All of us in the country grew up listening to Christmas carols that talk of a fairy-tale white Christmas. Many youngsters across the city are heading to Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria with The Backpacker Co to make this dream come true.
“I have heard a lot about the magical Bleigiessen ceremony in Germany on New Year’s Eve,” says Vinda Dravid, a student. At this celebration of fortune telling, youngsters visit a fortune teller, who melts a mould of lead on a spoon. The molten lead is said to take the shape of your fortune for that year.
These places are a first-time experience for many people in the group. Deepa Venugopal, an advertising professional says, “I cannot wait to see the Viennese Christmas market. I have read a lot about the delicacies available at this market that I cannot wait to lay my hands on.” Some of the dishes available at this market are a variety of candied fruits that are presented in an exotic fashion.
Austria’s equivalent of Santa Claus is called the Christkindl. “The Christkindl would be an experience of a different kind for us. We will also get to see the annual Tollwood festival that is know for its midnight waltz,” says Atul Chaturvedi, a business development executive.
If the organisers wanted their travellers to experience a white Christmas, they could have chosen a million other cities. But when asked the reason for choosing these, Yogi Shah, the director of the company says, “It is for the illustrious Christmas market at Vienna and the Tollwood winter festival at Munich for New Year’s Eve. Both these places should be on every individual’s bucket list,” Youngsters are certainly excited about the new places they will visit, but they are more excited about meeting new people. “It is a fabulous experience to interact with new faces in new places. There is a lot of learning on such trips,” says Atul.
Apparently, eleven days in winter is enough for people not used to he cold.