Chilling out in Germany’s Christmas markets

It’s a Filipino fantasy: snow-covered trees, horse-drawn carriages, and chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Many from this tropical paradise imagine a different kind of paradise — a snowflaked paradise — so it’s not so surprising that some Filipinos dream of a white Christmas.

Of course, Filipinos and snow may seem like an odd match: like fire and ice, oil and water, or James Franco hosting the Oscars.

But Insight Vacations makes that particular fantasy a reality. Thanks to tour sponsor Rajah Travel, we were able to experience an eight-day journey through history, rich in Christmas tradition. Imagine snowy castles in the Tyrols, or driving through the Black Forest, or ice-skating in Mozart’s city of Salzburg. With an eight-day coach ride through the Christmas markets of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the “Winter Wonderland Tour” is a unique way for Filipinos to explore — or get over — their fascination with snow.

The Christmas markets are another treat for Pinoys. Imagine all the handcrafted items you can stuff into maletas — nutcrackers and stuffed animals, train sets and wooden toys, intricate snowflake ornaments, beautiful handmade jewelry. The Philippines has its Christmas bazaars, but Germany has centuries of tradition behind it: the Christmas markets are places where everyone, young and old, gathers in town squares to listen to youth choirs, drink warmed wine or cider, ride on carousels and eat, eat, eat.

First thing to realize about an Insight Winter Wonderland Tour is that it is going to be cold: offered between mid-November and mid-December, it’s the “ber” months for real: temperatures in Germany, Austria and Switzerland can drop below zero Celsius, so bring lots of layers, warm footwear (avoid high heels because you’ll be clambering over snow and ice at times), and wool hats to preserve body heat.

DAY 1 & 2: BRATWURST IN FRANKFURT AND ROTHENBURG

Start in the city of Frankfurt, where the local Christmas market in Mainz is warmed up by glühwein (or “glow wine”), served at helpful kiosks every five feet or so: it’s mulled wine, usually red port heated up with sugar, cinnamon, cloves and other spices. The glühwein comes in a ceramic cup that you can return for the two-euro deposit or keep as a souvenir.

Around the Mainz market, enjoy the larger-than-life wooden belen display, or take in the many handcrafted ornaments. Artisan candles and German versions of parol lanterns are on display. Everyone’s eating and drinking; some are buying. It’s charming, and instills a warm feeling of Christmas. In our travels, we even encountered a German schoolgirl choir singing and collecting money for Yolanda typhoon victims. If that doesn’t warm the cockles and put you in the spirit of giving, nothing will.

Heading southeast, we traveled to Rothenburg, a walled city with a charming town center (it was particularly charming to Adolf Hitler, who urged Germans to visit the preserved town to see what “true” Germany looked like). Walking through the market square of Alstadt, you are quickly transported back to the 16th century: listen to public performers, load up on bratwurst or schnitzel and try the area’s favorite schneeballen, or snowball pastries (which, to us, tasted like baseball-sized day-old donuts).

DAY 3: MUNCHIN’ IN MUNCHEN

It’s the place where Palestinian terrorists shattered the 1972 Olympic Games, killing nine Israeli athletes. It’s the place where Hitler staged his Munich beer hall rally at Hofbräuhaus Am Platzl to gain support for the National Socialist Party. On the other hand, Munich (or München) is home to Oktoberfest, BMW’s high-tech headquarters and lovely Marienplatz, with its Glockenspiel Tower tolling the noon hour daily. In short, there’s a lot to see in Munich, the capital of Bavaria, and a lot to buy: the Christmas market here is particularly beautiful at night, with store windows showcasing elaborate teddy bear dioramas in motion. An enormous pine tree is hauled in and lit up for the holidays. Head over to the university plazas and stop in at Hofbräuhaus for a taste of pig knuckles and sauerkraut, and a tankard of its patented beer (it still functions as a state brewery). It also operates one of the biggest beer tents during Oktoberfest. If you haven’t been, this involves tens of thousands of people drinking beer simultaneously, and constantly, for 16 days, at the chant of “Einz, Zwei, G’suffa” (“One, two, down the hatch…”) Naturally, such festivity involves a lot of daily cleanup and hosing down of the streets, as people pass out wherever (“Beer corpses”) or toss their cookies.

While still in Bavaria, our Insight Tour took us to one of Mad King Ludwig’s castles — not the one that inspired Walt Disney, but a smaller summer palace up in the snowy hills called Linderhof. Old Ludwig II wasn’t mad, exactly; just a tad eccentric, a lonely figure who loved peacocks and swans (he was known as the Swan King as well as the Moon King). His only completed castle is a cozy, restrained affair, a homage to his favorite ruler, King Louis XIV and his Sun King domain at Versailles.

Our Mercedes-Benz coach next took us to Oberammergau, a truly unique town in the Bavarian hills that stages a Passion play in its town center once every 10 years. (The next is in 2020, if you’re planning ahead.) The reason? Local clerics and townspeople during the late 1600s made a promise to God that, if He spared Oberammergau from the Bubonic Plague, they’d stage a passion play every decade. God apparently came through, so the townspeople hold an elaborate performance in a local theater called Passionspielhaus that lasts for up to seven hours. The town itself is quiet and charming, with its population of about 800 (the Passion Play cast of thousands is largely imported); its houses are decorated in Passion motifs, and stores sell the most ornate hand-carved crucifixes I’ve seen outside of Bethlehem. After a series of tourist complaints in 2000 and 2010, though, the town reportedly struck numerous anti-Semitic references from its play, which were apparently inserted at Hitler’s insistence and never quite excised. Hopefully, Mel Gibson won’t be directing the next staging.

