When Carla lived in England, visiting a German Holiday Market was an important part of the run-up to Christmas. With spiced apple cider, Lebkuchen, live music, twinkling lights and a festive atmosphere, a German market is always a great place to buy gifts, and get into the holiday spirit. Carla missed the sights and sounds of the traditional Christmas Markets during our first Christmas together here in California.

So we were very happy to discover, in 2013, that the German International School of Silicon Valley was planning a German Holiday Market here in Mountain View!  We played handbell duets there, and had a great time. This year, we were pleased to return for the 2014 Holiday Market.

After several days of heavy rain, the sun shone over Mountain View on the morning of Saturday, December 13th. We played Christmas and holiday duets to open the market, and then came back for another session in the early afternoon. When we weren’t playing handbells, we enjoyed looking at the crafts and gifts. Yes, we bought some European chocolate and gingerbread for Christmas!

We had a lovely time at the market, and were sorry not to be able to stay longer. Holiday markets always seem even more special in the evening, when the Christmas lights are twinkling!  You can find our photos from the event on our Facebook page.