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| Apparently over a million people visited Aachen's Weihnachtsmarkt last year. |
Even though I went this afternoon when it was still light out, it made me feel so chipper and ready to start the holiday season. You walk through the booths which are packed together at the bases of the beautiful Aachen Dom and Rathaus, and the smells of Glühwein (which is like cider with a bit of pep), candied nuts, and crepes waft through the air. All the while, there's the coziest, jolliest music playing in the background. I'm not surprised Walt Disney came from German heritage because I swear the inspiration for Disneyland and World had to have come from the Weihnachtsmarkt.
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| Wifi options: amongst grannies getting Christmas presents for their grandkids or with some frustrated Starbucks employees. |
The newspaper did a story on the free wifi available at the market this year because for Germany that's a big deal. Internet rules are just different here. For example a good deal of YouTube videos are blocked in Germany due to super strict music copyright laws. When it comes to wifi, it's tricky because technically the free wifi provider (like your local cafe) is responsible for whatever the user (you) does online. If you choose to look at child porn or illegally download music, the cafe could face major fines or charges. Anyway, long story short, free wifi is almost impossible to find in Germany. Oh, but Starbucks has it. It may not have that local charm that say, Alt Aachener Kaffeestuben Leo van den Daele does, but Starbs has got your wifi covered.
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| Just my reading level! |
Mayersche, the Powell's-esque bookstore in the center of town, also has free wifi, but it requires users to create an account, which provides the store with some online security. I was in Mayersche earlier this week and read Millie feiert Weihnachten (recommended by my buddy Evelyn who said her grandma read Millie books aloud to her all the time as a kid). It was about Millie, an average German kindergartener, and her experiences during the holiday season. Honestly, that was the best way to prep for the upcoming celebrations. Just like little Millie, I needed all of the new festive vocabulary explained to me.
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| Keeping it comfy and cozy in the movie theater-style seats at Mayersche that overlook the town square. |
So even though it's gotten pretty nippy in Aachen, the general "jolliness vibe" has only increased and grown warmer. In the coming weeks I think I'll be donning my big winter coat and checking out the Weihnachtmarkt by night when all the lights are on and twinkling. But first things first, of course, and no forgetting Thanksgiving!