" what Christkindlmarkt is all about "

With only a few days in Munich,
planning is everything.
But if there's one thing I look forward to whenever we travel during Christmas,
it was to see the local
CHRISTKINDLMARKT = Christmas Markets .

To some, they say: "yeah, been there, done that" or "same old, same old."
Well, for a seasoned traveler like moi.
It is always something new,
like opening a page in a book and sharing its beginnings ,its history, culture.
and Munich is a city apart from beers during October,
offers one of the oldest markets, dating back as early as the 14th century.




While I've been to Berlin's version and found it to be a bit dull and boring. *sorry*

This was somehow its exact opposite,
I honestly don't know why,
but I seem to feel the Christmas spirit here,
and like I've said before,
livelier and yet cozier in a way.

For starters,
let me share with you what we ate, saw and did. ^0^
of course, the quintessential fruit stands on sale here.



and then, Christmas trinkets galore! j'adore ça!



Ornaments on your merry tree.



sweet treats from candies to sugar coated almonds.



attention tea drinkers: this is your haven.



and my favorite drink.
the hot and tasty Gluhwein

Traditional Glühwein (“mulled wine”) is a hot drink made with red wine, sugar, sometimes citrus, and spices including cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom. Other types are made with white wine or fruit wine.
* source here *


When we were in Berlin,
we couldn't find the courage to order one,
because not only was it hard to converse with them,* lost in translation* -english
they were also not that friendly.

But we finally did last Christmas,
as confusing as it may seems,
it's actually easy.

Here's how you order:

You get to choose what kind of GLUHWEIN concoction you want.

Glühwein (Rot, Weiss, Rosé) : regular, white, and rose mulled-wine
• Glühwein mit Schuss : mulled wine with a shot of liquor
• Feuerzangenbowle : Glühwein with sugary rum syrup
• Eierpunsch : egg punch, or egg nog
• Kinderpunsch : non-alcoholic punch; literally, “children’s punch”
• Apfelwein : apple wine
• Brombelbeerwein : blackberry wine
• Heidelbeerwein : blueberry wine
• Himbeerwein : raspberry wine
• Kirschwein : cherry wine
• Maracujawein : passion fruit wine
• Pflaumenwein : plum wine

*source here *

Day 1 :
we attacked the usual Gluhwein.

Day 2:
we also tried the Kirschwein.



The usual price is roughly 3.50 euros
+ deposit (for the mug) 2.50 euros

If you like to keep the mug as a souvenir, (like we did) then you pay the full 6 euros.
But if it's only a glass of punch, then you have to return the mug and redeem your deposit.



cute right?!



your typical Wurstbraterei Stand.




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and then we walked less and ate more. ^-^
seriously,
I gain weight every year!
not healthy at all... ^0^

We saw quite a long line in one of the booths,
aha! my tummy starts acting up again,
I couldn't say no this.
so what exactly does Reiberdatschi looks like?!




suspense...
every October, they serve KARTOFFELHAUS and
every WInter, they serve REIBERDATSCHI.




the frying process, the greasy-fatty-potato feast.



finally,
we had Reiberdatschi mit apfelmus - with applesauce.
a picture is worth a thousand words. ^0^

I still think about this every now and then...



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don't ask me how to pronounce it right,
but for 3.50 euros,
you get a slice of this "Delicious" and "Scrumptious"

Rahm Schmankerl





This is one of Munich's street food delicacies, often associated with the word Christmas.
I took a snap at this guy kneading the dough.



then putting it in the oven,
that's him on the side evenly spreading the ingredients.



The dough was soft and freshly baked,
in fact it was so hot that we had to wait for it cool down a bit.
the melted cheese not only smells heavenly but it melts in your mouth and
the bacon tidbits were just divine,
I love, love, love bacon btw,
as soon I saw those bacons,
I immediately ordered one. ^0^

It is definitely perfect for winter.



If you want to know more about this .. * Source here *


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I couldn't remember clearly but If memory serves me right,
We were still planning to visit the Residenz Museum that late afternoon, it's some sort of a grand palace,
the equivalent of let's say Versailles.

Well, we didn't make it in time,
that was after strolling in and out of 3 museums in one day!
yes, Museum hoarding in a day, can you beat that?! ^0^

We often laugh at how crazy we both were when we plan our itinerary. ^-^

So, we took a break and metro-ed off to Sendlinger Tor instead.




