CHRISTKINDELMARKT: A REAL MOUTHFUL OF CHRISTMAS CHEER
Halloween’s over, bonfiresare burnt and despite a month ’til the holiday season; Christmas has invaded the shelves of every shop in town.
So, once again, Millennium Square’s taken over by the smell of nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and cloves: the quintessential smell of olde-worlde holiday cheer. Imagine the square covered with a dusting of icing sugar snow, picture postcard style, and there you have it, your own piece of Christmas spirit, Disney-style.
Narrow corridors of stalls sell everything from ‘Viking Blood,’ (a fiery brew of honey mead and cherry juice,) to traditional stollens and intricately iced personalised gingerbread hearts.
There’s even a stall with a very loud German lady offering ‘honey shots,’ which taste like a combination of molasses, brown sugar and well…arsenic.
Despite the seemingly endless queue for the ‘Alp Chalet Bavarian Eatery,’ the food is fresh, authentic, and not too expensive and the setting of a kitsch German log cabin sets the whole thing off nicely.
BUT at the centre, is the main thing. The place we have all come to visit. THE RAUCOUS BAVARIAN BEER HALL.
With a live band at the front, where men in lederhosen drum and horn away, everyone is singing and dancing and toasting their steins, it’s a place to be ridiculously festively merry.
Choose from mulled wine, giant steins of beer or apple vodka slushes and when you get a bit peckish find the frankfurters, spiced cabbage or even waffles. Get there early, or you won’t get a seat!
The only downside to this little haven is perhaps the price. It’s probably a case of window shopping and treating yourself to only a few goodies. Without wishing to sound like Scrooge, we did think £6 for a glass of mulled wine (you have to leave deposits for mugs and steins) stretched the student budget ever so slightly.
Open 10.30am to 9pm Monday – Saturday, 10.30am to 8pm on Sundays, and runs until the 19th of December.