Christkindlmarkts 2019...Day 3: Munich and Augsburg...

Our first full day in Munich started with me going for a run.  I know I have said it before, but running on vacation is one of my favorite things.  I really love running in Munich and running all around the markets and to the park.  It is so relaxing.

I ran around the Marienplatz and passed my favorite gluhwein stahl!

I stopped by the Christmas Pyramid to say Good Morning!

People were already lined up for gluhwein!

It was unseasonable warm, so we decided that we would take the S-Bahn to the Munich Zoo.  We love going to the zoo to see different animals.  We visited the Vienna Zoo in 2016 and it was so fun!  I was kind of surprised that after five trips to Munich that this was our first trip to the zoo.

We were so excited to be at the zoo!

We walked around the zoo and saw all of our favorite animals including, the lions, tigers, elephants, monkeys, and polar bears.  One of our favorites was an encounter with a group of monkeys.

This happened and my maturity level definitely required a picture

There was a German couple next to us that was also filming and laughing.  I suppose a monkey with his red rocket out is funny in any language.

The lions were so beautiful.

After we walked around the zoo, we took the S-Bahn back to Munich.  We decided to stop by the Residenz Christkindlmarkt for lunch.  We had remembered from previous trips that they had great food options.  That held true again this year!

The Residenz Christkindlmarkt, a great lunch spot. 

We shopped around the market and stopped by the hotel before catching the train to Augsburg, Germany.  Augsburg is a short train ride away on the Bayern Ticket.  We arrived just as it was getting dark and made our way to the city center to the market.

Guess what Augsburg has????  A Christmas Pyramid!

On Fridays there is an angel performance that happens in the city hall.  There were a lot of people gathered around to watch.  It was kind of nice to see and kind of creepy too.  We watched with our gluhwein and hundreds of other people.

Augsburg Angel Performance

The Augsburg Christkindlmarkt is beautiful!  It was also very crowded.  We were there on a Friday night, so we took it in stride.

We were loving the gluhwein and the atmosphere around the market.  This market had several unique gluhwein glasses, including wine glasses.

I found this handsome guy by the gluhwein stahl.

The Christmas tree looked especially beautiful by the Christmas Pyramid.

As I have said before, the Christkindlmarkts have an atmosphere that is difficult to describe.  They are full of happy people that are enjoying the season.  The Augsburg market was no different.  It was beautiful.

We took the train back to Munich and ended the night with dumplings and noodles at the Asian restaurant by our hotel. A few Aperol Spritz may have been included as well...It was a great day around Munich and Augsburg.

Christkindlmarkts 2019...Day 1 and 2: Travel and Munich

Hello!  Happy 2020!  Ken and I spent the last little bit of the Christmas season running around Germany visiting our beloved Christkindlmarkts.  If you would have told me that we would visit Munich during Christmas for the third time, I would have called you a liar.  I am so grateful that Ken wanted to take me to Germany again to do one of my favorite things in the whole world.

We left Kansas City and flew to Denver to catch our flight to Munich.  When we arrived in Denver, our first stop was the United business class lounge for drinks and snacks.

We were ready to relax for a while before our 10 hour flight!

We flew Lufthansa this year, which was very nice.  We also flew business class for the first time, which we both thoroughly enjoyed.  Being able to lay flat to sleep is a game changer!

Ready for the long flight!  We were so excited.  We really do love traveling together.

For the first time ever, Ken was comfortable flying on an overnight flight.

This was our first business class experience, so I took a few pictures of the food and such.  Lufthansa really knows how to spoil you!

The menu of dinner options

Cocktails and snacks.  They even had champagne, which I loved.

My appetizer.  Yes, just the appetizer.

Dessert, pumpkin cheesecake

After dessert, our flight attendant offered us a special kind of winter liquor.  It had a taste of plum and winter spices.  She knew we were on our way to the Christkindlmarkts and thought we would enjoy it!  She was correct, and we loved it.  She offered us more, but we both knew we were better off sleeping instead.

Breakfast

We were very comfortable on our flight.  I slept for several hours.  I did start to watch the new Lion King movie, but had to turn it off right before Mufasa dies.  I just could not watch it, even though I know what happens.  I switched to my ever favorite, Home Alone.  

We landed around 1030 and made it though customs with ease.  One of the highlights of the Munich airport is the Christkindlmarkt that is right outside.  

Munich airport Christkindlmarkt.  We stopped and watched the ice skaters for a bit before hopping on the S-Bahn to head to the city.

One of my favorite memories ever is coming up the escalator from the S-Bahn in the Marienplatz and seeing the Christmas tree in the middle of the market.  It was just amazing and I have to say it gives me all the good feels every single time.

It felt good to be back.

We dropped our stuff off at our hotel and went out to hit the ATM and to get our first gluhwein.  How I have missed German gluhwein!  We walked around and shopped a bit before going back to the hotel to relax for a while.  

After relaxing, we went out to hit up our favorite area near the Marienplatz, the Rindermarkt.  The Rindermarkt is home to my ever favorite Christmas Pyramid.  

I love the Christmas Pyramid.  I also love that it sells wursts.

This is such a beautiful area during Christmas.  There is also gluhwein nearby, which really adds a lot of value.  

We got wursts from the Christmas Pyramid (when in Rome) and Ken got his favorite foot long, while I got a kase wurst.  Christkindlmarkt dinners are the best!

