What’s a better way to escape the mountain of essays you should be grading than going to a Christmas market? A couple friends and I decided to do exactly that and headed up to St. Paul this weekend for some Christmassy shopping and the promise of European treats.

The European Christmas Market is held on the roof of the Union Depot in St. Paul, and its festivities are based on open-air Christkindlmarkts that spring up in Germany, Austria, and other countries during the Advent season. According to the Market’s stated goals, they wish “to bring light to the dark of winter and add to the goodwill of the Christmas spirit.” When your winter lasts six months, it is a unique and heartwarming experience to be outside in the chilly air, enjoying food and handcrafted mittens and ornaments, rather than counting down the seconds until you can be inside again.

Though the Twin Cities are perhaps more well-known for their Nordic heritage (and I did see many booths sporting Swedish-themed goods), my favorite part of the market was the authentic German food. There were signs for bratwurst, currywurst, and schnitzel—it took a lot of self-determination to resist eating dinner at 4 pm. Kayla and I ended up sharing some spiced fries, and it brought me back to the trip I took with Ryan to Germany a few years ago.

We also couldn’t resist stopping at the crêpe stand (and even waited an extra 30 minutes for the range-top to start working again). There’s nothing like a genuine French-person-created crêpe. We ate our Nutella and caramel apple delicacies while watching the North Pole Express leave the depot.

Beside the tables were also some furry friends. The market had two reindeer (the other, not pictured, was standing beside a sleigh) for children to take photos with. They were adorable!

Overall, the market was an interesting place to spend a few hours and find some yummy European food! And anything that distracts from the bone-chilling cold is a win in my book.

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