Trier Christmas Market

We drove to Trier last weekend (a little over one hour drive) because we heard it was a historic town with a beautiful Christmas Market.  Trier is right on the Moselle River, and has amazing Roman ruins.  The GPS took us straight there, but once inside the city we had to drive around a bit to find a place to park.  After about an 8 block walk, we came upon this- the entrance to the pedestrian market and city center.

The Roman gate- Porta Nigra- dating from 180 A.D.

So beautiful, I can't imagine if I had a better camera what kind of photos I could take!

We quickly came upon the Christmas Market, and mass chaos.

The crowds were so thick, you could hardly walk!  If you have claustrophobia you must avoid Christmas Markets at all costs!  You couldn't even walk- it was more of a shuffle, and to look at the things being sold, you had to wait your turn!  It's a shame because I was so busy making sure I wasn't plowing into anyone, that I didn't get to enjoy the beauty around me.

Definitely doing Christmas shopping here next year!  These little houses hold a tealight candle.

They sold candles of every color, shape, size, and smell.

I was JUST talking about these to my Mom.  These are little metal displays that you put together, and when you light a candle in the bottom the warmth makes the propellor on the top rotate.  It makes a tiny *ting* sound each time it goes around.

More candle holders.

Its hard to tell, but these are porcelain candle holders with historic sites etched on them.

Hand-carved and painted wooden Christmas trees, and Matryoshka dolls from Russia.  I think we'll just go to Russia if we want to get some!

This was a cute display of robots doing some baking.

It's not a Christmas Market without a carousel!

I'm riding a reindeer!

The Cathedral in the distance- hopefully we can make it there next time.