Lifestyle

If you haven’t tasted it yet, go ahead! Stollen — or German Christmas bread — is a holiday season must have. With almonds, fruits and marzipan, this cake is a typical Advent delight in Germany.

Germany has already started ringing in the holiday season with the opening of many Christmas markets this week. And Kaiserslautern was no exception. Kaiserslautern’s market kicked off Monday. And during every Advent weekend, different villages in the KMC will start presenting their Christmas markets, too.

If you happen to be in the neighborhood of Bari, Italy, on Dec. 6, be sure to swing by and pay tribute to the remains of Saint Nicholas — not to be confused with Santa Claus, who is most certainly alive and well and won’t be leaving home this year until Dec. 24.

Wherever Mark Twain trod, his fans are sure to follow. They trek to the American author’s homes in Hannibal, Mo., and Hartford, Conn. They cruise along the great Mississippi River by steamboat. Above all, they travel by imagination, soaking up his written word.

Kaiserslautern’s Lord Mayor Dr. Klaus Weichel and the “Christkind,” or Christ child, will officially open the Christmas market at 6 p.m. Monday from the stage on Schillerplatz. The market will be set up through Dec. 23 around Stiftskirche and on Schillerplatz.

Running full-speed at nosebleed elevations; traversing creeks, rocks and caves; scrambling over loose rock debris; and hiking up goat trails with walking sticks that resemble ski poles might seem crazy to some, but adventure racers — including one U.S. Army Reserve Soldier stationed in Europe — would race no other way.