Christmas in Berlin

Christmas in Berlin!

Brandenburg Gate

I have gotten several emails and texts from friends asking "How was Christmas in Berlin?!"  Germany certainly is known for it's Christmas Markets and we did make it our business to visit several of them.  It would take a great deal of dedication to hit all of them in a season, however!  There are over thirty in Berlin alone.  So what are they like?  Hmm - our observation was that some have a carnival feel with a merry go round or thematic petting zoo (you know - the crèche animals alive and bleating) while others are really just community gathering places for people to meet up with neighbors and friends and have a drink while their kids ice skate or run around the market.  Most are temporarily erected wooden huts displaying a mix of standard Christmas Market eats- both sweet and savory.  The larger the market the greater the offerings: bratwurst, goulash, schmaltzkuchen (every culture has a version of fried dough!), crépes, gluewein, kinderpunsch (basically hot, maybe spiced, juice).  Some markets run daily and nightly through the season, others on weekends only and still others are one offs. The market on our local Platz was held every Sunday and its claim to fame is selling hand crafted items.  Bill got Swift a handmade bow and arrow set there that is already making me sweat hoping Swift doesn't spear a neighbor's dog or worse.  The large market in Gendarmenmarkt in town sells higher end items like glass and wooden tree ornaments and hand made Créches.

Steglitz Market

Potzdamer Platz Market

"Adventsing" at the Berliner Dom

Berliner Dom - incredible acoustics.

St. Nicholas Day on December 6th

Our neighborhood was alive with lights an decorations much like we would find at home.  There were a few distinctive differences like red Moravian star lights hung by the front door or over a balcony and perforated paper stars lit from within hanging in windows.  Several homes had decorative mushrooms in the yard - I have no idea what that was about!   But back to the lights - being Germany and very environmentally conscious and efficient, the lights are LED and expensive!  We decked out our very large tree (yay for high ceilings!) with multiple strands which were both white and amber - not on purpose.  Oh well.

One Christmas invitation we really enjoyed was being invited to a German family's home with seven children.  Their kitchen table was enormous and the we were told to bring rolling pins.  The kids rolled out and made Christmas cookies while the adults chatted.  They had a gorgeous advent wreath hanging from the ceiling with large ribbons (wreath horizontal), candles lit - it was really striking and beautiful.  The kids were baking all of these cookies for children at an organization where the Frau of the family volunteers.

Spiritually, the milieu seemed quite similar to home.  The greater culture celebrates festivity in general, and gift buying and giving, but there are pockets of worship communities that remember Jesus in more than just name only.  My friend Laura wrote beautiful poetry for our church community on passages in Isaiah.  It was a tremendous gift of her creativity and use of the arts in worship.  I'll just brag on her and also say that she spoke at an Advent evening for another church and did a beautiful job of encouraging all to take this special season to draw closer to the One it points to. Bill and I also really found an art installation in the Catholic cathedral church of St. Hedwig's to be particularly moving as well.

Our personal family Christmas was quiet but nice.  We had friends over for brunch on the 23rd, went to church on the 24th (and of course stayed up to all hours wrapping gifts etc.) and just relaxed and talked to family on Christmas Day.  We missed extended family but at the same time it was nice cocooning time for our nuclear family.

A Christmas Card reject shot:).

The one that made the New Year's Card.  Oh well - we'll do better next year?

The day after Christmas we headed to Berchtesgaden and Salzburg for the rest of the week.  It was snowy and magical.  We stayed at a GastHaus high up a winding road in the mountain overlooking the town where only German was spoken.  Bill had a great ol' time yukking it up with a variety of Germans.  I loved watching the kids gaze with great pride in Dad as he so readily conversed in German. We visited the Salt Mines (extremely cool!), took a boat across the Konigsee through an echo canyon, went skiing for a few days and spent a day in Salzburg.  Bill and I were there 17 years ago so it was great fun to revisit with the kids.  They liked the idea of putting another notch in their traveling belts so they can say they were in Austria.

Konigsee

Over the mountain ... Austria!  "The hills are alive ..."

In front of the Salt Mines

Berchtesgaden

Konigsee

St. Bartholomee Church - Konigsee
(I waited until we were alone in the church and made the family sing. They love me for this.)

The egg shop in Salzburg - after I took this, Kit pointed out the sign forbidding photographs so ... oops.

Overlooking Salzburg from the Fortress

Hot Chocolate to die for.  Oh my.

As forbidding a fortress as a city could desire!

I think I have about covered it!  We still have our decorations up and are enjoying them until Epiphany.  The wisemen are still making their way around the room to the Créche.



Happy New Year to all, or as they say here ... Guten Ruche (have a good slide into the new year)!