December in Europe: If you have visions of Christmas markets,the sweet smell of mulled wine and freshly made cookies, and a dusting of snow—well, you've got it right, for once!
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| Munich's Marienplatz in Christmas splendor |
When I flew through Helsinki on Tuesday on my way from Frankfurt to Munich (oh yes, there is a mileage-hog story behind that) I was pretty much disappointed when the Finnish capital was neither sparkling with cozy lights or hidden under a layer of snow. The outside temperature was 4 degrees Celsius, and it looked just like a dark, forgotten place. So much for running into Santa and the reindeer, I thought.
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| Approaching Helsinki—and no Santa in sight |
When I finally got to Munich after 7,582 miles of flying, things were only marginally better—still no snow, but at least a hot mug of
Glühwein, that red wine/rum/spices concoction that gives you a pleasant buzz while walking around a
Weihnachtsmarkt. And that was what Sabine had planned for me immediately after my arrival: check out the local (i.e., Freising) Christmas fair where craftspeople brooded in their festively decorated hutlets, trying to sell Christmas ornaments, handmade pottery, or Nepalese hats and scarves. Just as the
Freisinger Volksfest a few months back had been on a much smaller scale than its bigger brother, the
Münchner Oktoberfest, this Weihnachtsmarkt was less populated yet more intimate than what we would see the next evening in the big city. Hey, Freising even featured an alphorn trio!
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| Crowded Weihnachtsmarkt in München |
Last night, young Jonathan and I met up with Sabine at the
Mariensäule in the dead center of Munich with plans for a stroll around the Christmas market, a relaxed dinner, and a concert for dessert. It seemed as if everybody in Munich was out last night, shopping and getting ready for the big celebration a week from now. It certainly was fun to play bumper cars with black-clad Germans out for a night on the town.
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| So many ornaments you can't see the tree! |
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| Could that be Santa himself hiding behind the handicraft? |
Munich is an expensive, posh place. All you have to do is look at the names adorning the various shops in the center of town, and you know that you can't afford to step in: Armani, Piaget, Louis Vuitton. But it sure is fun to stroll along and window-shop and wonder who will buy a quarter-million-dollar watch that's mere inches on the other side of that thick, bullet-proof show window. Good thing that we could afford dinner (barely) at Vapiano, a
chique, hip, upscale pizza joint (located in the
Fünf Höfe) that is one of Sabine and Jonathan's favorites. You can't beat a restaurant where you can pick your own fresh herbs from pots on your table.
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| PYOH at Vapiano—Pick Your Own Herbs |
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| Does it get much better than that? |
The concert was to take place in the
Herkulessaal of the
Residenz, the old royal palace. I had never been inside, and from what I saw I was a little disappointed by the lack of ornateness that similar palaces in other European metropolises display. But no worries, the concert was first-rate. Sabine had bought fabulous seats for the concert of the 39-member Moscow Cathedral Choir that was to perform traditional Russian Christmas songs as well as classical works. For all three of us it was the first time to attend a concert by a huge boys' choir, and I am still stunned by the beauty of their voices. To think that my old buddy Howard was a soloist of the choir in Winchester cathedral—I wish I could have heard that! The two hours went by much too fast, and even Jonathan begrudgingly gave his seal of approval—not easy for a 15-year-old.
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| The Moscow Cathedral Choir on stage in the Herkulessaal |
By the time we made it back to Freising, it was after 11 p.m. Freezing fog had rolled in, and ice crystal were glimmering in the light of the street lamps. And this morning, when we looked out of the window, winter had arrived in the form of a 2-centimer dusting that left the city in a wintry-festive light. Enjoy these pics:
Later on this afternoon we will pack up our stuff and fly to Dortmund where Sabine's mom and brother live. We'll celebrate her bro's birthday on Saturday, and on Monday I will take the train to Berlin to spend my dad's
birthday on the 24th with whatever family there is. Oh yeah, and it's Christmas, too!
Happy Holidays!
Jürgen
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