Food, food and more food. We saw flame broiled bratwurst, grilled sausages, hams, currywurst - a fried or grilled sausage is cut into thick slices and seasoned with spicy ketchup and generous amounts of curry powder (usually served with french fries), fischbrötchen - a fish sandwich served with pickled or fried fish and onions and sauerkraut - fermented cabbage. We also saw big vats of boiled potatoes, sausage in green cabbage. Also for sale were potato pancakes served with applesauce.
After your main meal one finds a vast array of desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth. My favorite was fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar (called muzen in Lübeck and schmalzkuchen in Hamburg). We also tried marshmallow cremes dipped in chocolate (schaumkuss) which were surprisingly delicious as I am not a marshmallow fan usually. There were also lots of mini pancakes (profferjes) filed with your choice of Nutella, butter, sugar, marzipan, apples, mint, cherries, Grand Marnier, Baileys, Contreau, Amaretto, vanilla to name a few. We didn't try those and I wish we had, especially with some Grand Marnier - next time!! Northern Germany is also famous for marzipan in every shape, color and form that you can imagine and these large gingerbread cookies with various messages of Christmas and other festivities written in hard frosting on them.
To wash it all down, one can stop at one of the many glühwein (mulled wine) forests constructed all over town. Glühwein is usually prepared with red wine. It is heated with cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anis, citrus, sugar and vanilla beans. It is offered as is or mit schuss (with a shot), which means that rum or some other liquor is added.
There also seems to be a German version of tomte, the Swedish elves that I have fallen in love with. I did not get an accurate name or story for them - the gentleman and I were trying our best to communicate across the language chasm. But I did buy one and much to my daughter's horror, I think his hair is real animal hair. I love him and think he is adorable. Lena is creeped out by his hair. I only hope that bringing him into the house will not piss off the tomte in our basement as I am serious about wanting that help with the housework.