Wrapped up

Thanks to my fun-loving travel companions for letting me tag along and for patiently putting up with my cookie obsession and my long-winded questions at our bakery stops. Julie's superb itinerary and primo Airbnb bookings gave us the time to enjoy our stops and never be far from the action...or from chocolate shops and waffle shops (and chocolate waffle shops). Where to next?

Thanks for reading!

Illuminating

Upon our return to Amsterdam for our flight home we snuck in one more canal trip to see the illuminating artworks installed for the Amsterdam Light Festival while we were away. Such an enlightening way to end a trip full of highlights.

Health and wellness

We spent a sunny (at last!) day scouting seven different Christmas markets around Cologne and enjoying the more traditional feel that Germany does so well. The vibe more about enjoying the spirit, and gluwein spirits, of the season. Seemed fitting to end our day at the Chocolate Museum where we sampled from the Lindt chocolate fountain and found written verification of the magical health benefits of chocolate. So we can write off this vacation as a health & wellness trip!















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Cologne, Germany

A second day trip farther into Germany led us to Cologne with its imposing Dom (cathedral) that survived WWII even though the rest of the city was flattened. In 2007 a new stained glass window, created by artist Gerhard Richter, replaced a plain glass window that filled a damaged portion of the many windows. It is composed of 11,500 identically sized pieces of colored glass, resembling pixels, randomly arranged by computer.

Aachener Printen

Every city I visit brags about a cookie specialty that requires my full evaluation. And I use the word "full" intentionally because even I'm reaching cookie saturation! Aachener Printen taste similar to Lebkuchen but are sweetened with sugar beets. (Originally they used honey but switched to sugar beets when Napoleon issued a trade embargo with the main supplier of honey, the US.) I need a bigger purse.

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Aachen, Germany

Our disappointment in the Christmas markets of Belgium and the Netherlands had us itching to get into Germany, and Aachen, the westernmost city of Germany, was within 30 minutes of Maastricht. Charlemagne began construction of the Aachen Cathedral in 796 and is buried there. It wowed us with its mosaics. In 1978, the Aachen Cathedral was one of the first 12 items to be listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Sinterklaas specialties

Chocolate letters (you get the first letter of your name or an "S" for Sinterklaas) and pepernoten cookies make up the traditional Sinterklaas treats. The pepernoten are hard, kibble-like gingerbread that, at first taste, don't seem so thrilling but then quickly become addicting. They are small and hard so Zwarte Piet can toss them into the room for children to find. Of course the Dutch skillfully cover everything with chocolate so myriad choices abound.

Sinterklaas

Sinterklaas arrived last night in the Netherlands, the namesake of our own Santa Claus. He arrives from Spain by boat with oranges and pomegranates. His servant Zwarte Piet (Black Pete), in colorful dress, carries the bag of candy for the good children. Bad children may be taken to Spain in the bag. According to tradition, his face is black because he is a Moor from Spain but in revisionist history his face is black from the soot from climbing down chimneys.

Oliebollen

Olibollen (oil balls) taste like warm doughnut holes, sometimes filled with apples or raisins, and eaten traditionally for New Year's Eve (before resolutions?).

Spin cycle

As Rose pointed out, Dutch Christmas markets are more carnival-like than the traditional markets we found in Germany last year. Here the focus centers on rides and food. We can adapt. We tried olliebollen (oil balls) and then took the Ferris wheel for a spin. (Perhaps we should have reversed that order!)

Stroopwaffles

We prowled the streets of Maastricht until the stroopwaffle stand opened. There I learned that a single thin waffle is sliced in half while it is still warm and then slathered with warm syrup to glue the two halves back together. The Dutch may be more famous for their cheese but these are sooooo Gouda! Apparently the right way to eat a packaged one is to rest the stroopwaffle on top of your coffee cup until the syrup inside softens.

Maastricht, Netherlands

Julie booked us into a hotel within sight of the Christmas market but the opening was delayed due to "yellow vest" protests the day before in Brussels and France. Police were out in force. We headed out on a "f(r)ee" walking tour of the city instead. The town repurposed many of the unused churches into a theater, event center, hotel, and, my favorite, a stunning bookstore. The entrance with two large books close when the store closes. A coffee bar sits at the altar. Arlo suggested I ask for "Anything by Richard Dawkins?" Or "Can you point me to the theology section?"

Taking our sweet time

Our pants don't fit any longer and the Ghent Christmas market doesn't open for a few more days so it's time to leave Belgium and visit the university town of Maastricht, Netherlands, where Rose and a Christmas market await.

Waffling

Liège waffles, which have rough edges and are made with a heavier dough (more like cookie dough), contain clumps of pearl sugar that gives them a nice crunch. Brussels waffles are lighter, stand taller, have deeper holes, and proudly show off neat square corners. Belgians react strongly when asked which is best, but their answers vary. After a thorough study, I prefer the Liège with its surprise sugar crystals and fun, free form. The walk-up stands have waffles partially cooked and then warm them up and sprinkle them with powdered sugar when you order.