Gluehwein, bratwurst, und kartoffelpfannkuchen. . .

Yesterday, the Grand Duchess and I spent the day up in Chicago. After taking "The El" (elevated railway) in from Bucktown, we made a beeline for the annual Christkindlmarkt, which is, according to Sonja, an authentic German Christmas market. The air was cold, with wind and piles of snow everywhere. It looked like something from a storybook. Best of all, the weekend crowds were absent since it was Monday, and so we had no lines or throngs of people. But things were still what I’d describe as “bustling.”

Once we had looked around at all of the various stalls selling Christmas wares, we indulged in luscious bratwurst (these are real, totally unlike the limp, greasy Wisconsin variety) with sauerkraut, potato pancakes, and then headed into one of the warming huts where we washed everything down with glühwein – a hot, mulled alcoholic drink, not too unlike Scandinavian gløg in aroma and flavor, but without the raisins and slivered almonds.

The rest of our day consisted of some light shopping, primarily for special Christmas and New Years booze, and then we met an old friend of Sonja’s, whose drama company is wrapping up its Chicago stay, for a delightful Lebanese dinner. We reached home again just before midnight, and we were met by our cat Rannveig, demanding to know where we had been and her daily can of Fancy Feast. It was a long day, but at the same time one of those days that you never want to end. I wish we could do it again today. But then maybe it’s a good thing that I can’t indulge in as much bratwurst as I’d like. I’d have to do much more bicycling to stay trim! Anyway, if you live in the Chicago area and have not already done so, head downtown to Daley Plaza and check out the Christkindlmarkt before it closes on Christmas Eve. You can’t help but enjoy yourself!