Christmas on the Danube

I’ve just returned from a little Christmas adventure that I decided on back in September – back before Omicron was a thing, and if we didn’t think we had Covid on the run, we thought we were getting the upper hand. Although things didn’t go as planned, I still had a wonderful escape, so come along for the ride!

When I lived in Germany back in the ’80’s, I loved our Christmas market in downtown Wiesbaden, with wooden stalls selling handmade ornaments and gifts, hot mulled wine (gluhwein), hot wurst grilling, Christmas music and magic in the air. After 3 years there and in the decades since, I realized NOBODY does Christmas like the Germans…(thank you, Prince Albert and Victoria!)

A few years ago, I saw where an old friend from military days had gone on a trip with a group of women specifically to see Christmas markets in Germany and other parts of Europe, and I thought how marvelous that would be. When I found another dear friend from those days was going on a Danube River cruise specifically to do that, she graciously invited me to come along!

The trip was arranged by Angie Geiger of Dream Vacations, and Angie and her business partner Kari Vest were going on the trip, along with two other women – none of whom I had met before (but who I’m looking forward to having more adventures with!). I am planning a separate blog post about the cruise itself and AmaWaterways, but this post will focus on the seasonal aspects of this trip, before we get into next year! This post is also not sponsored in any way, but I want to give a shout-out to the excellent service from both Angie and AmaWaterways.

The planned itinerary started with 2 days in Budapest, then embarking on the AmaBella for a trip up the Danube, stopping in Vienna, Linz, Weissenkirchen, Melk, Bratislava, Passau and ending at Vilshofen (near Munich). Each day featured a shore excursion that included at least one Christmas market.

You’ll notice I said “planned” itinerary, because this IS 2021, and …..Covid, specifcally Omichron. Just before we were due to leave, Austria went into lockdown, knocking out the 3 days of stops in Austria (losing Vienna was a real gut-punch). Then once we were in Budapest, Slovakia shut down as well, losing Bratislava. Oh, and the Christmas markets in Bavaria were cancelled as well. So that left Hungary, and that did not disappoint!

I was so grateful we had an extra couple of days in Budapest. There will also be a future blog post on the glories of Budapest and all we did there, but here are some Christmas scenes:

Back to the markets – the first one we visited, a block from our hotel (the Marriott Budapest) was Vorosmarty Square. One whole side was devoted to food, and the other side to handicrafts.

The food was awesome – what seemed like miles of sausages, stuffed cabbage, ham hocks, smoked pork, sauerkraut, red cabbage, rice dishes, vats frying potato pancakes the size of a dinner plate, roasted chestnuts, strudel, and marzipan. I never seemed to be hungry enough to eat all I wanted. Diminished capacity was a blow to all I wanted to try, but probably the only reason I could fit into my “honesty pants” when I returned…

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It seemed the whole city came there at night for dinner and why not?!? A HUGE plate of food could be had for around $10. I also want to note that each market had two entrances which you had to pass through, and show your identification (passports for us) and your vaccination certificate. They CHECKED to make sure names matched and dates were good – no just waving you through.

One of the local delicacies was “chimney bread” = roasted on metal cyliners over hot coals, and rolled in cinnamon sugar, chocolate chips, or a dozen other toppings.

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Another necessary ingredient is the afore-mentioned gluehwein (in German), or forralt bor in Hungarian. I lost count of how many we had over the 10 days, and it ran the gamut from excellent from the stall of a wine bar to stuff so full of cloves and orange pulp, you had to strain it with your teeth. But it was always hot and most welcome!

The other side of the market had handmade pottery, gorgeous Christmas cookies, ornaments, leather goods (some butter-soft gloves came home with me, as well as a fur hat and a unique purse), artwork, and these gorgeous garlands made of dried fuits and spices – oranges, limes, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, etc. A LOT of those came home with me for gifts, and one hangs in my kitchen now!

The other market we visited (went to both several times) was in the Basilica Square, in front of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. There’s even an ice-skating rink in the middle of this one!

This market had a “virtual sleigh-ride” experience that we jumped on in a moment of childlike-delight. We put on virtual-reality goggles, and were transported to the front seat beside Santa, as he left his village in the North Pole and went swooping through forests and soaring across rooftops! The “sleigh” we sat on tilted and rolled, and we squealed with delight at every turn. The ride lasted a good, long time, and when we took off our goggles, there were 10 people waiting in line, attracted by the ruckus we’d raised! I thought we should’ve asked for a kickback for free advertising…

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Other stops in Hungary included the villages of Esztergom and Gyor – again, more about those to come, but they each had their own skating rink and obligatory forralt bor stand, thank goodness!

My last stop was Munich, where I got to explore downtown on a Sunday afternoon – the traditional time for a family stroll. Their markets may have been cancelled, but it sure felt like Christmas!

I’ll leave you with 2 iconic winter images – a roast chestnut stall and the hearty winter snack itself. I hope you’ve all had a lovely Christmas, and that you’ll check back in here for more stories about my winter adventure!

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