X-mas in Munich

Seasons greetings and I wish you all a very happy New Year! I apologize for my lull in posts. After the long hiatus from traveling caused by COVID, my wife and I felt compelled to compensate for the lost time. We’ve always wanted to see Germany’s Christmas markets, and it was an ideal time to do so as my wife just received a hard-earned MBA. Going back to school and working full-time for almost three years was a struggle, and she deserved a celebration! Two weeks in Bavaria seemed just the thing.

We made Munich our base of operations. The city itself turned out to be a hard nut to crack. Some cities embrace you, and others are a bit more standoffish. Munich was one of those cities for us. Perhaps some of it was due to the fresh memory of our trip to Spain just a month earlier. The country was warm, vibrant, and inviting. Germany in winter was none of these. To its credit, traveling comfortably in winter can be tricky. When the greenery dies and the cold wind bites, the true face of a city shines through. The red-cheeked people grow sullen and impatient, and smiles hard to form. The cold numbs the fingers and chills the toes. Slush wets the cuffs of your pants and makes each step uncertain. It’s hard to remain optimistic in the throes of winter and easy to see doom at every turn.

Munich gave us some doom. Not more than an hour after landing in Germany, we received a 120 euro fine for buying the wrong subway ticket. Clearly, getting punished for a simple misunderstanding wasn’t the ideal first impression. I like to look for the best in people, but I could find nothing good in those two grumpy civil servants as they scolded us for not being able to read German and not doing the necessary research before we arrived. I’m sorry, but we were jet-lagged and couldn’t find anyone to help us. The machine wouldn’t let us buy the ticket we thought we should buy, so we selected what it allowed us to choose. We tried to explain this to the Grinches, as they took down our passport information and spoke to us in condescending tones in front of an audience of smirking Germans. We even offered to pay for the right ticket or get off at the next stop, but their Christmas spirit was lacking. Satisfied with their vacation-ruining ways and without checking the tickets of the Germans around us, they got off at the next stop. It immediately became clear to us we would not be the first nor the last tourist they would prey on that day. It all reeked of some devious scheme, or we were just very unlucky.

We tried to put the unfortunate incident behind us, but when we arrived in Munich central, we found the sidewalks slick with black ice, and it rained the entire day. Unperturbed, we slipped and slid into the old town and explored the Christmas Markets. Even after buying a ten-euro umbrella, the cold rain soaked us by day’s end. After the sting of the hefty fine and an overpriced umbrella, we were hesitant to buy anything and decided to settle for some Doner Kebab for dinner. It wasn’t the auspicious start of our Christmas vacation that we were hoping for, but we had almost two more weeks ahead of us and needed to stay positive.

Luckily, our bouts of bad luck were mostly reserved for Munich, and we had planned plenty of day trips to the surrounding cities. Augsburg, Passau, Regensburg, Salzburg, Nuremberg, and Fussen were spectacular. The first week we were there, it snowed every day, coating everything in white, which was perfect for the Christmas mood and made the long train rides like scenes from a Hallmark movie. It was cold too, but we bundled up the best we could and explored. Each city had its own unique charm. Salzburg was probably my favorite, with its meandering streets, vibrant Christmas markets, and glorious scenery. The medieval feel of Nuremberg was a close second and a good inspiration for my writing. It is probably no surprise that I love castles, and we saw plenty on this trip.

Munich did grow on us in time, and the city finally won us over by the time we left. The last few days were warm, and the snow melted. We took long walks through the English Garden and explored some of the suburbs. On a whim, we stumbled into a magnificent medieval cemetery that was straight out of the Christmas Carol with towering tombstones, each different and more elaborate than the last.

We had plenty of great beer, gluhwein, sausage, and gingerbread, saw some magical sites, and checked more than a half-a-dozen cities off our bucket list. It was a great Christmas, even with our rough start. The best part is we arrived back in the states with several days of our vacation remaining giving me time to work on my writing! Noonday in the North is coming fast. It will be available for pre-order very soon and will be released on January 31st- as long as everything goes as planned. So, keep an eye out!

Cheers!