Bremen’s Christmas Market – How Much Can €50 Get You?

‘Tis the Season in Germany! Do know how much classics like a cup of a mulled wine at a German Christmas market costs? What about Schmalzkuchen? Or a ride on the ferris wheel? DW’s Aisha Sharipzhan wants to find out in Bremen, at one of the country’s most beautiful Christmas markets.

00:00 Intro
00:45 Kartoffelpuffer mit Apfelmus
01:34 Bremen’s Christmas Market, town hall, statue of Roland, Bremen town musicians
02:26 Glühwein or mulled wine
03:18 Elisenlebkuchen
05:20 Christmas presents
05:37 Meeting Santa Clause or the Weihnachtsmann
06:21 Ferris wheel
07:07 Schmalzkuchen
07:38 Eierlikör or eggnog
07:50 Medieval Schlachte-Zauber market at the Weser river
08:30 Grünkohl
09:07 Honey mead

CREDITS:
Report: Aisha Sharipzhan
Camera: Marco Borowski
Editing: Carolin Haberland, Klaus Hellmig

Thumbnail with: picture alliance/dpa | Sina Schuld
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#christmas #christmasmarkets #bremen #germany

What’s it like at a German Christmas market
and how much will it cost you? That’s what I want
to find out today. The Christmas season is in full swing. And here in Germany, Christmas markets are some of
the best places to get into the festive spirit. I’m in Bremen,
at one of Germany’s biggest and most
beautiful Christmas markets. I’ve set myself a budget
of 50 euros today. So let’s see how far I can get with that! I definitely want to try some Glühwein. Tastes like Christmas. Eat some sweets, check out some rides. Oh no. Shop for gifts and try a
strange-looking Bremen speciality. And I will also give you a special tip. Wow, that’s cool. I’m hungry, so I wanna try something that I’ve seen at a lot of Christmas
markets, but have never tried before. And I see it right over there. Kartoffelpuffer mit Apfelmus! A Kartoffelpuffer is basically a fried
potato pancake and here it costs 5 euros. It’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside,
and comes served with apple sauce. So apparently I’m supposed
to put sugar on this as well? That’s kind of weird to put sugar
on potatoes, but let’s try. Sweet and savory. I like it. Or with salt. Okay, I think I actually prefer it with the salt. The Christmas market season
typically starts around the end of November and goes on until Christmas. The Hanseatic city of Bremen in
northern Germany has its main market at the historic Marktplatz. The town hall and the
statue of Roland, also known as Bremen’s statue of liberty are
UNESCO world heritage sites. And you might have heard of these guys. These are the Bremen town musicians
from the famous Brothers Grimm fairytale. Legend says you can make a wish
if you grab the donkey by the legs. In the story, four animals run away
to become musicians in Bremen. Be sure to grab both of the
donkey’s legs and make a wish. I wish everything fits into my budget today. It’s probably Bremen’s most famous landmark. Now it’s time for some
Glühwein, which for me, personally, is the star of the Christmas season. Many people come to Christmas
markets, just for the Glühwein, or mulled wine. Red wine typically spiced with cinnamon,
star anise, cloves, sugar and oranges. I paid 7 euros for this one. So 7 euros for a Glühwein sounds like a lot,
but that includes a 3 euro deposit for the mug. So when I return the mug, I’ll get 3 euros back. Tastes like Christmas. I can see why these are popular
at Christmas markets, because it really warms up your hands,
and warms you up on the inside. The price of Gluhwein has
increased over the last several years. Got my money back. But luckily not on every market. Now it’s time for a sweet treat. I’m getting a German Christmas classic
called Lebkuchen, similar to gingerbread. Hi, can I get the three original Elisen, please? €8.50 please. €1.50 back. Thank you! And could you explain to me
what’s special about these Lebkuchen? This is handmade here in Bremen. And here is no flour inside,
only hazelnut, walnut and almonds and other spices with marzipan and honey. And how does it change the
texture when it’s without flour? Fluffy, it’s softer because it’s not so dry. It’s like a very rich cookie full of those
