Baylor Family Croatia, Slovenia and Trieste 2019, Chapter 13: A small but engaging Christmas market in Bled.

Previously, we didn't jump in the lake -- we walked around it.

For the second year in a row, and the third time since 2009, our European travels coincided with the Christmas holiday season during the period when holiday markets and fairs spring up all across the continent.

Of course, by "our" I mean Roger and Diana: We've taken in Christmas markets twice in Germany (2009 in Bamberg and 2018 in Munich), and once in Slovenia last month. The Christmas market opened in Lake Bled on the day we arrived, as did Ljubljana's and Zagreb's annual versions. The Christmas season in Trieste began the weekend after we returned home.

Actually there was another time long ago when I found myself in Europe during the holidays. This came when I was teaching English in Košice, a city then in Czechoslovakia, now part of independent Slovakia. I stayed there through Christmas of 1991, then into early 1992. I've no recollection of a Christmas market or fair in Košice during my presence.

Conversely my memories of Košice on St. Nicholas Day (December 6) and both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are very clear. A few of my students were very kind, opening their homes and including me in their galas. I also remember quite well the low-key, non-consumerist vibe of the season, as well as the happiness when the street vendors began selling farm-raised carp from big street-side tubs. It's a traditional Slovak Christmas meal.

Were I to hazard a guess, it's that in 1991 communism hadn't been gone long enough for older traditions to return. For corroborating evidence, a web page for Košice's 2019 Christmas Market refers to it as the 25th celebration, which would place the first one in 1995, four years after my stint at university hospital.

Maybe some day we can go to Košice for Christmas, and this sentiment might surprise some readers. It shouldn't. As an example, the Christmas market in Bled proved to be small but filled with heart. It was equipped for any visitor to eat, drink, shop for arts and crafts, and celebrate the festive season with friends -- or strangers. The idea is to socialize, irrespective of the weather or one's own religious perspective. The locals were welcoming, and the were having fun. So were we.

To be truthful, "carnival" food always attracts my attention. This absolutely delicious item is called posmodulja.

Take a close look at the woman working and the oven setup to the right.

It's the same people who are explaining posmodulja in this video; it's in Slovenian, although visuals are enough.

Coincidentally there's an English-language description of posmodulja from a blogger who probably visited the very same summertime gastronomy festival depicted in the video.

We stumbled upon a Gastronomy Festival, which showcased food from all over Slovenia. It had a very Christmas Market-esque feel to it, and we couldn’t decide what to try! Ultimately, we decided to get a “posmodulja,” which is an old, almost forgotten Slovenian dish: dough leftovers, kneaded into a round shape, spread with a mixture of sour cream, herbs, or minced bacon, topped with cheese, and baked in the oven. It was prepared and cooked in a brick oven in front of us, and absolutely delicious! It tasted similar to a white pizza with garlic and rosemary, and it was oh so very tasty!

Yes, the posmodulja was quite tasty. So was this foot-long Carniolan sausage with mild kraut.

"Carniolan" refers to the former Duchy of Carniola, the historical boundaries of which comprise roughly half of Slovenia's population.

A different pass-through at Lake Bled's Christmas market yielded a tender, medium-rare beef carpaccio and roasted potatoes. Kremna rezina (cream cake; there'll be a separate post about it) was there, and cans of Slovenian beer were readily available, along with the inevitable mulled wine.

Following are a few views of Bled (the town) and Lake Bled (the attraction) during the Christmas season.

Next, a favorite Bled pub ... since 1903.

12 Days of Slovenia & Trieste (Part 7): Christmas Market

In 2018 we made a pre-Christmas excursion to Munich. It was memorable.

Munich Tales 2018: Christmas markets are special in Germany, and so it looks like some mulled wine for us.

Bavarian Christmas Interlude 2018, Saturday: English Garden, Chinese Tower, Bavarian Christmas market, more beer, and just a little bit of food.

Christmas markets in Europe are not confined to Germany, and I was pleased to see the Slovene version in Bled opening on the day of our arrival.

Have I become somewhat less Grinch-like? Maybe, maybe not.

