12 Days of Christmas (part 3 of 3)

On the fourth day of Christmas, Berlin gave to me:

Brandenburger Tor

On the third day of Christmas, Berlin gave to me:

This one may require some explanation. In Köllnischer Park Berlin keeps 3 (or so) live bears as the city mascots. Unfortunately from November on they are all in hibernation. Come spring, we'll head back to check them out.

On the second day of Christmas, Berlin gave to me:

East Side Gallery, Berlin Wall

On the first day of Christmas, Berlin gave to me:

Fernsehturm

Merry Christmas everyone!

12 Days of Christmas (part 2 of 3)

On the eighth day of Christmas, Berlin gave to me:

Bode Museum

On the seventh day of Christmas, Berlin gave to me:

Loschmidt Oberschule in Charlottenburg

On the sixth day of Christmas, Berlin gave to me:

(It turns out there are 6 columns at the front of a lot of buildings in Berlin. We decided to memorialize a few.)

Humboldt University

Französischer Dom

Staatsoper

On the fifth day of Christmas, Berlin gave to me:

Olympiastadion

12 Days of Christmas (part 1 of 3)

This being our first Christmas away from family, John and I were nervous about how to spend the post-presents-and-breakfast hours of Christmas day. Several weeks ago we agreed to a “12 Days of Christmas” inspired scavenger hunt in Berlin. While I can’t exactly explain where the idea came from, we hoped it would occupy some time, produce some laughs, and let us further explore our city.

John was assigned the even and I the odd numbers of the 12 days and we each began to hunt for landmarks, buildings, and sites in Berlin that roughly matched the lines of the song. Yesterday morning we presented our clues to each other, and once solved, set out in Berlin to take pictures. Here we present the “12 Days of Christmas in Berlin.”

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Berlin gave to me:

A favorite restaurant in Berlin, noted for its unique pizzas.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, Berlin gave to me:

The Neue Wache, a war memorial.

On the tenth day of Christmas, Berlin gave to me:

The Weltzeituhr, the World Time Clock at Alexanderplatz.

On the ninth day of Christmas, Berlin gave to me:

A statue in front of the Auswärtiges Amt, the Foreign Ministry where John worked.

Christmas in Germany

Saying that Christmastime in Germany has been different than in America is probably an understatement. It’s always the differences that stand out when you’re a foreigner, particularly things you admire. Here are some of my favorite things from Dezember’s Adventszeit, or Advent season so far:
1. When was the last time someone in the U.S. wished you a merry Advent? For four weeks now, Germans at work, at the bakery, on television and elsewhere have routinely left me with this upon departing. I find it particularly pleasant, and even reassuring to know that a whole society still recognizes Advent as a distinct time of year.
2. Next question: when was the last time you stood around with your co-workers and sang carols and hymns at your Christmas party? Well, the other night we certainly did at ours, an interesting departure from the strict division of Church and State adhered to in the States. But it was also a welcome and refreshing moment for me. Truly, it’s been a lot of fun to (try to) sing hymns in German, many of which are rather familiar because we sing them in English: “Herbei, O ihr Gläubigen” (Oh Come O Ye Faithful), “Stille Nacht” (Silent Night), and “O Tannenbaum.” John’s Recommended German Christmas Carol of 2009? Well, the winner is “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen,” or “Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming.” Check out a version here.
3. Germany seems to have special cuisine during the Christmas season, a phenomenon more or less lacking in the US. I recently ate a Weihnachtsschlemmerei (a Christmas feast, not to mention a mouthful to say too!) which was a generous helping of crispy goose (my first) and duck served aside Grünkohl (kale?) and Apfelrotkohl (red cabbage and apple deliciousness). As I was even forewarned, this apple cabbage stuff just tastes like Christmas. And as for the green kale-like vegetable mash, this stuff is so popular that one northern city in Germany even crowns a national politician as the Grünkohlkönig, or Grünkohl-King, annually. Angela Merkel was selected a couple years back. I will definitely need these recipes before departing.
4. The Christmas markets, while kitschy at times to be sure, have been a true highlight of the season. Berlin alone probably has thirty, and it seems every town large and small in this country goes all out for their very own. Everywhere you go, you encounter the smells of roasted almonds, Spekulatius spiced cookies, hot mulled wine, and cherry beer; the sounds of Christmas choirs, bells, and trumpeters with their festive Christmas music; the colorfully lit stands of merchants selling gingerbread, handmade wooden decorations from the Erzgebirge, and other potential Christmas gifts. They really put me in the Christmas mood, and to be honest I even go out of my way sometimes just to walk through them. Of course, they are dangerous because it’s nearly impossible to walk through the festivities without suddenly realizing that you need a quick glass of mulled wine, a gingerbread, or maybe another Erzgebirge Pyramid just for the heck of it.

5. I always thought that the song "Last Christmas," by the fabled British duo Wham, was terrifically overplayed in America. That was before coming to Germany, where it seems legally required to play the song at every possible opportunity and ruin any Christmas mood that anyone might have. Funny enough, the music video just came on the TV again. Ok yeah I must go now and reclaim my Christmas cheer.