Obviously,
my feet were starting to kill me,
but that quickly shifted my attention to food. ^0^
From afar,
we could smell a whiff of delight and greasy fries.



yup,
this was how I said I must be conscious at what I eat,
but when you see a handful of these,
how could you say no?! ◕‿◕




and finally, I caved in...
the über-licious STEAKSEMMEL .




The Tor was surprisingly small by the way,
like your usual community park.



with a nice Merry-go-round.




But then I also found these very unique display.
If you look closely,
they're all made of bolts and nuts where you'd normally see in a hardware store but not
so cleverly and creatively designed like figurines.

How I wish I could take one home....




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This is another Christmas Market around Karlstor or Stachus as they like to call it.
These arch entrances are like their official gates in each area.





hand made wooden trinkets.
I love that cute porky pig thingy on the right,
but I'm not sure what is it used for.
any thoughts?



Random christmas ornaments,
I made it in monochrome instead.



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we took the metro and went to this other Market,
But the place was twice as crowded.
so hard to take photos let alone order something to eat.



Me, standing 5'2 in height could only manage to get this angle. ugh~✿

German Menu 101

Lebkuchen - Gingerbread

Plätzchen - Cookie

Gebrannte mandeln - Sugared Almonds




I love these mustard and mayo dispensers. ♥






did somebody say beer?!


Hand made colorful paper lanterns.



It was just as beautiful as it was during the night.




Christmas Poster



and just proof of how happy I was during our trip, even my eyes were trop chinky. ^-^

" Munich at a glance "

My travel begins at the heart of Marienplatz.
We arrived on a busy Thursday afternoon and
took the Metro S-Bahn * S8, *see last post *.

Exhausted and Tired, jet-lagged with terrible eye bags,
we wheeled our luggage along the cobbled streets of Viktualienmarkt,
obviously looking like tourists.



We can't wait for our hotel check-in and have some rest,
but only to find that we still need to wait for another hour or more,
because rooms were not yet ready.
oh brother...

Clearly it leaves us sans choix,
but to circle round the area instead,
we immediately head to the nearest supermarket.





The supermarche was just a few blocks away.
Good 'ol Tengelmann.



order of the day:
Chips, Junk food and more chips.
I've been craving for Chipsfrisch for sometime now. ^0^
I miss this, still do.



random book shop.
cute display. ^-^



events and ads pasted on this pole.



trams come and go,
I have yet to try this next time. ^-^






Bike stops




This was the first thing we ate,
the simplest crunchiest Bretzn we've ever tasted. *note on superlatives* ^-^
freshly baked for just * 50 cent euro *



>

just look at how busy it was on a typical noon.



that's me, heading to our second destination...



The server was friendly enough to smile at our camera.
Looking at their menu,
they even have healthy Bio-wurst and Bio-Leberkäse.



We took our orders outside.



and shared a plate of : 2 Stück mit Brezn un Senf.
That is : * 2 pieces (sausages) with Pretzel and Mustard. *

German white sausages called Weisswurst = Weißwurst

eventually, I am starting to learn Deutsch especially when it comes to food. ^-^



In munich,
you can drop by any meat shop and order some of their ready made meats.
Like this:



we had this yummiest Leberkäse or
Leberkässemmel in town for just 2 euros. ^-^
It's like eating spam only tastier and meatier.
I guarantee you, it's mouthwatering delish. ^-^

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Later that night,
after freshening up and skyping our love ones.
We headed to Marienplatz and was surprised at how beautiful it was.
Despite the cold,
The place was twinkling with lights and you can really feel the Christmas vibe.



We stayed at this Hotel.
Specifically wanted somewhere near this area.
I will share my review next time though.





We walked further.






and found a bookstore again ! ^-^



♥ love Asterix and Tintin. ♥
any favorites?!



Dirndl madness ✿



then we passed by St. Peter's Church



church's exterior



postcard for your thoughts:




More Marienplatz at night:




close up details:



we suddenly heard a few hums and accompaniment,
A team of church choir performing " O come o ye faithful" in German.
Oh, that was very inspiring.







I also wanted to share this LINK
In case you wanted to see the real time and view of the plaza via LUDWIG BECK's website.



So, there's more to Munich than Oktoberfest, Dirndls and Beer gardens.
In winter, every nook and corner is filled with Christmas markets - Christkindlmarkt.
which I will share with you on my next post. ^-^