Weihnachten in Berlin

Alexanderplatz market - not crowded at all

November 30th - December 3rd I flew to Berlin to meet up with an friend from the UK for our second reunion this year (before that it had been nearly 4 years). We decided in October that we would meet up in a European city known for its Christmas markets, and Berlin turned out to be the easiest and cheapest for us both to get to.


We arrived Friday evening and met at the airport. Getting out of the airport I was freezing - it was 2 degrees Celsius, and I had thought 14 degrees in Casa was getting cold! brrr! Good thing I brought extra scarves, layers, hats and mitts from Canada just in case. Our hostel was in a great location, just North of the Spree River, about 10 mins walk from Alexanderplatz and Friedrichstrasse subway station in the other direction. With a vague itinerary for the weekend, the goal of seeing the main sights but also hitting up as many Weihnachtenmarkts (Christmas markets) possible, we started Friday evening. 

the Reichstag

Alex and I wandered over to the Alexanderplatz Christmas market and the Winterdream at Alexa market across the road. With German holiday music playing, the smells of thurlinger wursts, hot mushrooms, crepes, gluhwein and other tasty treats combining to lure vistors, it was a great introduction to the market scene. Ice skating, merry-go-rounds and other entertainment also made it a popular spot. We tried the gluhwein and some German foods, but didn't buy any gifts from the many stalls exhibiting decorations, nutcrackers, woodworking, candles, handmade soaps, and more. 

the random bears around Berlin!

Saturday we walked to the Brandenburg Tor, the Reichstag, Potsdamer Platz, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Unfortunately the museum was closed that weekend for renovations, or we would have visited it. We then headed to the Gendarmenmarkt, which was packed, and tried Feuerzangenbowle - a gluhwein alternative whose recipe includes setting alight a rum-soaked sugarloaf and allowing it to drip into the wine. It tasted pretty similar to the other versions we'd tried. At each market, vendors selling hot drinks had special mugs with a design and the name of the market on them. When you ordered a drink you paid a deposit for the mug, but you could return it for the refund or keep it as a souvenir if you wanted. Very eco-friendly!

After the Gendarmenmarkt, we headed to Checkpoint Charlie which has several sections of the Berlin Wall displayed as well as a bit of an open-air history lesson. By then it was later in the afternoon so we headed back to the hostel to warm up and hang out, but did some shopping on the way. Bought a mini-advent calendar and a box of Christmas cards, so if you received an odd card from me this year blame Berlin's poor selection of cards!

Berlin Wall by the Topography of Terror

Heading back out in the evening we visited the WAY too crowded Opernpalais market, walked up across the Spree and discovered the Berliner Weihnachtszeir at the Rotes Rathaus where we found some great decorations at a great price. We then found a little bar and enjoyed the local brew - in nice, big steins. 

Sunday was spent first visiting the Topography of Terror museum. Really informative, but 3 hours spent standing and reading the panels throughout the exhibit (located on the former site of the SS headquarters) was tiring and depressing. We then headed to the Charlottenburg Schloss where we did the audiotour of the palace, nearly entirely rebuilt after WWII, and checked out the market. The Charlottenburg Schloss was a good 3-4 km walk away from the train, so when we got back in the evening we decided to stick close by the hostel.

Charlottenburg Schloss all lit up

Since we both were leaving Monday afternoon, we decided to spend the morning re-visiting a couple of the markets to pick up some presents, which we did, with lots of time before having to head back to Kurt Shumacher Platz to get the bus to the airport. 

Berlin is a great city, but it was cold when we visited, hovering around 0 degrees. It even snowed a few times which was pleasant, but we had to layer up since neither of us had winter coats with us. Definitely worth a visit in the summer!