The rain decided to hold off until our stomach were full of alcohol and delicious food. Friday was my first proper introduction to the Vancouver Christmas Market and I loved it.
It’s that time of year when everything around you is decorated for the holiday season. I’m trying to make the most of the season this year by jumping in feet first. It began with joining some friends, Henry and Amanda to exploring the Vancouver Christmas Market which are modelled after the markets in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.
Henry was our unofficial guide, speaking German with employees and volunteers. He already visited the market on opening weekend and had a routine down. He took us on an orientation tour and introduced us to the food choices that we would need to pick from. Multiple food options ranged from apfelhaus (stuffed apple covered with vanilla sauce), apple strudel, flammkuchen, schnitzel, bratwurst, waffles and tons of treats. I want to come back to sample some more of the food options and then choose my favourites.
We walked around, but soon a warm drink was calling us. After reviewing my choices, I picked a traditional Glühwein. The staff were friendly and would ring a bell with each tip. On our second round, they let us try small samples of the Glühwein we didn’t taste. We couldn’t decide between traditional, white, cherry and apple. My favourite was the traditional Glühwein made with red wine. The drinks kept us warm as we went off to explore the rest of the market.
Maple taffy on snow from Maple Sugar Shack in Squamish, delicious and such a huge sugar rush.
Flammkuchen cooking in the fire, delicious
Make sure to bring your appetite and indulge for the evening. By the end of the evening, we tried the Flammkuchen, Bratwurst, Spätzle, Glühwein (spiced mulled wine) and the Feuerzangenbowle (rum drink) with plans to return to try more. I recommend everything I tried, expensive but yummy. Plus, I found a couple of gifts that will make the receivers very happy.
Have you been to the Christmas Market yet? The market is open till December 24th, grab some friends and enjoy the experience.
Thanks for sharing! This is my second December in Vancouver so the market has been on my list of places to check out!
It’s a fun evening out, just make sure to bring cash and enough money to enjoy.
A huge thank you for such a great post and please thank Henry for being your guide. Sounds like you managed to try quite a few goodies and we love hearing that you liked them. Have a wonderful Christmas season. Prost!
We had a wonderful time, thank you for bring the market to us. I’m planning on going back as the drinks are calling in the cold, more food to try and gifts to be purchased.
Megan, it was a lot of fun reliving moments of “home” that is Germany, and in particular, the Christmas markets at this time of year. I thought I didn’t like Christmas, but the markets changed my mind. 🙂 Thanks for your post, and here’s to going back at least one more time before Christmas Eve!
I had been there yesterday at the Christmas market. It was a wonderful experience listening to the carols, and savoring the yummy Flammkuchen. Your post reminds me of this wonderful experience.