My weapon against the cold was my warm jacket and fighting my anxiety was a meticulously marked map of Leipzig in my pocket. Augustusplatz was where Leipzig Weihnachtsmarkt Christmas market begun for me. Dating back to , Augustusplatz was only an extension of the actual market in front of Altes Rathaus Old Town Hall. I stood at the centre of Augustusplatz, from where I saw the City Hochhaus on my left, the Gewandhaus or the concert hall a little ahead of it, Paulinum or the University of Leipzig in front of me and the Leipzig Opera on my right.
My main focus amongst all of this was the ornate Grimmaische Street. The street was dotted with wooden stalls and buzzing with cheer, as fresh snow fell on us. After photographing the metre street incessantly, I was taken aback by magnificence of Marktplatz market square. The Christmas Market cosily rests in the heart of Marktplatz and consists of more than stalls.
A little away, children cheered to their guardians from a merry-go-round and ferris wheel. The aroma from food stalls tempted me to try their traditional sausages. I took a while to decide between currywurst fried, spiced and sauced pork sausages or bratwurst simple German pork sausages.
Armed with a currywurst and dunkle trinkschokolade dark hot chocolate , I made my way to a shelter joining a crowd of local Germans. This old-fashioned wooden cabin market sold South Tyrolean craftwork, excellent selection of liqueur, and also had a few options of cheese and ham. I also heard loud music coming from a corner and pushed my way through the crowd to see an interactive duo singing in German on a mounted stage. A lively audience sang and danced as they sipped their alcoholic infusions.
The baroque capital of Saxony is not only known for its magnificent architecture and devastating history it was bombed in WWII , but also sees a huge influx of Germans for its Christmas Market. As the historic Christmas market lit up with the sun going behind the hills, the crowd gravitated towards its centre.
