GERMANY CALLING

20-11-2006

It's less than a couple of years since a member of Birmingham's ruling Cabinet lost his job for daring to suggest that the German Christmas Market should be axed. Never mind the sack, he deserves a medal because all the signs are that it's had a massive kick up the backside and returned this year bigger and better than before.

Of course the Frankfurt market has been a fixture for as long as anyone can remember but it had all - in my mind's eye at least - become a little bedraggled. Sure, there were a couple of gluhwein bars and sausage vendors outside the Council House, but only a straggle of stalls at the top end of New Street.

This year, in contrast, there seems to have been a real effort to get extra sellers in, and now the scent of candles vies with the aroma of chocolate clashes with the whiff of frankfurter all the way down to Bella Pasta.

Maybe it's just that I'm appreciating it for the first time as a dad. My two year old was terrified (as kids quite reasonably are) by the sight of Daddy Christmas, but was enchanted by the carousel and helter skelter, and her delight rubbed off on me.

I think there's more to it than that though - there's a real sense that all the stops have been pulled out, and now it really is a magical addition to Brum's streetscape.

Last week The Stirrer observed that the city is selling itself as a shopping destination where you can do more than just shop till you drop.The biggest German market outside Germany is just the place to prove it.