Ich wünsche euch ein schönes Weihnachten!!!

How did that happen?

Yule has passed and the days are already getting longer.  Suddenly it's Christmas...  in 2 days.

Since the weather was still behaving for the most part, I got outside with my camera to the largest Jewish cemetery in Germany.

The Jüdischer Friedhof Weißensee Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located in the neighborhood of Weißensee. It is the second largest Jewish cemetery in Europe. The cemetery contains approximately 115,000 graves and was dedicated in 1880. With the rise of Nazism the existence of the cemetery was at risk (many Jewish cemeteries in Europe were destroyed) but miraculously, the site survived relatively unscathed. Some 400 graves are estimated to have been destroyed by Allied bombing. (Wiki)

When the weather turned to scheiße, I went indoors to the Preußische Spirituosen Manufaktur.

My favorite liquor...  rose flavoured.

Some of this distilling equipment was as old as 1900!!! This one was vacuum distillery.

I was blessed to have another visitor this month.  Christine, whom I went to see in A'dam last month.  Fate would have it, that we had the opportunity to see each other one more time in Europe whilst we are on our life adventures.  This was a great time of year for her to visit Berlin.  I took her to the historical sites of Berlin, and naturally, Weihnachten Märkte!!!

These were taken at the Rotes Rathaus market.

This is down Unter den Linden.

Christine's first night in town I took her to a 1920's themed music, film and performance art event.  Anne joined us as well.

On to a more serious and somber note,  I went back to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp for a second time, at Christine's request, and no objection of mine.  It was a very bleak day and that really set the mood and tone for our experience there.

Then there was the new found view of the Berlin Mauer (wall) "death strip" which I had not be aware of before.

Finally one more of the memorial for the book burnings by the Nazis in 1933.

To end this blog on an uplifting note, how about some more Weihnachten photos?

This is of a glass that was on my desk.  I liked how the light filtered through it creating this ripple shadow/reflection.

Alright...  I feel the pressure leaving my shoulders as I slowly catch up with blogging here...  I have one more to go before I am swamped again.  My next entry will feature my wonderful trip to Vienna with a few of my friends.  A loverly Christmas gift from my parents.  Thanks Momma and Dad'n!!!

Love and squishes,
Daevina

Berlin in Winter

Well, so far the weather in Berlin for the months of November and December have been quite mild and loverly.  I am serious.  A little rain here and there, lots of sunshine and a slight drop into negative temperatures in the evenings.  Nothing to truly complain about really.

I have a lot of catching up to do here so this post will focus on a summary of November.

Mid-November saw the beginnings of Weihnachten Märkte (Christmas markets) preparations.  Something I have been looking forward to since before leaving Vancouver 8 months ago.  At these markets you will find plenty-o-tasty delights in both liquid and solid form.  Glühwein, Punsch mit Rum, Kartoffeln puffers (deep fried potatoe-y goodness), Lebkuchen (similar to gingerbread), candied apples and gebrennt Mandeln (burned candied almonds) to name a few.  Also you will find several stands selling Weihnachten ornaments and traditional curios to decorate your home.  They are open all day and into the night, which in my opinion is the best time to go.  Some have ferris wheels and rides, others and have ice skating rinks, some have both.  Hopefully I have captured some of the special spirit of these markets for you with my photography.  The one at the Kulturbrauerei is the first one I experienced.

Even the Mauerpark Markt was in the spirit of the holiday season.

It wasn't that sexy to be honest.

Reminded me of home.  The same kind of ornaments we hang on our Weihnachtenbaum.

The glorious sunny weather we were experiencing pulled me outdoor often this month.  One location I had been dying to go to was the Spreepark Plänterwald.  It's a rundown, abandoned amusement park along the Spree river.

My next loverly day outdoors was spent at Friedrichshain Volkspark and Flakturm.

Spanienkämpfer-Denkmal, 1968 at Volkspark Friedrichshain.

Märchenbrunnen, 1913 at Volkspark Friedrichshain.

Stairs up to the Flakturm (anti-aircraft tower) in Volkspark Friedrichshain.

The Memorial to Polish Soldiers and German Anti-Fascists. Dedicated in 1972.  The twin columns symbolize the joint struggle of Poles and Germans against fascism.

Having missed out on Canadian Thanksgiving here in Berlin, I was lucky enough to join Anne at a friend's apartment for an incredible American Thanksgiving feast!  Second time for pumpkin pie, as the first was for a friend's birthday.  Both were incredibly delicious...  but not my Momma's.

November and December somewhat blend into each other in terms of climate and escapades, so I will create yet another blog posting about Weihnachten in Berlin.

Love and misses,
Devi