A Dream Realized - Hopefully!

I am not sure where it came from this dream of mine.  It might have been Mom reading us stories as little children about how different European countries celebrate Christmas; maybe it was later in school learning that many of our Christmas traditions originate from Germany; or, perhaps it was even later as an adult, when I fell totally and completely in love with Europe.  Regardless where it came from, I have long wished to visit the famous German Christmas markets and to wake up Christmas morning in the Alps hearing the bells echoing in the mountains.  I had a small taste of what it might be like when I visited a Christmas market in Paris nearly 20 years ago and one in Strasbourg a few years later.  So, this year my sister and I have a plan to make this wish come true.  We are going visit some of the famous Bavarian Christmas markets before going up to a small Alpine village in the Austrian Tirol called Alpbach to celebrate Christmas.

Who knew that the little girls in this picture with Santa would, over 60 years later, be heading off together to countries where Santa is replaced with St. Nicolas and our traditional fruit cake and mince tarts swapped for Stollen and Lebkuchen?  Hopefully, we will discover a new kind of Christmas magic along the way.

It is not lost on us that we are leaving on December 11th which would have been Mom's 100th birthday.  She had so hoped to reach that milestone but it was not to be.  However, we will be buoyed by the thought that she is watching over us from above, pleased we are having this adventure together.  I have no idea if the reality will come even close to my Christmas dream. Regardless, I know we will savour each and every moment.  

Getting there is a bit ugly as during the winter there are no direct flights from Vancouver to Munich.  We leave Sunday afternoon, fly to Vancouver then via London Heathrow (so not my favourite airport!) to Munich.  We will arrive late Monday afternoon, pick up our rental car and then drive about 2 hours to Fuessen, a favourite place of mine in southern Bavaria.  We are starting there because first, I am familiar with it; second, I have some friends to visit there; and thirdly, it will give Kathleen a chance to see the famous Neuschweinstein castle, visit Oberammergau (a touristy but nonetheless pretty town), and see the famous Wieskirche (a pilgramage church and UNESCO World Heritage site) just outside of Fuessen.  Besides, those few days will give us the chance to recover from our long flights before the "serious" business of checking out Christmas markets begins! 

So, I am hoping to be able to share with you some of what will hopefully be amazing experiences while we travel around Bavaria and into the Alps.  I can't wait!