Christmas Bonanza - Deutchstyle

With only four months to go in Europe, I'm particularly focused on checking out places and events that I don't think I'll be able to visit once I rejoin the ranks of the gainfully employed. Once I start teaching again, it'll be hard to sneak away unnoticed for a frolic in Holland's springtime tulips or a romp around the fun and festive Oktoberfest. So when I heard about the Christmas markets scattered all around Germany througout December, I was determined to see them while I still had the chance. For a long time it looked as though I'd be making yet another solo trip to Germany - which would have been fine, since I enjoyed it so much the last time, but it's much more fun to gawk and oogle over Christmas stuff with a friend. Out of the blue, my friend Monica saved the day, joining me in Munich from China of all places, where she's lived for over a year now. It was the first time I'd seen her since June of 2005, so it was a fun reunion.

We started off the trip on a sobering but meaningful note - I really wanted to make a pilgrimage to the Dachau concentration camp. I felt it wasn't right to make the trek to Germany twice in three months, to be less than an hour away, and not to visit a place of such horrible yet significant historical importance. The camp has been preserved in a very solemn, powerful manner in my opinion, and I'm glad we made the trip. I took a lot of pictures for possible use in my future classroom, so if anyone's interested in them, just send me an email and I'll be happy to oblige.

Within Munich, Monica and I focused our energies on the delights of the holiday season. Apparently the Christmas market has been a part of the German holiday tradition since medieval times. Hundreds of booths were set up in all of the main squares in town, filled with all kinds of Christmas goodies, from the culinary variety to the decorative. Some of our favorite consumables included Gluhwein, a steaming cup of mulled wine served in a commemorative mug that you could keep if you wanted. We also enjoyed the candied nuts and Christmas cake. There was much more food than either of us could have handled - I wasn't even able to sample the gingerbread or the roasted chestnuts! We didn't like the loaded baked potatoes we had for lunch one day - they gooped the sour cream and butter on much too copiously for my taste. But our yummy bratwursts were more than satisfying, as was the delicious fried potato thing we had with jam - tasted like a hashbrown to me.

As far as shopping goes, both of us stocked up on memories both material and mental for ourselves, as well as gifts for loved ones. I loved sauntering from booth to booth, rummaging through the colorful bins of Christmas ornaments and other traditional decorations. The US should really catch on to this idea - it was a blast, and I'm sure all the Christmas nuts like me would come out in droves to spend, spend, spend.

Amidst all of this oogling, we managed to sneak in a little sightseeing around Munich as well. We visited a church that contained the tombs of several Bavarian monarchs and their family members, including the famous King Ludwig II, who I talked about in my last post on Germany. We also climbed one of the town's many church towers for an amazing view of the city. The balconey on our chosen tower was crowded, and barely wide enough to squeeze two people side-by-side, so we often found ourselves pressed against the iron grating that kept us from falling to our doom. It took me about ten minutes to psych myself up, but I once again stifled my fears and made it onto the balconey, and was rewarded with some great photographs.

I returned to Dublin somewhat mournful for the end of a fun trip and a great reunion with a longtime friend of mine, but I was so grateful to have had the opportunity to return to Germany and once again learn so much. I was lucky to be able to have two great trips to this intriguing place, and have built two of the most significant memories that I've had during our stay.