Finding Christmas spirit, joy in Bavaria
Venerable holiday markets a special draw in Germany
We have found Christmas spirit and joy distilled to its purest forms, and you can find it, too. All it takes is a trip to Germany. Anywhere you go in this wonderful country, there’s probably a Christmas market to be found, and therein lies the holiday as it was meant to be. Dating to the Middle Ages, originally German Christmas markets offered people a final opportunity to load up on goods to see them through the holiday and the harsh winter months to follow. From the first market — Bautzen’s debuted in 1384 — the concept spread through trading routes westward and survives today as a magnet for locals and travelers from across the globe alike.
This year, my wife, Andrea, and I set out for Munich to anchor our Christmas experience. Starting in late November, markets are open for business, and we thought Bavaria would be a fine choice for 2018, and we weren’t disappointed.
In the U.S., many of us are either Team Christmas or Team Halloween. Work life leaves both of us mostly exposed to the horrors of humanity’s underbelly, so we’re decidedly Team Christmas. The holiday’s focus on the better instincts of humankind is enduringly endearing, and Germany offers us both a chance to connect to the festivities in a way not seen in our home country.
Mind you, the German people are not known for having a warm, fuzzy demeanor, and indeed civic life is a tad more clipped and formal than we find in the States. But when a German inevitably does receive you with warmth, it carries a great deal of impact because the sincerity and depth is genuine and heartfelt.
The same applies to the approach to Christmas, where even within the holiday markets, the embrace of the season is more muted than one finds at home. There aren’t as many hyper-light displays, commercialism is not the driving force, and there isn’t a terrifying turn on Santa’s lap to be found. Comparatively understated as the German approach may be, it nevertheless brings to bear a tasteful and sincere nature that strikes to the very heart of the holiday, and it can be found wherever you go. Nor is there any Christmas-based cultural warfare as the religious and secular coexist harmoniously, complimenting rather than conflicting.
With exceptions for visits to Heidelberg and Mannheim to the north, as well as Salzburg, Austria, we found this unique and pure connection everywhere we went in Bavaria. Munich offered a perfect base of operations with easy airport access and a wealth of public transportation options (I highly recommend downloading the handy Deutsche Bahn app for easy train access from your phone.)
Minus a few days deep in the countryside in Altdrossenfeld at Landhotel Schnupp (https://www.landhotelschnupp.de/) and an elegant night in Heidelberg (http:// www.the-heidelberg.de/), we set up shop at the Cocoon Stachus (https://cocoonhotels.de/en/ ) in Munich. The Cocoon folks are a small chain of trendy hotels, so there are others to choose from, but the Stachus location proved to be ideal for us. The neighborhood is on the “up and coming” side, so there’s a certain amount of grit to be found, but it gave us easy access to the massive Hauptbahnhof train station as well as the sprawling Marienplatz Christmas market. If grit isn’t your thing, perhaps a hotel in the old town Marienplatz is recommended, and train access is equally ideal.
Our Cocoon stay lived up to its name with smallish rooms by U.S. standards, but an extremely comfortable, quiet setting that simultaneously managed to be both natural and modern. Breakfast is an extra 10 euros, but worth every cent.
We spent the first few days of our two-week visit exploring Munich and its marvelous market. Make sure to carve out time to catch the glockenspiel show at the New Town Hall (11 a.m. and noon daily), with a delightful 10-minute ode to a real-life royal wedding that took place on the market square in 1568. Likewise, our stop at the Frauenkirche was breathtaking. The limits of scratch-andsniff technology curb my ability to accurately describe the wonderful aromas to be found in the market with a variety of sausages cooking on woodfueled fires, and mulled wine options by the dozen alongside sweets galore. A traditional heart-shaped decorated gingerbread treat (lebkuchenherzen) is a must.