DAY 4: THE HILLS ARE ALIVE… AND A CUP IN MOZART’S FAVE CAFÉ

We cross over to Austria, and while winter is perhaps not the ideal time to explore the hometown of the Von Trapp family and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, it is a perfect time for Christmas shopping and ice skating near the Mozart statue. A UNESCO Heritage Site, Salzburg has much more to offer than its old claim to fame as “salt city” (the surrounding salt mines made the town rich in pre-Frigidaire days). Visit Mirabell Gardens where Maria taught the Von Trapp kids how to “do-re-mi” (and maybe do your own poses with the statues there), travel by funicular up to Hohensalzburg Castle for a grand view of the town below. Or, if you’re like me, start your Christmas shopping in the town square, then feast on a hot bowl of goulash before repairing to Café Tomaselli, a place that Mozart frequented daily, though he reportedly disliked the “moldy” lemonade there. Inside, it evokes old-world charm despite its obvious tourist clientele. Sit in a corner booth and enjoy coffee culture the Austrian way: with a rich froth, strong brew, and a spoon resting on the adjacent glass of water.

In the evenings, Insight offers optional excursions (these are paid for separately during the tour, ranging from 39 to 60 euros, so bring extra cash) that can range from a horse and carriage ride in the Tyrols, to a sunset cruise on Lake Lucerne, to a special dinner in a typical Austrian chalet that doubles as a dairy farm. We were pleased to dine with such a family, and it was a great opportunity to sit in a cozy chalet and try the local elderberry wine, home-baked bread and homegrown lamb, plus see how the family maintains its organic lifestyle.

DAY 5: STEP INTO INNSBRUCK’S TIME MACHINE

Still in Austria, we go for a bit of schnapps and cured beef in Innsbruck’s Christmas market. Other than its famed Golden Roof in the town center, decorated with 2,783 fire-gilded copper tiles for Emperor Maximilian I’s wedding, Innsbruck is nestled between majestic mountains and offers gorgeous views of the countryside and gabled houses from the Old Inn Bridge (crossing the river Inn). So many German and Austrian towns have preserved their old-world charm, despite heavy bombing during the Second World War; it’s a rare treat for Filipinos to take in life pretty much as it was 200 years ago (well, except for the modern street mimes and yoga cultists who contort for spare change on the cobblestoned streets).

On our way to Switzerland the next morning, our Insight coach passed through Liechtenstein, which is the sixth smallest country in the world. Honestly, I’ve been to Liechtenstein twice now, and I’ve yet to detect anything charming about it. Certainly, its secluded climes and airtight bank accounts have been attractive tax havens in the past, according to our Insight tour director, Rob Lintott. The city center has little to recommend it, other than public art that seems like an afterthought, and the chance to take a few quick snaps and say “I set foot in the sixth smallest country in the world.” It’s a place that, at the end of the day, doesn’t really want to be noticed; yet tour buses pass through it every day, for about an hour, before packing up and moving along.

DAY 6 & 7: LUCERNE’S LAKES AND STONE LIONS

Lucerne has a tragic story, about its Swiss Guards being hired to protect the French monarchy during the French Revolution, only to be sacrificed and massacred by angry crowds as King Louis XVI and family escaped unharmed. True, the Swiss were hired mercenaries, but that doesn’t detract from the overall effect of the Lion Monument (Löwendenkmal) carved in a sandstone cliff near the town’s center. Mark Twain called it  “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world,” with its lion figure (representing the Swiss soldiers) in death throes, protecting the French fleur-de-lis as a spear stabs its back. A more modern symbol of Swiss protection can be found at Bucherer, a nearby luxe shop that sells Victorinox Swiss Army knives (not to mention Rolexes) to eager tourists. The Christmas markets here are smaller, more social events than proper shopping venues; so perhaps instead spend the afternoon buying chocolate and enjoying a sunset cruise on Lake Lucerne, with Mt. Pilatus looming majestically in the background. Glimpse Richard Wagner’s lakeside house as you drift by, savoring the biting early December air while you quaff a local Eichoff beer, or perhaps a Lowenbrau. If the weather’s clear, take a cable car ride up the snow-capped Jungfrau and Eiger peaks. Nearer town, explore the Chapel Bridge, a 14th-century wooden structure that crosses the lake. Few photo ops are as pristine as this, capturing the beauty of this part of Europe. 

If you happen to be in town on Dec. 5, Lucerne offers one of the stranger Christmas pageants I’ve encountered: the Santa Claus Parade here involves townspeople dressed in white hoodies clanging on barrels strapped to their waists in an almost sinister procession; behind them strides St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus, followed by black-faced and black-attired folk who represent “dark forces”; periodically, these figures streak out into the watching crowds and smear the children with charcoal. Still, it’s not as bizarre as Klausjagen (“Chasing the Claus”), held in nearby Kussnacht the same night, in which townspeople clang cowbells all night long and chase Santa through town with whips. Different strokes for different folks, as they say.

DAY 7 & 8: BLACK FOREST CAKE AND CUCKOOS

Our tour winds up passing through the Black Forest, famous for its cuckoo clocks and carvings and cherry-layered chocolate cake. It’s this pine-covered countryside that led the Brothers Grimm to head into the woods, pen quills in hand, to collect local folk beliefs and lore and compile them into fairytales that are as dark as the forests themselves.

Our Winter Wonderland landed us finally in Heidelberg, which of course has a Filipino connection: Jose Rizal studied here, and also wrote poems such as “Flowers of Heidelberg” during his stay. There is reputedly a statue of Rizal somewhere in this university town, though you’d have to work your way through a lot of schnitzel, carousels and Christmas markets to find it in snowy December.

* * *

Insight Travel’s Winter Wonderland Tour is offered again next November through December. Contact Rajah Travel at 523-8801/894-0886 or visit rajahtravel.com for details.