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18 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | DECEMBER 2024 By Karen Range, Resident In 2019, my husband and I went on a Viking River Cruise, "Christmas on the Rhine." The eight-day cruise began in Basel, Switzerland and ended in Amsterdam. We saw castles on the Rhine River, windmills in Kinderdijk, Netherlands, and took a day trip to the Black Forest in Germany. The highlight of the trip and our reason for booking the cruise, though, were the visits to the Christmas markets in various European cities. We visited Christmas markets in Cologne, Germany, Koblenz, Germany, Heidelberg, Germany and Strasbourg, France. In Cologne, there is a giant Christmas tree in the center of the market. The market in Strasbourg is the oldest in France, having been founded in 1570. The Heidelberg market or Weihnachtsmarkt has more than 140 booths. Every Christmas market we visited was enchanting and worth seeing. The European Christmas markets are lined with stalls or wooden booths, often draped with evergreen boughs and lights. The markets we visited and the surrounding buildings were elaborately decorated. We saw a small Ferris wheel, a giant Christmas Pyramid candle, Santa and his reindeer and nativity scenes on roof tops and awnings, lighted stars arched across entrances, and decorated Christmas trees. Vendors sell seasonal treats, hot mulled wine, candied nuts, and other food and drinks. The items for sale at the market stalls include ornaments, toys, and many other gift items. I bought an ornament that we display all year round in our living room. My husband searched the markets for a special item that he hoped to buy, an authentic German candle arch, which he did find and purchase. [Google] "The history of the German candle arch, otherwise known as Schwibbogen, is rooted in a tradition of miners and the region's woodcraft." Candle lights were put in windows to help miners find their way home during dark winter nights. The shape of the arch signifies the opening of a mine cave. Although candle arches are sold in the US (they can be found at Home Goods during the holiday season), they are generally made in China and are not the same quality as the German candle arches. My husband has six candle arches but only one authentic German candle arch which he treasures. Our river cruise was on the Viking Eir longship. The ship can accommodate 190 passengers in 95 staterooms. On a river cruise, the ship docks and you walk-off to your nearby destination. We visited four countries: Switzerland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Although we had been on many ocean cruises, this was our only river cruise (so far) and one of our favorite vacations. There are other cruise lines in addition to Viking that also have Christmas market cruises including AMA and Tauck. I highly recommend a Christmas market cruise as a wonderful way to embrace the Christmas holidays. European Christmas Markets Cruise