Christmas markets in Europe are alright by me, first and foremost because they're ... in Europe, and not America where things get tacky, quickly.

Moreover, these seasonal assemblies embrace a big element of eating and drinking -- always a preferred pastime for a trencherman like me, even if it means bundling up. The locals come out in force.

Why not tourists, too?

Join us by the lake from 29 November 2019 to 5 January 2020! The Winter Fairy tale will be open from Monday to Thursday from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM and 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

The stands will offer genuine local dishes and drinks, as well as creative festive gifts.

There will be a music program on weekends (Saturday, Sunday).

St. Nicholas', Santa Claus' and Grandfather Frost' post office will be open every day. Animation programme by Land of Slovenian Folk Tales on saturdays and sundays afternoon (between 15:00 and 18:00).

Do not miss: exhibition of life-size nativity sets, a super-sized Christmas chair under the biggest natural Christmas tree, the power of love on the wheel of romance and Bled ice rink with a view.

Munich Tales 2018: The city's stellar airport should be a festive place to say goodbye to Christmas in Germany.

That's right. The airport, where we'll be on Christmas Eve as the way back home begins.

Munich Airport's Christmas Market Has 2 Ice Rinks and Almost 500 Real Trees, by Katherine Lagrave (Conde Nast Traveler)

Strap on some ice skates and sip some Glühwein on your next layover.

Nobody does Christmas quite like Germany, and as it turns out, nobody does holiday airport shopping quite like Germany either. On November 17, Munich Airport opened its 44-stall Christmas market amid nearly 500 (real) pine trees in the covered space between its airport terminals, meaning travelers facing a long layover can now do more than just flip through the latest Der Spiegel in Germany's version of Hudson News.

It's not just local handicrafts and seasonal treats like Glühwein, sweet roasted almonds, bratwurst, and Rahmfleckerl, a flatbread-like dish with cream, bacon, and chopped chives. The centerpiece of the market is a 50-foot tall Christmas tree decorated with 5,000 lights and 3,000 bulbs—but the main attraction is a big (especially for an airport) skating rink with free entry; visitors can rent skates for a "small" fee ...

... The market, in its 20th year, isn't the only notable thing about Munich Airport: It was ranked Europe’s first five-star airport by Skytrax in 2017, the best airport in Europe for the eleventh time in 13 years, and the sixth-best airport worldwide in the World Airport Awards 2018, with the second-best terminal in the world. In addition to its seasonal Winterlicher Zauberlandschaft (that's Winter Wonderland, to you), the airport also has Europe's largest roofed-in beer garden, a dedicated kids' center, and an alpine-themed restaurant where you can dine in a gondola from a real ski lift.

As we return home, a closing overview of Christmas in Germany, courtesy of Deutsche Welle.

10 things you should know before celebrating Christmas in Germany

Stock your pantry and keep your fire extinguisher handy. Here are 10 things you should know ahead of Christmas in Germany.

10. It's not over until the ... children sing

Christmas begins with Advent in late November and the holiday itself lasts three whole days, so it's only fitting that Christmas gradually come to a close in Germany. Officially, it's not over until Epiphany, or Three Kings' Day, on January 6. Typically, children dress like the Three Wise Men who visited Jesus in the manger, according to the Bible, and go door to door singing traditional songs.

Bavarian Christmas Interlude 2018, Saturday: English Garden, Chinese Tower, Bavarian Christmas market, more beer, and just a little bit of food.

Diana and I visited Bavaria (Munich and Bamberg) just before Christmas. Prior to departure, there was a series entitled Munich Tales 2018. This is the fifth of seven installments summarizing what we did, saw, ate and drank. They're being back-dated to the day we were there.

Previously: EuroLeague basketball game between Bayern München and Real Madrid.
Next: Wrapping it up with a visit to Paulaner Nockherberg.

Through the end of our stay, rain was predicted. It held off on Saturday, and so we chose to roam in mechanized fashion, as opposed to Tuesday's and Wednesday's long walks. It was decided to enhance our mobility on Saturday by purchasing a day pass on public transit. Until midnight, the two of us would be able to ride to our heart's content for slightly less than $20.

