Epilogue - Let the Bells Ring!

Well, we are back home safe and sound but, after I finished what I had intended to be the last blog, I realized there were a few things I needed to update and add.  So, this will be the last one of this series.  Fair warning:  in less than 2 months, there will be another one involving a trip to London and, much more exciting, Venice Carnival (in costume)!

So, first off, I wanted to update the news from Augsburg which had been evacuated on Christmas morning because a WWII bomb had been discovered at a construction site in the old part of the city.  Well, the approximately 54,000 people who had left their homes before 10 a.m. on Christmas morning were permitted to return around 7 p.m. the same day after the bomb had been dealt with.  So, while their Christmas had been disrupted, it sure could have been worse.

Our return from Alpbach to Munich went smoothly.  It was a bit of a denouement though to walk around the centre of the Munich Altstadt on Monday when all of the stores were closed and the Christkindlesmark stalls had either been moved away or shuttered up.  The ice skating rink in Karlsplatz was busy though and the Gluhwein bar overlooking it was bustling.  However, there was a subdued tone as we walked around.  Everyone seemed so quiet.  Later, at our airport hotel, we had one of the best meals of our trip - rack of lamb with gratin potatoes AND cooked vegetables.  We had rarely, if ever, been served them with the dinners we'd ordered.  Also, we discovered a new after dinner drink called Ramozzotti, a herb liqueur from Italy served over ice with lemon.  Very nice!  Yesterday, all our return flights went smoothly and we were back in Victoria by 3:30. 

Heading back to Munich from Jenbach

The Jenbach train station (about 17 km from Alpbach)

Our last chance at a Christmas market:  Munich Airport

Our plane for the flight to Vancouver

When I was planning this trip, I found a very helpful UK website about the German Christmas markets and had meant to include historical information from that site about each of the markets we visited.  So, below is the info I've copied from it.  The longstanding traditions of these markets are so interesting to read about.

Augsburg:
The Augsburg Christmas Market or Christkindlesmarkt, as it's known in Bavaria, is one of the oldest and most famous Christmas Markets in Germany.

The Augsburg Christkindlesmarkt has been recorded in history for more than 500 years. It is set against the magnificent backdrop of the Renaissance, 16th-century, city hall, which during the advent season is turned into huge advent calendar.

Best known and most unique are the angel performances, As the last bell sounds in the Perlach Tower, the lights on the city hall go dark. After a few seconds, 24 windows brighten in the beams of spotlights, and 24 angels throw open the sashes and stand with wings poised as their robes swirl in the wind. Organ music swells, and in two center windows of the town hall balcony, one angel lifts a horn, then another a flute, a third a lute, the last a harp as they "play" to the music filling the town square. Soon the sound of the instruments is joined by the voices of a children's chorus, as the angles, bathed in soft rose and yellow lights and their heads decked with white wigs, sing along. And as the music ends, the angels step back and, in perfect unison, grasp and pull shut the windows. The spotlights fade, the angels disappear, the outer lights go bright, and it's almost as if the several thousands residents and visitors release their breaths simultaneously.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber:
Known for its medieval setting, Rothenburg is a walled city that has been left largely untouched for hundreds of years. Some complain of the Disney-like feel of the city, whose unspoiled beauty fills the city’s cobblestone streets with visitors during the holidays.

Visiting Rothenburg ob der Tauber is like stepping into a time warp. The town boasts some of the most impressive medieval architecture in Europe, and citizens fight tooth and nail to keep developers outside of the city walls.

Its medieval stage is home to the annual “Reiterlesmarkt,” the Rothenburg Christmas Market named after a local Teutonic legend, which began during pre-Christian times as the story of a horrid rider who carried the souls of the dead. As Christianity swept through Europe, the figure developed from a wild man into a loving, gentle man who gave gifts to all people on earth.

While Christmas decorations can be bought all year long in Rothenburg, the Christmas holidays are a special time to view the city and the market in its illuminated splendour.

