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Published: February 3rd 2010
My first trip to Germany was to visit a previous flatmate Katha, who had lived in NZ on a 6 month internship where we had spent a bit of time being tourists in NZ, so now it was my turn to be a tourist in Germany.
I flew into Munich on a cold winters night, but was greeted with a warm smile by Katha. We threw my luggage in the back seat (as the boot was frozen shut) and headed out for a spin along the Auto Bahn to the other end of Munich, where Katha and her boyfriend Marcus live. They made me feel welcome with a supper (that Marcus had cooked) at midnight, some christmas lights around the windows, a bottle of red wine and Christmas Biscuits (that Katha had made).
My first morning in Munich I woke up to a light dusting of snow over the city and a fantastic breakfast of cold meats, cheese and breads. After breakfast we loaded up Katha's car and drove out to the foothills of the Alps to a 4.5km long tabogganing track that is accessed by a chairlift. We were wrapped up in all of our winter clothes and
still barely survived the ride up the chairlift while it was -13°C. From the top of the chairlift there was a great view (even through the fog) and we just broke through to a little sunshine. After a brief stop for a snowball fight and a little lie down to make snow angels we headed to the tabogganing track.
The tabogganing was fantastic, we sat on these wooden taboggans, that I have only seen in movies, and used our feet as breaks. I felt the thrill of speeding down hill and the rush of tight corners with steep banks that we were to avoid plumeting off. The cold temperatures froze my face into a smile that stretched from ear to ear. I was still freezing cold by the time we reached the bottom of the track, but couldn't resist heading back up the chair lift for another run.
After our day's extreme sports we went back to Katha and Marcus's flat to thaw out. We had a quick nap and watched the snow fall out the windows. Just after the sun set we travelled into town to my first taste of the famous German Christmas Markets. They took
me to one of their favourite markets, where we had apple and cinamon pancakes and kept our hands warm with Gluhwine (mulled wine). The mercury had dipped even lower this evening to reach -15°C in Munich! Katha assures me this is not their usual winter temperatures. It was so cold that we could not linger long to look through all the craft stalls, so instead we headed into a traditional Bavarian restaurant. I had my first German Beer of the trip and a great big feast of roast pork and potato dumplings.
For my last day in Munich we went out for another traditional meal for breakfast - Marcus described it as the 'holy trinity' - Weis Beer (wheat beer), White Sausage and a Pretzel. This hearty and warming breakfast set Katha and I up for a day of sightseeing in the -13°C conditions. Katha took me on a walking tour of central Munich which included highlights of the Frauenkirche (Women's Church), Altes Rathaus (Town Hall) at Marienplatz, A winding walk up for a chilly view of the city from Peterskirche and the Hofgarten. In our travels I sampled more Gluhwine (to keep my hands warm), chocolate dipped fruit
kebabs and gingerbread.
Our final discovery was a very nice little Christmas Market inside the courtyard of the Residenz (Bavarian Government Houses). It sheltered us from the wind and there was an open fire for us to mill around while eating our late lunch of Bratwurst (sausage) and of course more Gluhwine.
Munich was a winter wonderland and now I look forward to visiting in summer and seeing what the region has to offer.
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jo
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Yay for Germany, looks very cold but beautiful. That Gluhwein sure is great for warming the hands :)