Boarding a convenient bus, we set off for Englische (or Englischer) Garten, where I'd last set foot in 1989.

The Englische Garten (“English Garden”) is one of the largest urban parks in the world. The layout has undergone constant change throughout the centuries as new buildings and green spaces were added time and again.

It all started in 1789 when Elector Carl Theodor ordered that a public park be established along the Isar River. He put the project in the hands of the Briton Benjamin Thompson, who worked at the time for the Bavarian Army. The park was given the name Englische Garten because it was laid out in the style of an English country park.

Today the Englische Garten offers numerous leisure time activities. Cyclists and joggers train on the 78-kilometer-long (48.5 miles) network of paths, and amateur soccer players meet on the fields for recreational games. A beautiful vista of the city if offered by the Monopteros, which was added to the park landscape along with the hill in 1836.

I remember the beer garden very well, and recall it serving Löwenbräu in those days.

With 7,000 spots, the beer garden in the Englische Garten, right by the Chinese Tower, is Munich’s second largest. This distinctive pagoda is 25 meters (approx. 75 feet) high and is based on a design from 1789. The tower has burned down several times over the years, but each time it has been rebuilt true to the design of the original.

Although we knew there was a Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) at the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower), expectations were low -- and yet it was our favorite.

A Munich Christmas Market at the Chinese Tower, by Helen Page

The Chinesischer Turm Weihnachtsmarkt (Chinese Tower Christmas Market) is an unusual name for a German Christmas Market and it is so called because in the middle of the market grounds stands a giant Chinese pagoda. The 25-metre high wooden Chinese Tower is one of the attractions in Munich’s famous Englischer Garten (English Garden) and, except for the Christmas season, it is also the venue of one of the largest beer gardens in the city ...

 ... Although the Chinese Tower Christmas Market is not well-known to international visitors, it is very popular with locals and we arrive at the market to see streams of cars queueing to get into the carpark. It is quite a busy market and being Sunday, families come to have their lunch here, catch up with friends and relatives and to do some last minute Christmas shopping.

Here's the overview.

That's right: curling.

After an orientation of the market, we walked a 30-minute loop through the garden.

Afterwards, it was lunch time, beginning with a big red bratwurst for me, Currywurst for Diana, and a Hofbräu Hefeweizen each.

Then I noticed the Schupfnudeln.

These are little potato finger dumplings, cooked with sauerkraut and gravy from pork drippings in a enlarged pan, like paella, then topped with grated cheese.

I don't say "OMG" often, but will in this instance. Sated, we caught another bus and worked our way toward the Maximilianeum, a 19th-century behemoth squatting atop the ridge on the right bank of the Isar.

To the rear of the Maximilianeum on Innere Wiener Strasse lies the Hofbräukeller am Wiener Platz. Generally in Bavarian beer-speak, a "Keller" isn't specifically intended to imply a cellar of the sort used to age lager beer. Rather, it's the brewery's beer garden.

Accordingly, that's how we approached the inside -- from the outside, through the beer garden, where men in a tent with heaters were busy drinking beer outdoors.

I didn't take their picture.

This classy, traditionalist's location of the Hofbräu empire is vastly superior to the rowdy, over-touristed Hofbräuhaus nearer the center. My friend Kim Andersen made the recommendation, and he was spot on, as usual. My only regret in this, as with many of the other beer spots we visited, is that it wasn't ideal "beer garden" weather -- because drinking beer outside is one of the undisputed glories of Bavarian beer culture.

Perhaps if we'd brought heaters and a tent.

In due course we made it back to the hotel for afternoon nap time. Later in the evening came the day's final act, and a session at Augustiner Keller, on Arnulfstrasse near the Hauptbahnhof. There was liver dumpling soup and Münchner Schnitzel, which is made with horseradish and mustard prior to the battering.

The Augustiner was huge, packed and festive. I'll always remember that.

Bavarian Christmas Interlude 2018, Wednesday: A sensory overload of Munich history and beer.

