°ì±ð¾±³Ù±ð²Ô, sweets, Lebkuchen, ginger biscuits, and ıè´Ú±ð±ô³¦³ó±ð²Ô, lit. 'little apples', which he leaves in children's shoes , providing these have been thoroughly polished. Anyone struggling with muddy school shoes, adopt this German tradition now, it works wonders! All presents are wrapped up in nice little tissue bags.

Christmas markets

In December our town square had a lovely Christmas market that was full of delightful smells of spices, cinnamon, ³Ò±ôü³ó·É±ð¾±²Ô, mulled wine, pine, ginger bread, honey and chocolate ... but where are the hamburgers and greasy chips? Das Rathaus, the town hall, turned all its windows into an advent calendar and der Tannenbaum, Christmas tree, was adorned with little white lights. Local craftsmen also offered ¸éä³Ü³¦³ó±ð°ù³¾Ã¤²Ô³¦³ó±ð²Ô, 'little smoking people', a kind of wooden incense burner in the shape of pipe smoking men.

At the heart of the market in many towns and villages in Southern Saxony they also display eine Pyramide. This is a giant layered wooden structure, each level with wooden characters and candles which heat up the next level and send the whole structure onto a rotating motion. We were blessed with a white Christmas and a white New Year, felt as if we were in a festive fairy tale.The nearest ski resorts are on the Czech border, only 90 minutes away, so winter sports, here we come!Happy New Year to all our friends: Alles Gute im neuen Jahr!

Sent by: Frederic

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