Hello Young Adventurers!!

Locations Visited: Germany- Munich, Dachau, Neuschwanstein, Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Baden-Baden.
France- Strasbourg, Haguenau
Languages Spoken: German, French
Words Learned: (German) Frohe Weinachten- Merry Christmas, Danke schon- Thank you.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, friends !  Germany is a Christmas wonderland, and it was worth waiting to arrive here until the Christmas season.  You know, the past few years have just been off for me when it comes to Christmas.  Yes, it’s amazing being with my family and catching up with friends, but honestly the holiday season is so stressful that I always seem to forget to enjoy the actual season itself. 

Its just one goal after another- What presents do I need to still get?  Sorry, I can’t go to your party.  I have another one I’m going to that night.  What can I do to give back to someone in need?  WHO ATE ALL MY CHRISTMAS COOKIES?!  Is it winter break yet?  I need sleep.

Before you know it, the big day comes and goes, and then it’s back to reality.  For this reason, Christmas Eve has become my favorite day as I’ve gotten older.  It seems to be the only day where all the anticipation is surging through the air, while all of the big to-do’s are wrapped up and finished.  It’s not about the presents.  It’s all about enjoying time with the people you love, which is what this whole season is about, right?  It’s just wonderful.

Flash-forward to this year.  My goal was to see Christmas in a new way.  Traveling the world means I won’t be home to be with my family and friends this year.  It means that I’m not going to be getting any presents, because no one can send them to me since I’m moving around so much, and even if they did, I wouldn’t have the space in my pack to carry anything that’s not essential to my journey.  It means I’m not really buying gifts for other people as well- I can’t get anything sent home in any way that is remotely affordable.  This means Christmas is back to being about the season.  Meeting new people, singing the songs (and new ones in new languages!), eating the foods, and trying to spread what kindness and joy I can muster.  

Considering many of our Christmas traditions in the states are inspired by or come directly from Germany and the surrounding countries, I couldn’t think of a better place to go back to the roots of the season and dive in headfirst.  So- long intro aside, buckle up in the sleigh and grab the reins and some hot coco.  We’ve got a lot to see and learn about!

Christmas Markets

Oh.  Man.  These things are amazing.  Germany is known for it’s vibrant and festive “weinachtsmarkt” (Christmas Markets) during the Holiday Season.  Almost every city has at least one, with many of the bigger ones having upwards of 6-10 different markets.  Basically they’re filled with stands selling delicious foods (bratwurst, potato pancakes, sweets galore), hand made items (leather goods, metal work, wooden toys), and lots of live music and entertainment.  If the word “joy” could be brought into life as a real, tangible thing, it would be a Christmas market in Germany.  I’m gonna do a very quick “Mr. Weavil’s Favorite Christmas Markets RANKED!”   

Top 5 Christmas Markets Visited

5. Vienna, Austria

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There were markets everywhere here.  From the smaller ones near the Cathedral and museumquartier, to the gigantic ones at the Karlsplatz and Town Hall, you couldn’t go long without being greeted by the smell of spices and roasting meat.  The Town Hall market had some amazing food options, including the incredibly delicious waffle I got covered in apples and caramel as well as a giant German pretzel the size of my face!  There was also a really wonderful ice skating area and tons of lights!  I spent more time, though, at the Karlsplatz market thanks to their stage with live music.  There was some really crazy group performing the night I was there, and although I have no idea what they were saying, I found myself dancing next to everyone else!

4. Prague, Czech Republic

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Most people may not agree with me here, but that’s fine.  From the outside, there are only a few stands, only one central market, and 95% food items rather than things to buy.  But, this market had two HUGE redeeming pieces to it.  1) The Chimney Cakes, Trdlnik.  They’re warm, delicious, and you can get them filled with ice cream.  How can you go wrong?  2) Constant live entertainment on stage daily from small school choirs to large performances.  It’s ideal for a solo traveler who is trying to save money, but doesn’t want to just sit around the hostel all night.  I was able to grab some cheap food and watch performances for a few hours every night!  It was wonderful!

