CHRISTMAS MARKETS
Will Christmas Markets go ahead this year?
Article from the BBC
German Christmas market workers 'not sleeping' over Covid
Stall operators in some of Germany's renowned Christmas markets say they are terrified of the festivities being cancelled for a second year running - amid surging cases in the country, the AFP news agency reports.
Some of the traditional markets have already been called off, while others are still waiting nervously for decisions.
Dresden Christmas market
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
One stallholder in Germany's oldest Christmas market in Dresden tells AFP she "can't describe what we are going through at the moment" ahead of the planned opening next week.
Karin Hantsche, who has been selling traditional gingerbread for three decades, says stallholders are "not sleeping at night" because of the nerves and tension over whether the market will run.
The east German state of Saxony has said the markets can be held, but local authorities in Dresden are due to meet on 25 November and could overrule them.
The central government and leaders of Germany's 16 states are also due to meet this week to discuss new national restrictions, as the seven-day infection rate hits a new peak for the 10th consecutive day.
Comments
Dresden Markets are now cancelled. Munich was cancelled initially, but by early 11/20 all markets in Bavaria are now cancelled. Austria will go into a full lockdown on Novembers 22 for ten days, but it is likely it will be extended to December 12.
Tours were cancelled unfortunately. But it was obviously necessary. Those of y’all who booked for 2022 Christmas markets are lucky as the tours are already sold out.
Do you think Tauck is going to cancel their CM tours? I’m booked on one for December 13th and I’m hoping it will be cancelled. Too many unknowns to travel now.
I don't think Tauck has a choice. Why run the tour if there are no markets?
If you look on the Tauck travel updates, new since yesterday, they have cancelled them!
Only the Rhine and Danube trips. The Yuletide Spirits, Brussels to Amsterdam is still scheduled to go. No decision on them until Monday per my conversation yesterday with Tauck. All 2022 CM cruises are booked except Christmas week. I’m not interested in them holding my money until 2023, they’ve had it since January 2019.
You can get all your deposit back, but not your insurance, that goes into a Dreamsaver account with no date to use it by. I took my deposits back for several of my cancelled tours. I have not rebooked some of those, I’ve moved on and booked different tours.