Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

On Saturday we saw chestnuts roasting on an open fire, browsed through stall upon little stall of Christmas crafts, walked along narrow streets bedecked with Christmas lights, and enjoyed our fill of bratwurst. After a two-hour drive with relatively no traffic problems we arrived late in the morning in Düsseldorf, Germany to discover the Christmas markets there. Germany, especially, is famous for its Christmas markets. Although there are towns with more elaborate set-ups and many more tourists, Düsseldorf was the closest town in Germany suitable for a day trip…and there were a good number of tourists. We heard lots of people speaking English from the UK, the US, and Australia as well as some French, Spanish, and of course Dutch. Spending a day at the Christmas markets will really put you in the Christmas spirit! We came home all ready to buy our Christmas tree, put up decorations, and get all of our remaining Christmas shopping done.

We also visited a pink palace near Düsseldorf called Benrath Palace. We are much smarter now and did not bother to pay to go inside with a tour group as all the tours are in German. We did walk around the grounds though, which were pretty and are probably even more beautiful when the weather is warmer and there are actually leaves on the trees. We could have walked around a bit longer, but we couldn’t figure out where to park the car. The last think we needed was for our car to be towed leaving us stranded in another country the day before John had to leave the continent for a business trip! We just parked on the street in a very fancy neighborhood next to the palace that did not seem to have any signs indicating restrictions on parking. (However, experience in the Netherlands proves that just because there are no signs posting the speed limit or dictating how far away from a curb you must park does not mean it is OK to do what everyone else seems to be doing without severe consequences.) When we returned after our walk around the palace grounds our car was, fortunately, right where we left it with no tickets plastered on the windshield. The day was a success!

Just before heading out of town (which was quite a feat as we really had no map of Düsseldorf, just some Mapquest directions and at atlas with a map of Germany in it) we had to pay a visit to the Wal-Mart Supercenter! Yes, Wal-Mart is taking over the world – except in the Netherlands, where, as John points out either there are laws in place against such huge commercial enterprises or there is sufficient bureaucracy, to the point of being ridiculous, that Wal-Mart refuses to waste its time operating in this country. Apparently Wal-Mart has many stores in Germany, so we decided to stop and remember what it is like to shop in a place where you can get underwear, motor oil, and bananas under the same roof. Of course, Wal-Mart in Germany caters to the culture and needs of Europeans, so we did not find the things we would normally buy at Wal-Mart in the US. We did purchase some super glue to glue the handle back on our dishwasher. (Gotta love IKEA appliances!)

By the way, John is in California this week, our trip to Munich next weekend has been cancelled, and Erin is finally driving the car (it’s a manual transmission and Erin has never had to drive one before) with much trepidation and lots of prayer!