Christmas Market - Wroclaw

My first Christmas Market and in one of my favorite Polish cities, it was a delightful weekend. Wroclaw is a beautiful city and a college town, so along with beautiful architecture of both a German and Austrian influence (I'll cover the city history in a future post) and grand churches; there is a youthful and diverse population. You can get by fairly easily speaking English.

Market Christmas Tree

   This year, the market runs from November 23 to December 23 with occasional events in between such as ice sculpturing and on December 6th, St. Claus arrives and the tree is lighted. Held in the Rynek (market square), little wooden houses are lined up and vendors sell pottery, jewelry, honey, wool items, Christmas lace tablecloths and other traditional-style gifts. Also along the way are traditional food and drink offerings and holiday delights.

Christmas Mill

   At the center of the market, is a wooden Christmas mill that offers one of the places to fill up your cup. With several holiday drink options, I stuck to keeping my cup full of the Christmas spiced wine. Troy, the ever-adventurer, sipped on the spiced blueberry wine, spiced cherry wine and continued working his way around the menu. When he needed a break, his palette desired a beer. To his surprise and his palette's demise, his order was placed on the bar. In a coffee cup. Steaming with golden hotness. Traditional here at the holidays is Mulled Beer. According to my 983 page book, Traditional & Modern Polish Cooking (and yes, I've just about read it cover-to-cover..), Mulled Beer is made by simmering lager beer with sugar, cloves and cinnamon. Then, egg yolks are whisked in until foamy. If you're feeling frisky, you can also add some whipping cream for Mulled Beer with Cream. It's the first time I've ever seen him cry.

   And with frequent visits to the Christmas mill, you won't want to go hungry. While wandering around, everyone seemed to be indulging on this sandwich. Not knowing that we were getting ourselves into a sandwich that in the scheme of footlongs, was the size of an Air-Jordan, we joined in.

   Well, this is the sandwich. It is a slice of bread (chleb) that is thickly covered with a lard (smalec) spread and topped with bacon (boczek), kielbasa, onion (cebula) and pickles (ogorek). For 15 zloty, you will vow to yourself that you will never ever eat again.

   For a little bit lighter fare, there's of course kielbasa and other pork glories including the infamous kishka (blood sausage).

   For this round, we have kielbasa with potatoes and what I believe to be Golonka. I mearly ordered by seeing glorious chunks of charred meat on a stick and like a starving caveman placed my order. And if I was a gambling gal, I would surely say it was pork knuckle. And it was awesome. Skewered with thick pieces of bacon and onion slices, a little dip in the mustard and it was perfection.

    There are a couple dwarves that guard the market and provide something for me to mention that is not edible.
 

Christmas Dwarf

   There are stands of gingerbread cookies.

Cookies Galore

   There is a Fairy Forest where characters from your most remembered tales come to life. Pinocchio, Thumbalina, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel.

   Also in the Fairy Forest are a couple rides for the littlest marketers. This roller coaster was the hit of her weekend. That serious expression is really her gleaming joy.

   Well to end the Christmas Market extravaganza, I just can't help think that it wouldn't be a Polish Christmas without a little hello from Chuck. Santa Chuck in leather pants. Also coming up this season are trips to the Christmas Markets of Munich and Nuremberg.

Santa Chuck

Good tidings!