It sounds a little bit like Christmas

Yes, Christmas has decended on Birmingham. It may well be only 15th November but the lights are on and this evening the Frankfurt Christmas Market officially opened for Gluewein and ... well gluewein is what I focus on - I believe sausages and cake may come into it at some point too.

It is a very pretty sight and as I know we have many trips lined up (it being just around the corner from my office), I'll try to give a full report in due course.

(shhh - I snarfled this picture of last year's market from a venerable news institution)

This evening's festivities can only be described as surreal - the market was opened by the mayor (lots of gold chain and ho ho ho type joviality) followed by the Greek winner of Eurovision, singing (flat) O Christmas Tree, in German; to a load of Brummies (she started singing again but I fled for a train at this point). I would have thought it was the gluewein under ordinary circumstances but apparently not.

H was most disappointed that he missed the first gluewein of the year so I scooped him up what for the next six weeks becomes the food of our people:



We have snack sausage (the other one was being eaten at the time of the photo), cinnamon and sugar covered pastry pretzels and, most importantly, chocolate covered gingerbread - what more could you want?

To compound the surreal nature of the whole evening, this is the bag that the snack sausage came in:


H has attempted a translation; the German reads "Sommer zeit! Zeit fur Meer Schweine!" which H informs me means something a bit like - Summertime! Have fun with your sea pig! and Babelfish thinks means - Summertime! time for sea of pigs!

I'm baffled - Any ideas?