Christmas spices and it has a nutty texture and flavor. And it’s just perfect
to get you in the Christmas mood. I’ve eaten a few things now. Next, I want
to get a little Christmas present, but what else can I do here?
Let’s ask for some advice. Eat! You have to eat something. Mushrooms! Yes. Yes. It’s very “mmh”! Something to drink. Glühwein. Mead. Sausage. Fish. But also
Schmalzkuchen, these fried things. This is my favorite thing. I have it every
year. I think it’s really interesting how they cook the meat. And it’s very tasty. You have to get some
ball for the Christmas tree. Oh okay, like a Christmas ornament. With glitter and snow. I was thinking maybe one of the candles. They are white and they look like a dome. And you put the candle inside
and you can see with the light the drawing. A good currywurst is also a good idea. Some great tips! I’m curious
about those Schmalzkuchen. But first let’s find a present. You’ll find many beautiful
handmade toys and ornaments here. These are the ones she’s
talking about, but 12 euros is a little high. So I think I’m gonna get one
of these smaller ones here for 4.50. Dankeschön. Christmas present for my mom. Oh my god is that Santa Claus? The Weinachtsmann is in town!
Maybe he has some tips. So I have a question for you. What kind of typical German present
should I buy for my parents here? Go for a nice hot egg liquor. I think,
well, I’m a little bit older, I’m about 500, but still I like this stuff.
So maybe they might enjoy it. Okay, not a bad idea! Thank you! You’re welcome. Thanks for the tip, Santa! Let’s see if I
find some later. For now, I m paying 4 euros to ride the Christmas market’s ferris wheel. Alright! The ride felt a little shaky. It’s going a little faster than I expected. Then it slowed down again. Uh, I’m actually cold now from sitting for so long. So the solution is to get
some warm Schmalzkuchen. To be honest, I wasn’t so
convinced by the rides here. It was cool to see the market
from a different perspective for a bit but after a while it was just
going round and round in circles a little bit too fast, so I could
have probably saved my 4 euros. But anyway, it’s time for Schmalzkuchen.
Freshly-made dough deep fried in oil. Basically little pillow-shaped
donuts covered in powdered sugar. A medium sized order costs
3 euro 50, which I find very affordable! It’s good, it’s snowing on my scarf. I also happen to find
what Santa Claus suggested! Eierlikör is similar to eggnog. Still within my budget, I splurge
on a small bottle for 10 euros. I should have enough money left
to try a strange-looking local delicacy. But I’m going somewhere else for that. What I’m showing you next
is something really special for Bremen. Let’s take a closer look by the Weser river. Not far from the main Christmas market
is another one called Schlachte-Zauber. Wow this place is really buzzing with people. It has a medieval section
full of pirates and themed gifts. A totally unique atmosphere. Here, the mead is plentiful. Every year there are about
3.4 million visits to both markets. And I managed to find
something I’ve been wanting to try! I get a to-go box at this stand for 7 euros. So I found it! This is a northern
German speciality called Grünkohl, which is kale cooked with various meats. And it looks really unappetizing
actually, but I want to try it! Of course, it’s normally served on a plate, but this is the street food style. So how does it taste? Definitely tastes better than it looks! I have just enough money
left for one more drink. I ask the pirates for some
honey mead which costs 7 euros. But I will get 3 euros
back when I return the cup. Oh, that smells really good.
It smells like honey. And it’s really hot, but
that’s just what I wanted. Delicious. So, I had Kartoffelpuffer, Glühwein, Lebkuchen,
bought some gifts, rode the ferris wheel, ate Schmalzkuchen, Grünkohl
and drank some mead. Not too bad! It was much cheaper than I expected. I was
just 50 cents over budget, so I’d say that was a success and I was able
to do plenty to get into the festive mood. The Christmas market season
in Bremen is really something special. What do you think about
German Christmas markets? Would you like to visit?
Let us know in the comments!