A Bavarian Christmas Experience

I've been back to Bavaria for an authentic Christkindlmarkt experience...

The landscape was beautiful in the September sunshine when I was last here... But the Winter frost added a magical sparkle to the vistas.

The over-commercialised, English knock-off Christmas markets aren't a patch on the real deal - usually I avoid them like the plague - but I really enjoyed the authentic, Bavarian experience. Especially the markets in the small towns which engage the local community in activities, such as the children performing dancing or fundraising for the local kinder-garten.

There was, however, a tourist shop in Bad Reichenhall selling a slightly disturbing quantity of extremely tacky Santa Clauses...

I also visited the Bad Reichenhall museum to learn about the history of the spa town.

Sketches

The old Salt factory of Bad Reichenhall (Germany)

The River Salaach, Bad Reichenhall (Germany)

Bad Reichenhall (Germany)

Bad Reichenhall (Germany)

Salzburg Christkindlmarkt (Austria)

Salzburg Christkindlmarkt (Austria)

Bad Reichenhall (Germany)

The old Salt factory of Bad Reichenhall (Germany)

Gross Gmain Church (Austria)

Bad Reichenhall (Germany)

Somewhere on the border between Germany and Austria

Bad Reichenhall (Germany)