December 29, 2010

Searching for a white Christmas

Chiara Di EUROPE, TRAVEL Berlin, Christmas, Christmas Markets, Europe, Frankfurt, Germany, Lucerne, Switzerland, Travel, Wanderlust, White Christmas 0 Comments

When Christmas and New Years in Europe was first booked, the only question on our mind was how magical a white Christmas really is? In fact, there was so much snow before Christmas, our flight was nearly cancelled!

First stop Frankfurt and the pathways and nature strips were full of snow! It was here we experienced the first of many Christmas Markets and what Christmas spirit they bring. With traditional gifts, entertainment for the kids, delicious foods, hot drinks to thaw out over and a beautiful array of decoratations, these are definitely something you should put on your to discover list.

Next stop Berlin – a city with so much to tell. We trenched through slushy snow and took to the sites of this amazing city. Must see sites: the Brandenburg Gate (formerly used to represent the separation between East and West Berlin), the Berlin Wall memorial, Charlottenburg Palace, Checkpoint Charlie, Parliament House, the Berlin Cathedral, and Kurfurstendamn shopping strip with a massive display of Christmas lights and everything from H&M to Bvlgari.

Christmas Eve arrived and it was time for Lucerne (Luzern). As we flew into Zurich airport (there’s no airport in Lucerne), the snow started falling – it was perfect timing! It was an hours drive from Zurich airport to the apartment we were staying in the heart of Lucerne. After lugging our luggage up seven flights of stairs, it was time to crack the champagne. The night was celebrated with a real Christmas tree decorated with baubles and candles over Fondue Chinoise (a meat fondue) consisting of raw pieces of beef, pork and meatballs cooked in a chicken stock fondue.

Christmas morning arrived and to our delight the sidewalks, roofs and trees were covered in snow… it was a white Christmas! The perfect opportunity to go for a walk through the forest, make snow angels and build a snowman. We experienced Gluhwein – a warm red wine – and Christmas night was spent in a log house up Mt Pilatus with locals. We ate a traditional Swiss Kasefondue (cheese fondue) consisting of bread, Schnapps and a mixture of cheeses.

You can’t come to Switzerland without exploring at least one of its mountains. Mt Titlis was the choice with news of a new donut sled, although we were wrongly informed as it was only a 20m man made slide! Approximately one hours train ride from Lucerne you arrive at Engelberg station where Titlis is a short walk away. There’s something for all on the mountain whether skiing, snowboarding, sledding, experimenting with snow toys or simply sightseeing. Three cable cars and 3km later you reach the top of the mountain where on this particular day it was -24, which is literally unbarable. Must do: for those who don’t have the time to learn how to ski, take a sled along a 3.5km route to the bottom of the mountain.

Back to where we started, is a white Christmas truly magical? The only answer is yes!