This year we decided to take a trip during Christmas to feel a little more festive for the holiday and not feel as alone as we did last year. We heard a lot about the Christmas markets in Germany, so we knew we wanted to go to Munich. Another family here told us about their stay at a hotel in Schwangau, where the Neuschwanstein castle is, so we planned to stay there for Christmas after we visited Munich.
We arrived in Munich and after checking into our hotel, we headed straight to the famous Hofbrauhaus for dinner. It was HUGE and it was different than most restaurants we are used to as you seat yourself at a large table with other people. There were waitresses walking around selling soft pretzels and gingerbread cookies. Of course, we had to try their beer and Ryan had to get the pork knuckle. I got the wiener schnitzel and it was very good. There was a band playing traditional German music and Makenna loved it! After we finished eating we went to watch the band play and Makenna danced in front of the stage.
After dinner we walked around the main Christmas market in Marienplatz for a little which just to see where things were, as we planned on spending more time there the next day. We heard all about the hot wine, or Gluhwein, so we had to try it. When you buy a mug of wine, they charge you about 2 euros extra for the mug and if you decide not to keep the mug they will refund your money. We didn’t like the wine that much but it was very popular with a lot of other people, as there were many booths selling it and they were all busy!
The next day we went to a toy store I read about called Obletter Spielwaren which is the largest toy store there with 2 levels. I was imagining something like FAO Schwartz, however, it wasn’t really anything special. They did have a big selection of Steiff teddy bears which are handmade in Germany, so we had Makenna pick out a bear as her Christmas present that she would receive from Santa on Christmas Day. We walked around Karlsplatz which is another square and it had a big ice skating rink set up for Christmas (and of course there was a booth for Gluhwein). We made the obligatory stop at Starbucks and then checked out Viktualienmarkt which is a little farmers market. There was a wine vendor that had some nice international wines and since we can’t find wines that aren’t French in Clermont we picked up a bottle of Tempranillo. Ryan had a beer at a beer garden where the mugs were already full of beer and you just walk up and they push you a mug of beer and you’re good to go!
We spent most of the day browsing the Christmas market in Marienplatz. There were a lot of booths selling gingerbread cookies in all shapes and sizes, most of them looking so pretty you wouldn’t want to eat it! We got a small one for Makenna and I don’t know if they were all the same but this one was so hard you could barely bite into it and it wasn’t very flavorful either! Other booths included glass ornaments, wood carved ornaments and decorations, nativity scenes, wooden children’s toys, nutcrackers, Christmas pyramids and food. For lunch we ate at Augustiner which is similar to Hofbrauhaus with traditional German food.
After lunch we went to check out the Medieval Christmas market that we heard was nice. Most of the booths were selling food and some had medieval-type items like swords, jewelry and handmade items. At certain times they had plays going on. When we were walking around we saw Santa so we stopped him to get a picture. In Germany, they aren’t as into having a Santa sitting in a chair taking pictures with children and I unfortunately didn’t know this ahead of time so I didn’t get a typical Santa picture with Makenna this year….but who can beat a picture with a German Santa!
That evening we went back to Marienplatz to see the Christmas carolers at the town hall. Every evening at 5:30, a group of carolers would sing from the balcony of the beautiful town hall and it was so festive and special to hear carols sung in German in a big square! For dinner we decided to have bratwurst and sauerkraut from one of the booths. When I went to order and asked for bratwurst, the lady told me all of the different sausages in front of me were bratwurst and I had no idea what the difference was so I just pointed to one and hoped for the best! (and they turned out to be delicious)
The next morning we picked up a rental car and drove to Schwangau. The drive was very scenic and was mostly through the countryside. We arrived at Hotel Rubezahl and were greeted with a glass of sparkling wine that we enjoyed in front of a fireplace in the lobby. Afterwards, we checked into our room and we were so impressed with the room and the view. The room was large and had a sun room type area with rocking chairs and there was a curtain to separate that area. This was great because we were able to put Makenna’s bed in there and close the curtains when she went to bed so we could stay up and watch tv (and enjoy some wine)! Our view was amazing, with both famous castles and the Alps. The toilet was separate from the bathroom and we loved it because it had a picture of a crown on the wall above the toilet.
We scheduled a tour of the Neuschwanstein Castle so we headed to the castle shortly after we checked in. There were horse and carriage rides up the mountain to the castle, but the carriage was already full when we got there so we had to walk. The sign at the beginning of the path said it was a 40 minute walk, but we were walking fast to get there in time for our tour and we did it in 20 minutes. Some of the path was pretty steep so it was tiring, but the views were beautiful! Unfortunately we couldn’t take pictures inside the castle but we really enjoyed the tour and the history behind the castle. After the long walk down we headed back to the hotel.
That night at the hotel they offered a great buffet dinner. The restaurant area was split into several different rooms that each had a different theme. Each guest had a table that was reserved for them for each meal during their stay. I tried a lot of different hors d’oeuvres that I had no idea what they were but they were all delicious.
The next day was Christmas Eve. We had a very nice buffet breakfast and then drove to the nearby town, Füssen, where we walked around and did some window shopping. Then we returned to the hotel for lunch where they served beef goulash. Later there was a children’s choir that sang German Christmas carols in the hotel lobby but we didn’t stay long because Makenna hadn’t napped and was overtired. That evening the hotel had a very festive Christmas Eve dinner and when we entered the restaurant Santa was there to greet us. Makenna was so excited and yelled “Tanta!” and she was given a chocolate Santa. The options for the main course were duck or goose, and I decided to have the goose as I have never had it before. There were a lot of fancy hors d’oeuvres and desserts and we really enjoyed the dinner.
Christmas Day was really nice and relaxing for us. Makenna woke up and opened her teddy bear that “Santa” brought her. After breakfast we decided to take a ride to find a good spot to take pictures of the castle, and we noticed the horse and carriage rides were still running even though the castle was closed. We decided to hop on and head up to the castle to try and get some photos from a vantage point near a bridge across from the castle. The bridge was closed, but we snuck up a closed path that we found and were able to take some amazing photos. We went back to the hotel for lunch where they served lamb and then spent the afternoon in the outdoor heated pool. It was so nice and Makenna had a great time! Dinner was another gourmet meal including terrine de lapin (rabbit).
This trip was really nice and definitely a once in a lifetime experience!
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