Wednesday, December 28, 2011

A Very Bavarian Christmas Part 1

When I told people that I didn't celebrate Christmas and my family home doesn't put up a tree, I was met with a degree of horror - remember, Munich is in a region that has public holidays based on religious dates - Himmelfahrt, anyone?! Anyway, Jul invited me home to her Bavarian village to give me the whole Bavarian Christmas Experience and, with the exception of the lack of snow, I sure got it!


The first step on my way in the Experience, we went to her village's Christkindlmarkt and had some gluhwein and the local sausage - Knackwurst in semmel!
A pork sausage in a bread roll served with sweet mustard, gherkins and horseradish. Miam!

After this, I helped them decorate the (real) tree. It smelled just as purdy as it looks!

As a side story, after dressing the tree, we had to hide it because the next day, Jul's nephew was coming over and the local story is that the Baby Jesus dresses the tree - when he's done, his angels ring a little bell!

Anyway, I also agreed to go to a Catholic Christmas service. Originally we were going to go to Midnight Mass (which oddly takes place at 10pm) but it was decided that at 2.5 years, Jul's nephew is still too young to handle sitting still in a church for that long at that time. Instead, we went to an evening mass where we got to watch the village kids perform the Nativity play...auf Bairish which made it even less comprehensible to me than normal!
The church. Cute.

The view from the church over the village.

After church we went home and had a three course meal. The first two courses were cheese, pear and walnut salad followed by a meat main of veal stuffed with scallops. I was too busy eating them to photograph but I got the dessert!
Ice cream with chocolate sauce and raspberry coulis

Miam.

And then the finish the day, I helped Jul's dad drink some kirschwasser (cherry flavoured liqueur)...it burned!!!

Coming soon - more Christmas happenings!

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