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.