" 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. ^-^

" The joy of flying KLM "

So I have been sharing my flight experiences ✈ for the past few weeks now.
I assure you though, this will be its 3rd installment,
I guess you must be quite bored looking at same boarding tickets and plane food for ..nth time already. ^-^



Flying with KLM left us good memories even though we only booked the Economy Class.
~Reason why we preferred this than other airline when we head to Munich, Germany last year.~

For starters, the service was Impeccable.
Something I clearly look forward to in an airline.
After all, return tickets don't come cheap especially when you travel a thousand miles away from home.

BUT:

again, There were a few minute details I wish they could improve ...

* I noticed on my 2nd trip that things didn't look as new as they were before.

The button switches were a bit rundown.
Like an overused remote control.



* Some seats don't recline like they used to,
although frankly, I don't mind,
I hate people who angled their seats without consideration.



* The legroom is always an issue and as much as I want to complain further,
you just can't, that's how they were designed, except for business/first class.
But that's for another post,
maybe when I hit the jackpot.

* Earplugs/earphones to keep you busy,
but no extra toiletries, like Qatar's goodie bag.




and finally the food menu:
Although,
what we had last year was more or less the same with the previous one ( see the old post )* berlin trip* ,
It was not as delicious as we were expecting,
still, it was served fresh and hot.

I just hope that it doesn't deteriorate.




the FOOD:
















and I can't help but smile when I saw this inspiring phrase on the cup:

.. Every Cloud has a Silver Lining...



What a joke though,
our short flight from Amsterdam to Munich,
The flight attendant asked us:

SHE: hi ma'am, would you like salty or something sweet ?

ME: salty please.

and here I was expecting it was something FULL-filling. ^0^

Tada!
~ just a small bag of chips and a choice of drink.

* if you opted for the latter, it was a slice of sweet bread.




I almost forgot to show you the TRANSIT card, this time in color Orange - connecting flight from Taiwan to Amsterdam.



: the dreamy window-seat view was just magical:





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19 hours after, still a bit jet lagged we were in AMSTERDAM enfin!

remember how I said the Schiphol airport was confusing as ever?!
well, you can forget about that part. ^0^

Having more time to navigate and this time, much waiting time before boarding,
and gladly without any delay or change of gate.
We got to appreciate the airport better,
even took more fotos than before.
but STILL my darn GLOBE signal wasn't working!
* there goes your roaming! *






Hi there! ~



The self service station where you can easily print your tickets in a jiffy or Check flights etc.



The w0w View Outside.



morning at Schiphol airport




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MUNICH AIRPORT

Finally! Touchdown at Munich Airport.
I love the spacious design and its simplicity.



the walkalator



that's us trying some mirrored shots. ^0^



When you're lost, follow the herds of luggage and tourist,
Look for this sign and you're off to the city centre.



Usually we took a taxi or shuttle service from the airport to the hotel.
But I did a quick check days before traveling and was shocked that a normal taxi ride
would roughly cost around 60 Euros !! * very expensive indeed *

so, we decided to take the S-Bahn metro ride instead.
The metro map is an easy read.





Once you're outside the area,
follow the letter S bahn logo

or the train symbol

photo credits: yahoo image

You can always book at the Information desk, but the long queue will take you forever.

It's better to buy tickets from these counters * The Airport City Day Ticket * or the german word :Fahrkarten
In less than an hour you'll be at the heart of action.



what the ticket looked like.
We chose the number S8 - Flughafen that took us from Munich to Marienplatz.
Here's another LINK that I think is helpful.



Of course I have to wander inside the bookshop first. ^0^
as if my Grade A german would suffice.




The train arrives every 10 minutes,
take note where you're heading though.

note: screen read: GLEIS - 1 * platform 1 *

DOORS do not open automatically: you NEED to switched the OPEN button.



while waiting...


seen inside the train: crumpled unattended magazine freebies.



tourists / locals anticipating the ride....



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then fast forward weeks later, our ride from Firenze to Amsterdam.

KLM CITY HOPPER





Leather Seats, which I preferably love than those itchy Economy Saver furry seats.



The VOLKORENBROOD or simply the Whole wheat bread was a delight.
and I like the packaging. ^0^

definitely better than the chips.







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FIRENZE AIRPORT

Early morning after we checked-out,
A reliable taxi service from our hotel, less than 45 minutes later,
and less than 30 euros for taxi. we arrived safe and sound,
the airport wasn't crowded as I was expecting and surprisingly New!~ ❤
sorry,
I've seen Rome's Ciampino and Fiumicino Airport and it sucks!





this is where we queued for our boarding tickets.



the info centre



I have a thing for books,
I think that's my first thing I visit next to the souvenirs.



This was us, while waiting for check-in.
ugh! I always dread the last day of my trip,
I'm torn between missing my family back home and the unforgettable sights I've seen.



there's also the FAST CHECK IN,
I have yet to try that one.



and the shuttle bus that would take us to KLM's Hopper.




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On another note:

I took a quiz from Nomadic Samuel's blog
thought I might share it with you,
out of boredom btw, ^0^
What's your travel personality?!
hmmm...
here's what I got.
The Interepid Traveler. ^0^



How I wish I am brave enough to travel South America. * we'll see *
For now, je suis juste dingue ~ about Europe. ^0^
Although India and Thailand are still in my long list of must-see.

what about you?


NEXT POST :
MUNICH 101