Travels with Boyd

Anyone growing up in the U.S. probably, particularly those of us with German ancestry, probably knows about German Christmas markets. Until now, the closest I had come to visiting one is the annual Christkindlmarkt in Chicago. Chicago Christmas market

It’s supposed to be authentic and I guess it did look a bit like some of the pictures and videos I had seen of the real thing. But… I always kind of wanted to spend some time in Germany around Christmas time and this year I finally had the chance.

While I was in Chicago earlier this fall, I went to with Mike (my friend and former football officiating crewmate with whom I was staying with temporarily) to watch a football game at the University of Chicago. On the bus ride there, Mike struck up a conversation with the guy sitting next to him. Turns out, he was a German tourist named Martin in town for the Bears game the following day.  He had decided to attend a local college football game and was headed the same place we were. Mike invited him to join us and because I speak a bit of German, Martin and I bonded a bit as I helped him with some English phrases as he did the same for me with my broken German.

We spent the afternoon and part of the evening together. I asked him about where he lived and whether or not there were Christmas markets there. He lives in a Bavarian city called Regensburg and, of course, there are Christmas markets. When I suggested that I might like to visit him during the Christmas season, he graciously told me I was welcome. It was then that I decided to make the trip to Germany. And because I have other friends and acquaintances there, I decided to make a week of it and visit multiple markets in several German cities.

Day 1 – Saturday, December 13

While not originally part of my itinerary, I received an email notification from earlier in the week from InterNations, the networking organizations for ex-pats that I belong to. There was a get-together planned for Saturday night at the Christmas market in Valletta. There were about a dozen attendees and I ended up with a small group that included a German, a Dutchman, and two Brits. We enjoyed Gluhwein and interesting conversation. One of the group was particularly interesting: a sculptor from the U.K. who lives in Valletta and owns a sailboat that she occasionally sails to Sicily. A chapter for a future post, perhaps?

Day 2 – Sunday, December 14

Off to Germany – first stop, Munich. I got checked in to my hotel about 6 p.m. and immediately headed out to find a Christmas market. I found one about a 15 minute walk away called the Tollwood Christmas market. There was a nice crowd and an amazing variety of food options.

While enjoying a white Gluhwein (a first for me – I thought they were always made with red wine), I overhead American accents. I introduced myself to a nice young couple from Louisiana and enjoyed a nice conversation with them.

After wandering around the various food kiosks for quite some time, I finally decided on a waffle topped with gorgonzola, honey, and chives. Lecker!

Day 3 – Monday, December 15

I checked out of the hotel, stored my luggage at the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) and made my way to Marienplatz where the Christmas market there was just opening. The highlight was the Glockenspiel. wiki 

And just like Tollwood, lots of people, food options and beautiful handcrafted Christmas miniatures and ornaments.

From there, I took the train to Regensburg where Martin met me at the station. After getting settled in at his home and meeting his wife Sonya and daughter Amy, he took me to the oldest inn in the world (or so they claim) Restaurant info where we had all you can eat Rippchen (spareribs).

Day 4 – Tuesday, December 16

Tuesday was a day of exploring Regensburg with Martin. It is a wonderful old city of about 150,00 near the Danube River.   wiki

We strolled along the river, spent some time in the visitors center where I learned some of the history of this ancient city.  And, of course, we visited several Christmas markets.

After that, another delicious dinner of authentic German fare. Then a very nice gesture from Martin’s daughter, Amy, who presented me with a gift bag of Christmas cookies when we returned home.

Day 5 – Wednesday, December 17

Martin drove me to train station in Regensburg where I traveled back to the Munich. Only after arriving at the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) did I realize I could have saved myself about 45 minutes of travel time had I gotten off a couple of stops earlier. Kein Problem (no problem), I had allowed myself plenty of time. Good thing, too. I got a little lost on the U-Bahn headed to the airport. A nice fellow American from Seattle made the same mistake I did and we helped each other find our way back.

The hour long flight to Hamburg landed around 4 p.m. My young friend Peer, who lives in Hamburg, picked me up at the airport and drove me to my hotel. (I first met Peer when he was a foreign exchange student in Leroy, Illinois about 9 years ago. We have stayed in touch over the years.)

He and I found a couple of small markets near the hotel. Later, Mats (my other friend in Hamburg) took me to what turned out to be the most unusual one I visited on this trip. This one was located in the Reeperbahn, one of the most famous and infamous red light districts in the world. Reeperbahn

Among the items for sale were some rather large candles shaped like a certain part of the male anatomy. Sorry, girls, but I’m not posting that picture.

Day 6 – Thursday, December 18

I was on my own for most of the day. I started by visiting Miniatur Wunderland. Miniatur WunderlandI had been there once before a few years ago. The place is magical. I could have spent the entire day there. (The airport is my favorite.)

Next I happened up a very nice Christmas market near the Rathaus. This one had perhaps the best food selection of all that I saw during this trip.

Day 7 – Friday, December 19

I took a morning train to visit Peer’s mother, Kirstin in Lübeck.  I had met her and Peer’s dad on my earlier trip to Hamburg. Kirstin is a school teacher and a marathoner and when she completes the Chicago Marathon next year, she will be what is known as a Six Star Finisher (Tokyo, New York, Chicago, Boston, London and Berlin). Quite an accomplishment!

The weather was drizzly and gray but the company couldn’t have been better. Kirstin is a wonderful tour guide and told me all sorts of interesting things about the places we passed, including the statue of Merkur (Mercury). We visited several Christmas markets and had a warm drink in the cafe’ at Niederegger, the most famous manufacturer of marzipan in the world. Niederegger website

We finished our visit with a warm cup of cider, spiced up with real Ingwer (ginger). Not my favorite.

Later that evening, Mats took me to a hockey match.

Day 8 – Saturday, December 20

After a week in Germany, it was time to head “home”. And by that, I mean Malta. It’s kind of strange referring to this as home, but I guess I will get used to it eventually. As we ducked under the cloud layer upon the descent, I saw Gozo emerge. Yes, I think I can get used to this.