Another crisp morning as we set off on the next leg of our Christmas market adventure. Leaving our wonderful apartment in the Regensburg old town, it was a quick 20min walk to the train station, leaving plenty of time before our train to Munich was due to leave.

Regensburg lies between Prague to the north-east and Munich to the south. Keeping this in mind, we saw on the information board that some trains were going to be split at some point of their journey, just as the train we took from Prague to Regensburg was coupled to another train midway through the trip.

Finally, a train came into the station with “München” emblazoned across the front, so taking our lead from the crowd on the platform, we surged forward and boarded, finding another very comfortable compartment to ourselves, which conveniently, had a small info screen on which the train journey was presumably going to be updated.
As the train glided out of the station, what better way to have the first heart stoping moment of the day than for Jean to notice that the destination on the screen read “Praha” (Prague).
Resisting the urge to pull the red handle, I opted instead to search the carriage for some source of confirmation of our train’s intended destination, like a guard, which was of course pointless. What I did find was a diagram of the entire Prague to Munich route and took note of the first station listed after Regensburg in the direction of Munich and returned to my seat to await our fate. As we hurtled past Obertraubling, and the small screen refreshed to show München as our final destination, a collective calm settled across the compartment and it was back to Google Maps to track our journey.

Arriving in Munich, we did a quick reconnoiter of the Marienplatz Strasse in readiness for tomorrow when once more we would plunge into the fray.
We quickly discovered that to “do” the Christmas markets it has to be after dark, and to buy anything, it has to be in daylight, preferably as early as possible before the tour groups appear.
Marienplatz after dark is a whole new world, the place just seems to come alive. Thankfully we found an alternative route back to our hotel, a combination of side streets and the pedestrian subway under much of Neuhausen Strasse, that is filled with shops and of course people, but thankfully not as many as above ground.

Our last day and we opted to ditch the crowds and head for the suburbs. After a 30min battle with a metro ticket machine,followed by a tour of the 4 levels of the subway system with several u turns thrown in, we found our platform and boarded the train, destined this time for a much smaller and sedate arts
and craft market. Then a leisurely stroll to the river and back to the Marienplatz for one last hot Baileys and cream, together with an assortment of nougat, frozen strawberries in chocolate and other delights, and back to the hotel for dinner.

There’s only so much that I can write about Christmas markets, so perhaps it’s time to focus on Munich itself.
Where we are staying is on the edge of the old town and only a short walk to the Karlsplatz, which is start of the long shuffle down the aptly name Neuhauser Strasse, (new houses street) a wide, pedestrian only, boulevard that leads to the Marienplatz, itself the vibrant cultural heart of the city since the 1400s.

What is so striking, apart from the crowds, are the discordant building styles, no doubt the result of times of conquest and defeat over the past 1,000 years. Interspersed with the great gothic Old Town Hall with its spectacular Glochenspiel and the neo gothic and/ or Baroque style churches, is evidence of the post war reconstruction and more modernist architecture. As with most things, there is more to see if we look up.

I think the pleasure of travel is the freedom it gives you to be someone else for a while, to become one of the locals and do as they do. No quite going as far as wearing lederhosen and an alpine hat with a pheasant’s feather but just taking the time to soak up the atmosphere and stop for a bratwurst and sauerkraut in a roll every now and again.

It’s noticing the subtle differences in the way things are done, like when buying something in a cafe or supermarket, placing money on a tray or plate rather than handing the cash to the cashier.

And the widely and at times wildly different styles that extend from everything from shoes to saucepans, clothes to confectionary. The innovation in everyday items and the celebration of colour is everywhere.

And a blog on our time in Munich would be incomplete without a mention of the food. Thick creamy potato soup, succulent roast pork and dumplings, pickled cabbage salad, and pork knuckle. The only thing missing was fresh green vegetables, but it is winter after all.

So tomorrow it’s Auf Weidersehen München and on the train to Saltzburg.