Fröhe Weihnachten

Neupfarrplatz Christkindlmarkt

For the third time in six years I am spending Christmas in a foreign land. Regensburg, with its old buildings lining cobblestone streets, looks especially festive when decorated for Christmas. Almost every square in the town has a Christmas market or Christkindlmarkt, which literally means "Christ Child Market" because in the German tradition it's the baby Jesus who brings the presents. This of course sounds ridiculous to Americans who know that gifts are brought by a magical obese man propelled by flying reindeer, who breaks into your house through the chimney and brings presents from his sweat shop at the north pole staffed by elves held in perpetual slavery. December in Germany is indeed cold (we've already had some snow but no White Christmas this year) but the weather is still mild enough that a heavy coat and some Glühwein make spending time outside no problem. The worst thing about the Christmas markets is that they are often packed like a high-density feed lot. The crowd moves through the rows of festive huts shoulder to shoulder, you basically just step into a human tide and make your way through the market until you break off to look at some items for sale or buy something to eat or drink. It is for this reason that try to go to the markets mid week when the crowd isn't so bad.

Schloss von Thurn & Taxis

Glühwein of course is the most popular thing to drink, often with a shot of rum or amaretto in it. Most is made from red wine, but there are varieties with white, also popular is a variety made from raspberry wine. The big daddy of them all is Feuerzangenbowle which literally translates to "fire-screen-bowl" and consists of a sugar log soaked in high-proof rum that is lit afire, dripping into the bowl of wine, spices, and orange slices. It is pretty delicious, but will also give you the worst hangover of your life if you have too many at a Christmas party. Some Christmas markets will have a copper bowl the size of a small hot tub brewing the stuff up, but people also commonly make it at home for Christmas parties because it makes a good spectacle.

The most typical food of course is sausage, and Regensburg has a really tasty local treat. It consists of a fat red sausage that is sliced in half and grilled, then served in a bread roll with a pickle, sweet coarse ground mustard, and horseradish. It is pretty amazing and definitely superior to the average bratwurst sold in the markets, which is the same thing you could get any other time of year without the markup! There are of course a lot of sweets. Hot spiced nuts are popular, especially almonds, as is Kaiserschmarrn, the favorite treat of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, hence its name. It is basically a fluffy, eggy pancake chopped up and served with powdered sugar and some type of fruit topping, usually applesauce or berries, sometimes topped with amaretto just to really take the gluttony to the next level. A similar resembles a sweet dumpling that is usually served with a vanilla sauce and also sometimes with amaretto called Dampfnudel. 

By far the best Christmas market in Regensburg is the the Schloss Thurn & Taxis, the cities palace and seat of the Thurn & Taxis family, one of the richest in Germany. There is a fee to get in but the palace is beautifully lit up and it isn't so crowded because it is spread out across the expansive grounds of the palace. The quality of the food, drinks, and crafts inside is also superior.  I went there last week with a group of Italian girls going to school in Venice, whose university has a partner program with Regensburg. I recognized one of them from my building and introduced myself when we were waiting for the bus, and it turns out that they all live in the same complex as me.

While there I discovered a food stand with big hunks of meat slowly cooking on a spit, just my style. I got two rolls from there, one with crackling pork in it and the other having ham with a creamy raspberry spread, which I washed down with some apple Glühwein. There are big fires spread throughout the palatial grounds for people to gather around and warm up, and many of the paths are lined with big candles. One of the coolest parts is in the old gatehouse, pretty much the only medieval part that remains on the grounds. The inside is lit with torches and candles, and it houses a Glühwein stand of course. It was well below freezing that night and the walk back to the bus was pretty frigid, but it was well worth it to visit such a festive place.



As for me I am staying in Regensburg over the break. Having a dinner with a couple other people who are sticking around for Christmas, and looking forward to New Years Eve when most people will be back in town to celebrate. I want to wish everyone a Fröhe Weihnachten and hope you all had a great 2013, I'll write again next year.