Fabulous gift ideas for your favorite traveler

Strolling through all these Christmas markets, I’m reminded of all the useless crap people tend to give each other around this time of year. Instead, why not give the travel-lovers in your life presents they will actually like and use? “But Jul,” you’re thinking, “I don’t know what gifts will delight them.” Ah, don’t you … Read more

Regensburg has markets of Christmas, too

And now for something completely different… Yesterday some friends and I took a Bayern Ticket up to Regensburg to hang out with Sarah, Christina, Tammy, and An and force them to show us around their Christmas markets. It worked. The offerings at the Regensburg Christmas markets were, shockingly, pretty similar to what you find at … Read more

Munich’s Christmas Markets: Residenz

Christmas markets everywhere! They are all starting to blur together in my memory, to be honest. Must be all those hot alcoholic beverages (like the Heisse Oma – a potent eggnog-like thing – that Em made me drink last night). The market in the courtyard of the Residenz has a fairytale-like theme going on, complete … Read more

Apple Store Munich Grand Opening

Today’s post is a guest post from my husband, Scott. I don’t do lines or crowds, so I was happily sleeping in while all this was happening… There are few things that will get me out of bed early on a weekend, but naturally the opening of the new Apple Store in Munich is one … Read more

Munich’s Christmas Markets: Tollwood

Tollwood is more than just a Christmas market. It’s a winter festival! At least that’s what the marketing materials call it. The winter Tollwood (there’s also a summer Tollwood) takes place at the Theresienwiese, and it’s definitely the largest of the markets Munich has to offer this time of year. And probably the wackiest. In … Read more

Slumming through the world of German reality TV

Germany loves reality television, especially when it has to do with houses or food. I can’t bring myself to watch most of it (except for when it has to do with singing – those shows are pure awesome), but recently Headbang got us interested in a show called Mein Restaurant. The premise is simple – five couples each get to open a restaurant in their hometown (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Hamburg, and Leipzig) based on a concept they have developed. Once the restaurants are up and running, they get eliminated one by one, until only the winner restaurant is left. Upon each elimination, the losing couple has 15 minutes to clear out and close down… forever (imagine that said by a spooky voiceover guy).

Read moreSlumming through the world of German reality TV