Christmas markets

For those that didn't know, Christmas was practically invented in this part of the world (hard to say exactly, but many ancient peoples celebrated on Dec. 24th even before Christ was born, and traditions involving decorating trees date back that far--and many adaptations since then are also from northern and western Europe).  One of the major features of a Germanic Christmas is the Christmas market.  We decided to take full advantage of our location this Advent season by visiting a range of these markets.

For those who don't know, here's the basic run down:

At a Christmas market you can enjoy outdoor booths and stalls.  These sell a variety of hand made and factory made items ranging from traditional German to modern and international.  Some common ones include Zwetschgenmänner (figures made of dried prunes--pretty, but my husband thinks they're creepy), Räuchermännchen (figures in which you put burning incense--which makes it look like the figure is smoking), candle operated spinning towers (see pictures below--my husband calls them the helicopter things),  nativities, nutcrackers, hand painted glass and ceramic works, wool items, and a variety of ornaments (glass, straw--yes, straw, wood figurines, wood stars and carvings--painted and unpainted, and synthetics).  You can also find jewelry, Buddhist figures, paper and cards, anything involving candles, etc.  Things are typically natural and traditional and often hand made.

You can warm up with traditional beverages such as Glühwein (spiced mulled wine) and Feuerzangenbowle (rum soaked sugarloaf is melted and drips into the mulled wine), and Kinderpunsch (a hot punch without alcohol).  Hot foods include soups, sausages upon sausages, corn on the cob, fish sandwiches (we had a fantastic salmon sandwich--essentialy a po' boy), and similar foods.  You eat (and drink) at standing tables all over the market.  Glühwein and Kinderpunsch come
 in decorated mugs for which you pay a deposit.  You can keep the mug as a souvenir if you wish.  Sweets include lebkuchen, marzipan, chocolate covered fruits, sugar coated nuts, roasted chestnuts, gingerbread hearts (worn as a necklace with frosting messages--may or may not ever be eaten), and any other variety of chocolate yumminess or pastries.

You'll usually see a large nativity of carved figures--sometimes life size--in a prominent place.  Lots of lights and decorations (and the early onset of darkness this far north) are part of it, as are things like horse drawn carriage rides.  Music--often live music--is an essential element.  Moose and dragons are surprisingly common--in fact, the Germans seem to view moose as a Christmas animal.  Every town square has a large, lit-up Christmas tree.  This scene of happy shoppers and atmosphere is enhanced by the cobbled streets, church towers, old buildings, and the "old world Europe" feel.

As mentioned in our previous post, we spent the first Advent visiting our friends in Austria.  The Wolfgangsee area is known for its three markets, of which we visited two--Strobl and St. Wolfgang.  Strobl had a great pier (on which were a few more booths and some trees) right next to where the ships put in.  The star and lights welcomed visitors to the market.

As seen from the pier

 Nativity in the amphitheater, which in the summer hosts concerts.

 The region is known for its woodwork, timber, and carvings.  This carved lumberjack and his life sized horse paid tribute to that heritage while showing off the craftsmanship.

My husband liked the live animals--he preferred the goats and alpacas, but I liked this guy.

The tree stumps burn downward and hollow out, keeping people warm.  Then the hollowed stumps are turned over to make tables.

Old world feel.

Last weekend we headed into Freising, our neighboring bigger town, and were surprised at how nice it was.  We didn't stay long, and we didn't get pictures, but the atmosphere was just as good and we got a ton of our shopping done there.  That evening we headed into Munich.  We started at the Karlsplatz, known to locals as Stachus, passed on the ice skating at the temporary rink, and headed down the main pedestrian street over to the Marienplatz, the famous square.  We also made a trip over to the Sendlinger Tor as well as St. Jakobs Platz (all walking distance).  These are the main markets in the touristy areas.  We enjoyed them tremendously, though the weather was bitingly cold.  We still have a few more in Munich to hit, including the alternative Tollwood (on the Theresienwiese, where Oktoberfest is held) and the Medieval market, and if time permits, Schwabing.  Here are a few impressions from the downtown markets:

Karlstor at Stachus with decorated storefronts in the background.  The actual market builds up a bit further down.

This replica of the Frauenkirche above the stall was right below the real thing.  Kinda cool, huh?

The Marienplatz.  The musicians (in this case the Japanese Women's Choir of Munich) stood on the balcony of the Rathaus (city hall--the big building) and the music was put on speakers and piped into the market in a variety of places around the square.

My husband buying his "helicopter thingy."  There is another on the top shelf beside the nutcracker.

A life size "helicopter thingy" at one of the squares.

Yesterday we traveled with one of the other teachers to Nürnberg (Nuremberg) to the famous market there.  This one was incredibly crowded, full of tourists, and really big.  One of the drawbacks was the crowdedness, and my husband feels it wasn't as varied as Munich, though we may have missed some other squares.  However, this was offset by the fact that Nürnberg, a Franconian city, is incredibly beautiful.  It wasn't quite as cold, and most of our snow had washed away in the rain--but we lucked out with some patches of sunshine and no rain until we were ready to leave.  Our friend stumbled upon an amazing restaurant with local flavor and a medieval feel called the Bratwurstherzle.  Highly recommend this place!  We also found the Medieval Handcrafters Market, which offered slightly more original items.  Unfortunately the houses were too close together to get any real pictures.

The whole old town is decorated, including bridges leading to the market.

Räuchermännchen, ornaments, and more . . .

The old town square of Nürnberg looks like this at Christmas.

One section had stalls from sister cities around the world.  My native Atlanta is a sister city, though I wasn't interested in buying Coca Cola items.

Another large "helicopter thingy."

The carriage pulled by Rhinelander horses--all stallions.  We debated doing this, as it wasn't expensive, but the line was long.  The horse on the left is Rudi.  He was a personality!

The prune men.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Denmark, Czech Republic, and Austria

Things have settled quite a bit for us in the last six weeks.  We are finally feeling at home.  So it's time to leave home . . . to travel!  It's one of the benefits of living in the center of Europe, and as you all know it's a bit of a passion of mine.

First up was our fall break trip to Denmark.  My husband returned from the US on early Monday morning, and we left Tuesday for Glückstadt, the town in northern Germany where my grandmother lives.  We had dinner and breakfast with her, then headed on to Søndervig on the coast of the North Sea.  We spent Wednesday and Friday relaxing, walking on the beach, wandering through the small town, and reading.  Søndervig is a HUGE haven for German tourists, and it's easier to get around (and read menus) in German than in English.  Thursday we took a day trip across the Jutland peninsula to Vejle to visit my sister, whose husband has his dream job working for Lego (he studied lots of math and science so he could become an engineer, which led to this job--good thing he did his homework).  It was nice to see where they live (and they really do have a great apartment in an amazing location in the center of town) and to see how quickly she is picking up on Danish.  We walked along the fjord and saw the harbor--including the sailboats.  We're looking forward to trying our hand at sailing again.  Our trip also introduced me to elderflower, with which you can make great juice.  Saturday was a long day of driving back home.

The beautiful (but wet) Jutland is covered in reed roofed homes, small (and thin) forests, swamps and marshes, and little towns.  Lots of birds, cows, and open areas.  Not a lot of people.  Very pretty.

Many of the trees are bent over like this one from the constant wind blowing off the North Sea.  Actually, this one isn't bad--many were far worse--but I didn't get a good picture from the car.

The dogs loved the windswept beach on which our cottage sat.  We played a ton of fetch, which Jimmy enjoyed (and so did we).  It was chilly when the sun went away but nice in the sun.  It looks very lonely, but it wasn't.  It was just the right blend of civilization and isolation for relaxation.

 The little town of Søndervig.

The beach was littered with pillboxes from WWII.

The following weekend I hopped a train to Prague.  The object of my visit was to see one of my best friends.  Her family is Czech, and she was in town visiting her friends and relatives.  It was a quick trip, and we didn't do a ton of sightseeing, but it was a blast!  It's also kind of cool that I can just hop a train, sit comfortably and move around (unlike in a car or plane), meet some cool folks, and end up in Prague.  The city is beautiful and old--we'll definitely go back and do some sightseeing.  In fact, I have to say that it's probably one of the prettiest cities I have ever seen.  You should all visit!

Hradcany Castle

The Lennon Wall was once a place where oppressed Czechs could voice grievances with the Communist regime through graffiti.  It is now a place that represents youthful ideals and peace and love.  Kinda cool.

 This couple was taking wedding photos on a bridge covered with locks.  Couples put a lock on the bridge to symbolize that they are locked together forever.  It's pretty and a cool tradition at the same time.

Prague is full of beautiful buildings, old streets, and charm.  It's worth a lengthy visit.  It also has a vibrant social scene.

A few weeks of hard work (including final repairs on the new car, school stuff, etc) and generally being at home brought us to last weekend and the first Advent.  Christmas here is called the Advent time (stretches from the first to Advent to Christmas--since we don't celebrate Thanksgiving).  We decided to finally take our friend and colleague up on his offer and visit his home near Salzburg.  Anyway, we took last Saturday to head down to the mountains of Austria.  We drove past St. Gilgen (the town on the lake seen in the opening scenes of The Sound of Music) and to Strobl, which is also on the Wolfgangsee.  That night we headed into Strobl to see the Christkindlmarkt, or Christmas market.  We moved on to the one in St. Wolfgang.  The three towns have complimentary markets, each a bit different, and you can travel between them by car, bus, or ferry across the lake.  The old world charm of Austrian villages, the mountains, the snow (yes, we have snow), and the markets combine for a perfect Christmas atmosphere, but more on the markets in the next post.  We spent the next morning walking along a river, enjoying the mountains, and talking with friends.  Pretty fun way to spend a weekend.

St. Gilgen.  Just imagine sunshine and green instead of snow, and you'll recognize the opening of the Sound of Music.

It's a dramatic mountain town.

This is beautiful country full of old world charm and cute older buildings.  These are just the ones I could photograph through the snow while driving with a dying camera battery.  They are certainly NOT the prettiest buildings in the region.  It's stunning.

 Yes, Schinkinchips--Schinken (ham) dried into chips.  My husband was excited to find such a wonderful snack.  What man doesn't love bacon and chips--why not combine them?

This weekend we also attended a few markets, and we plan to visit the famous Nürnberg (Nuremberg) market  next week.  I'll post about those next week.  Then we're off to Glückstadt for Christmas itself.  Here's hoping you enjoy the holiday season as much as we are.

Herbst

Herbst is the German word for autumn, and I have to say that it is beautiful.

Normally I love the fall, and this year is especially amazing.  Because our town of Zolling is a few kilometers from where we work (too far to bike, unfortunately), we drive to work every day.  This has given us the chance to enjoy the amazing countryside here.  The fall color is beautiful.  Each morning we get to see the sun rise over fields and over the church towers in Freising.  Last week's sunrise was especially beautiful, but hard to capture in pictures.  We drive through bucolic villages (if you can call them that--they're pretty small), past pretty churches and fields, and enjoy the the fields and forests along the route.

The other day there is a wind blowing all the city smog and haze (there isn't much--Munich is pretty green) away.  This is called the Foehn (hairdryer), and the result is that we have amazing views of the Alps on our drive.

Here are some pictures to get you an idea of what it's like here.

This is the edge of town in Freising on the way to school.

 Then we drive through fields with views like this on a country highway.

We come through the little village of Grosseisenbach.  It's got this great little church.

Fall color

Bavaria (Bayern in German) is the largest German state.  It is largely Catholic, and these little roadside shrines are on major roads, in towns (there is one at the corner by our house and another at each of the other three corners on that road), and on small rural lanes.  This one is at a major crossroads.

The back way home also offers amazing views.

This is a "town" of a dozen homes or so.  Note the narrow road through town.

These are the church spires of Freising.  We get this sunrise regularly.

Oktoberfest

Yep, it's that time of year!

Now, if you're like most Americans, you probably have a few ideas about Oktoberfest which may or may not be true.

1)  Oktoberfest is a big festival.

TRUE

Oktoberfest is, first and foremost, a "Volksfest" (folk festival)--in fact, it is the largest in the world.  It is a carnival--meaning it's great for kids!  It has booths, games, rides, etc.  I went on 2 of the 3 major roller coasters and the "70s Adventure," but for financial reasons I skipped the games, ferris wheel, haunted houses, and the spinning rides.  I skipped the pony rides, too.

2)  Oktoberfest is celebrated in October.

FALSE

Oktoberfest spans 16 days most of the time.  It ends the first Sunday in October, which this year fell on  the 7th--the latest day it would ever run.  It starts 2 weeks before that on Saturday at noon (this year on Sept. 22).  This means there are THREE weekends you can attend as well as weekdays if you aren't working.  The only exception is if the first Monday or Tuesday happens to be October 3rd, which is the German national holiday (sort of like our Fourth of July).  Since people have that day off, Oktoberfest is extended by 1-2 days on those years.  Basically most of Oktoberfest is celebrated in September.

3)  It's all about brats and sauerkraut.

