More from the Christmas markets

I finally made it out to the markets with my nice camera, during a bright, sunny day, to get some pictures for you all! We had a friend come to visit this past weekend, and on Friday he got straight off the plane and we got coffee and then set out to see as many markets as possible. There area quite a large number of them, even in small places in the city, but they are very neat. They all generally sell similar things, but the atmospheres can be pretty different. Here are some of Sarah's favorites, since she has been to more than Joe. As always, here's the link to the Google album with more pictures. (Posting too many pictures on Blogger can be a pain when you try to load it, so we post the Google album so that you can see all of the pictures in an easier format!)

First market is the market at the Wittlesbacherplatz. Every year this is the "Medieval Market" and their setup and
products reflect a Medieval theme. 

Huge tower at the front! This way you know at first glance where to get your Glühwein!

Next up is the Christmas Village at the Munich Residenz! This is the royal home we toured back in October.
This courtyard is transformed into a family friendly Christmas market with animated woodland creatures
and traditional foods. 

A very traditional Bavarian food stall. 

It's almost impossible to get a photo at the most visited market, the one at Marienplatz. It's ALWAYS packed, no matter the time of day (this was at 10am!) In the picture you can see the Glockenspiel as well. 

Every year the biggest and flashiest market is at Tollwood, which is held on the Oktoberfest grounds. Tollwood is
market at the front entrance by this massive Christmas tree made of bikes! At night, it lights up as well, and
they even bring out stationary bikes you can ride to make it shine brighter/light up different lights. 

The booths at Tollwood are big, showy, and entertaining. They sell the largest variety of food and drinks of any market. 

More decorations! Tollwood is a very exciting place to walk around. 

Tollwood also has the largest selection of merchandise! There is a giant tent of only vendors selling handmade goods. Some are very creative, like vinyl records turned into entire dining sets of dishes, while others are more traditional, like these lanterns.