A local specialty that shouldn’t be missed is the "Schneeball" or snow ball, made from strips of sweet dough fried and covered with powdered sugar or chocolate. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is also home to the German Christmas Museum.


Nuremberg:
The Christkind opens Nuremberg’s famous Christkindlesmarkt on the Hauptmarkt square in the old quarter. Soak up the medieval charm and the aroma of gingerbread, Nuremberg bratwurst and glühwein. The Nuremberg Kinderweihnacht is the children’s market and has an old-fashioned carousel, Ferris wheel and steam train. The Nativity scene trail runs between the two markets.  

At 5.30pm on the Friday before the first Advent Sunday, the Christkind opens her market, reciting the solemn prologue from the gallery of the church of Our Lady.  And as every year, by Christmas Eve, more than two million visitors from all over the world will have sampled the delights of the Nuremberg Christmas Market.  

About 180 wooden stalls, festooned with red-and-white cloth, have given the Christmas Market its name of "Little Town from Wood and Cloth".  Each year 200 stall holders present their traditional wares: Nuremberg spicy gingerbread, fruit loaves, bakery goods, sweets and typical Christmas articles such as Christmas tree angels, cribs, Christmas tree ornaments, candles, toys as well as many arts and craft products.  Favourite souvenirs include the "Nuremberg Plum People", little figures made from prunes.

Bamberg:
Situated on seven hills, discovering the World Heritage City of Bamberg in the winter months has a charm of its own.  The Bamberg Christmas Market still has a familiar atmosphere and is by no means a mass event.  Christmas markets come in four different shapes and sizes in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Bamberg: the traditional Christmas market on the Maxplatz Square, the delightful medieval Christmas market at Geyerswörth Palace, the Advent Market in the Sand and the arts and crafts Christmas market on Jakobsplatz square.

During Advent, Maxplatz square in the pedestrian zone is transformed into a Christmas market, featuring among others, a large Franconian half-timber nativity scene, depicting various scenes from the Christmas story. A mediaeval Christmas market takes place in the inner courtyard of Geyerswörth Palace, featuring a wealth of demonstrations and a mediaeval programme of cultural events.

Munich:
Munich's Christmas Market - whose roots go back to the 14th century - is held on the Marienplatz in the heart of the city centre.  Town records first mention a ”Nicholas Market” in the Kaufinger Strasse near the Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) in 1642. Back then, just like today, the Munich Christmas Market offers traditional Bavarian and unique Christmas gifts, including wood carvings from Oberammergau, gingerbread (Lebkuchen) from Nuremberg and notably some exquisite glassware from the Bavarian Forest.  Crib figurines, bee wax candles, chimney sweeps made of plums and almonds are just some of the many thousands of other traditional Christmas gift ideas on display.  Each day, from the balcony of Munich’s town hall, music lovers will be able to enjoy the festive season celebration with a special alpine Christmas Market concert.  

The Kripperlmarkt has all you need to create an authentic manger. Each lovingly chosen and carefully packed item, being a reminder of childhood, when the manger under the Christmas tree symbolized a world of mystery and wonder. Christmas mangers, cribs and nativity scenes have long been a tradition in Munich. As early as 1597, the Jesuits set up a manger in St Michael’s church. In 1757, the first original Kripperlmarkt Christmas market took place: it lasted from the 1st day of Advent to Epiphany.

Finally, it was a bit ironic that our Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Vancouver yesterday offered turkey dinner as one of the meal options.  That was the only turkey we had seen on any menu anywhere we had been!  In addition, as our Boeing 747 flew over the Fraser Valley on our approach to YVR, we saw more snow than we had seen in the entire trip!

Oh yes, one more thing.  I wanted everyone to hear the bells from the church in Alpbach on Christmas Day.  So, here is a clip of that.  Please ignore the poor photography and just enjoy the magical sound.