11.23.2011 Weihnachtsmarkt am Opernpalais, Berliner Weihnachtszeit

**UPDATED
Every Christmas market is a little bit different, and each have their own speciality, (and their own mugs!) I was really going to collect them for a friend, but I don't know if these types of mugs fit her/her mom's collection. I'll ask, but wouldn't it be cool to have limited edition Christmas mugs? Can you feel my urge to collect all the Christmas Market mugs?

It is starting to get busy at work, there's finally a list of ongoing projects that are all simultaneously not very urgent but needs to get done soon. We're also getting stuff ready for Christmas so I got a lift to the Gendarmenmarkt because there is a lady selling our products there for us, AT HALF PRICE!! (I'm considering going over there and buying one back haha)

I looked up Christmas markets and apparently, the Gendarmenmarkt Christmas Market is one of the nicest in terms of atmosphere. They have traditional handicrafts like flax embroidery, wood carvers and stone masons, and I saw this one guy hammering metal. There's jugglers, acrobats, fire artists, dance groups, choirs, Berlin classical, jazz and Gospel ensembles, and culinary creations from top cooks. Anyway, the market here is noticably nicer than the Alexanderplatz one, but this one was much less crowded. I told my coworker that I went to the Alexanderplatz Market yesterday and she said that one was for kids. *I had thought I was at Gendarmenmarkt this whole time until I came across the real one. This one is actually a Christmas Market at the Opera Palace? and did not have as much cultural variety as the real Gendarmentmarkt. Nevertheless, this market had lots of crafts and roasted chestnuts and a good nostalgic feel.

It always starts with the alluring candy store

Slippers to keep frozen toes unfrozen

hot rum! Why not buttered rum?

Christmas entertainment

meat

Those Germans sure love their meat.

An air filled Santa stands atop the beer tent.

                                                                          A vintage carousel

The vintage ferris wheel! It's pretty cool and rickety, only I'm standing on the wrong side of it taking a picture.

Like a Christmas beer garden

 

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.." 

After running around the Gendarmenmarkt  Opernpalais with my camera, I took the bus back to the nearest train station and on my way I passed by the Market with the giant ferris wheel you can see from Alexanderplatz! So I jumped off the bus and walked around this one too. This is the Spandau Christmas Market and is one of the largest markets in Berlin. Berliner Weihnachtszeit (It even says so on the banner). Apparently (according to research afterwards) The number of stands at the market practically double on the weekends. The highlights of this market are a Christmas crib with live animals (I missed it!), a Christmas garden, and a historic crafts market, with a Medieval plague procession. (I might go back to see the plague procession, it could be funny..) This market came with a lot of entertainment, like an ice rink, or a little train called the orient express that runs in circles, or a Santa who sails across the sky in his sleigh and an elf who sits in the cloud under his sleigh.

"We're living in this grey soup," she calls it.

Spandau Rathaus is a governement building and is a nice area with lots of old buildings and churches. I guess you can't tell, but even though it's evening, it's still grey out! 

Alright, they have vintage carousels too.

pizza on fried dough, soooo greasy

Isn't this cute, the stalls have tops that look like buildings on a street. To the right of me (it's not in the picture) is a tiny two meter stage and there was a little play being performed there about some Christmas story in German.

Live Christmas music 

Candy, dentists must be rich in Germany

Santa on his sleigh. He actually sails across this tightrope across the market and says a few words like, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!" as sparklers spew out of the bottom of his sleigh and he carries on across the night sky.

This was like, the best thing ever. I waited for this kid to come around the rink twice to get a good picture of him. He doesn't know how to skate, and is feet are totally sloppy on the ice, but look! He's holding onto a penguin!!

Spandau Christmas Market Mug! I didn't get the Gendarmenmarkt  Opernpalais one because I didn't clue in about the mugs-specific-to-the-market deal.