TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

Munster? Aachen? It was a serious debate running in my mind, for days. Both German cities are about 2+hour drive from Utrecht, Netherlands and in fact Munster was quite appealing because it’s a bigger city with 5 Christmas Markets. However, there seems to be a new environmental program recently implemented in big cities in Germany like Munster—the ‘Umweltzone’. Meaning, no car can enter the city center without an ‘Umweltzone sticker’, and to get this sticker would be an admin and logistical nightmare of sending documents to Apeldoorn and then picking it up. In addition, Blondine and I are too lazy (primadonnas?) to park the car outside of the city center and take the bus. As you can see, we are not fans of public transportation. And because Aachen is a smaller city compared to Munster, it is spared from this new environment publicity. Thus, Aachen it is! The Christmas Market surrounds the Aachen Town Hall and Aachen Cathedral located right in the heart of the centrum. At first, we thou...

In Aachen, Germany they have their own indigenous cookie called the ‘Aachener Printen’ or PRINTEN in short. It’s similar to the Lebkuchen or gingerbreads found in German speaking countries, as well as the speculaas doll cookies in the Netherlands. The latter is harder though. Globalisation has its own drawbacks nowadays which explains why this cookie is part of the protected designation of origin products, which means only bakeries and cookie manufacturers in and around Aachen can use the Printen name commercially. In fact, many epicurean products in Europe are protected by this law, among others, wines, cheeses, olives, sausages, and many more. It does makes sense though because would you, the consumer with the discriminating taste buy real Gouda cheese made in India? Or Chardonnay locally grown and bottled in the Philippines? This seemingly ubiquitous Aachener Printen cookie is very popular during the Christmas season and I am glad to report as well that it is such a joy to see gour...

The holiday season is a lovely time to be in Europe because its when the traditional Christmas Markets flourish across the whole continent, commencing on the second half of November up to the first week of January. Personally, I find the best Christmas Markets in Europe to be in Germany, after all it is here where it all began. Thus every year I do the Christmas Market pilgrimage to Deutschland, and this year I went to Aachen. And apart from the lovely ‘gezellig’ atmosphere that I always look forward to, I mainly come for the German treats! Yesterday for lunch I had currywurst (curry sausage) and of course, the popular drink of the season, gluhwein (hot mulled wine). The symbol of Germany: Wurst aka Sausage Blondine had hot chocolate milk while I had gluhwein (hot mulled wine). The packed bar at Hexenhof (Witch Hut). Now let me first organize the hundred fotos I took and I will come back with more Christmas Market stories. Such as what these Christmas Market stalls are selling, the foo...