Denver Christkindl Market: Something New for 2017

I've left Chicagoland for the mountain views of Colorado. As I settle in, I was excited to see that Denver had a Christkindl Market. It was fun to go and compare it with the Chicago tradition.

Right away, you notice the difference in the name (Christkindlmarket vs Christkindl Market), but that's not all.

It was warm and sunny the day I visited. I've never dreamed of going to a seasonal German market in a short-sleeved shirt with the sun in my eyes. It was lovely. My eyelashes weren't freezing shut, and I enjoyed the food and drink for more than just a winter warm up.
It was a laid back affair. It wasn't as big and wasn't as crowded as Daley Plaza. We actually got a seat in the biergarten to eat and enjoy a show. They had musical performances all day.

First order of business was the glühwein. The line was long, but fast moving. They had other flavors (apple, etc.) that I avoided. Traditional was where it was at for me. The mulled wine didn't seem to be as much of a pull as the Chicago market. The booth was at an odd location, not a main focus. This one had commemorative beer steins too! That line was long and winding in the beer tent. The beer actually made more sense in this warmer weather. The glühwein was making me sweat!

The food was serious business. The latke were piled high and you could help yourself to apple sauce and chive sour cream, no pre-scooped cups here. They had cold-smoked salmon that was rich and earthy. The hearty helping of goulash was Vienna-style with big chunks of meat and a large dumpling to help you sop up the sauce. I skipped the black forest cake, flaky pastries, and buttery cookies, but they looked wonderful.

There were fewer booths, and none seemed to be German, but there were still some handcrafted pieces. They had little houses handmade in Lithuania and Russian glass-blown figures. The woolen crafts were there and so were the glass ornaments. The crafts were enough to make it a nice holiday market. The booth with organic wellness products made this uniquely Colorado. We made our rounds a couple of times and went on to check out the ice skating rink and enjoy the city. It's a fun day out and definitely made my annual holiday line up.

Official Denver Christkindl Market Website