By: Liz Pond, Our Travelin’ Light Columnist
Posted:
“Whatever your religious belief, the spirit of Christmas is love and love is universal.” Leo Buscalia (1)
Munich, Germany - Nothing really compares to an authentic German Christmas Market. Before you see this candyland style wonderland with its old Bavarian charm, you smell it. The magical combination of the steamy hot mulled wine (Gluhwein) on a cold night, hearty roasted Bratwurst, and warm spiced nuts is irresistible. The dark aromatic gingerbread (Liebkuchen) cookies create an intoxicating aroma that draws you in from blocks away. Each sweet honey cake transports you to a cozy German bakery conjuring the perfect combination of cinnamon, ginger, cardamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice! There is much debate over the perfect recipe, but in the frost of winter, under the sparkling lights of the Christkindlemarkt, these homemade marvels deliver every time.
In Munich there are multiple markets each with their own personality. The largest market with roots back to the 14th century, the Christkindlemarkt, is in Marienplatz under the watchful eye of the famous Glockenspiel and towering St. Peter’s church. From the balcony of the new town hall, under the magnificent clock and overlooking the Christmas market, we are lucky to hear a professional choir serenade us with carols and a brass band performance. The market is in full swing as the sun falls low in the sky pushing up the hazy moon to share the stage with the twinkling darkness of night.
Endless wooden stalls decorated with Christmas evergreen and holly display festive ornaments, handcrafted treasures, and toys. An impressive nativity scene is steps away inside the Town Hall and the market itself offers an abundance of nativity figures from imports to hand carved master pieces. The enchanting atmosphere is enhanced with the warm glow of seasonal lights, charming Christmas trees, advent calendars, and spinning German Christmas pyramids, aka Weihnachtspyramide, candle carousels, or Christmas windmills (pictured below) in multiple shapes and sizes.
It is the feeling of the Christmas market that captures you in a yuletide cheer that soars with the precision of a cupid's arrow around the sturdy alpine structures. This essence of Christmas happiness fills your senses and targets one's soul with a soft love reminiscent of your favorite holiday memory. It's a love of the season, of past Christmas traditions, and holidays manifested for the future. A kind of inner peace hovers under the warm winter market lights. Leo Buscalia describes, “Christmas brings out the spirituality we sense within, conjures up images we know from memories too deeply a part of our universal consciousness to ever fade.” (1) A traveler does not just go to a Christmas market, they experience it with all their senses, savoring what's familiar and welcoming what's new and different.
I could feel the biting cold burning my nose as I stretched my neck back to see the performers above the plaza. A few frigid drops of rain fell from the sky onto my exposed cheeks eventually settling into the fur that lined my coat. The beautiful sound of the choir hung in the air, delicately mixing with children’s laughter from the festivities and far away bells. Smiles and holiday cheer created a blanket of joy that settled on the plaza like a cozy quilt on a cold winter night. Market goers were bundled up in thick scarves, hats, and mittens scurrying every which way between the various sausage stands, pop up taverns serving Gluhwein, and craft stalls.
I was transported to that place in every Christmas Hallmark movie where the main character seems like they are in a snow globe of Holiday perfection. Mindful of all around me, I brought my rich hot cocoa up to my nose, feeling the warmth radiate through my cheeks. The market is a full sensory experience with taste, sounds, smells, and touch vying for lead position. I consciously slowed down to breathe it all in rather than approach it with my usual rush to the next thing on my ever growing list. I did not want to rush and miss anything. This was both a journey and a destination.
I was reminded of something written by Laura Annabelle, a blogger and content creator who writes about mental-health and life-journey topics on her website, medium.com. She says, “Joy is not a constant. It comes in moments - often ordinary moments. Sometimes we miss out on bursts of joy because we are too busy chasing down extraordinary moments.” She believes a joyful life is, “made up of joyful moments gracefully strung together by trust, gratitude, inspiration, and faith.” (2) I took the time for another sip of my rich decadent hot chocolate made with real milk, something I never allow myself at home, and appreciated the burst of joy that followed.
