The Gluhwein Gang

On Saturday, six of us took the two hour train trip from Belgium to Cologne. 

There the Gluhwein Gang became eight and was complete.

Four Canadians, two Texans, a Scot and TE.

Can't you just hear the accents?

The Gluhwein Gang, otherwise known as (in no particular order)
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen (not pictured)

(Names have been changed to protect the reindeer.)

It was now time to hit the markets.

I have a few posts from our weekend, but I thought I'd just start off

with the most important reason to visit the Christmas Markets...
besides the wonderful company.

The food and drink.

It was all about the food and drink!

 And our first stop was for some Gluhwein.

Gluhwein is mulled wine and perfect for warming you up inside and out.
Each market has their own mugs.  You pay a deposit with each one.
 That way you have the option of returning it or keeping it to take home.
We brought a few of them home.

It's typically made with red wine, but most places offered a white wine option.  

There are some other fun options like kirsch (cherry) and apfel (apple cider).

  

This version is called a Feuerzangenbowle. 

It includes a flaming kicker of a sugar cone soaked in rum or brandy. 

Of course, there were quite a few German beers enjoyed throughout the weekend.  

And this special treat was quite yummy.

It's called Eirpunsch and is also served warm.  It's similar to eggnog and packs quite a punch.  

With the drinks all settled, it was time to turn our thoughts to food!

Holy.  Cat.  So.  Much.  Food.

Take a half a wedge of cheese and set it under a burner. 

As it melts, scrape up the gooey goodness and slather it on a wedge of lovely bread. 

Eat.  Repeat. 

And I challenge you not to make funny, yummy food noises. 

TE was in food heaven!

Right.  So we have alcohol, bread and cheese, what comes next?

Next, it's all about the meat.  

Everything we tried was fantastic. 

Whether from a booth at one of the markets or when we sat down in a local restaurant

for a festive dinner.  Currywurst, schnitzel, pork steak... it was so good. 

I don't think they are going to run out of mustard.  

And we mustn't forget the potatoes.

Reibekuchen mit apfelmus are deep fried, crunchy potato fritters served with applesauce.  Again with the yummy noises.  It was wonderful!.

With all of the walking we did, there was plenty of room for dessert.
We came upon these little beauties one night in Cologne.
(Thankfully, Dancer took some great pictures since I was without my camera.)

These are called Trdelnik, a Slovak pastry made from rolled dough

that is wrapped around a stick and then grilled.

Once done they are rolled in toppings, like brown sugar, spices and nuts. 

 

And that was just a taste of all of the lovely food and drinks

that we experienced at the Christmas Markets.

We also had roasted candied nuts, chocolate covered everything, 

chicken on a stick, frites, pretzels... and on and on.

This was the most Christmas-y thing I've ever experienced. 

If you go, forget about your diet and just enjoy.

You will love every minute of it!

More pics to come of the various markets we visited. 

What do you think so far?

What is your favorite food or drink at the markets?

xoxo

Selena

Thanks to my fellow Texan, Sarah, for coming up with the name the Gluhwein Gang and for introducing us to such a great group of people!  And thanks to the gang for sharing their pics with me.  If I've made any mistakes with the names and details of all of these wonderful treats, please let me know.  

I Spy Friday featuring Brussels

Last Spring we had a quick stopover in Brussels on our way to Amsterdam.

At the time I declared Brussels Deserves an Overnighter.

A weekend in Germany visiting the Christmas markets was the perfect opportunity for another stopover. 

Last Friday, we hopped on the Eurostar and took the 2 hour trip to Brussels. 

Have I mentioned that I love traveling by train? It's so much more relaxing for me than flying. 

Brussels at night did not disappoint!

(Although in the spirit of full-disclosure, TE and I did argue a bit.

Travel stress strikes again.  But we got it all out on the first night, so it was a good thing.)

The city was in full Christmas mode.

The shop windows were bedecked with everything you can imagine. 

Belgian chocolate by the truckloads!

We strolled over to visit the little man again and had a drink at our favorite pub in Brussels.

The main square in Brussels is massive and beautiful.

But as we got closer, we noticed something different and seemingly out of place.

 

This year the powers-that-be decided to forgo the

traditional Christmas tree in the center of the historical square.

  Instead they opted for a massive, illuminated Abstract Christmas Tree.  

There was an impressive light show set to Christmas music.

The tree and the surrounding buildings all danced with color and lights. 

We noticed some protesters surrounded by TV crews after the light show.  We didn't know what they were protesting until we read later that many were not happy with the new display in the center of their beautiful square.

We were tired from a long week, so after a few drinks we turned in for the night. 

Our friends were arriving on a later train and we were all heading to Germany the next morning to visit the Christmas Markets!  More to come on our weekend getaway. 

The crazy tree did seem oddly out of place, although very pretty at night.  

What do you think?  New and exciting or tacky and out of place?

xoxo

Selena

Thanksgiving at Tiffany's

We're back from Belgium and Germany and the Christmas Markets.

OhEmGee!  It's like Christmas on steroids.  We had SO much fun!

But, before we get too far into Christmas, let's talk about Thanksgiving.

I knew this was going to be a rough one. 

Thanksgiving is a holiday tailor made for family shenanigans

and I was desperately missing home just thinking about the upcoming holiday. 

When Tiffany (who makes the best tamales in London)

mentioned that she was hosting a Thanksgiving Supper Club,

we signed up right away.

If I couldn't surround myself with family,

I was bound and determined to have some good food.  

And this girl can cook!

Roasted pumpkin seeds to get us in the mood.  

And of course a little margarita to get us even more in the mood.  

Tamarind.  Cinnamon.  Tequila.  Who knew?!?!

Goats cheese, nuts, honey and pumpkin oil.  Seriously, it was so good!

I expected to be in a room full of Americans, but I was the only one. 

Five Aussies, one Malaysian, one Brazilian, Five Brits, me and several bottles of wine. 

An International Thanksgiving Celebration.  

I did have a quick FaceTime call from the family celebration back in Texas. 

That might have triggered some embarrassing tears, but everyone was very sweet about it.  

Very quickly we were laughing and having a great time.

In my head, I was assigning everyone a role in a typical American family.

TE was the wacky Uncle and I was the tipsy Auntie.  

And then the table started to fill with all of the traditional Thanksgiving sides.

Everything was just incredible! And can we talk about this mushroom gravy?

 We were fighting over it.  It was so good.  

The most talked about dish was my personal favorite... Sweet Potatoes Taters!!!  

You haven't lived until you've had sweet potatoes with marshmallows melted on top.

Is it a side dish?  Is it a dessert?  Who cares?  I'll have seconds and thirds, please. 

And then.....  Ta Da!!!

The perfect turkey.  Tasty and  moist and carved for all to see!

We even applauded upon it's entrance.  As you do.  
Carved perfectly by the wonderful Lewis. 

Then the magic of a good Thanksgiving dinner happened.

Happy taste bud noises, lots of "pass the....", smiles and laughter.  

We were almost all too full for the final piece of the pie. 

It was festive and fantastic.

The perfect way to experience Thanksgiving so far from home.

Thanks so much, Tiffany, for giving me a wonderful taste of home.

It was just what I needed for my first Thanksgiving in London. 

xoxo

Selena