Spent about two days and two nights in Munchen (Munich) before heading back to Singapore. Munich is the capital of Bavaria, and is also the third largest city in Germany. It's regarded as one of the world's most livable cities. We had about 1 full day to explore the city centre in detail - and so we did! Decided to split this trip into 2 parts - as I've got quite a number of pics to post! So for today - I'll be focusing on the Christmas markets and the hotel we stayed in!
So first up - our hotel (Hotel Eder). The hotel was an old building situated about 10 minutes from the train station and the main part of the city. Although it was old, it had been restored really well, and the inside was really cosy and gorgeous!
Warm lighting was mainly used - and this was what I saw when we first entered through the small door.
Beautiful chandelier and candle right in front of the reception - really brings out the Christmas mood! It was good to chill out in this area before heading up to our room - away from the cold outside. To be honest, it wasn't THAT cold, but it was drizzling so we didn't want to go out.
Not just ceiling chandeliers...there were lamps that matched with the design of the hotel, in the corners.
Since the building was quite an old one, there weren't lifts, so we had to climb about 4 flights of stairs to get to our room....
One of the furniture used in the hotel. Most of the furniture were old too, and were chosen to match the design of the hotel. They came with intricate carvings like this one.
Even the mirrors are pretty! Look at the intricate details around the mirrors!
The mirrors were strategically placed to give the illusion of a bigger space. In actual fact, this area was quite small. It was a couple of steps away from the main reception area.
Oh I should also mention - the wall lights were also really beautiful, and check out the angel sculpture!
Walked to the dining area next. Breakfast was provided in this hotel, and we enjoyed 2 rounds of it - buffet style. The bread was just amazing. For some reason, bread is so delicious in Europe - we had so much of it in Salzburg and still didn't get tired of it!
The dining area was also really cosy, and the tables were already set up for next day's breakfast. I should say - they're really neat and organised!
So after having a good rest in the beautiful hotel, we went out on a day trip the next day, to explore the city centre in detail. It was easy to navigate around the city - more pics of the city in the next post!
For today, here're some pics of the Christmas market in Munich. Christmas markets are common throughout Europe, especially in winter, and each of them are unique in their own ways. Many of them would have a large variety of food, drinks, souvenirs, crafts...everything. This time, when touring Munich, we deliberately took a detour and walked through the major parts of the Christmas market.
One thing that caught my attention in this market - the stalls. Each stall had its own unique design, and these designs matched the merchandise/food that the owners sold.
Passed by the iconic Fraunkirche as we went through this area. The Fraunkirche ("Cathedral of our Dear Lady") is a major icon in Bavaria, and is one of the tallest in the city. This building was constructed in the late 1400s, and the domes added in the 1500s. It suffered considerable damage in the war, and has since been restored.
When we went up to explore Fraunkirche further, we noticed that one of the Christmas market stalls had a tiny replica of the Fraunkirche right on top of it! It was so adorable.
There were more stalls around the Town Hall in Marienplatz.
In these Christmas markets, some of the stalls were selling Gluhwein - a unique alcoholic drink. Gluhwein is usually served hot. It usually consists of red wine, cinammon, cloves, star anise, citrus, sugar, and sometimes rum might be added to it. Gluhwein is very popular amongst people during winter, and each Christmas market stall has their own recipe of Gluhwein. There's also a white wine variation - although this isn't as popular. And of course, there is also a non-alcoholic version, where the wine is replaced with fruit juice.
The best part about each Christmas market is that they allow us to take home the cups that we've used. And so I did - I collected one in the shape of a shoe, and another from Schloss Schonbrunn when I visited Vienna (more to Vienna in upcoming posts!).
Moving back to the Christmas markets - it was starting to get dark but the markets were still pretty popular amongst people! There were quite a number of patrons to the Gluhwein stall, and so we decided to try some. I had a sip - and it tasted so strong, but the warm feeling after gulping down the Gluhwein was just magical. While enjoying that...I took pics of the passing crowd...
The Christmas markets were lit up by then - and we had some time to walk around some more...to enjoy the beautiful lighting, and to see what else was sold. We were fortunate - as we were blessed with good weather that day.
Oh yes - for the record, another Gluhwein stall. As mentioned - each stall had a unique Gluhwein recipe. We only tried the Gluhwein from one stall, but it was good enough for us. I'd really love to go back to Europe in winter again...and enjoy all these Christmas delights. Christmas in Europe is truly magical.
Ending off with some store displays I spotted along the way! Winter fashion woohoooo!!!
And that's it for today's post! In the next post, I'll be putting up remaining pics from Munich...and after that we'll move on to some Vienna pics! Do stay tuned!