The twinkling lights drew my attention to a stall with hand carved wooden toys. I watched as a child with rosy red cheeks and eyes filled with desire, pointed his finger to a perfect wooden car. I was pretty sure he was bargaining with his mom and asking Santa for an assist in a language I do not speak, but still understand. I felt another burst of joy. It is not one thing, it's the combination of everything at the Christkindlemark that makes the collection of moments spent in a Christmas market special.
Many travelers collect special mugs from various Christmas markets to hold on to that burst of joy they feel while sipping the warm spiced wine. Each market has its own unique mug design, but most include the year and the name of the city or market. One of the most unusual mugs is that of the Medieval Christmas market, which offers Gluhwein in special pottery rather than the traditional mug. You pay a deposit to take the mug away, but are welcome to keep the mug instead of collecting your deposit when you’ve finished your beverage. I admit I love bringing these practical treasures home to use during the holidays and serving wine or hot cocoa in them to my family each year.
The Medieval Christmas Fair at Wittelsbacherplatz in the Maxvorstadt is a must see market that stands out for its detailed historical design and marvelous medieval theme. Imagine a world where an Alpine Christmas market pops up in an early 15th century medieval fair. You are transported back in time with music, dance, and artisan craft demonstrations with colorful merchant characters hawking their wares all around you. This place was over the top amazing as everything was decorated on theme. Wooden stalls were painted to resemble medieval buildings, and the vendors were dressed in authentic period costumes. The music and entertainment also captured the medieval spirit with things for all ages including men on stilts, horseback and dragon puppets.
(3) photo of pottery with flame courtesy of earthtrekkers
The food and drinks were served in pottery rather than plastic, glass, paper or styrofoam. Turkey legs were offered without utensils. Grilled sausage was skewered over a toasty Beechwood fire. Roasted wild boar was a clear favorite attracting crowds as the full carcass slowly rotated over open flame. Buttery dough was wrapped around spears and baked into a flaky golden perfection. All this could be savored with a flaming goblet of mulled wine (Feuerzangenbowle.) The goblet has a purposeful indentation for a sugar cube which is quickly doused with a shot of rum and then lit on fire. (3) Or you could choose a hot drink like Drachenglut (dragon embers) with fermented cherry-elderberry fruit and honey. These were quickly passed from merchant to market goer, usually accompanied by a loud cheer!
The shopping was also unique as you found women spinning yarn, real fur hats, quality clothing and authentic hand-made things versus some imports that were scattered through the other markets. Most market goers don't want to buy an ornament from the Christmas market in Germany that was made in China. The Medieval or Mittelalterlicher Weihnachtsmarkt had impressive things including swords, shields, and perfumes in potion bottles all with the creative medieval theme.
A short walk from the Marienplatz in one of the city's most impressive historical sites is the Reesidenz Christmas Village (Weihnachtsdorf im Kaiserhof der Residenz), a charming market held in the Kaiserhof courtyard of Munich’s royal Residenz palace. It is much smaller than the Christkindlemarkt, about the same size as the medieval market, but features a giant thirty foot Christmas pyramid that draws your attention as soon as you enter the imperial courtyard.
It has a magical atmosphere within the serene royal setting of the palace. You will find many food vendors, handicraft shops, and a few animatronic Christmas characters tucked into a cozy alpine atmosphere. I could not resist the beautiful folded paper stars in bright colors that would fit nicely in my carry-on suitcase. These gorgeous bobbles dress up any special gift under the Christmas tree, or hang nicely from the banister. Souvenirs do not have to be expensive to bring home that burst of joy. We wandered and ate our way through this market, always under the glow of the giant pyramid which you could see from almost every part of the market. A bonus for anyone planning their next Christmas market adventure, the Residenz was the easiest market to find restrooms. We hear this market gets crowded after 3PM, so best to visit early.