FALSE

You can certainly buy both, but the traditional food at Oktoberfest is roast chicken!  Typically they serve 1/2 chicken ("halbes Haenchen," a common food in Germany, is called a "Hendl" at Oktoberfest), and the traditional side item is a potato salad.  Also common are pork knuckle ("Schweinshaxn"--this is more likely to be served with sauerkraut) and large pretzels ("Brezn"), which really fill you up.  At the booths you can also buy finger foots, including wurst, fries, onion rings, sandwiches, candy, chocolate covered fruit, and more.

4) Everyone wears lederhosen.

MOSTLY TRUE

It is incredibly common for people to show up in Trachten, or traditional Bavarian dress.  This means the men wear Lederhosen, or suede leather pants that come to either just above or just below the knee.  They are worn with wool socks or just calf socks.  The pants have suspenders, and you typically wear a checked button down collared shirt underneath.  The most common is red/white checked, but blue/white is also popular.  Purple/white, green/white, and plain white also appear.  Hats (adorned with feathers, goat hair, etc) are traditional, as are wool coats of varying kinds.  The younger crowd is less likely to wear these extras, though.  Be sure to pronounce it correctly, whatever you choose to wear.  It's LAY-der-hoe-zen, not LEE-der-hoe-zen!

Women can buy Lederhosen as well (just make sure you buy from the women's section so they fit right!), but more common is the Dirndl.  This traditional dress is pretty amazing because I have yet to see two alike.  It is worn with a blouse underneath (which only adds to the variety as you buy this separately), a necklace of some kind, and an apron.  Some have a laced up bodice in the front with ribbon or chain, others don't.  They should always come below the knees, though many tourists and teenagers buy shorter ones.  You can buy a waistcoat or a shawl or even a matching hat with it.  Lacy socks are also an option.  What is really important, however, is the apron.  The strings are wrapped around the waist and tied in the appropriate place.  Single women tie the apron on the left, while married or taken women tie them on the right.  Only little girls tie the apron in the middle, and widows and waitresses tie in the back.  People do actually observe this tradition, so make sure you don't get it wrong!  As a side note, you should know that it's virtually impossible to look bad in a Dirndl--if you get the right one, you are guaranteed to look good!

It is entirely acceptable to go in normal clothes, and many people do.  Feel free to buy a Dirndl or a pair of Lederhosen if you come, but if the price tag gets to you, come in jeans and a sweatshirt.  You won't look out of place.  Just be sure, whatever you decide, that you wear comfortable shoes for all the walking, dancing, and riding rides!

Yes, I have a dirndl, too.

5)  Oktoberfest is a typically German thing

FALSE

Oktoberfest was around before Germany was a country, and it's a typically Bavarian thing, and more specifically, a Munich thing.  Bavaria is the southernmost state in Germany, and it joined the country a bit later.  It's always had a bit of an "independent" thing, and Germans (including Bavarians) often joke about it not being a part of Germany.  The Trachten described above are traditional Bavarian clothes not worn in the rest of Germany.  Sure, other cities host Oktoberfest festivals--mostly because tourists expect it and Germans love an excuse to throw a party--but it really is a Munich thing.

Just for your viewing pleasure, this is the city hall building at the Marienplatz, the main square in Munich.  It is not actually part of the Oktoberfest.

And a bit of history (because I can't help myself):

Oktoberfest started in 1810 as a celebration of the marriage of King Ludwig I and Theresa.  It was originally held outside of Munich, but it now takes place on the Theresienwiese ("Festwiese" or, as the locals call it, "Wies'n") in the heart of Munich--just a short walk from the central train station.  While it has already celebrated the 200th anniversary, it has not taken place 200 times (cancellations due to wars, cholera outbreaks, etc. have happened over 20 times).   

There are 14 large tents (they are actually semi-permanent structures), each holding between 1,000 and 10,000 people at a time.  There are tables inside and outside--the only places to get a sit-down meal.  They typically have a live music program of some kind, and the music varies by tent.  In the mornings and afternoons you hear more old-school, brass band "oompah" music, sometimes interspersed with something else of the old-school/traditional variety.  As the night moves on, you're more likely to hear songs you know.  You'll hear English language rock songs (John Denver's Country Roads is a classic, but we also heard Neil Diamond, ACDC, the Village People, and more) mixed with German pop/rock, and mostly Schlager--German 70s type songs that everyone knows.  When the fun music comes on, you stand on your bench and sing or dance along.  Certain tents have more German music, while others have more heavy rock.  You're bound to have fun either way, though--if you can get in.  You can't get in on Saturday without long waits, though.  Saturday is instead a great opportunity to enjoy the rides, the games, and more.

If you plan ahead, you can absolutely fit right in.  It's a fun experience for all, and I highly recommend a trip!