3. Stuttgart, Germany

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I was told markets that were actually in Germany were next level, and that’s just the understatement of the century.  The real German markets are absolutely amazing.  Spread throughout all the streets of the city, decorated and themed, the smells of sausages, candied nuts, and roasted chestnuts fill the air as people laugh and explore.  Stuttgart was just beautiful.  The food was delicious, and the market seemed to never end.  It’s only this low because overnight between the 23rd and the 24th, they took the ENTIRE market down somehow during a huge storm since it would be closed Christmas Eve.  This meant when my friend and I walked around the city Christmas Eve, we were smacked with a sudden lack of Christmas around the town that was just there only a few hours before.   So I’m a little bitter here.

***Extra about Stuttgart***

Megan and I were lucky enough to get tickets to see the Anastasia Musical on stage while here! Even though the entire show was in German, we both love it so much that we were able to keep right up. It was a dream come true getting to see my favorite musical in a different language across the world!

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2. Baden-Baden, Germany

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Translated into Bath-Bath, I knew we were in for a treat on our way here.  This market is just a perfect Christmas market.  Not too big, not too small.  Great food, a big stage with live music, and local staples that only exist within this particular region of Germany.  Tucked right at the edge of the Black Forest, which is known for its craftsmanship, the stands here had beautiful hand made and local products.  This place is exactly what I wanted when I planned to come to Germany for the Markets

1. Cologne, Germany

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Okay, so take Baden-Baden and multiply it by 20 and throw a bunch of glitter and sparkles all over it and then you’ll almost have Cologne’s market.  This city takes the traditional and makes it so wonderfully extra, you think you’re in the North Pole yourself.  I loved this market so much, I stayed an extra 4 days in the city just so I could explore it more.  It is comprised of a bunch of smaller, themed markets (An angel market, a medieval market, a gnome market, and a classic traditional German market among others).  

There’s cheese-filled sausages, pretzels bigger than your head, live music nightly at the stages, and the kindest people you’ll ever meet.  Every night I was adopted by a different group of local German people who laughed and danced to Christmas songs with me!  Definitely worth it to come experience this market for yourself at Christmas time one day.

***Extra about Cologne***

While here I also did a lot of exploring, including crossing the large bridge covered in love-locks, and climbing the famous Cologne Cathedral. I was rewarded with some incredible views after climbing the almost 600 steps up!

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Honorable Mentions: Strasbourg, France. Haguenau, France. Leipzig, Germany.  Berlin, Germany.

What else?!

I was lucky that my friend Megan from back home decided to come and spend the Holidays in Germany with me so that I wouldn’t be alone across the world from everyone I know on Christmas.  It was amazing getting to see my best friend again after 4 and a half months away.  You can only be so weird and goofy with strangers, and it takes a close friend to get to let it all out.  Considering she and I are nearing 10 years of being friends, we were excited to get to reach new #friendshipgoals and travel together.  Best part is, Megan can speak and understand basic German, which meant navigating became INSTANTLY easier.  

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Neuschwanstein Castle (New Swan Castle)

Our time together started in Munich, Germany.  But we didn’t stay in the city long.  We immediately planned a day trip out to the German Alps to see THE castle that inspired Walt Disney himself as well as the Swan Lake Ballet.  The castle and area were named after the swans found in the lake below. To say I was excited was an understatement.  If you know anything about me, anytime I can combine Disney into my daily life, I’m a happy boy.  This castle, built in the late 1800’s by King Ludwig II is exactly what we’ve come to dream of and expect when we think of castles.  Unlike most other palaces and castles that are built to show off the royalty’s wealth and power, King Ludwig II built this castle just for himself.  He wanted a place that was just for him, exactly the way he wanted.  Depictions of his favorite Operas line the walls, and he even put a CAVE inside the upper story just because he wanted it.  None of this castle was for other people to admire, it was for him to have a place of peace away from being king, a job that he never wanted nor enjoyed having.  Check it out in the photos!

