I love this time of the year. During the Advent, we decorate the house, hang up the Advent calendar for the kids and have a special time each Sunday, when we light a candle on our Advent wreath, read a story, sing a song or make some music together.
This is the “Weihnachtsmarkt” in my beloved Cologne, in front of the Cologne cathedral.
© Superbass / CC-BY-SA-3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Slowly the anticipation for Christmas grows and for every German a big part of this time is usually a “Weihnachtsmarkt” (Christmas Market).Unfortunately, when you live in sunny California you hardly have any options to fulfill your need of a “Glühwein” in front of a wooden booth, decorated with lights.
But yesterday we could go to the first annual Christmas market at the German restaurant “Ludwig German Table San Jose” . This place just opened in June 2016 and Nicole and Ben are the hosts of this warm, welcoming and trendy eatery. Every time you go there, it makes you feel a bit like being in Germany, like being at home. The food is delicious and they have a wide variety of German draft beers. They even have Kölsch. Good choice!
I love the interior of Ludwig’s. It is simple and modern but cozy at the same time. You can feel that Nicole and Ben put their hearts and souls into this place. Ludwig’s has big community tables that invite you to sit with new people, encourage conversations and provide a memorable experience. The restaurant is part of the “Germania Hall” on North Second Street.
“It is a fresh, new dining experience, set within a wonderful, historical building in downtown San Jose”.
We spent a lovely time at Ludwig’s. The kids could decorate gingerbread hearts, we ate delicious cheese Spätzle and sausages.
Some local vendors offered their handcrafted holiday gifts like hats & scarfs, quilts, soaps, pottery, Christmas ornaments and some others. And I had a mug of Glühwein! Priceless!
This event was very well attended and the hosts were very pleased with the outcome. They are planning to make this market an annual tradition and to expand it next year. In my opinion this event would be even better when it’s dark, I would push it later in the afternoon and dinnertime to create an even more festive atmosphere. But I can definitely say that we had a wonderful time! Our tummies were filled with German delicacies and my heart was filled with German Christmas spirit. Thank you, Ludwig’s!
