Cologne Christmas Markets

One of my favorite things about Germany is the Christmas markets.  Almost every village has some kind of market for at least one day, but the bigger cities have markets that go from Thanksgiving up to Christmas.  Every year we try to get to a few new cities.  This year we went to Mannheim and Cologne.  Mannheim was really kind of a bust.  It was so crowded you couldn't move and so cold that all the kids were in their snowsuits.  Porter decided he had to go to the bathroom about 5 minutes after I had asked him if he needed to as we passed a McDonalds.  We made the treck back and went through a 10 minute ordeal to peel off all 20 layers in a very small and very hot bathroom stall because he couldn't pee otherwise.  Of course then it took almost as long to redress.  Then we made it literally 6 paces outside the bathrooms when he stopped and said, "Mom!  I need to go poop!"  and we did it all again.  It was killing me.  The highlight was the entertainment though.  Some dude with a thick German accent singing Garth Brooks.  I'm sure you just had to be there!

Cologne was the exact opposite however.  It was probably one of the best we've been too.  The Cathedral and Chocolate Museum were definite bonuses, but the market itself was fantastic!  They actually have about 6 different areas in the city with stalls and sometimes little rides set up.  It was open enough to move freely and the food was awesome.  And this is probably more info than most people care about, but I'm always trying to entice people to visit if I can!  We have Rudesheim and Strasbourg, France planned for next year if anyone is in!