My original plan was this: spend the entire day/night in Bâle, then take the train to Zürich the next morning to walk around the city and revel in Christmas market magic. However, when I was ready to leave Bâle by five o'clock in the afternoon, I figured, why not go to Zürich tonight when I'm only an hour away? Besides, what I really wanted was to be in the cities at night. With all the white lights draped over trees, buildings, houses, streets and little chalets, everything sparkles and you can't help but feel transported into a romantic state of bliss. So that's what I did and even though I was slightly worn out by the time I got to Zürich, it was the best decision I could have made.
The main Christmas market in Zürich (there are several others in the city as well) is actually held in the train station--a novel idea--so the crowdis an eclectic mix of travelers with time to kill, Christmas market connoisseurs like myself, and homeless people who call the station their home. Although the stands were nothing extraordinary in my opinion (it was basically a replica of the Bâle market), the ambiance was irresistibly inviting, so I circled the vendors a few times snapping photos and soaking up the coziness of it all.
Here's a quick taste of the Christkindli Markt, railroad station style:
The grand centerpiece: a Christmas tree draped in Swarovski crystals.
The stands selling paper stars and strings of decorative lights quickly became my favorite for reddish, orange glow they radiate. And that little girl in the foreground? Adorable. She had a big heart shaped cookie hanging from her neck. Luckily it wasn't any bigger or she might have fallen over.
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After the market, I took off in the direction, of, well, I had no idea where I was going. I just followed the people out of the station hoping they would lead me somewhere interesting. And I was right. It took all about five minutes for me to reach the city centre where Christmas was undeniably at the forefront of everyone's mind. Holiday shoppers weighed down by bags, bags and more bags. . . People walking with glüwein cups in hand. . . And the rest of us strolling under streets draped in lights and ornaments. Zürich is a cool city on its own, but in the light of Christmas, I fell in love with it all over again. You'll see why.
I think I walked this street about three times. With white lights dangling down like falling stars suspended in the nearly black sky, how could anyone resist? And not only was there a Starbucks, but an American Apparel store! I went in (obviously) and felt like I was back in San Diego again--though this time without my crew of highly trained shopping professionals. I tried on a few things and thought about buying something until I was so scared off by the prices (thank you import taxes) that I left promising never to return for the sake of my wallet.
City lights glowing over the River Limmat.
And finally, the "Singing Tree," a longstanding tradition in Zürich where a group of children sit singing traditional carols to the crowds of people who come to watch and listen. With the full moon rising in the background, the night could not have ended more beautifully. Well, unless there had been a fireworks show, but I'll take what I can get.
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