We ventured back to Cologne - aka Köln - aka Keulen to do a little Christmas shopping. They have a TJ Maxx store there. It's called TK Maxx. I've read the reason it was named TK in Europe was to avoid confusion with an already existing discount chain, TJ Hughes. I have no idea if that's true. Either way, it's basically the same type of store, but slightly more disorganized than the ones I've been to in the U.S.
In Belgium, so far as I can tell, there are no big department stores like Dillard's. None. Every store is separate.
Not so in Germany. They have huge department stores. Like this one - Peek & Cloppenburg . . .
and this one - Karstadt.
Plus the bonus of a Starbucks. Back when Starbucks stores weren't everywhere, it was a real treat to happen upon one. It's kind of that way here now. Up until this year, there was only one Starbucks in all of Belgium. It's at the Brussels airport. I understand in 2010 Starbucks opened a store at the train station in Antwerp. I've not been there. Yet.
Belgians basically don't support "take away" food or drink. Whether it's dinner or just a cup of coffee - it's an event. I can respect that.
Cologne, like many German cities, have elaborate Christmas markets.
The markets and shopping areas of the city were wall-to-wall people. I know it was a Saturday and only a couple of weeks before Christmas so I should have expected it, but I was on the verge of developing enochlophobia!
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