The snow we had for the past few days has mostly melted by now. But what little we had was perfect for our four-day Christmas market (which ends this evening).

Here are a few photos I took two days ago.

Marktplatz Oberursel Christmas 2010

Oberursel Christmas Market

Hugs at the Marktplatz Oberursel

Snow-covered bikes in front of a pub

This was one of the better Christmas markets as we had snow instead of rain!

In 2009, the city of Oberursel  set up a temporary ice skating rink for the first time. It must have been a success, as this is being repeated this year. It really compliments the city’s otherwise unused open area during the winter season. Oberursel on Ice is located right at the Epinayplatz.

It is good for the locals as they no longer have to take their children to Bad Homburg or Frankfurt to have some winter skating fun. The rink is adding a nice attraction to the city, but only for three weeks (20 Nov 2010 to 06 Dec 2010). Skate rental available.

Ice skating hours are:

15:00 – 19:00 Monday – Friday

11:00 – 19:00 Saturday

11:00 – 18:00 Sunday

More information at  Oberursel on Ice and  Photos from 2009.

Today is also the start of our four-day Christmas market. With the current low temperature of 2° C (36 F)  or – 1°C incl. the wind chill factor, the setting is perfect. One of my Facebook friends reported snow from the Feldberg mountain (Taunus) yesterday evening.

Our four-day Christmas market in Oberursel will run from Thursday to Sunday (25 Nov – 28 Nov).

The current temperature of only 4°C will surely be a good match for all the mulled wine drinkers. There is also light snow in the forecast for this week as the temperature keeps dropping. Sounds promising!

Dates and times of the Weihnachtsmarkt:

25.11. – 25.11.2010 von 16:00 bis 21:00 Uhr
26.11. – 26.11.2010 von 14:00 bis 22:00 Uhr
27.11. – 27.11.2010 von 12:00 bis 22:00 Uhr
28.11. – 28.11.2010 von 12:00 bis 21:00 Uhr

The market has about 80 vendors ready to sell their merchandise, including food and beverages.

Erzgebirge Christmas ornaments

For more on Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) crafts, visit AllThingsGerman.

Shopping for a last-minute pumpkin took us to Hofgut Hohenwald located between Oberursel and Kronberg.

Next to flowers and vegetables, they also sell fresh bread, cheese, cold cuts, dairy products, and many other goods. This is the perfect place for expats to shop on Sundays, e.g. on your way home from the airport.

I was looking for their hours of operation, but could find none listed for Sundays. We were there around noon today and the place was busy. They might keep the same hours for Sundays as they do for Saturdays (8:00 – 17:00), but this is just a guess.

There is lots of parking space as well.

We ended up with three medium sized pumpkins, two of which need to get carved yet. The acorn squash I purchased will go directly to the oven:-)

pumpkins at Hofgut Hohenwald

Happy Halloween!

If you do not want to get your hands dirty, try Carve your own virtual pumpkin, fun for both kids and adults.

or where to do your next shopping.

One of my friends, an expat living in Lagos, Nigeria, took these photos when he went to the market. At first glance, I was struck by the colors and they reminded me of a Thanksgiving arrangement. On second glance, I realized the tables were set with skulls, tortoise shells, and other mostly unidentifiable objects.

Voodoo market in Nigeria

Voodoo items are in popular demand.

Voodoo is used in many different ways for target management. For example, some madams in Benin City apply voodoo pressure to families with pretty daughters. Then these girls get sold off as prostitutes to Europe.

I guess, business is business. In Eastern Europe, they promise the girls a better life before being sold to a pimp in Frankfurt.

Voodoo market visitor

My oh my -  would this be a rat looking for leftovers?

I found these photos fascinating and worth sharing here on my travel blog. The anonymous photo credit goes to my friend who also gave permission to publish them.