TRAVEL
QUINTESSENTIALLY CHRISTMAS
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Will Taylor rediscovers the magic of Christmas on a festive trip to
Germany’s picturesque Munich, where brass bands, twinkling lights,
and the scent of Glühwein fill the city throughout December
Standing in the middle of Munich’s largest market,
Viktualienmarkt, it was hard not to be whipped up into the
festive frenzy that was building all around me. Adults and
children alike hurried eagerly from each hut to the next, joined
by their shared excitement for the eclectic array of handmade
decorations and food presented at each stall. Peppered
between the traditional wooden huts, which were festooned
with red and white cloth, fairy lights, and fresh garlands scented
with cinnamon sticks, stood little Christmas trees, each simply
decorated in twinkling white lights. The experience of my first
German Christmas market or Christkindlmarkt was a sensory
delight: steam drifted gently from Mulled Wine (Glühwein)
barrels; cinnamon and orange garlands were hung with
abandon from every hut; the scent of pine was ever-present
thanks to an abundance of Christmas trees; the aroma of hot
chestnuts roasting and grilled sausages was just around each
corner. It all made for a heady mix as a weekend of holiday
cheer lay ahead.
I didn’t know it at the time but my first experience of a
German Christmas market at the Viktualienmarket was to be
the first of many during my trip—the city had more than 15
Christmas markets to choose from during December, including
a Medieval Christmas market with gospel singing at the
Stephansplatz and a gay pink Christmas market located at the
