Bavaria, for those of you too busy to google it, is the southern part of Germany, sort of like a state. It is known for being beautiful, wealthy, and extremely traditional in its German ways. I'm going to go ahead ahead and say right now that this is a pretty accurate description.
The countryside of Munich reminds me much of the countryside of southern Ohio, with rolling hills, emerald-green grass, farms, cows and small villages scattered throughout. The main difference would obviously be the looming Alps in the backdrop. They are maaaaaaaarrrrrveeeloooooooous! Winter adds a charming, winter-wonderland, "I'm-in-a-movie" feel to this beautiful backdrop.
Downtown Munich, however, is quite a bit more elegant than any town Ohio has to offer (sorry, Cedarville, but it's just true).
Munich's bustling city center is pedestrian only, for about half a mile. It's filled with theaters & shops of every kind, and is as crowded every evening as Chicago's Michigan Avenue on a holiday weekend.
I believe the main reasons for this are:
1. There's no other real place to go shopping
2. On Sundays, everything shuts down
3. After 8pm, everything shuts down
Thus, it is constantly crowded, as people try to make it in to find what they need before the shops close, again.
During Christmas time (Weinnachtszeit), it is particularly lovely, with hundreds of booths and tents set up to sell Christmas drinks, food, and gifts. Here you will find little hand-carved, wooden trinkets, hand-made mittens, socks, toys, and cookie hearts on a string (these are very popular for some reason probably linked to tradition, but they are nasty. Be fairly warned...). Everything is decorated for Christmas, and it's so crowded during this time, despite the cold, that it's similar to walking through a crowded house-party.
Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the festivities this year, d/t flying to South Africa just after Munich set itself up for Christmas. But you can picture it in your head, right? If you live in Chicago, you have probably seen the mini-version set up on Daly Plaza. It probably looks like this: http://v9.lscache2.c.bigcache.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/16908738.jpg
or this:
http://vfinance.vn/Data/Images/2009/11/27/Vfinance_germany_2005_christmas_market_weihnachten_markt_chris_kringle_kris_muenchen_---_munich_024.jpg
Another tradition of Bavaria is to dress in traditional dirndls and lederhosen on the weekends. For example:
Notice the painted background in the above photo, celebrating clothing choice...
While the northern Germans think it's a bit odd, in the south, it is totally normal here to wear traditional dress, and not just on special occasions. In fact, the dirndl is an entire niche business. Fancy dirndls (the dresses) cost upward of 600 Euro....about $900- who knew! While I did not, in fact, buy a fancy dirndl, visitors will find me at the airport to greet them in something akin to traditional German-wear. This is my gift to you, for coming all the way out here just for a visit. You may or may not want this gift...but I bet you do.
Downtown Munich, however, is quite a bit more elegant than any town Ohio has to offer (sorry, Cedarville, but it's just true).
Munich's bustling city center is pedestrian only, for about half a mile. It's filled with theaters & shops of every kind, and is as crowded every evening as Chicago's Michigan Avenue on a holiday weekend.
I believe the main reasons for this are:
1. There's no other real place to go shopping
2. On Sundays, everything shuts down
3. After 8pm, everything shuts down
Thus, it is constantly crowded, as people try to make it in to find what they need before the shops close, again.
During Christmas time (Weinnachtszeit), it is particularly lovely, with hundreds of booths and tents set up to sell Christmas drinks, food, and gifts. Here you will find little hand-carved, wooden trinkets, hand-made mittens, socks, toys, and cookie hearts on a string (these are very popular for some reason probably linked to tradition, but they are nasty. Be fairly warned...). Everything is decorated for Christmas, and it's so crowded during this time, despite the cold, that it's similar to walking through a crowded house-party.
Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the festivities this year, d/t flying to South Africa just after Munich set itself up for Christmas. But you can picture it in your head, right? If you live in Chicago, you have probably seen the mini-version set up on Daly Plaza. It probably looks like this: http://v9.lscache2.c.bigcache.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/16908738.jpg
or this:
http://vfinance.vn/Data/Images/2009/11/27/Vfinance_germany_2005_christmas_market_weihnachten_markt_chris_kringle_kris_muenchen_---_munich_024.jpg
Another tradition of Bavaria is to dress in traditional dirndls and lederhosen on the weekends. For example:
While the northern Germans think it's a bit odd, in the south, it is totally normal here to wear traditional dress, and not just on special occasions. In fact, the dirndl is an entire niche business. Fancy dirndls (the dresses) cost upward of 600 Euro....about $900- who knew! While I did not, in fact, buy a fancy dirndl, visitors will find me at the airport to greet them in something akin to traditional German-wear. This is my gift to you, for coming all the way out here just for a visit. You may or may not want this gift...but I bet you do.
