November 28th, 2024 - Bückeburg Christmas Market

Bückeburg Christmas Market

Christine and I attended the Grand Opening of this Christmas market. Almost as soon as we walked through the gate we ran into the prince and his wife. He was very friendly, so Christine told him how we had been invited into the private quarters by his father 50 years ago. He looked at us with a bit of an astonished expression, since we didn’t look old enough.

Peg and I were traveling around Europe on mopeds and looked pretty scraggly in our worn jeans and work boots. Lippold and Christine met with the prince to learn about giving tours of their castle. Peg, Anna and I were told to take the tour and meet them later. Anna was a 16 year old Swedish girl staying at the castle for the summer to learn German, as her father had a few decades earlier. The 3 of us got along famously, took the tour and then stopped for a beer right outside the palace walls. Then we went to meet up with Christine and Lippold, noticing that the prince was standing with them. The prince was so gracious and invited all 5 of us to his private quarters in this building.

Then Christine told hus son how we had been served tea and meringues, but that our meringues had dropped crumbs all over the floor. He liked the story and told us that his father hadn’t done the Christmas Market because he didn’t want to commercialize the place. They actually didn’t start it until after Christine started hers.

Prince Ernst August Alexander Christian Viktor Hubert Schaumburg-Lippe at his wedding (3rd wife).

They cut the cake and we had a slice with Glühwein. The prince came along and I offered him my untouched slice. He thanked me, but said that he would like to, but he is lactose intolerant. 😄

Here is a little slideshow of the day at Bückeburg!

It is Thanksgiving Day in the USA and although the market was a good distraction, I am sad and thinking about Jane and our wonderful Thanksgivings with Peg and Al.