Rachel's Visit: Trier

We visited the historic city of Trier where a wonderous Christmas market is in the shadow of the historic cathedral.

Tip: click the label "Trier" at the bottom of the page for other blogs of mine for more information about the city.

Rachel's visit: Cochem Medeival dinner

On a cold night by the full moon we visited the Cochem castle. This time we enjoyed their Medeival Dinner.

We were well entertained. Since we went with a large American group, they performed in English.

The town has a small but lovely Christmas market. The castle is beautiful from the market square.

Antwerp Christmas Market

We arrived in Antwerpen, Belgium at night and stayed on a square overlooking the Christmas Market. We walked along the river and discovered a castle museum with ancient ships. We watched skaters. We wandered in and out of streets with amazing Christmas displays.

Our tour of Our Lady's Cathedral was delayed due to a funeral. The herse was a Rolls Royce. The wait was worth it.

The artwork is stunning. It houses several masterful paintings by Peter Paul Rubens.

Walking along the streets of Antwerpen, this hand sculpture appeared. I love the illustration of resting in the palm of God's hand. It seemed a perfect place for me to pose.

Antwerpen, Belgium is a town I had never heard of. It was full of surprises. We can't wait to go back there again.

http://www.antwerpen.be/eCache/BEN/52.html

Brussels Christmas Market

Brussels is historic. Brussels is enchanting.
We sat on these steps for lunch which we bought at a Christmas Market booth.

The Market Square is sometimes called the Grand Square.

Belgium is famous for chocolate and waffles. I love the chocolate. Bob loves the waffles.





A carousel by the historic theatre.





We were treated to a heavy frost on the drive to Belgium, painting a magical countryside.

Dudeldorf Christmas Market

Welcome to the Dudeldorf Christmas Market. Dudeldorf is in the Eifel Region of Germany, not to be confused with the city of Dusseldorf!


We arrived the first hour it opened to avoid the crowds.

We enjoyed walking the streets and looking at the booths. Though we've been here several times, we didn't realize what an old town it is.

We spotted Saint Nick at several homes!
Many in Dudeldorf sell handcrafted goods from their garage. The garages themselves are historic and beautiful.
This home has a date of 1740 AD on the front.

We saw a lot of wooden toys, ornaments, candle holders... it was a feast for the eyes. Check out this puppet!

This town is very old. You can see from this sign that it goes back to 816 AD.

General Patton was a history buff. When he came through the Eifel region in WWII, he was very upset when his tanks squeezed through this historic arch and left deep scratches.

The Christmas Market seen through this arch.

Goodbye Dudeldorf