Go Markets:German Christmas markets offer the perfect laid-back, low-cost alternative to Irish shopping-centre madness, writes Derek Scally
A YEAR AGO, pre-Christmas Aer Lingus flights shuttled over and back from JFK airport like a Dart with wings for our nation of shoppers. One property slump and economic downturn later, modesty is the best policy this Christmas. And there's no better place to reflect on the real spirit of the season than at a German Weihnachtsmarkt, or Christmas market.
Often copied but never equalled, these centuries-old traditional markets are a feast for the senses. The hot cinnamon whiff of mulled wine, the warm glow of sugared almonds, sticky piles of chocolate-coated gingerbread and enough wooden toys to bring tears to Gay Byrne's eyes.
Beginning on the first Sunday of Advent, as they have since the Middle Ages, Christmas markets will spring up in every town across the country. A huge draw for Germans of all ages, their continued popularity is a testament to the popularity of simple pleasures in complicated times.
Only recently, though, German cities have realised their potential and have begun pitching their markets at the foreign visitors. More than three million people visit Munich's Christkindlmarkt, gorging themselves on the regular treats as well as cool beer and huge juicy hunks of grilled meat with sweet mustard. Cologne claims to attract five million people over five weeks to its own market in the spectacular backdrop of the hulking, black Gothic cathedral. Markets in Bremen, Berlin and Hamburg are pleasant, are closer to Ireland and are hugely popular.
But as many Irish have already found out, some of the nicest Christmas markets can be found far away from the big cities. Every year Kerry folk, for instance, descend on the Mosel Valley town of Bernkastel-Kues. With atmospheric, crooked streets and gingerbread houses straight out of Hansel and Gretel, the town gleams with winter magic and yet is easily reachable from Frankfurt-Hahn airport.
"The whole place has a wonderful atmosphere. It's like a Christmas card," says Anne Doyle of Killorglin, heading over for the fourth time next month. "Everything's so reasonable, it's not materialistic and the kids do all their Christmas shopping for €50: small handcrafts, candles, gingerbread."
The cities of Dresden, in Saxony, and Nuremberg, in Bavaria, have been in friendly competition over who has Germany's oldest market. Dresden's Striezelmarkt was first held in 1434 and is the biggest draw in the region. An alternative medieval market offering mead and music in wooden huts was a great draw until, in true medieval style, it burned down last year in mysterious circumstances.
"It's a wonderful way to get you away from the lunacy of the Irish Christmas," says Dubliner Carina Markett, who visited Dresden last year. "It's very atmospheric, there's a chill in the air and nice shopping for ornaments and small presents - not so much for larger items."
For the more adventurous, a trip to the Erzgebirge mountains, south of Dresden, is like going back in time. The tiny town of Seiffen proclaims itself to be Germany's "Christmas village", offering visitors beautiful hand-crafted toys, nutcrackers and Christmas-tree decorations.
Nuremberg's spectacular Christkindlmarkt, dating from 1559, claims to be the oldest continuous market, and features a beautiful wooden crib to remind visitors of the point of Christmas.
Each Christmas market has its own specialities as well as familiar and less familiar treats.
As well as the well-known Glühwein(mulled wine), there's the Feuerzangenbowle, a wine punch enhanced with drops of caramel from a burning sugar cone suspended above the steaming liquid.
Mince-pie munchers will be overwhelmed by the barrage of baked goods on offer. There's the Lebkuchengingerbread, often coated in chocolate, while Baumkuchenis a very high-class variant on a Swiss Roll, baked on a stick. Germany's answer to the Christmas cake is the buttery Stollen. Best of all, though, are the Dominostein(domino stones), small sugar bombs of sponge, jam and marzipan, coated in chocolate.
In recent years, a few enterprising souls have tried exporting the Weihnachtsmarktrecipe abroad. Dublin's IFSC market is a brave, if tepid, effort. For the real experience, a trip to Germany is a must.
A weekend here, even including flights, is likely to be cheaper than a weekend in Ireland. After all, Germany is the land where nice hotel rooms can be had for less than €60 a night and meals don't have to cost more than €10.
It's the ultimate guilty pleasure to stand in the crisp cold munching gingerbread and sipping mulled wine, thinking of the relentless shopping centre insanity back home.
Around the third mug of mulled wine comes the revelation that taking a stand against materialistic madness can taste very good indeed. The fourth or fifth mug of mulled wine will banish the memory of credit-card fuelled mad dashes to Macy's, of red-eye flights and vulgar Visa bills. In short, a visit to a German Weihnachtsmarkt reminds you of how Christmas was meant to be.