Hey guys,

Merry Christmas to all of you and have a nice holiday with your loved ones!
have you been to the Christmas market this year? Most people would probably answer this question with a "yes". And since I haven't posted or written anything about this wonderful time this year, I thought it was about time. For me, Christmas is the celebration of love and family and as it was my father's birthday on December 15th, we decided to go to Münster (which is about two hours away from Essen by car) and visit a Christmas market there. Before we went to the Christmas market, we went to a German restaurant and I have to say, it was sooo delicious! Unfortunately I didn't take any photos, but I'm sure it wasn't my last time there and next time I'll definitely take you there:) I tried wild boar with bread dumplings and had apple sauce with it. The meat was probably the most tender meat I've ever eaten. My mother opted for trout and my father and sister both had sauerbraten with dumplings and red cabbage. They must have really enjoyed it too. Later, we went to the Christmas market with well-filled stomachs.

The principal market is decorated with Christmas decorations

The restaurant was located on Prinzipalmarkt, which is why we set off from there. The Prinzipalmarkt is one of the landmarks of the city of Münster. It is characterized above all by the bright gabled houses and the archways below. It looked as if the gabled buildings below were mainly stores and the goods were stored above or that the offices of these stores were there. The Prinzipalmarkt is also known as the "parlor" of Münster and was built in the 12th and 13th centuries. Many buildings were destroyed during the Second World War, but instead of constructing a completely new building, the people of Münster rebuilt this style of architecture from before. The old materials were reused (as best they could) and attempts were made to preserve the old architectural style. Münster is a city with a bishop's seat and is also home to a university, probably one of the reasons why there are so many bicycles here and the city is also known as a cycling city.
In this picture you can see the St. Lamberti church with the bright and shining ladder on the roof. It is a Roman Catholic church and you have a great view of it as you stroll along the shopping mile. It was built between 1375 and 1525 as a market church and can be found at the end of the Prinzipalmarkt. The church takes its name from St. Lambert of Liège and belongs to the late Gothic style. There are three iron baskets on the tower, which is characteristic of this church. They were used to display the bodies of three leaders who were executed in front of the church in 1536.

One of the things I noticed were the fairy lights on the facades and the Christmas decorations on the windows. I wondered whether it was arranged that way or whether it was just a coincidence. In any case, it looked great!

Many children had fun on the carousel right at the gourmet mile. To be honest, I had a bit of a desire to go along and the child in me woke up again haha. But luckily I was still able to pull myself together :D

It was a great sight on this shopping mile. Do you see the two in the front with the Santa hats? This reminded me a bit of my Santa hat that I had in Finland, I think it looks really great at the Christmas market and you can reuse it every year haha ​​:D

No Christmas market without a delicious crepe!

Here you can see me happy with my crepes. I have to say, compared to the Cologne Christmas market crepes, this one was big and there was enough Nutella in it, I was pleasantly surprised. It was, so to speak, the perfect dessert after the delicious lunch at the restaurant before.

Do you know those long loops on the right in the picture? I bought a green one (or rather my mother bought it for me) and it tasted very good. Maybe a little very sweet but that's how it has to be ;)

The Ratsinnenhof looks particularly beautiful once again! It is the oldest and also the largest Christmas market in the whole of Münster and under the fairy lights it is a lovely place to linger and drink mulled wine. My father took a short break here from the long walk on the Platz des Westfälischen Friedens. There are lots of artisans here, but also many stalls with home-made jewelry.

A mining settlement in the Christmas spirit

And now I would like to give you a little insight into a very small Christmas market in Essen, and even if it looks a little inconspicuous and at first glance maybe not as nice as the one in Münster, it is still something great. I also got a crepe there with a friend and it wasn't the "mass processing" that you sometimes have at large Christmas markets. I found it very cute how the two at the crepes stand took the dough, which had become a bit thin, from bowls that everyone has at home. I also found it to be a bit warmer and more familiar there. But I can only recommend both Christmas markets, both small and larger, they are definitely worth a visit!

Here you can see the Gutsaus zur Margarethenhöhe. on the other side there is an Edeka shop. I have to say, I have rarely seen a supermarket in such a beautiful setting haha:D The Margarethenhöhe was named after the founder, Margarethe Krupp. It is located in the south of Essen and is considered the first German garden city. The settlement is considered a model of friendly living and was completed around 1910. There is also a nice hotel here where you can also eat well.

What do you say? Would you rather have a large, pompous Christmas market with a great backdrop and lots of decorations or would you rather have a somewhat quieter, approachable Christmas market that is more familiar but not quite as radiant? I think both are great and think that the mix might do the trick too :)
I wish you a great Christmas with your family and friends and a not too hectic Christmas season ;)