To maximize our time we took a quick drive to the Christmas market at the Chinese Tower located in the English Garden. This was a unique setting because of its more common use as a beer garden that sits in the English garden, next to the iconic Chinese pagoda in a park. Although there was an abundance of warm wine available, I transitioned from wine to beer and took shelter from the rain under the Pagoda. There was ample seating available on long benches and tables under what most refer to as the Chinese Tower.
(4) Icestock photos
We watched an Icestock game at this market which is a Bavarian curling sport for all ages. Onlookers cheered with the gusto of their favorite soccer game as the discs slid down the ice with a swift cracking noise followed by a whoosh as the crowd erupted in cheers. Live music supercharged the vibe and colorful lights played on the regular drips that let loose from the trees of the park. When the rain let up we found soap, jewelry, and the best collection of mini pyramids we saw all week. I would guess the jewelry was not locally sourced, but surprisingly the selection was wonderful. This market was a longer walk or a quick car ride. For anyone with mobility considerations, a car may be easier to reach this market. The bus also drops you off directly in front, but the U-Bahn (subway) would require a short walk.
We lucked out because within walking distance of our hotel we found a small neighborhood Christmas market loaded with good food and character! The Haidhauser Weihnachtsmarkt featured a high wire santa that rode his bicycle back and forth all day and night. There were also some unique vendors. I picked up a beautiful carved chess set for a Christmas gift and feasted on exceptional food. The Flammlachs stall offered salmon roasted over an open flame and served as a sandwich or on a plate with crispy potato or a dumpling spaetzle. This jewel of a market was less touristy and a popular spot for locals to gather and partake in the festivities.
Munich has over twenty Christmas markets so what I am sharing barely touches the surface of what you can experience in this winter wonderland. However, between these markets and the Krampus Festival (see my blog article on the Alpine Krampus!) we made good use of our limited time in Germany. There is always more to explore. We could have easily wandered into the Rindermarkt which is adjacent to the Marienplatz Christkindlmarkt to sample the outstanding culinary experiences, albeit less shopping. Yet, the goal was to slow down and enjoy the journey fully rather than rush to the next thing, so I am proud that we stuck to that goal. We had already eaten our way through multiple markets. Further exploring Rindermarkt, the Pink Christmas market and the Marchenbazar with its local handmade products and circus-like, bohemian atmosphere is on the list for next time.
Christmas can be enchanting around the world, but nothing really compares to an authentic Alpine Christmas market.These Christmas markets ignite the light within our hearts that fuels our Christmas spirit.
Today' s Travelin’ Light Highlight / Travel Tip is to slow down and enjoy the journey, not just the destination. Enjoy the holiday season by capturing your bursts of joy. Let go of perfection, others expectations, impossible ‘to do’ lists, and spend time doing what ignites that holiday flame. Others will notice, because you will be traveling lighter and most likely creating joyful memories with those close to your flame.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Liz Pond spent over 25 years leading Sales Teams around the globe with American Airlines flying for both work and personal fulfillment. She has been to over 100 countries and continues to divide her time between world exploration and accessibility advocacy. She believes we have the opportunity to enhance lives through positive accessible travel experiences.
Liz is a UCLA graduate with a degree in Sociology and Urban Planning. She also has an MFT from the University of Phoenix and earned her Global Leadership Professional designation from Wharton School of Management and Darden School of Executive Education through University of Virginia. When she is not traveling Liz devotes her time to UCP (United Cerebral Palsy) of Central Arizona where she has joined the board of directors to empower individuals with disabilities to achieve their full potential.
REFERENCES:
- Seven Stories of Christmas Love, Leo Buscalia
- medium.com, LauraAnnabelle, Joy
- earthtrekkers.com, Family Adventure Travel Blog Munich Christmas Markets
- en.wikipedia.org, Photo from Wikipedia Ice stock sport
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