The Christmas markets of Western Europe are something I have never experienced before, and quite the experience they are. Even if you are not a shopper, the decorations are magnificent to see in person. The pictures are definitely not like seeing it in person, but for the most part I will have to let them do the writing for me. We visited five in total.
We began at Kerstmarket Gemeentegrot Valkenburg Netherlands. The market is held in underground Roman caves and admission is 7.50 Euro per person and well worth.
Be mindful where you walk because you can twist an ankle if not careful. This market had the best variety and prices. I wish I had bought more while we were there. The decorations were very bright, but most were flat LED lighted panels. The decor I enjoyed the most were the “Christmas Wish Trees”. They lined the entire length of the tunnels and you could purchase a one euro clear ball ornament, write a wish on a piece of red paper and hang on any tree of your choice. They were simply magical looking and many wishes, by others, ladened the trees down, making them all the more festive. No, I didn’t hang one, since I already had my wish by simply being there with Han. It can get quite crowded, but everyone was in the spirit of the season and very nice. Once again, I suggest you purchasing your gifts at this particular market.
The next market was also in Valkenburg Netherlands and is called Kerstminiaturen Mergelrijk. (also in an underground cave.) This is the market to walk slowly through, relish in the history written on the cave walls and the best eye-popping Christmas 3-D decoration displays. The prices are approximately twice as much as the previous market, and Han said that is because this cave is privately owned, so I would think the vendors had to pay a larger price to show off their wares. There are actually five Christmas Cave markets in this town – obviously famous for its caves – and you can purchase a Passe Partout for all five with the addition of a drink and appetizer in five related restaurants around town. If Valkenburg is your Christmas Market destination, then this is definitely worthwhile along weekend. Since Han was born and raised in this area, we decided to spread our wings and visited other surrounding towns and villages instead.
During the first part of our visit we stayed with Jos (Han’s younger brother) and Ria. (his wife). They used to own a traditional carré farm house in a nearby village, that they turned into an artist gallery and studio for Jos, but as time gets to all of us, it became too big to maintain and they recently bought a house in the center of Kerkrade. It turned out the perfect home to quietly become accustomed to the time change and recover from our jet lag.
We had a lovely week long visit, where we had one of our favorite meals of Babi Pangang at Chinees Indisch Specialiteiten Restaurent in Kerkrade. The spread of food on our table, meant to feed four, was enough for twice that many people.
We visited the weekend village farmers market to purchase fresh produce, meat and fish. Han throughly enjoyed his raw herring smothered in onions. The smell alone is enough to make me wrinkle my nose.
Of course, having coffee on one of the local restaurant terraces was a given. Thank you heat lamps!We shopped at some excellent, interesting and affordable thrift shops. Always love me a thrift shop day.
Walked everyday for exercise, raining or not. Jos lovingly prepared divine dinners for us that would rival any restaurant fare. We decorated the Christmas tree, and when I say we, I mean the women folk. LOL
Han and I took a short trip to the nearby town of Sittard, walked a bit around town and had lunch at “Tapas Cantina” Cafe, a delicious French Onion Soup, as you can only find in this region and a double portion of Bitterballen (spiced Meat kroketten).
We also went to Aachen Germany that day for yet another Christmas Market. Honestly, I was not impressed with Aachen last time we visited there and this time was no different. Much too crowded and busy, even though the market was held outside. The prices in Germany for any products (except for liquor, food and cigarettes) are outrageous. Traveling in and out of Aachen is more than a little overwhelming and scary. This will be my last trip going there. My main feeling about Aachen is “meh”.
One day runs into the next and we were trying to jam many activities into a short period of time while in the area. We set out for Maastricht Netherlands because we heard the market there was extraordinary, but it began raining cats and dogs, so we visited IKEA in Heerlen instead. Got a long walk in without getting wet and had a nice lunch. I love Maastricht, but we never made it thereafter either. I would strongly suggest for anyone visiting The Netherlands to add this city to your itinerary.
On the 15th, we packed the car for our next destination of Horst Netherlands, where Han’s older brother Eef and his wife Marlies live. They previously resided in the family home that Han grew up in, but moved about a year ago, so we were excited to see their new home.
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