Christmasy Things - Munich Kristkindlmarkt II

St. Nicholas waits to greet the girls and boys - notice the switch in his hand just in case he runs into anyone who's been naughty.

Despite the cold and the rain we did manage to get to several of the Christmas markets other than the best known in the Marienplatz. Sunday morning we strolled over to the Residenzpalast and dropped into a charming market in one of the courtyards of the Palace.

The gentleman at the door set the tone for a market that was very oriented towards children. The gentleman taking the video obviously thinks he's D. W. Griffith and forgets that movies have sound now!



And here are a few random pictures from the Residenz Market and the Medieval-Celtic Market.

The painted facades in the courtyard give the Residenzmarkt a slightly theatrical flair.

Decorative baskets, fresh fruit dipped in chocolate (the fact that its fruit negates the calories, right?)and some rather unusual flower scarves - there seems to be a stall for everything. I'm not so sure how warm those scarves are.

Under the commanding eye of Maxmillan I the Mittelaltermarkt at Wittelsbacher Platz is a fair replica of a Medieval market - without the mud, straw and horse dung but there are jugglers.
Everything that the well-heeled medievalist would need.

Sadly this little piggy went to market and ended up between slices of that baker's bread. Apparently the Bavarian version of pulled pork is quite tasty.

20 dicembre - San Domenico di Silos

Christmasy Things - Munich Kristkindlmarkt I

Our weekend in Munich confirmed in my mind, though Laurent said that he never had any doubt, that I am Anglo-Saxon through and through. Being surrounded by the familiar things of Christmas and yes that slightly damp cold that precedes a forecasted snow fall made me realized that as much as I love Italian Opera I don't want to live it 24 hours a day. My character is too Northern.

This would explain why I have always felt at ease in Germany - Berlin (both pre and post Wall) Leipzig, Dresden, Nuremburg, Koln and Munich - though I dare anyone to feel comfortable in Frankfurt. And that is a trifle odd given that in the early years of my life Germany was still the enemy and we all knew that they were a dour, heel-clicking, humourless people. But I recall on my first visit to Munich, back in the 1970s, having that stereotype smashed very quickly. I remember a hysterical afternoon at the nude beach on the ... anyway I digress, greatly! Let's just say that Germans know how to have fun and our weekend was proof.

Here's a few clips of our first day in Munich.


When we went into the Dom the children's choir was practicing for an Advent choral evening. Again the music reminded me that, at least where church music is concered, my taste runs to the English and German. There is no sound quite like an English or German choir backed by a proper pipe organ. The next clip is at the Kristkindlmarkt I enjoyed the most in Riderplatz. As well as everything you could want for your home nativity scene they had the best rotwurst and Christmas beer as well as a fire to warm up by on a drizzly cold day. And finally the mechanical Glokenspeil at the Marienplatz - Teutonic knights do battle and the happy Bavarians dance in victory afterwards - and they've been doing it for a century or two. Like I said they know how to have fun.

I really should get a video camera so I can do decent close ups etc. Santa Claus are you listening?

16 dicembre - Santa Albina

Christmasy Things - Sharing

Once again many of my blog buddies are posting items special to the time of year - oh hell let's call it what it is: Christmas. Its not the Holiday Season, its not the Festive Season, its Christmas damn it! C*H*R*I*S*T*M*A*S!!!!! Okay sorry I promise not to rant but this bloody PC attitude to my religious (and secular) traditions is really starting to get to me. Anyway as I was saying quite a few friends are posting some great Christmas memories and items and I'd like to share them - plus it gives me an excuse to post some of my Munich Kristkindlmarkt photos.

Unfortunately the rain made photo taking a bit difficult without magical settings and an expensive camera but the entrance to the fair in the Marienplatz at night was quite magical.

Though only one of the 16 or 17 Christmas Fairs throughout Munich, the one in Marienplatz is the most well known ... and photographed. We also managed to see the Airport Kristkindlmarkt, the charming childs market in the Residenz Palace, the Medieval Market in Wittelsbacher Platz and the wonderful Creche market in the Ridderplatz. We missed the Gay Christmas Market but that will have to wait until next year.

