#321: Christkindlmarkt (pg 155; 2nd Ed pg 140)

 

I arrived in Munich on Dec. 8th and spent the next four days going to as many Christkindlmarkts as possible!

We also happened to be there during the Krampus parade which was super fun!

Baumstriezel.... is it worth the wait?

It most definitely is!

So was this!

We purchased this in the Medieval Christmas Market in Munich.  It was so fun that some towns had multiple markets in the various town squares and some of them had different themes.

More from the Medieval market.

The entrance to the Medieval market.  They had great music, great food and everything was themed accordingly.

Each market had various places to buy hot beverages (various mulled spiced drinks, hot wine, hot chocolate, teas, etc) and they sold them in these mugs that were uniquely designed for that specific market.  They charged you the price of the drink plus an extra 3 euros for the mug. If you decide to keep the mug, it's yours!  If you decide not to, you simply turn it back in when you're done with your beverage and they give you back 3 euros. They then wash and re-use the mug.  No litter, no trash and fun little collectibles for those that want to keep (which we did - we collected five and then filled them with fun German candies and presented them as souvenir gifts to our kids when we got home).

Another day, another Christmas market!  This one was in Nuremberg, where history marks as the birthplace of Christkindlmarkt.  Fittingly, it has one of the biggest and best!

Nurnberg also had a great Children's Christmas market.

Each stall had these really fun decorated canopy tops.

And there was glow-in-the dark cotton candy!

And little places to do make-your-own gingerbread.

See all those people behind me?  Most of them are locals.  It was rare to hear English.  We spoke to several locals who said that, due to Covid canceling the 2020 and 2021 markets, this is the first time they've been able to experience this fun annual tradition in three years, so they were all chomping at the bit to get out and enjoy the festive Christmas season and these markets that make their towns come alive, especially at night.

These little nut/dried date figures are a Christmas market staple.  So we of course had to get one!

Christmas market memories with my travel partner. 

Bavaria is famous for its Gingerbread!

So much yummy, hot hand-held foods to try.

We loved this life-size German Nativity!

German sausage smothered in mustard and sauerkraut.  Yummy in my tummy!

It was dreamy.

Verdict:  We were in Germany from Dec. 8-12, 2022 and went to several Christmas markets in four different towns/cities:  Munich, Nuremberg, Bamberg and Regensburg.  You don't necessarily need to go to all the markets in all the towns, but YES, you definitely need to experience Christkindlmarkt in Germany (preferably Bavaria) at some point in your life.  It feels like you are living on a Hallmark movie set or a part of a 3D Thomas Kinkaid Christmas card.  It's festive and fun and a totally unique experience.  My favorites were in Munich and Nuremberg.  

#320: Bamberg (pg 152; 2nd Ed pg 139)

A view from the outside.

 

Dec. 10, 2022

Bamberg is known as "one of the most beautiful small towns in all of Europe."  

Fittingly, we were greeted with a storefront that was turned into a life-size advent calendar!

Another Christmas market?  Yes, please!

Bamberg has more than 2000 well-presevered buildings and is a beautiful, unique place to explore - even in the cold!

The Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) is one of Europe's most photographed and occupies its own little island in teh middle of the Regnitz River.

It was built ~1467.  Anwar Johann painted the murals on the exterior walls.

Exploring the winding cobbled streets and neighborhoods. 

It's a very walkable city.  We drove here from Nuremberg, parked our car in a paid parking garage at a hotel and then wandered the town by foot.  It was easy to see all the town's major highlights by walking around, including this one - the four-towered Kaiserdom cathedral, built under Heinrich II and the site of his coronation in 1012. 

It is the only place outside of Italy or France where a Pope is buried.

Now that's a nativity!! It was huge!

A view from the outside.

Colorful and charming and just so authentically German.

Verdict: No, you don't need to see Bamberg before you die.  I have nothing bad to say about it.  It truly was charming.  We very much enjoyed exploring the town and especially enjoyed seeing the Kaiserdom Cathedral and Altes Rathaus.  I do think you need to go to Germany before you die and I do think you need to explore various towns there, big and small, it just doesn't necessarily need to be this one.  

#319: The Uffizi Galleries (pg 217)

 

Oct. 2, 2022

The Uffizi Galleries

Botticelli's Allegory of Spring (c. 1948)

Botticelli's most famous work, Birth of Venus (1485)

This was the first large-scale painting of a naked woman in a thousand years. 

The Tribune Room (Room 18)

The pieces  in here are so precious/priceless that they have to be viewed from one of three doorways; no one is allowed inside the actual room where they are housed.

The Wrestlers 

To the right is Venus's male counterpart, Apollo, also carved by Praxiteles. 

In the center is Venus, a Roman-era copy of the lost original, possibly by the great Greek sculptor Praxiteles.  Directly in front is The Knife Grinder.

The statues in this room are among the finest survivors from ancient times.

Leonardo da Vinci's The Annunciation (c. 1475)

This was Da Vinci's first major work. 

Leonardo da Vinci's Adoration fo the Magi.

The Statue of Laocoon

This was sculpted in ancient times and became one of the most famous statues of antiquity, but overtime became lost and remained that way for centuries until it was unearthed in 1506. One of the first people to see it was Michelangelo, which inspired him to add more motion and emotion to his figures. 

Verdict: This is an amazing gallery with amazing works and is absolutely worth doing.  But I think it was a smart move to just make it part of "Florence" in the 2nd Edition rather than it's own separate entry.  In other words, when you go to Florence, this is a must do.  And going to Florence is a must do.  So it's a must do within a "must do."

Cost:  Well, if your timing is right and it's the first Sunday of the month, then the cost is FREE, like it was for us!  Otherwise, I believe it's about 20 Euros/person.