Eko and I are hitting the road tomorrow for a holiday visit back to the east coast. Before we left I wanted to check out Chicago’s downtown German Christkindlesmarkt. My brother let me know that the annual outdoor market is pet-friendly, so we decided to stop by.
North Pole or Germany, decisions decisions
The market consists of multiple pop-up stores selling everything from glass ornaments (we kept Eko’s wandering paws a safe distance away) to traditional German food. It’s a great place to shop for some unique holiday gifts – but fair warning – if you bring your pup you should budget extra time for all the love they’ll get! The line to pet Eko rivaled the line for photos with Santa. Speaking of which…
We found out that Santa rents a condo in Chicago! We wanted to say hello but…
COME ON, SANTA! You would think that a guy who lives with reindeer wouldn’t mind a dog stopping by. While we didn’t see Santa, we did see a rather interesting gathering:
Turns out that pigeons love a good fire. Eko decided to tell them that in front of a roaring fire is also one of his favorite places to be:
“Hey guys, I LOVE….hey, why are you all running away?”
After clearing out the pigeon party, we perused the stands for gift ideas. I usually don’t do my Christmas shopping until the afternoon of the 24th, so it was nice to have a bit more time to enjoy the experience.
Eko and I getting in the Christmas spirit
We may have missed Santa, but the Christkindlesmarkt was definitely a hit!
It looks like it’s a lot of fun. Since I’m a foodie I would have gone to the food section first, even if Boomer and Dottie were with me, maybe they could sample a little something too!
What a pity that Eko didn’t get his picture taken with Santa! The market looks fabulous though.
That’s one of my sister’s favorite stops every December. I wonder if the stores (i.e. Macys, Carson’s, etc) on State Street do up their windows with moving stories and displays? That was always a fav of mine. Enjoy your holidays!
Have a great Christmas back east you two. 🙂
You should have set up a “Photos with Eko Paws” booth…you would have put Santa out of business…I would have loved to browse the food booths
I think Eko was thinking about how those pigeons would taste roasting on a roaring fire 🙂
We have a relator here in the High Desert that has a Christmas thingy every year and they invite Santa. All of the pets (of all types) are invited to come and take pictures with Santa. It is awesome! You could even bring your camel if you had one! lol
We go to a Christkindlemarkt in Bethlehem, PA and we LOVE it! We missed it the past few years, but we’re looking forward to going back again.
fun!
Great shots. Love eko spying the birds. Happy holidays!
Themba just saw Santa last night. He was excited! But then got concerned when his little Boston brother was sitting on Santa’s lap.
Themba also says if you two have any free time while your out here he would love a romp with his nephew.
That is am amazing tree behind you!
no pets, drinks or food … hmmmm…yeah come on Santa!
Darn hey, well Santa sure did miss out. Sorry the pigeons weren’t into socializing but I loved that picture. Wa-who, that’s one giant tree behind you guys. Cheers
Wow, that Christmas market looks really cool! It is very nice of them to think of the birdies too — I bet they must get cold in that snowy weather 🙂
Your posts always make me smile. I’ve never seen pigeons gathered around a fire pit. That is pretty funny. Safe travels and happy holidays!