Ever since we did the flying fox across Munich’s Olympic Stadium, I’ve wanted to do another zip line. I mean, what’s not to love? It’s got all of the outdoorsy fun of an adventure sport without any of that pesky physical exertion. » Read the full post
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When in doubt, go to Italy for the weekend. The Dolomites are just a few hours away from Munich by car, so you really have no excuse not to. Last weekend we set out for Brunico (Bruneck in German), a small town in the Puster Valley. Normally the drive should have taken less than three hours, but thanks to the weather it was closer to four. I didn’t mind at all, given the snowy paradise that presented itself upon our arrival. » Read the full post
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It’s time for my annual I-love-Christmas-in-Germany post. The Christmas markets opened last week, looking much as they do every year. I’ve noticed a couple new stands here and there, but for the most part everything is in its place. Now if we could just have some snow to make them even cuter, I’d be in heaven.
I’ve written several posts about the markets over the years, such as this one about the best Munich Christmas markets for pretty much everything (or you could just view all my posts about Christmas markets). One stop I haven’t talked about yet (but is worth a mention) is the Alpen Wahn, a cozy little stand outside Der Pschorr serving red and white glühwein until 11pm each night (which is later than most of the other markets are open). Look for it at the north end of the Schrannenhalle, just off the Viktualienmarkt. » Read the full post
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Greetings from Prague! » Read the full post
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This year we kicked of the Christmas market season in Berlin, where I fell in love with the market in front of the Rotes Rathaus. » Read the full post
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1. Munich is cold and snowy. » Read the full post
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Look what opened today! Munich is already a fairytale-adorable city; toss in Christmas markets all over the place and it gets so cute it makes your cheeks hurt. I celebrated the start of my favorite time of year with some roasted chestnuts (which is probably the most Thanksgiving-like food I’ll eat all day).
You can read about my favorite Christmas markets in Munich here.
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It’s hard to believe we’re at the end of Christmas market season already. Time flies when you’re chugging glühwein. I have been hard at work sampling the city’s seasonal markets in order to bring you this post, my awards for the best bits that Munich’s Christmas markets have to offer.
Best Glühwein – Schwabing
Glühwein (hot mulled wine) taste and quality varies greatly from markt to markt and vendor to vendor, but the only glühwein I had this year which made me jump up and say “whoa, that’s tasty!’ was the ginger glühwein we had that the uppermost food stall at the Schwabing market. The white glühwein from the same stand (billed as a ‘Schwabinger’, I believe) is also decent.
Best Feuerzangenbowle – Mittelaltermarkt
Probably the most expensive feuerzangenbowle (another hot wine beverage) out there, but also the most delicious. Rummy and not too sweet, it’s served in a fancy goblet with a sugar cube lit on fire.
Runner up: Rindermarkt. Served in cute clay cups, the Rindermarkt version is yummy but sadly lacking flames of any sort.
Best Live Entertainment – Schwabing
Country line-dancing Germans. Enough said.
Best Setting – Chinesischer Turm
This market in the middle of the English Garden is even more adorable when covered in snow.
Runner up: Marienplatz. I usually avoid this one because of the overwhelming crowds, but I have to admit there’s something gorgeous about a Christmas market nestled into Munich’s picturesque main square.
Best Performance Art – Tollwood
Meet our new igloo-dwelling animal-hoof-wearing friends, Babok.
Best Food – Schwabing
Schwabing is running away with a lot of these awards, isn’t it? The variety and deliciousness of Schwabing’s Christmas market food is hard to argue, though. I had a delicious plate of Eritrean veggies there this year.
Runner up: Tollwood. There’s a tent full of international delights, plus plenty of stalls offering staples such as falafel and crepes.
Best Shopping – um, uh, Tollwood?
I confess I hate shopping, so I rarely if ever do it. The only things I buy at Christmas markets are consumables. Anyone have a recommendation for the best Munich Christmas market to shop at? I named Tollwood because it definitely has the most shopping, but we all know quantity does not necessarily equal quality. I actually wanted to declare Schwabing as the best place to shop, in part because we found this great hanging Jesus (his arms and the donkey’s tail move when the string is pulled) there, but in the end the tent full of terrible, horrible, very bad paintings absolutely cancels out the awesomeness of whatever else you can find at this markt. I believe one of the paintings was entitled ‘Don’t Drop the Soap’. It was a couple paintings away from the giant three-dimensional resin vagina.
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And on that note, I think I’ll wrap it up! (But remind me to tell you a funny vagina story from my trip to London sometime.) Alas, you’ll probably have to wait until next year to actually try out any of my fabulous recommendations, since today was the last day of all of the markets except for Tollwood, part of which is open for another week. Not sure whether the Baboks will still have their igloo parked there.
Happy holidays to all my readers! (Well, except for the angry Swiss dude who reads this just so he can find things wrong with my opinions. Bah humbug to you.) I’m off to pack for my next adventure.
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OK, one last Christmas market to report on: the Praterinsel Weihnachtsmarkt. Nestled in a woody spot next to the river, this market is one of the smaller ones in central Munich. The outdoor area consists of only a handful of stands, offering not much more than glühwein and crepes. There are a handful of high and low tables where you can relax with a hot alcoholic (beverage) and enjoy that I’m-in-the-center-of-Munich-but-it-feels-like-I’m-in-the-woods feeling.
I have to confess, the glühwein tasted a bit off to me at this market, but my savory crepe was more than edible.
There’s also a small indoor gift market, with items ranging from hand-painted ceramic mushrooms to exotic spices to adjustable mattresses. Outdoors there’s a specialty Italian food vendor, whose wares are surely overpriced but just as sure to make delicious Christmas gifts. I probably would have snapped up some smoked scamorza and dried porcini if I weren’t heading off to Italy in a few days.
Coming soon: The Best of Munich’s Christmas Markets, in which I tell you where to go to get your glühwein on, and where to find the best hanging decorations with moving Jesus arms and donkey tails.
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Since I already posted about most of Munich’s Christmas markets last year, I’ve been skipping the play-by-play this time around. But don’t let that worry you; rest assured I am silently guzzling down the glühwein and feuerzangenbowle all over town.
Munich does have one brand new market this year, so I figured it could have a post all its own. Bogenhausen is Munich’s rich and snooty neighborhood, so naturally we were expecting an expensive and snooty Christmas market.
The arts and handicrafts available for sale were actually quite nice; definitely a cut above the usually Christmas market kitsch. The food was average, as was the live entertainment. The hot beverages are served in an adorable variety of mugs. The feuerzangenbowle comes served with a flaming, rum-soaked sugar cube in a contraption which is definitely the closest thing I’ve ever seen to actual ‘zangen’:
The Bogenhausen Christmas market is located at the Arabellapark ubahn stop, so it’s far from the most central of the markets, but if you find yourself in the neighborhood it’s worth checking out.
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