Last Friday, my colleagues and I was swept up, along with thousands of others, to a festive and heart warming event that we found ourselves beaming like a toddler taken to the first visit to Santa’s grotto. We got up the train and decided to let our hair down at the Frankfurt German Weihnachtsmarkt in Birmingham.
This market, now in its 9th year, was the biggest and most celebrated in the UK.
It was the biggest authentic market outside Germany and Austria and the 3rd biggest in the world. As soon as we left New Street, we were greeted with lovely Xmas lights and 180 picturesque Alpine-themed wooden chalets all the way up to Victoria Square. A truly continental atmosphere…
The stalls were manned by jolly chaps in lederhosen and blond fraulien with deep cleavages wooing us with hot sugary gluhwein, teeth-rotting marzipan, fluffy marshmallows and erotic bratwurst…:-). Judging by the crowd around the booze stalls, business was good.
We walked straight to the top to the food stalls. Every one around me tucked into these huge bratwurst sizzlers while I settled for a plate of fried potatoes and mushrooms liberally drizzled with garlic sauce. Man…I’ll be safe from the vampires for sure. 
My colleagues tried the various German beer while I’d the hot fruit punch.
It was such a nice atmosphere, dining alfresco standing up, chatting, swaying and singing to live music from the traditional bandstand. We really enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells around us. The chillier the night got, the more the gluhwein and pilsner flowed and the merrier everyone got.
CC wanted to have a go on the carousel but she was too chicken to do it alone. So being a good friend, I tagged along. We got up this ornamental, freezing pony and held on tight. It was the best, fun ride of my life. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
Then it was time to check out the stalls. CC and DC tried on some really silly looking hats. We carried on walking around stopping here and there, soaking the atmosphere, looking, tasting, playing and touching things. There were unusual and handmade gifts, including wooden toys, ceramics, candles, glasswork, jewellery and Xmas decorations.
We munched on garlic bread with cheese, hot and iced doughnuts, roasted chestnuts and pretzels, laughing and joking. By this time, the crowd was getting heavier. We quickly did our shopping. I bought a silver fairy-light carousel to be added to our already laden mantle piece. For Babe, I got him a huge salted pretzels, chocolate coated marshmallows and liquorice.
Yes, tis the season to be merry. We’d a good night out. I also read somewhere that there’s a 30% chance of having snow for Xmas. Oooh…dare I hope and dream for a White Xmas. Hope does spring eternal. Fingers and toes double crossed…
On Saturday, we stretched our legs at our favourite playground. We brought some treats for the robins but they were too nervous to feed from my hands. They just grabbed some mealworms and flew away. I’m sure in a few weeks they’ll be feeding from my hands.
We spotted the usual inhabitants feeding on the island. We observed the swans becoming territorial, chasing each other away. The lapwings were making themselves heard as usual. From afar, we could hear the sound of geese flying and saw hundreds of Greylags trying to land on the lake. It was a beautiful sight.
We left early cos it was getting chillier and also there was a football match at the Ricoh. The Sky Blues needed to win badly because they have not won anything in the last 10 games. As we reached our casa, we heard a mighty roar. Eastwood became the first striker to score a hat-trick since 2002, earning a 3:2 win over Peterborough United and their first victory in 11 matches. Well-done.
I spent the weekend alternating between snooker and the X-Factor. Sad or what!!!My favourite snooker guys, Selby and Robertson, had gone out earlier ad that left Ding to battle it out with Higgins. Well done to Ding for taking the trophy back to China. Ding Junhui defeats world champion John Higgins 10-8 to win the UK championship after a hard-fought final
X-Factor???What can I say? I was never a fan of reality tv but somehow I’d a very soft spot for Joe McElderry. Congratulations and well-done to such a nice guy. ‘The Climb’ was also one of the songs in my Playlist but I prefer Cyrus version. Sorry :-)
On Tues and Wed, I attended an intensive two-day project management workshop. Like most of the participants, I have been involved in a lot of projects and wanted to use the right terminology when presenting a proposal. It really boosted my confidence and I couldn’t wait to handle any upcoming projects.
Congratulations to Pippa who got engaged on the weekend in Lapland. Father Xmas brought the bring on a sledge pulled by reindeers. How romantic was that…
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