Blogmas Day 9 - My Weekend In Cologne || The Most Festive Place Ever!

So this weekend James and I headed off to Cologne in Germany for a super festive fun filled weekend and it was honestly so magical and perfect that I just had to let you all in on what we got up to. I had never been to Germany before, so really didn't know what to expect. What I did know after doing some research that Calogne was the number one place for the German Christmas markets and you all know how much I get excited about those. 

Way back at the beginning of the year, James won an award at work (super proud girlfriend right here) and him and all the others who won an award that weekend were gifted this winners trip to Germany and were able to take all their plus ones, which is super kind of them as everything was all paid for. Our trip started super early on Friday morning where we headed down to London at 7.00 am to catch the Euro Star to Germany. It was so lovely as we were able to travel by first class, which meant total comfort and of course lots of yummy food for en route. 

We arrived in Germany pretty late, around 4ish and it was already starting to get dark. After a long day of travelling James and I were desperate for a bit of food, so we decided to head to the market right away which was only a few steps away from our hotel and it was here where I had my first German sausage of our holiday, it was so yummy.

The hotel where we were staying was also so gorgeous and I've never stayed in a place that was so Christmasy! There was a huge beautifully lit tree in the lobby and the whole entrance was decorated with lights and wreaths so it had such a festive vibe to the place. That night we headed out for dinner with everyone at this steak house and the food was just delicious. 

We only had one full day in Germany which was on the Saturday; It was a day where we could go off and do our own thing and James and I really wanted to explore the city and of course the German Market. Everything was just so pretty and the attention to detail was just amazing, I felt like I was living in a winter wonderland. 

The whole market had this amazing ice skating rink going around it which really got busy during the evening time. I really wanted James to have ago, usually I would have gone with him but as I'm pregnant and have balance issues I didn't think it would be a good idea. I just think towns and cities look so much more festive when they have an ice skating rink, it makes it feel like a scene from a film.

One thing that I really loved was that there were Christmas tress everywhere. I've never seen so many decorated trees in one place.

Even the regular tress were filled with decorations and once it was dark they all lit up beautifully.

More Christmas trees ....

We had so much fun walking around the markets, there was so many beautiful stands and of course my favourite about the stalls was all the food on offer. As I'm eating for two I really went all out and saw it as a chance to eat as much as possible. My favourite thing had to be the banana and chocolate filled crepe, so so yummy. Also look at those lollypops!

One thing that was also really spectacular about Cologne was the fact that it had the most beautiful and breath taking Cathedral right in the middle of the city. What was really lovely was that the market stalls were all located around the Cathedral so it really was stunning. The photos don't do this amazing building any justice and don't pick up just how big it really is.

Inside was just as beautiful as the outside...

Later on that day, after doing much walking around I decided that my feet had had enough walking. Being six months pregnant is really starting to take a strain on my body physically, so James and I decided to go grab some hot drinks, another bite to eat and a sit down. Surrounded by the market are loads of bars, cafes and restaurants and most of them have an outside seating area which overlooks the market. We decided to take a seat outside. Even though it was freezing outside, the restaurant gave us cosy throws to snuggle up too and with our hot drinks we kept nice and warm; it was lovely watching families getting into the Christmas spirit and watching to world go by.

That evening we went out for another meal with everyone and had some traditional German food, my camera battery had ran out by this point so sadly I don't have any pictures, but it was amazing.

The next morning it was time to take the Eurostar back to London and then back home. I honestly had such an amazing time and it was lovely to get away so close to Christmas. It was just what I needed to really get into the festive sprit and I would really recommend a trip to Cologne to anyone, it's amazing. Before we left we had to get one last picture of the huge beautifully lit tree in our hotel. I really wish I could take it home with me.

Are you going away any where festive this year? Let me know. 

Lots of Love

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