You want decorations? They got decorations! Cookies? Yep! Candies? You betcha! 1/2 metre long hot dogs? You should ask! And while you're shopping have a hot spiced wine. Sorry guys but Walmart just ain't the same.

• Some of you may have met Doris before - she would be EG's mother and to quote him, " Just remember though, Doris is only funny when she isn't happening to YOU!" One of my favorite Doris stories involves the Christmas tree, a gin bottle and some nails. But don't let me spoil it, just go over to EG and read all about Doris and Oh tannenbaum!

And of course the many shops and department stores have their displays and windows. How about a lego Santa? Why not Neiman-Marcus is selling life-size lego statues as their His and Hers item this year.

There may not be quite the same flair up North as we see in Italy but every so often a window would jump right out at you!

And there was the occasional display that suggested there might be, what could be thought of as, an Italianate influence.

• And another Boston buddy RG has once again shared his story of the first Christmas he and his mom, Justine, were on their own. As I said to him: good stories are worth repeating, great stories are worth repeating again and again. Between EG and RG they've given us two great stories.

One of the market stalls had every type of mold you'd want for stamping Springerle, those wonderful sugar dusted cookies sometimes scented with cardamon other times with anise.

They even had one for Struwwelpeter (Shockheaded Peter) - that slovenly anti-hero of German childrens' books. Laurent had never heard of him and the punishments meted out to misbehaving children. Good solid lessons to be learned by good boys and girls.

But most of the wood carvings were of a religious nature and meant for home creches.

• Jeff has been posting a riot of Santas over at his world. There's a sackful of great videos, songs and proof that Santa's a Meany. ; There's so much I can't single out one so just go over to World o'Jeff start at the top and work your way down - sort of like Santa coming down the chimney.

Laurent seems to have a thing for bears and 1/2 metre long rotwurstl!

13 dicembre - Santa Lucia da Siracusa

Christmasy Things III

Okay I know I said we didn't need anymore Christmas ornaments and that the tree is already burdened down but ...
I mean this really isn't for the tree and besides today is his feast day and we really should celebrate the St. Nicholas in some small way.
Okay maybe we should have passed on the Roast Turkey ornament but the gentleman at the Munchner Puppenstuben und Zinnfigurenkabinett kiosk in the Marienplatz was charming and exchanged goose recipes with us so ...

But that is it for ornaments and Christmas chachkas, honest!

06 dicembre - San Nicola di Bari

The Traditions of Christmas - A Lump of Coal in Your Stocking

When I was a child - back in the middle of the last century - one thing always appeared amongst the oranges, small games and hard candies in my Christmas stocking: a lump of coal. Why a lump of coal? That was for the times I'd been naughty and to remind me that if I had been good all year there would have been another gift worthy of a good little boy. Sort of a cruel Christmas guilt trip to lay on a kid which frankly didn't work. By the time Laurent and I started exchanging stockings coal had become a thing of the past and impossible to find - though one year I did find candles shaped like a lump of coal. And this year I hit the mother-lode.


Last evening, after one of Signora Paola's dinners at Trattoria der Pallardo, we took a stroll through the Christmas Fair at Piazza Navona with our friends Lorraine and John. It wasn't as crowded as we thought it would be and even though it was early by Roman standards - 2130 - some of the stalls where closing. We wandered into the beautiful Church of Santa Agnese in Agone, reputedly built on the site of the brothel that the Saint had been sold into, and happened upon a chamber quartet playing one of the Corelli Christmas concerti.

Afterwards we wandered back into the Piazza and there they were: lumps of coal! A veritable vein of carbon piled into a pyramid amongst the sugared almonds, marzipan and fruit jellies at a candy stall. Carbonne dolci (Candy coal) that the vendor said was for the stockings of Le donne cative (Naughty ladies.) Given the history of the area during Roman times, it seemed highly appropriate. I'm sure its pure sugar and will rot teeth on contact but each of our dinner guests will be getting a lump of coal in their Christmas stocking. And Laurent will be getting an extra big one.

As for me -sadly I didn't buy enough but then I've been a really good boy this year!

22 decembre - Santa Francesca Cabrini