My Christkindlmarkt weekend in Bethlehem,Pennsylvania was a joyous experience! For day two of my Bethlehem visit, the itinerary included a Christmas Stroll about town with a costumed guide. The city was settled by Moravians: Czech/German region people who migrated to the United States for religious freedom. They sought to practice their differing beliefs from the Roman Catholic church back home in Europe. During the year 1741, land was deeded to the Moravian Church in Bethlehem. The settlement contained 50 buildings with its surroundings providing sufficient fertile land, lumber, and water.

Prior to the start of my tour, I had time to eat the breakfast item that I had purchased during the previous evening at Vegan Treats Bakery (Vegan Treats). The cookies and cream doughnut was really tasty.

Now it was time to begin my day with local history lessons. The Bethlehem Visitor’s Center organizes holiday walking tours that start from their headquarters. We started at the 1810 Goundie House. This was the home of the town’s brewer John Goundie. His Federal-style brick house signified the upper class wealth he had amassed.

We made a stop in front of the grand Hotel Bethlehem on Main Street. This was the site of the first Moravian settlement in 1741. A plaque and mini log cabin within the front display window of the hotel, commemorates this historic fact.

Further up the road on Main Street was the blacksmith shop where the blacksmith would make hinges, door handles, and hooks. A demo of various projects is given by a local blacksmith in period costume. Guests may ask questions about any of the period tools and equipment in the shop. The old Luckenbach Mill stood behind the blacksmith shop.

To the left of the Blacksmith shop is the old mill wall and behind it lies the old stone water wheel. Constructed in 1754, it brought drinking water and washing water to the townspeople.

After a brief walk around the corner and up the hill, we arrived at the Moravian Museum, originally known as “Gemeinhaus”. The house was built to accommodate the married couples in town and included a space for the community’s place of worship.

Living quarters within the museum depict how the early Moravian settlers lived.

Our next stop on the stroll, was the Sister’s House. This building was actually used as accommodations for the single women in town. The Moravians also built a separate residence for single men. The Ladies home consisted of bedrooms, sitting room, and large dining hall/meeting space, and a kitchen.

Back outside, our guide in 18th century Moravian dress, pointed out several other historic buildings. She concluded our tour in front of the original town apothecary.

As our group parted ways, I picked up my pace to head back to Main Street for a bite to eat. All along Main Street, there were Victorian period carolers singing all the traditional Christmas carols that we all know and love. A group of musicians would also move to several different locations along the street, to perform their Christmas tunes.

I decided to have lunch at Stations Cafe (Stations Cafe ). This cozy and affordable cafe offers several marked vegan options on their menu. For my meal, I opted for the Vegan Veggie Pocket with grilled asparagus, zucchini, broccoli, peppers and onions wrapped in their own Organic 100% whole wheat dough and baked. It was served with a side of cucumber salad. A cup of veggie soup accompanied my entree. My lunch was delicious and filling. For a snack, I selected their vegan pretzel with sprinkled cinnamon and sugar. Their dough is phenomenal and the topping added the right amount of sweetness.

At 2pm, I walked back up Main Street to the Central Moravian Church. This is the oldest Moravian Church in America.

A large yellow Moravian Star focused my attention above the alter.

Singers and organists arrived to entertain visitors with 17th and 18th century Christmas music from Germany, France, and the USA.

After the concert, I had some free afternoon time to browse through shops and the Moravian Bookstore. The musicians I had heard the day before, were still strolling along Main Street and performing at various spots. I stayed for a bit to listen to more of their Christmas tunes. Another visit to Hotel Bethlehem gave me the opportunity to photograph the towering toy soldiers around the lobby.

Dinner time had arrived so I decided to have my meal at the all-vegan Shankara Restaurant (Shankara Restaurant ). My evening meal was a very gracious buffet including organic greens with rice and red curry dressing, marigold salad, pappadam, slaw, yellow rice with cumin, cranberries, rice vermicelli, Asian black beans, malay curry seitan, lentils, basil coconut mashed potatoes, and curried tofu yaki. My entire meal was absolutely flavorful and delicious. Their buffet also included several different vegan pies. However, I did not have any room left for dessert, since my plan was to visit the local bakery after my dinner. Shankara’s desserts and pies look fabulous, so I recommend eating here and trying their delectable-looking pies.

My Uber driver whisked me away to the other side of town so that I would satisfy my craving for yet another dessert at Vegan Treats Bakery (Vegan Treats Bakery). I returned to the popular bakery on my second day in town, specifically for one of their creative Christmas dessert items. My purchase was a vanilla confetti mini-cake with green and red frosting, topped with a round ball of vanilla frosting and an ice cream cone “santa hat”. Wow! I really enjoyed this delicious Christmas cake! They offer several Christmas-themed mini-cakes and decorated holiday cookies. There is typically a line of people waiting anxiously to order these amazing sweets. It is definitely worth the wait. The bakery is well organized and runs smoothly.

Before calling it a night, I walked to the city hall plaza overlook deck to gain a spectacular view of the white shining star ornament atop South Mountain.

On Monday morning my bus back to Boston did not arrive until after 9am, so that gave me time to have some breakfast at Blue Sky Cafe (Blue Sky Cafe ) . This vegan-friendly cafe offers several vegan options on their menu. For breakfast, I enjoyed a really tasty everything bagel with two tofu ‘eggs’, avocado slices, spinach, onions, tomatoes, and home fries(cooked in separate fryer). Orange juice accompanied my meal.

My nine hour bus ride (with two connections) gave me time to reminisce about my wonderful weekend in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. From the European-style Christmas Markets to the historic Moravian village tour to the Christmas concerts and vegan foods, I am filled with happy memories of my time spent in this historic town. I recommend a visit here for any tourist wishing to experience the Christmas Markets, the historic Moravian culture, and the incredible vegan food and baked goods.