This Christmas, Jim and I had the great fortune of venturing out to Germany and Austria for the holidays. We met up with or dear friends from Monterey, the Bolins for some Christmas cheer and exploring of the city together. It was a wonderful way to spend Christmas!
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| One of the many huge, beautiful palaces around Munich. We stopped here on our bus tour on Christmas Day. |
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| So many beautiful churches in Munich! Two thirds of the Christian population is Catholic and one third is Lutheran. |
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| Rathaus Glockenspiel - A giant clock in the tower of the Old Town Hall that chimes three times a day. |
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| Jim at the Olympic Park in Munich, home of the 1972 Olympics. |
We got a little taste of the Christmas markets while we were in Budapest which only made us more excited to check them out in Munich. We had heard that the Germans really know how to celebrate Christmas! On our first night in town we stumbled upon the largest Christmas market in the city. It was in a large park. The smell of sausage, cabbage and gluhwein (mulled wine) filled the air. In all honesty, the number of people and booths was a little intimidating but we managed to find a place to sit and enjoy our dinner and drinks. Unfortunately, all of the markets wrapped up around 2pm on Christmas Eve so we didn't get to spend as much time at them as we would have liked but it was still great fun to see all the booths selling food, drinks, ornaments, nativities and all kinds of other Christmas wares.
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| Tiny Christmas trees and red berries for sale. |
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| One of the beautifully decorated mulled wine mugs. When you buy a mulled wine, you put down a deposit and get your deposit back when you return the mug...or you can keep the mug! Each market has a different and creative mug. |
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| Santa! I know him! |
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| Lots of Christmas decor being sold, most of it handmade locally. |
The Bolins arrived on Christmas Eve and we met up with them at the famous Hofbrauhaus for some beer and local German food and to celebrate Bede's birthday. The friendly atmosphere and community tables made it a great way to spend the holiday. At 10pm Christmas Eve we went to a midnight mass. It was in an absolutely beautiful cathedral in the middle of town. The mass was so packed that it was standing room only! We stood in the back for the two hour mass that was really more like a Christmas concert in German. It was well worth it though to have this beautiful worshipful experience on Christmas Eve. The following morning, we met back up with the Bolins and took a Christmas day bus tour around the city. It gave us just enough of a taste of the city to convince us to come back and wander around more when the weather is warmer!
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| What a beautiful family! |
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| Edith is such a great baby. She has loved her adventures around Europe with her mom and dad! |
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| What is better than spending Christmas Eve at Hofbrauhaus Beer Hall in Munich? Spending it with great friends! |
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| Jim with his new girlfriend, Edith. |
On the day after Christmas, we bid auf wiedersehen to the Bolins and ventured our on our own to Salzburg, Austria. The train ride from Munich was less than two hours and some of the most beautiful scenery we've ever seen. The German countryside was white with a fresh coat of the first snow of the season. Both countries were excited that the snow has finally arrived and it certainly made for incredible views for us. As we wandered around the beautiful Mirabell Gardens, the snow really started to fall. It was so picturesque and romantic!
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| View of the Hohensalzburg Fortress from the Mirabell Gardens. |
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| Horse drawn carriage in the snow! |
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| We were lucky that the Christmas markets in Salzburg didn't close down until the 26th so were able to enjoy the festive atmosphere for one more evening! |
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| One afternoon we hiked up the mountain to the Hohensalzburg Fortress. We paused for a photo about halfway up. |
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| It boasts a fantastic view of the city! Jim was in awe of the defensive considerations of a fortress of this size and strategic position...I just thought it was beautiful! |
Our second morning in Salzburg we went on a Sound of Music bus tour. Salzburg is the home of the real von Trapp family singers and also where the movie was filmed. The movie was based on the real family's story leading up to the outbreak of World War II. It was so fun to see some of the spots that were familiar from the movie. Our adorable little Austrian tour guide was so passionate about the Sound of Music that her excitement was contagious. On our way back at the end of the tour, she even had a bus full of people singing along!
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| Jim with the famous gazebo. "I am sixteen, going on seventeen!" |
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| This is the palace that was used in the filming of the movie for the back on the von Trapp home. A different palace was used for the front. This property is now owned by Harvard and used as a retreat and lecture center. |
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| Our tour bus! |
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| The church with the red onion dome is the abbey both where Maria actually was a nun and where the abbey scenes for the movie were shot. |
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| The bus stopped on the way to the lake and mountain district for a photo. Everything was absolutely beautiful (and cold!) after the season's first snow. |
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| This is the church where Maria and the Barron were married in the movie. |
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| Here is the inside. Does it look familiar? |
This was the first time Jim and I had spent a Christmas together not in Tennessee. This had been something we knew would happen one day and we'd talked about some of the things we'd miss. Waking up Christmas morning in a hotel was a feeling I find difficult to describe. We were surrounded by a beautiful city and exciting adventures but we weren't able to follow through with many of our usual traditions. While this was a little disappointing we realized we had a incredible opportunity to see the traditions of other cultures and fellow travelers like ourselves.
It was really interesting to see how other people mark the important events of their lives. In Munich the majority of celebration took place on Christmas Eve, while in Salzburg, Christmas Day was the big day. Back in Podgorica, New Years Eve preparations took on an urgency, uncharacteristic of our adopted city. The grocery stores were filled with people buying incredible amounts of food to prepare fantastic feasts. We joined in the hustle and hosted our last dinner party of 2014. While there weren't any organized celebrations in Podgorica, the skyline lit up with fireworks to welcome 2015. Jim and I had such an exciting year and thank all of you for the love and support you've given us. We look forward to continuing to share our adventures through 2015 and hope you can join us.
From both of us we want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We love you and miss you all!
The Adventuring Armstrongs
