munich christmas market

on our way back from the olympic park, we saw a poster of the christmas tram on the train. mama knows a bit deutsch, so she was able to check the venue and time of the tram. the tram ran from 3.30pm to 7pm at half an hour interval, and today (23 dec) was the last day.

a tourist guide told us the tram was more for locals, and it turned out to be a crowd packed event. when we arrived at the station at 3.30pm, we could only book the tickets for 4.30pm. the christmas tram was actually called "christkind" tram in deutsch, so it was just for us. there were also a lot of humans bringing their kids on the tram.

when the tram started to move, some humans around the station waved to us. this is the same tradition as with puffing billy in australia. berrie stood in front of the window, and she immediately attracted all the attention of humans. indeed, this was expected from a star penguin.

the christmas tram decor was very cozy. german christmas carols were soft and warm. the tram passed through main streets of munich, the 2nd to last stop was marienplatz where the christmas market was held. the market was a sea of lights and humans. we couldn't wait to go there.

a full circle took half an hour, and we went back to sendlinger tor, where we took a train back to marientplatz. we were there during the day, but the night market felt very different. the christmas atmosphere was overwhelming. all stalls were beautifully lighted. the air was filled with the aroma of sizzling sausages. a sausage of half a meter long costs 4 euros, which was very tempting to papa. there were many menus but all in deutsch, which was beyond mama's comprehension. but most humans were trying hamburg with sausages, and a special cheery smelled hot wine. a lot of shops were selling handicrafts. some were also selling fluffy friends. we felt sorry for them because it was the last night of the christmas market and they were still waiting for humans to take them home. but we were glad to see some were being rescued.

i have to say that the market was attractive because of its christmas feel. the items were not particularly unique, and food were actually not very healthy. the market was not very big, if comparing to those in taipei and seoul. but to locals perhaps this is the most important time of the year, and they just want to enjoy the atmosphere. it would definitely feel different if we were there hanging around with local friends.