Remembering How Wonderful Cruise Travel to Christmas Markets Is
Vienna, Austria Christmas market, Photo by Jason Leppert
After this year’s several international terrorist attacks and the most recent truck crash at a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, it may be easy to respond discouraged to traveling abroad.
We truly must remember to stay calm and cruise on. After all, Christmas is a festive time to be joyous, and the market experience is one of the best ever at this time of year.
I’ve only experienced Christmas markets once thus far with Viking River Cruises aboard the Viking Freya on its Romantic Danube itinerary in 2012, but it was a magical first taste. I’ll also never forget the sights, sounds and smells of the celebrations in Budapest, Hungary; Vienna, Austria; Melk, Austria; Passau, Germany; Regensburg, Germany and Nuremberg, Germany—ports which are remarkably different in the wintertime than in summer, when I’ve since returned to most in 2013.
READ MORE: Berlin Christmas Market Attack Fails to Put Freeze on Travel
When I first arrived in Budapest, I originally wrote, “The Christmas markets are a European tradition in this area where seasonal handicrafts and hearty food intersect to create a magical public celebration that knocks the socks off the homogenous retail experience of sterile shopping malls and stale consumerism familiar elsewhere.
Quite simply, these markets bring back the spirit of Christmas like none other, and it just so happens that the weather–rain and snow—adds to the overall delight.”
That’s still how I remember it. The rain wets every surface such that evening incandescent lights glisten, and to this day, I’ve never seen snowflakes by day so large as in Regensburg, enjoyed while warm in the comfort of the Viking Longship’s observation lounge listening to seasonally appropriate Secret Garden instrumental music playing softly in the background. Of course, soon afterwards we got all bundled up to head for the historic Wurstkuchl sausage house where we enjoyed the savory favorites with delightful mustard accompaniment.
READ MORE: 4 Treats You Must Try at a Christmas Market
Elsewhere as in Vienna, all the outdoor stalls line up to assemble the Christmas markets as we know them, selling everything from handcrafted toys and ornaments to fresh-baked pastries and warm mulled wine. Once in Germany, you can never go wrong with a beer in one hand and a over-foot-long sausage in the other, as I later wrote, “I also had to sample a bratwurst which the bun was no match for. Foot-long hot dogs have nothing on these bad boys. Garnished with sautéed onions, the sausage was a delicious local treat.”
Suffice it to say, we came home with bellies full of tasty food and carryons full of souvenirs. Incidents like in Berlin may be scary, but they do not sway me. I remain ever keen to return to the European Christmas markets, hopefully again by 2017.
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