Experiencing ChristkindlMarket, Chicago: America's Most Authentic German Christmas Market
体验美国最具德国特色的圣诞市场：芝加哥圣诞市场Each year from mid-November until Christmas Eve, Christkindlmarket allows visitors to experience authentic German traditions without having to travel any farther than the city of Chicago.
每年的11月中旬到圣诞前夜，圣诞市场可以让参观者不用走出芝加哥就能体验正宗的德国传统。Modeled after the Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg, Chicago's Christmas market sister city, the Christkindlmarket in Chicago is the largest open-air holiday market in the US. And it's also the most authentic.
芝加哥圣诞市场是模仿纽伦堡的圣诞市场建成的，纽伦堡是芝加哥的姐妹城市，现在芝加哥圣诞市场已经成为美国最大的露天假日市场，而且是最正宗的。
The market now has over 50 vendors, and more than half of them are actually flown in from Germany. I loved being able to shop around at each vendor while listening to the workers communicate with each other in only German– I almost forgot I was in Chicago!
芝加哥圣诞市场有超过50个销售商，而且超过一半的销售商都来自德国。我喜欢流连于各销售商中间，听着他们用德语交流——我几乎忘了自己身处芝加哥。The Christkindlmarket in Chicago really is the closest thing to a traditional German Christmas market in all of the 's no wonder the market sees huge draws of visitors, as over one million people pass through the market yearly. Often you'll spot tour buses parked around the corner bringing in visitors from as far as Florida and even Canada.
芝加哥的圣诞市场的确是美国所有市场中最接近传统德国圣诞市场的。这无疑吸引了大量的参观者，每年都有超过一百万的人来参观。通常你会看到载有远自佛罗里达和加拿大游客的旅游观光车停在角落。Red-and-white striped wooden stalls fill Daley Plaza enticing visitors to buy handcrafted German products like Black Forest cuckoo clocks, beer steins, and ornaments galore. We enjoyed walking from stall to stall finding cute trinkets, as well as traditional market staples like gingerbread, beeswax candles.
红白条纹相间的木制摊位遍布戴利广场，吸引着游客购买纯手工制成的德国产品，比如黑森林布谷鸟钟、啤酒杯以及大量的装饰品。我们很喜欢走路逛过一个又一个摊位，同时发现可爱的小物品和类似姜饼、蜂蜡的传统市场物品。I personally recommend walking around while sipping on some German glühwein to keep warm. Unlike other Christmas markets in the US, such as the famous market in NYC's Union Square, alcohol is served here making it a fun atmosphere for hanging out with friends.
我个人很建议散步的同时喝上德国的热葡萄酒来取暖。不像美国的其它圣诞市场，比如纽约联合广场著名的市场，这里提供红酒为了给一起散步的好友营造一种充满乐趣的氛围。Although we originally had only planned to grab a few snacks before heading to dinner at one of Chicago's many delicious eateries, the smell of German sausages in the air quickly persuaded us otherwise.
尽管在去小餐馆吃完饭之前我们只想来一点小吃的，但空气中弥漫的德国香肠的香味瞬间让我们改变了主意。I have to say, I didn't have high expectations for the food, but everything was honestly really good. I guess that's why we ended up having our whole dinner there after buying some snacks.
尽管我并没有对食物抱有多大的期望，但不得不说这里的一切都真的很棒。我想这也就是为什么我们在吃过小吃以后又去吃了晚餐。