Travel!

I know I was supposed to post about the remaining Christmas markets, but sometimes things happen.  In this particular case I got very ill and did not get to go.  Yes, I was disappointed.  I did spend Christmas in the Hamburg area with family, but we came back to Munich for New Year's Eve.  We celebrated 9 hours before you folks in Eugene--so 3pm was midnight for us!  We set off fireworks and generally had a great time!

It was warm over Christmas, but it's pretty snowy now.  There are several inches of snow here--enough to shut down schools in Eugene for a week!  For those who didn't know, part of our school is an old castle (one of my classes got moved to the chapel last week--pretty neat teaching in a 200 year old chapel complete with ceiling paintings and lovely tiled floors).  Anyway, here are a few pictures of it in the snow from Thursday.  These were taken from my office (yes, this is the view I have every day out my window):

 The top picture was taken at 7:45 am and the bottom picture at 2:30 pm.

Now that school has started back up we have become socially and touristically active.  We paid another visit to Neuschwanstein with some friends, this time by car.  For those who don't remember, this castle was the inspiration for Disney's Cinderella Castle.  It is located in the town of Hohenschwangau, less than 2 hours from our home north of Munich.  Built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, it's a must-see on a trip to this part of the world.  The king was known as Mad King Ludwig, and while he wasn't completely crazy, he was weird.

This was our first time driving in, and while the snow conceals it, this is the first proper view of Neuschwanstein.  It doesn't look like as much from here.  Click on the picture for a better view.

We stopped in the lovely town of Füssen for lunch.

 This is Hohenschwangau, the castle belonging to King Ludwig II's mother.  It's below Neuschwanstein,and you can tour it, too.  Haven't done that yet, but it is pretty.

 The restaurant 2/3 of the way up the steep hill to the castle.  Really pretty with all the icicles!

You can walk over to this creepy glass overlook to get a magnificent view.   We found a ticket there for a Mandarin tour, and we made some guy very happy--it's a long walk down to buy another!

Here's the creepy overlook hanging over the ravine.

The road behind this church is the one on which we came into town and from which I took that first picture.  Pretty church, too!

Some castle pics because it's just THAT awesome.

Notice the horse on the side tower in the picture below.  King Ludwig was big into knights, legends, chivalry, and the like, and he was fascinated by German legends such as the story of Tristan and Isolde. He was a hopeless romantic.  The windows on the far left just at the top of the tree are Ludwig's indoor grotto and cave.  Yes, he has a cave inside his castle.

The balconies here are from his throne room and one other room (uncompleted) and overlook his mother's castle of Hohenschwangau.

Next weekend should be equally fun.  I will be attending an Australia Day party and learning to play the didgeridoo (seriously!) from a native Aussie.

Also on the horizon are:
-Fasching--stay tuned for more news on that!
-Ski week (still working on renting a cabin in Austria or Switzerland, but we may do something else instead)
-A visit to Freiburg and the Black Forest
-A visit to Köln (Cologne)--something that's been on the list ever since I heard about the chocolate factory there
-Spring break and a visit from family.  We're working on booking a Danube cruise to Vienna and Budapest.
-Perhaps another weekend away?  Thüringen and Berlin are on the list, as is Switzerland and Italy
-A bit more exploring of our own München as the weather gets warmer
-More quality time with neat colleagues from all over the world!

In other news, I took some photos on the drive home from Glückstadt last month.  Here ya go!

We interrupt this cloud cover to bring you a picture of this mystery blue stuff.  Do not be alarmed.

Typical in Schleswig Holstein and other parts of Germany:  windmills!  These generate wind power, but you can also find the old fashioned kind in some places.

 Bridge over the Elbe River in Hamburg.  This thing is huge!  After all, major cruise ships and container ships need to fit underneath it.

Hafenstadt Hamburg!  This port is one of the busiest in the world, and this is just a small part of the docks and cranes used to unload stuff from all over.

The beautiful countryside of northern Germany 

 Our two travelers.  Jimmy gets carsick, so he doesn't enjoy it.  Trotsky has finally learned to lay down in the car and now enjoys trips much more.

It's a bit hard to read without clicking on it, but this sign says that this was where the border between East and West Germany was 1945-1990.  A few guard towers have been left: 

The lovely forest of Thüringen!

Hope you enjoyed our tour!

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.