First stop: Munich!

When my friend Judith asked me in October whether I would like to join her, her boyfriend, and her family in Budapest for Christmas, I was jumping up and down screaming of course I would love to!! So 2 months later I was frantic in my room packing my bags for an awesome winter break vacation.

Everything sort of happen on its own. While looking for transportation to Budapest I realized that I couldn't afford a direct train ticket to Budapest since they were running at at least 130 euros one way. I searched around and found an awesome bus company, FlixBus, which was only 25 euros from Göttingen to Munich from where I could then catch a train to Budapest for only 39 euros. A much more affordable option, and so happy I did it this way! Instead of just travelling to Budapest over Christmas break, I got to visit Munich, Budapest, and Prague!! Turns out that from Budapest to Prague there are regular tickets that go for only 19 euros!! Since Prague is on the way to Göttingen, I decided to spend a couple of days in Prague on my way back home. An incredible Christmas gift to myself!

The bus ride to Munich went faster than expected. It was an 8 1/2 hour trip that felt more like 4. At the bus station I met a righteous girl named Sarah with whom I chat along for hours on the bus. Because at one point we had to change buses at Nürnberger, Sarah and I decided to venture to the famous Christkindlesmarkt in Nürnberger. This Christmas market is known to be one of the most beautiful and traditional market in Bavaria, and a famous travel destination for tourist. There we spent a good hour sipping on some very hot glühwein, wondering through food and souvenir stands, and watching the crowds get larger.

I spent the night at a hostel called Jaeger´s Hostel, which was less than ok, but for 11 euros I couldn't expect more. The rooms were very clean but the people were very loud. Probably was woken up about 5 times throughout the night... big bummer. Nevertheless, there I met a really cool guy from Brazil, Patrick. This awesome fellow had more stories than my grandmother. A business analyst who was aiming to become an opera singer!! He was one of the sweetest person I've met in a very long time, always smiling, always something positive to say about life. Loved it! In February he debuts in Les Misérables in Brazil. Break a leg Patrick!!

Munich is a wonderful city, so much to do, so much to see. Because I was there for a short period of time I didn't visit all the places I would have liked to, but from what I saw, I know I would like to come back... probably during Oktoberfest. I went straight from my hostel to Marienplatz, a beautiful square in the city center of Munich. There you can catch a view of the enormous and ornate Neues Rathaus. It will leave you staring for hours.

 
From this platz you can also see the famous Glockenspiel in the tower. Every day at 11 am it chimes and re-enacts two stories from the 16th century. The show lasts about 15 minutes depending on the tune... sliiiightly overrate! After managing to escape the crowd of tourists that inundate this platz, I wondered the city for hours. Managed to visit a few markets, the Medieval Christmas market being my favorite. Walked through small allies that lead to beautiful sites. Sipped coffee at the park and saw more and more impressive buildings. All in all an amazing start to an epic winter break vacation.  Details on Budapest and Prague coming soon!

       
         xoxo,
         Gabby

   
   
 

Frohe Weihnachten!

Hello everyone,

Merry Christmas!! I hope these holidays are full of love, happiness, and health for you all!! Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, and even though I know Santa Claus is total baloney, I can't help but love the spirit of this holiday. Maybe because the whole city is light up with colorful lights, or maybe it is the ever-present smell of pine tree everywhere you go, or maybe the fact that people seem more happy in general, regardless of the reason, I am a total sucker for Christmas. This year, I got to experience a bit of what Christmas is like in Germany, and let me tell you, Germans really know how to celebrate this holiday. Like many other countries they have a lot of special traditions. The one I loved most however is their amazing Weihnachten Markts. These lovely Christmas markets are a gem in Deutschland. They start sometime in early December and go until a few days past Christmas eve. Here, you will find everything from Glühwein, sausages, sauerkraut, warm sweet roasted almonds, chocolates, ferry rides, and all sorts of other fun stuff. You'll find everyone from kids, parents, grandparents, teenagers, and young adults. The market is for everyone! I probably visited the one at Göttingen about two times a week because I loved it so much! Definitely a tradition I would love to bring back with me to the states. 

Here I share with you the recipe for some delicious Glühwein. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

Much love to all of you special folks and hope you are having a wonderful time with your love ones!

Glühwein:

• 750 ml red wine 
• 1/2 cup of organic lemon
• 80 g sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 10 cloves
• juice from 2 oranges (or orange juice)
• 125 ml orange liqueur (such as Cointreau)

Step 1 

Put all the ingredients except for the orange liqueur in a saucepan and mix well. Cover and leave on low heat until it slowly gets hot (until the wine is lightly foam on the surface). Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Step 2 

Pour the orange liqueur and stir. Turn off the heat, cover the saucepan, and let it sit for 3-5 minutes. Then pour into large heat-resistant glasses and drink the mulled wine very hot! Enjoy!

Die Nikoparty!

My dearest,

Tanja, me, Marina at Die Nikoparty

Now that I am finally done with lectures (at least for the next 2 weeks), I can fill you in with some details of the last month. Well, it is Christmas, and like in many other countries, Germany has special traditions of its own. Around mid December there is the big party in Göttingen called Die Nikoparty. In celebration of St. Nicholas day the university is transformed into one of the largest college parties in all of Germany. Being that this is exclusive to Göttingen, Göttingers are very proud of this event and for a very good reason. It is a HUGE party, and it brings thousands of people to campus. It starts early in the evening. Everyone is gathered into different rooms to watch the famous German movie Die Feuerzangenbowle. The movie is from the 1940's and frankly, I really really liked it. It's tradition that while watching it, at selected scenes, you either whistle, drink, light up sparklers, or cheer along with the crowd. Soon after the movie is over, you head straight to the center of the party to be welcomed by the Göttinger Symphonie. It's really amazing to see an orchestra on campus!! Glühwein along with beer is sold in stalls, and rock n roll. techno, and sometimes really cheesy songs are played all night. The party goes on until close to 4am. Here's a video of the symphony before the real party started: