Christmas

Flecki is watching for Santa Claus in the morning of December 24.

He loves his cat tree -- and his toy mouse.

December 24 was a very mild winter day -- and the roses were still in full bloom.

All four candles are lit up on the Advent wreath -- the Holy Evening has arrived.

Christmas gifts waiting to be unwrapped.

A cute owl on the Christmas tree -- a gift from last year.

The sunset on the Holy Evening was very fiery.

The Christmas tree all lit up -- a peaceful and relaxed moment.

Flecki sleeping on the couch in the living room while we listened to Christmas songs on the radio.

Can you see yours truly's reflection in the golden Christmas ball?

Lunch on Christmas Day -- duck with potato dumplings and red cabbage.

The second Christmas Day (December 26) brought lots of snow.

Enjoying the Christmas presents -- books, a stuffed owl, and some Disney goodies.

I hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas time!

Advent in Munich

During Advent, the buildings in Munich's inner city are decorated beautifully.

The last sunrays fall on the top of St. Michael's Church and on the towers of Frauenkirche.

A great time to take a stroll among the Christmas booths.

Christmas cribs are sold here.

Beautiful stars.

All kinds of Christmas decorations.

Sweet owls.

A booth with a miniature Frauenkirche where mulled wine is sold. 

Munich's pedestrian zone -- here's the Kaufinger Straße (Kaufinger Street).

Here you could buy lots of different figurines, especially angels.

One of the most popular store windows during Advent -- the exhibition of Steiff toys at Kaufhof.

The scenes are just charming.

Munich's New Town Hall with the tall Christmas tree on Mary's Square (Marienplatz).

The Christmas tree was really lovely this season.

This booth is offering Zwetschgenmanderl, typical Bavarian figurines made of figs and nuts.

One last view of Mary's Square with all the Christmas market booths and the tall Christmas tree.

Shining Christmas Market

I miss the lights of Christmas. With no snow, January seems a bit dark.

Shortly before Christmas, I visited Munich's Marienplatz (Mary's Square) in the evening.

Everything looked so festive -- shining and bright.

The Christmas tree in front of the new townhall looked gorgeous -- so many lights.

Here's to light in January, too!

Advent & Christmas Time

Shortly before Christmas, we had a marvelous sunset. It was so pink, I just have to share it with Beverly's Pink Saturday crowd.

 

This is Joschi, our part-time cat. He lives in the neighborhood and loves to come over for cuddles and treats. That day he "helped" with cleaning the house for Christmas.

Four candles are burning brightly on the Advent wreath -- it's nearly Christmas time.

December 24 was a sunny, mild day which made the decoration glitter and shine.

Finally, the Christmas tree was lit up on the Holy Evening.

A sweet angel.

A crowned bird -- one of many birds on the tree.

A poinsettia in red with sprinkles of white.

I hope your Christmas was as festive as mine was -- may the Christmas spirit live on long into 2014!

G is for Gifts

Since I haven't shared any photos from Christmas yet, I decided to post some photos of Christmas gifts for Jenny's Alphabe-Thursday. For me, the wrapping is just as important as the gift itself -- it adds a touch of caring and also an element of surprise. This year I added snowflakes to my gifts.

I bought this wooden heart at a Christmas market.

The gifts aren't big -- but they bring joy and add to the festivity of the season. I was delighted to see the Frozen soundtrack among my gifts.

I also got a daily calendar from Disney -- A Year of Animation.

Do you like the design of these blank notesbooks? You might find them at your local IKEA.

Here's a gift by a dear friend from Sweden. By chance, I happened to watch Journey to the Christmas Star on December 24. One sweet character is an imp called Mose. So guess how this little guy is now called.

I really like these thoughtful gifts -- I sure hope you got some nice gifts, too.

Pink Oberpollinger

Oberpollinger, a department store in Munich, has a wonderful light decoration in December. The light changes slowly from gold to deep red and also pink. Sure thing I have to share a photo for Beverly's Pink Saturday.

Happy Pink Saturday!

C is for Christkindlmarkt & D is for Dult

I combine two of Jenny's Alphabe-Thursdays in this post, starting with a stroll over one of Munich's Christkindlmärkte (Christmas markets). The booth below is named Angel Charm (Engerl Zauber), selling lots of sweet angels.

 

Talking of sweet stuff, here you can get just that. The fragrance is heavenly!

A bit further down the road (it's the pedestrian zone in Munich's city center), you get a lot of varities of Glühwein (mulled wine).

This booth reminds me of the witch's Lebkuchenhaus (gingerbread house) in the fairy tale Hänsel und Gretel.

Now we have arrived at Marienplatz (Mary's Square), the very center of Munich. In the background you see the tall and beautiful Christmas tree in front of the New Town Hall.

Delicate lace ornaments.

Lots of beautiful Christmas ornaments to discover.

There is so much too see -- it's nearly a visual overload.

I happened to be at the square at 11 am -- the right time to see and listen to the carillon playing in the town hall tower.

Now on to the letter D -- it's Dult once again. Here you find other Dult photos in case you are interested to see more of Munich's open air market which takes place three times a year. I took the photos below in October during the last market of the year.

One part of the fairground is reserved for fun rides and games.

I really like these colorful balloons.

The bumper car ride was popular that day.