In my favorite city, enjoying my favorite drink, with my favorite guy with a Christmas Pyramid behind me.  This is my version of happiness.  

We knew from experience that shortly past 1700, there is live music playing in the Marienplatz.  We refilled our gluhwein and walked one block to the Marienplatz.  

The Marienplatz may be touristy, but it sure is beautiful.

This is one of my favorite views in the Marienplatz Markt.

Cheers from Munich!

My favorite spot, just as it got darker.  

The shahls are all so adorable.  I love the garland and lights.

Christmas carols!

You can find me at the gluhwein stand!

It is hard to put into words why we love the markts so much.  It is all in the atmosphere.  Now, imagine the smell of gluhwein, wursts, and candied nuts!

The Marienplatz Christkindlmarkt

We left the Marienplatz and walked back to the Rindermarkt to return our gluhwein mugs.

If you only knew the number of gluhweins we had from this stahl.  They sell red, white, and rose!

The Rindermarkt at night.  It is so beautiful.

We walked over to the Sendlinger Tor market and did a quick walk thru.

Sendlingler Tor

The weather was a little warmer than previous years and one of our favorite things about Germany is that the Germans embrace the cold and have heaters and such set up outside.  We stopped off at one of the Augustiners that was serving outside.  We sat under the heaters and with blankets and enjoyed watching people walk by the Frauenkirche.

Ken and his first one liter of the trip!

Our waiter saw me taking a picture of Ken and offered to take a picture of the two of us together.  He was also so kind and kept bringing me blankets to stay warm!

When he handed my phone back to me, I found this gem.  Our kind waiter at the Augustiner!

Enjoying drinks in our favorite city

The entire city of Munich is so festive during Christmas time.  I loved the red lights on this tree.

The church bells ringing from the Frauenkirche.  

On all days but Sunday, the markets promptly close at 9:00 pm.  It is always sad to see that there is no more gluhwein offered until the morning.

We stopped of in this adorable area and stood by a fire to drink our final gluhwein of the night.  

We had such a wonderful first day in Munich.  The food, the gluhwein, and the company were all amazing.  We ended the night with our favorite paprika chips as a snack before going to sleep for the night

Girls' Trip to Chicago!

One of my favorite traditions is the girls' trip to Chicago that my friends and I take.  It is so fun to bundle up, wander around the city, and laugh until it hurts.  This year was no different.

We like to stay at the Palmer House and the tree in the lobby is unreal.  It is such a beautiful tree.  Actually, the entire hotel is beautiful.

We left the hotel with the Christmas Market being our first stop!  We were all ready for some gluhwein!

There she is!  We like to arrive at the market just before it starts to get dark.

The gluhwein stahl was our first stop, naturally.

I sent this picture to Ken to let him know that we had arrived!

The ladies sharing the table with us asked if Michelle and I were sisters. This always happens.  Our bantering back and forth for sure says sisters!

There may have been a moment when Jill broke out her new selfie stick that includes a tripod.  The shenanigans were quite funny.

Christkindlmarkt stahls

I love how the stahls say Germany and the buildings say Chicago.

There are so many choices on items to buy!

The Christmas atmosphere only increases as it gets dark!

We all agreed that the best treat at the market is the candied nuts.  We stopped off and bought a ton before bidding farewell to the market.

Katie may have tipped the guard a dollar to take this picture.  Michelle and I might have been embarrassed!

We left the market to drop our gluhwein mugs off at our hotel.  Ken was in town for a business trip and met us in the lobby bar for a drink.  The Palmer House had a chorus that was singing Christmas carols.  It was pretty amazing.

It was so nice to see Ken for a drink, especially since he had been gone since Sunday.

After drinks with Ken, he walked with us on his way to meet his colleagues for dinner.  He walked with us all the way to Millennium Park where we said goodbye.  

The Millennium Park tree is so gorgeous!

We went into Tavern at the Park for dinner.  We enjoyed dinner and then played around with pictures by the tree.  I had gotten a new phone with a portrait mode and we had to pose for some pictures.

We had a view of the skating rink during dinner and we loved watching people fall, I mean skate.

This is such a gorgeous tree!

Michelle looking so innocent in her tree photo!

Jill, loving her new beanie

Katie, who almost fell getting this picture taken

Me, so excited that it is Christmas time!

We decided that we wanted to go to Pops for Champagne for some wine and started towards State.  We saw a guy with a rickshaw and asked him how much.  Katie said she had $20 to spend and he quoted us at $12 per person.  We all laughed that it would cost that much to go one mile.  We bailed on the rickshaw and walked the mile with our own little legs.  Guess who met us at Pops?  Ken!  

We stopped off at the Wrigley building tree for a few photos

Silly girls

After Pops, we ended the night in the hotel lobby bar.  It was such a fun day with great friends.  We woke up on Friday with plans to enjoy lunch at Lou Malnati's.  We shopped around and enjoyed drinks around town.  Jill's husband Brian was coming in for a work trip, so we met up with him later.  It was a low-key relaxing day.  

The Chicago skyline is so beautiful

Chicago at night.  We were so lucky with the beautiful weather!

We stopped off for craft cocktails at CH Distillery.  The Christmas themed drinks are amazing!

We ended the night eating candied nuts in our pajamas and flew home the next day.  It was another successful girls' trip complete with a ton of laughter!