The Christmas market at Cologne Cathedral: about shining stars and "Kölsche Rievkooche"

Hi Hive friends,

Yesterday I visited a friend in Cologne - so to speak at the other end of Germany (it felt like a 10 hour drive, in reality probably more like 7). I've been to Cologne a few times before, but only for a day, so I wasn't able to visit much, but this time I had more time because I'm staying for a few days.
In the evening, we went to one of the many Christmas markets, which are spread all around the city and all look different - so to speak, there is something for everyone and most of them are easy to reach on foot - you can stroll from Christmas market to Christmas market and enjoy treats like churros at the stalls (my favourite snack at the Christmas market second is crepes with Nutella):).The original Spanish churros are elongated doughnuts with a star-shaped cross-section and are always prepared from choux pastry directly in front of the customer. The first time I ate churros, I didn't think it would take so much time to make them, but it's worth the wait!:) As a topping, you can choose from vanilla sauce, melted chocolate, Nutella, cinnamon and sugar, but also cheese sauce and chilli. I was amazed that there was a Christmas market right next to Cologne Cathedral and I had to take a photo right away, it just looked too beautiful. The fairy lights and the cathedral in the background, you don't see that every day:)

At the very beginning, we saw a stand with star and fairy lights, they shone very brightly and reminded me a bit of my childhood - we used to make stars out of cardboard paper at school for Christmas and then put lights in them so that they sparkled beautifully in the dark.The stars are made of batik paper and motifs are punched and glued behind. There are even stars with stardust and embroidered with sequins and gold threads. The fairy lights can be hung over the Christmas tree or otherwise as decoration.
Here they were available in many different colours and in the end I decided to take a red star as a small Christmas present for a friend:)

In between we got a bit cold, so we drank a little Glühweihn and listened to the music of the trumpets playing somewhere nearby. But something to drink was not enough - then we had my favourite "pastry" - the churros with melted dark chocolate - they tasted just great.

We passed a stand with lots of little houses-many of them half-timbered-and covered with snow. They looked really nice, but they were a bit too expensive for me, so I didn't buy any of them and we looked at other stalls.
While we were walking through the Christmas market, I noticed a small difference to the Christmas market in Rostock (where I live at the moment), because in Cologne, people were celebrating and dancing and singing along to music, whereas at the Rotock Christmas market, it's a bit quieter. Personally, I like both very much, the exuberant atmosphere in Cologne was top notch!:)

While I was still nibbling on the churros, we passed another stall labelled "Schupfnudeln". My friend told me that these noodles are more common at the Christmas markets in Cologne and that I should try them. These noodles are also available in southern Germany and Austria, but they have established themselves here at the Christmas markets. They are made from potato dough and look like a roll with pointed ends. Because of their appearance, they are also often called finger noodles or Bubenspitzle.

And I got to know another delicacy that I can't afford to miss next time I visit the Christmas market: "Kölsche Rievkooche" - that's Cologne potato pancakes, which I'm really looking forward to! There you can have potato pancakes, Reibekuchen, Erdäpfelpuffer ... it is a traditional dish and an integral part of regional cuisines. In the Rhineland, Friday, which is customarily a meatless day, is also often Reibekuchentag :) But of course the stand is not only available on Fridays at the Christmas market! The potatoes come from the region and the side dishes, such as the apple sauce, are of organic quality, as we were told.

And now, last but not least - I promise it's the last food recommendation - I have to recommend the turkey steak that my friend took and where I was allowed to try a small bite: It was one of the best steaks I have ever tasted.
I can definitely recommend the Christmas market to travellers in Cologne - not only because of the beautiful view of the cathedral, but also because the 130 or so stalls have a lot to offer: you'll find artisans here in particular, but also very tasty food stalls and gift stalls that have something for every taste:) There is even a small programme for children, which is great for getting into the Christmas spirit!