Christmas in Germany

 Yes, those are real candles on the Tannenbaum...

Christmas 2008 will be the first Christmas we did not spend in Canada, and although we were away from home, we were in the next best place - staying with Marcus' family in Munich.  Rosi, Gerhard and Moni were perfect hosts and we were thrilled to have a place to just hang out and recover from three and a half months of travel.

Rosi and Gerhard had just moved into the newly restored and renovated ancestral home (she grew up there) on the outskirts of Munich in a town called Allach.  Just across the street the Wurm river flows quickly, and if you follow this river for about 1 km in the summer you reach an outdoor bier garden nicely situated among the trees and water. 

Most of our time in Munich was spent planning food, eating food and wishing we hadn't overindulged. In one memorable event, Marcus was invited to Gerhard's Christmas tradition of gathering on Christmas Eve morning at a Munich tavern, where they enjoyed a specialty beer (from a wooden keg) as well as Weisswurst. Beer and sausages are rarely enjoyed at 10:30 am where we come from, but Marcus suggested he could get used to it...

Christmas Eve was celebrated with a meal of goose and potato dumplings, expertly and laboriously prepared by Rosi, followed by an exchange of gifts. The following day, we met Monika's partner, Stefan, over brunch.

New Year's Eve was also enjoyed at home, with a delicious meal of venison, capped off by an incredible display of fireworks across the neighbourhood.

 During this time, we also drove to the town of Oberammergau, where we met with Marcus' cousin Christian, Uncle Franz, and Aunt Eleanor. We shared a meal while catching up, having not seen them in several years. Two days later, we again joined them for a lunch, followed by a visit to the town of Mindelheim. There, we met up with Marcus' cousin Andrea and her husband, Josef, and their two children, Markus and Marina. It was great to see them again and be entertained by this musical family. Marina and Josef played Christmas tunes in a saxophone duet and then Markus showed off his skills on the drums. The older Marcus was persuaded to become reacquainted with the drums, but stopped quickly out of sheer embarrassment.

As our days in Germany neared an end, we became increasingly busy with planning and booking the next weeks' travel...on to warmer climes.

Enjoying a traditional Brotessen in the old Bachmann family home...