You all know of my love for markets.  That means at home in Zürich, every Tuesday and Friday morning at my beloved Bürkliplatz, as well as the local markets in Sicily, Berlin, France’s Basque Country and really, anywhere my travels take me around the world. And right now, that means New York City.

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I love going to the market.  But you already knew that.

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I’m just returned from Sicily, so you know what that means – there is soon to be a Sweet Sicily post on the blog here !  But before I get to the gelato, granita, cassata and marzipan, first a stroll through a few Sicilian markets, where I spent most of my time.  (When not eating gelato, granita, cassata and marzipan. Not to mention cannoli and torrone and chocolate and…)

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Whether you’re reading this in Zürich, Brugge, New York or Dubrovnik, I think we can all agree… the weather has been anything but predictable lately.  We may have thought spring was on its way over here in Switzerland, but that quickly turned to cold temperatures, wind and rain once again.  Where to go for a burst of color when it’s nothing but grey outside ?  To the market, of course !

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Having devoured finished all the sweets I brought back from France’s Basque country, I am now savoring each and every one of my hundreds of photos taken during my recent trip there.  And already planning my next trip back.  So many villages visited (Aïnhoa, Espelette, St Jean Pied de Port, Itxassou, Sare…), many that I can’t wait to revisit, and yet so many more to discover (Guéthary, St Pée sur Nivelle, Bidart, St Etienne de Baigorry…).  My favorite, which will always be on the list, no matter how many times I’ve been back… is St Jean de Luz.

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Whenever I visit a new town, I’m not only on a mission to discover the sweet scene, but also to spend time at a local market.  It’s a perfect introduction to the culinary landscape, and always so interesting to observe the exchanges between proud vendors and their loyal customers, and most of all, see what people eat there !  What seems completely normal and mundane in one country (like the Swiss’ multicolored hard-boiled eggs) can be exotic and exciting – or just weird – to another.

Right now at the markets in Zürich, bright red strawberries and stalks of rhubarb are in the spotlight, but fat, white asparagus are taking up a lot of prime real estate too. While the latter has become common for me, living here in the German part of Switzerland and making regular visits to Zürich’s Bürkliplatz and Oerlikon markets, white asparagus were once strange and unfamiliar.  For me, asparagus were green, showing again that one person’s apple is another person’s rambutan.

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When December rolls around and the holidays approach, what gets you the most excited? For some, it’s the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree and taking it home to decorate, not to mention placing wrapped gifts underneath.  For others, it’s thinking of their city filled with festive lights – always an elegant display here in Zürich.  Still others anticipate the winter markets, roasting chestnuts by the fire or cooking and baking family recipes.  For me… it’s Weihnachtsguetzli, Christmas cookies, of course! (recipes below)

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Construction is somewhat commonplace here in Zürich.  I am forever finding creative ways to artistically avoid cranes in my photos.  And it seems that the city is constantly busy re-renovating something, making it even more perfect than it already seemed to be to me.  I don’t often stop to read the fine print, but when biking towards the industrial-gone-trendy neighborhood of Zürich early last year, I squeezed the brakes when I saw the word “Markthalle” and a sketch of a 500 meter-long market street.  Construction was already underway to create a unique shopping structure beneath the Wipkinger and Letten viaducts (both of which were built by hand by more than 6,000 workers just before 1900), that would include Zürich’s first covered market.

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I’m normally at the Bürkliplatz market every Tuesday and Friday morning. And busy playing in the kitchen trying a new dessert recipe or photographing my latest chocolate tastings. But not when I have a rather critical deadline for a huge project that demands my every minute. I have had the pleasure of working on a very sweet project for the past two months – one that I’ll certainly share here later. Aside from a quick break to see the Burning of the Böögg, I?ve been mostly at my desk. But for now, with most of the work behind me, it was time to step away from my computer and enjoy the beginning of spring in Zürich.

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The excitement of the winter markets doesn’t necessarily have to end at 11am when the Market Police show up, making sure that no more goodies are exchanged (it’s true, read about it here!).  All throughout Switzerland and in other European countries, this is prime time for Christmas markets – markets that go on all day long and well into the evening too.  Just think how magical, once it gets dark – colorful lights twinkling on and off, trees sparkling with ornaments and decorations… and you taking it all in, with cold hands cupped around warm mugs of Glühwein or hot cocoa.

Zürich’s main train station holds Europe’s largest indoor Christmas market for the 16th year.  Swarovski steals the show once again with its 15m (50 foot) tree and 6,000 crystals.   The tree is stunning and a real mouth-opener from afar; it almost appears to be covered in snow – with all the crystals and spotlights around.  But be sure to get up close (you might have to elbow your way in a bit) and see all the small crystal figurines.  Green mini Christmas trees and all sorts of animals, Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, and my personal favorite, a new addition this year: mini cows in different colors, with bells around their necks (below right). (See last year’s post for more pictures of the tree and market.)

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