bavaria

It’s dark and cold outside, but that doesn’t seem to bother the hundreds of people moving around in the open square, walking from stall to stall. Twinkling lights illuminate the Marktplatz as visitors drink mulled wine with friends, eat a bratwurst on Brötchen, or snack on some Mandeln. Others buy handmade gifts for loved ones, while parents take their children for rides on the Karussel. It’s Christmastime in Germany, and with the season comes the traditional Weihnachtsmarkt.German Christmas markets have been a tradition since the seventeenth century. Originally meant to entice churchgoers to attend services, the markets have since turned into a more commercial venture for businesses, restaurants, and entertainers. Many of the larger cities like Frankfurt, Berlin, and Leipzig run their Christmas markets from the end of November until the week before Christmas. Small towns also have their own Christmas markets that span just one weekend.

Thinking about the Germany of days past conjures up images of a lederhosen-wearing, beer-slinging, sausage-consuming folk. In Bavaria, the most southern of the German states, such scenes still pepper the countryside. Bavaria is also one of the most beautiful German states with its forests, rolling hills, and the Alps mountain range gracing its southernmost border. Capitalizing on Bavaria’s beauty, enterprising travel agents in post-war Germany created the Romantischestraße out of an old medieval trade route. Known in English as the Romantic Road, this highway stretches 221 miles through Bavaria and leads from Würzburg in the north to Füssen in the deep south.