Heidelberg Christmas Market

1547 Words7 Pages
I was living in Germany; I had been living there for a few years. I had originally been stationed there as a soldier for the American Army and had so fallen in love with the German culture that I eventually decided to stay as a civilian after my term of service expired. A local tradition was to hold a Christmas market. Every town seemed to do this, but some in a grander scale than others. It was something exceptionally unique to me, after growing up in the suburbs of Detroit. I’ll never forget the first time I went to the Heidelberg Christmas Market. They actually hold it in what’s referred to as “Old Town Heidelberg,” the main city, itself, being a thriving, modern day metropolis. Much too cosmopolitan to hold such an event, some of the smaller surrounding towns didn’t have that problem but every one still held theirs in the original section of town. As I entered the streets of Old Town Heidelberg, with its buildings made of cut stone, on either side, forming narrow streets of cobblestones arranged in intricate patterns, I felt as if I had been transported in time to the “Middle Ages.” Walking down the streets, snow gently falling to the ground like feathers, I stared in wonderment at the medieval structures all around me. I couldn’t help but get a feeling of awe; how different this was than anything I had ever seen, or anywhere I had ever been before. Every so often, I would pass a tavern, typically with a large sign hanging in front usually displaying some sort of animal such as a boar, or a stag, reminiscent of the days of yore when the average person couldn’t read or write; thusly the name of the establishment was displayed in imagery. The smells of roasting meats were wafting out onto the streets as I passed. I could hear the sounds of people inside laughing and toasting one another. I couldn’t help but to feel the camaraderie they must have for one
Open Document