So! Christmas in Berlin. Queue your favourite Christmas song, I know I'll be listening to mine while writing this. The general decoration is quite normal, but with a big-city budget. You see trees which outlines have been lined with rows of light to make it look like they are cartoonish cutouts with glowing edges when night comes. Snow flakes hang in walkways and in the old-town parts more classic decorations can be seen. Those known from the late 80s and early 90s.
What sets Berlin apart from other places I've been during christmas is the markets. Each and every square got little houses with open sides where people sell their handmade goods, hats, food, candy, roasted chestnuts and glüwein. In one of the markets there were oak wood ovens where a lady stood behind the counter, kneeding a huge piece of dough which she cut up and then placed into the oven. Most of the food is equally roasted over open fire or on huge frying pans hanging over a fire pit. Spits of meat are being kept warm near a fire and large fire places stand amidst seats and couches which are under roofs and clad in deer skins were people sit under blankets and drink their glüwein.
In the middle of all this you see really nice looking old style merry go rounds, tiny ponies which children can ride. An ice skating area set up around an old statue and even a huge ferry's wheel.
Everywhere is the smell of firewood being burnt, warmth from the fires all around, the smell of fresh roasted nuts and candied apples. The sound of small choir groups and live musicians mingle beautifully into the chaos. And I just couldn't help but to think "This, just like THIS is how a Christmas market should be. No metal bars holding flimsy tarps in place. No poorly made goods which you can find anywhere. Just happy children and good Christmas cheer!"
It's been years since I felt as christmas-y as I did today when I drank glüwein, munched roasted chestnuts and nibbled upon a huge piece of meat inside bread.
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