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Dachau, Germany

I’m not going into too much detail here- if you want to know more, check my previous post from when I visited Auschwitz in Poland.  Dachau is another concentration camp used by the Nazi’s during WWII, and it was another rough day.  It is never easy or fun facing some of humanity’s darkest moments, but it’s important.  If we don’t take the time to learn about it, see it for ourselves, and understand it, these things will continue happening.  We can’t ignore something just because it’s hard to listen to.  As hard as it is walking through here and learning the history, I am so thankful for the opportunity.  As with the other camps, I only took one picture of the entrance.  You’ll notice the same phrase on the door that was on Auschwitz which translates to “Work Makes You Free”

One Day, 3 cities, 2 countries- Strasbourg, France. Haguenau, France. Baden-Baden, Germany.

Megan and I met with our friend Tori (who I met in Budapest and lives in Stuttgart where Megan and I were staying).  It was Christmas Eve’s Eve, rainy, and we wanted to have a Christmas Extravaganza seeing some of the most popular markets near Stuttgart.  It still blows my mind that we could get in a car, drive for an hour and a half, and be in an entirely different country.

Strasbourg, France is a city that I’ve been trying to get to this whole trip, and was so excited to finally make it!  This city looks like it came straight out of a story book.  Being right along the French and German border, it has big influences from both cultures, taking the best parts of each to create a really stunning and unique town.  The market here reminded me a lot of Stuttgart’s, and even though it was rainy and gross, we still had a wonderful time.  I was able to find some real French macarons one last time before leaving from one of the market stands, and my day was basically made.  

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Haguenau, France is a tiny village tucked away north of Strasbourg that tourists usually wouldn’t go to since it’s off the beaten path.  It’s cities like these, though, that give us the best glimpse into actual daily life in a country, though.  Their market was humble and warm, filled with families doing some last minutes shopping and almost zero tourists.  We even managed to stumble on a small parade, although we’re still not exactly sure what it was.

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Baden-Baden, Germany was our last stop on our way home.  Scroll up to see what I thought of it there!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

So in Germany, Christmas Eve is the big event, rather than Christmas Day.  Although Megan and I had learned that, we didn’t anticipate how big until it was too late.  We got a late start Christmas Eve, managed to get some shopping done around noon, and then suddenly everything closed.  And I mean basically EVERYTHING.  We had neglected to eat any food, and we were suddenly faced with the reality that we were maybe not going to get to eat, but fortunately McDonald’s was open an extra hour longer than everything else.  They closed at 3PM.  So with our bellies full of chicken nuggets and curly fries (You read that right.  German McDonald’s has CURLY FRIES), we headed to a church to watch a short nativity play before heading back to the hostel for a Christmas movie marathon since we couldn’t do anything else.  The hostel gave us free chocolates for Christmas, so we were pretty happy!

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Christmas Day we had to get up early and make our way back to Munich where we would be leaving the next day.  Everything was still basically closed, but we did manage to find one traditional German restaurant open.  We treated ourselves to pretzels and hearty meat dishes and enjoyed each other’s company before taking a stroll around the quiet city. 

Christmas was definitely different this year.  There were no presents, we ate at McDonald’s, and we just spent our time together.  Although I missed my family and the traditions from back home (My mom’s Christmas tree lit up Christmas morning, playing with my niece as she opened gifts from Santa, hanging out and arguing with my brothers about who knows what), it was nice to change it up.  Megan and I both agree- this was the weirdest Christmas ever, but I am thankful to have gotten to spend it with a friend that means so much to me, and get back to the roots of what Christmas is all about- our loved ones and our time together.  (And don’t worry- I got to FaceTime in with my family and still watch my niece open some of her gifts!  Thank goodness for modern technology!

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I’m off next to a country that is split by the continents of Europe and Asia.  My time in mainland Europe is coming to an end, and new adventures are on the horizon.  I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous- I don’t know what to expect as I leave the comfort of Western Europe.  But that also makes me so excited.  I can’t wait to bring to you all the beautiful and exotic cultures and countries of the world.  Can you figure out where I’m going next?  The country shares the name of a bird, and the city is split right down the middle between Europe and Asia.  See you guys there, and MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Have Courage, & Be Kind,

Mr. Weavil