Because Lauren and I are staying in Berlin this year, we will be posting more in the next couple days about our Christmas abroad.

When life gives you a wine rack...

...make it into a Christmas tree!

A piece of Krakow

In 1937 Krakow held its first official nativity scene contest for the residents of the city. This beginning of a tradition was not actually the beginning at all. The people of Krakow had been making nativities since the 19th century, though their form had slightly changed and previously, competition had been for the eye and money of wealthy families.

On Friday John and I were able to see the entries into the 67th contest in Krakow and they were unbelievable. These aren't your normal holy family in a wooden stall kind of nativities. Artists (most of them amateurs, many of them children) use buildings from the city itself as inspiration for their fairy tale structures. The buildings are elaborately and ornately decorated with colorful foil, tiny stained glass windows, and intricate, albeit miniature metalwork. Windows are lit up, walls are covered in ornate papers; not a single detail is left undone.

At the center of the building is always the holy family but the other characters that appear are a bit surprising. There's local villagers wearing traditional costumes, musicians, protagonists of Krakow's legends like the Dragon of Wawel Hill, the bugle players of St. Mary's church, and Mephistopheles, to name a few.

We were also able to see some of the winning entries from years past and these were just as impressive as the modern versions. The mechanized ones were particularly fun to watch. Characters spun in place, Mary rocked the cradle, angels flew back and forth and the buglers popped out of the tallest towers. Keep in mind that this is all done by hand! It was truly magical and so we wanted to share it with you.

Wednesday afternoons

I spend Wednesday afternoons in a tiny shop, cluttered with thread, fabric, zippers and about 12 sewing machines. My sewing "class" is more like an independent study; you bring a project and then Linda, the instructor gives instructions one step at a time and off you go. In case you were becoming mildly impressed, Linda speaks to me exclusively in English. My German is good enough to order food but definitely not ready to discuss pleats and hidden seams.

Sewing is something my mother and sister do very well. John and I have them to thank for every curtain that's hung in our apartments and most of the pillows. My Grandmother Casey sewed. I'm fairly certain my Aunt Jan sews and I know my Uncle Frank does. I figured it was high time I joined the ranks of Caseys who sew.

Sew far my efforts are a mixed bag. Linda likes to call some of my hems "creative." Sewing a straight line is still a work in progress. I've been told to think about ripping out threads as "zen" but I'm pretty sure that was said just to make me feel better about the third time I sewed on my ruffles. My two completed projects could likely withstand a spin in the wash without falling to pieces but really should only be viewed from a distance.

All that said, I'm totally digging the sewing class. It makes me feel domestic (especially when I create things like aprons). While I don't think I'll get to a point where I trust anyone but my mother or sister with my pillows, I look forward to pushing the pedals, loading some bobbins and sewing up a storm.

First project: The bag at the top. Yes, of course, it's lined.

Second project: Heidi-esque apron. Ridiculous but an excellent project for mastering skills like gathering. As he took the picture, John said "put up your arm." Not sure the look he was going for but it's the best shot of me in the apron.

Next project: After a minor accident in the kitchen my favorite potholder is a charred, burnt mess. I'm going to whip up a new one!!

Here's the website for the shop if you're interested!

Merry Christmas! Have a prune.

John and I spent this weekend in Görlitz and Dresden, exploring the cities and strolling through the markets. It was a fabulous weekend. We had excellent company, good food, and lots to see. I have posted the pictures up on Picasa if you want to take a look.

The markets are full of traditional German food and decorations. By far, the weirdest were the Zwetschgenmännlein, or prune people. These figurines are a specialty of Nürnberg, but were being sold in Dresden. Traditionally they are about 8 inches tall. Their bodies are made of prunes strung together on wires. They have raisin hands and peanut feet. Their faces are made from painted walnuts. They usually look like farmers, musicians, or chimney sweeps but apparently can be created to look like just about any profession. They are creepy.

Here's a bit of advice from the sellers of the prune people: "You will never be without gold and happiness, if you have a prune person in your house." Prune propaganda? I think so.

Weihnachtsmärkte

With the start of Advent on Sunday, Christmas season has fully begun here in Germany. One of the staples of a German Christmas are the Weihnachtsmärkte, or Christmas markets. To say we are excited about the markets doesn't even touch our true feelings. These markets were one of the first items to appear on our "pro" list when we were deciding to move to Germany. John is beside himself with glee at the mere mention of their name. And man, we're going to see a bunch of them. Because you are going to be assaulted with Weihnachtsmarkt pictures for the next 3 weeks, I thought I'd link you to some information on their history and appeal.

Click on this link to read about the markets from Germany's official tourism site, including information on every market city in the country. John and I will be visiting the Dresden, Görlitz, Nuremberg, and Bamberg markets.

We'll be adding pictures to a Christmas album on Picasa.