Diana and I visited Bavaria (Munich and Bamberg) just before Christmas. Prior to departure, there was a series entitled Munich Tales 2018. This is the second of seven installments summarizing what we did, saw, ate and drank. They're being back-dated to the day we were there.

Previously: Arrival and ample Christmas marketeering.
Next: An excursion to my beloved Bamberg.

Wednesday began with a walk, and somehow the walk lasted almost the entire day with two beer stops in between. In effect, we were viewing Munich's centuries prior to World War I, which prompts a useful reminder: Bavaria was an independent kingdom until German unification circa 1871, and even after this, the Bavarian royal family remained intact until 1918.

The Kingdom of Bavaria (German: Königreich Bayern; Austro-Bavarian: Kinereich Bayern) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1805 as Maximilian I Joseph. The crown would go on being held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom came to an end in 1918.

Our walk went something like this.

1. Hotel to Hauptbahnhof to Königsplatz, or King's Square, built in the 19th-century according to neoclassical design. Munich's arts and museum quarter begins here.

2. To Odeonsplatz via Briennerstrasse, stopping first at the Christmas market at Wittelsbacherplatz (the equestrian statue is Maximilian I).

Odeonsplatz was built in the early 19th century on the site of the Schwabing Gate, to serve as the starting point of a royal route along what is now Briennerstrase, from the Residenz (winter palace) to Schloss Nymphenburg (the summer palace).

When World War I began in 1914, huge crowds gathered at Odeonsplatz to hear the announcement. Much later, historians examining photos of the occasion found Adolf Hitler in the crowd.

3. Next, Hofgarten Park and the adjacent Residenz (and another Christmas market in the courtyard there). Of personal importance to me is the building to the rear of the Hofgarten, now called the Bayerische Staatskanzlei. The domed section in the middle originally was part of the Bavarian army museum, constructed in 1905 and largely destroyed during World War II. In 1985, when I visited Munich for the first time, it was a ruin, and I was absolutely fascinated by it. The new building dates from 1989-1993; the central dome was preserved, and modern glass and steel wings added on both sides.

The Christmas market tucked into the Residenz was a delight. Observe the cow's udder method of applying mustard and ketchup to delectable grilled sausages.

4. To Marienplatz and Viktualienmarkt and a second round of perusing the Christmas markets there.

5. For lunch, to the amazing Schneider Bräuhaus restaurant. Prior to the war, the wheat ale specialist brewer Schneider was one of the major players in the Munich brewing scene. It was destroyed by bombs, and production moved to Kelheim on the Danube, where the family owned an intact brewery. The restaurant was rebuilt, and I'd just as soon patronize it as any of the other Munich brewery restaurants.

6. To Isartorplatz, then the Deutsche Museum, then a brief walk along the Isar River. The reconstructed Isartor (Isar Gate) was one of the main gates to the city in medieval times. The nearby Isar River rises in the Tyrolean Alps and flows through Munich in route to its junction with the Danube. In recent years, substantial progress has been made toward restoring the Isar's natural condition, and making it suitable for bathing in summer.

7. To the Platzl, a small square disproportionately famous (infamous?) for the presence of the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl.

The Hofbräu brewery is an anachronism. It began as the royal court brewery, and to this very day is an arm of Bavarian government. We took a walk-through of the Hofbräuhaus, which was a veritable zoo of humanity; we might have gone upstairs to the more civilized dining area, but Ayinger has maintained a presence on the Platzl for many years, and the Wirtshaus Ayinger am Platzl was a far safer haven for contemplative beers and snacks.

Devotees of the Public House will recognize the concept of the Anstich keg, hauled atop the counter, tap applied with mallet, and poured by gravity feed. Of course this was the way it was done every day for centuries, and remains the daily custom at places like Schlenkerla in Bamberg. At Ayinger am Platzl, as at numerous other establishments in Munich nowadays, there's a daily 5:00 p.m. tapping, with the unfiltered golden lager being poured into the stoneware.

It was delicious.

8. Now well after dark, we concluded the day's eight-hour, seven-mile hike by ambling back to the Hauptbahnhof, cutting through it and south to the hotel.

I remember sleeping very, very well.