Christmas in Zurich
Christmas - Weihnachten
As you may know, our family does not celebrate Christmas. With that said, it doesn't stop us from enjoying the excitement around us. Christmastime in Zurich is a time of year not to be missed. It begins around the end of November. Between that time there is a certain "magic" in the air. We have strolled the streets at night with family and friends just to people watch, see the lights and share in the festivities.
Some of my favorite sites in Zurich during Christmas time:
Märlitram - a sweet little train ride for children through the main streets. With the man in the red suit behind the wheel and angels reading books.
The Singing Christmas Tree - Everyday for an hour singers stand in a human Christmas tree and sing. At first glance one can mistake them for puppets - but they are real.
The lights - The displays are elegant and unique. So many streets uniquely illuminated.
The Christmas Markets - these markets are located throughout the city.Enjoyed walking through them - looking at the wears, buying some nibbles (Like the GF waffles near the singing tree!) and drinking some Glühwein.
Cookies - Cookies are clearly a BIG deal here around Christmas. So many different types. We enjoyed the pre-made GF Cookie dough available for our dreidel cookies. But it is serious here!
We decided to spend the first half of winter break at home in Zurich. And the second half in our "happy place" — Vienna. We decided to take the train on the 24th expecting it to be less crowded than normal. And we were right. This was the first time we traveled where people were not standing or at least every last seat was taken. I am going to assume the trip home will be more like the later. The one minor detail we forgot when we booked our tickets - everything and I mean everything would be closed for the next few days in Vienna. So we packed food with that in mind. Well, maybe not everything - Stephan may have called one of our favorite coffeehouses and confirmed they will be open.
Sitting in Vienna - at 11:30pm and hearing the Christmas bells ringing from all the churches near us... Sending warm wishes to those of our friends and family that celebrate Christmas. May it be calm, peaceful and loving.