Christmas and New Years in Deutschland

Derek, Adam and Marius

Our Christmas holiday was spent with our German family in their hometown of Oberstenfeld and Gronau. After arriving back to Zwingenberg from traveling to Berlin and Hamburg, we unpacked our bags and repacked with clean clothes and gifts, and then headed to Oberstenfeld for a shortened holiday week. We spent the first few days relaxing around the house and even went to the cinema near Stuttgart to see The Hobbit in 3-D. We ate dinner with Derek's Aunt Lori and cousin Kristin from the U.S. before they headed north to Denmark, and Derek and I even took a short run through the bare vineyards.

On Christmas Eve, we walked a short ten minutes down the road to a quaint Evangelical church in Gronau where we watched a Christmas story reenactment performed by children.  In the past, I have only been to a Catholic church on Christmas Eve, so an Evangelical service was definitely a different experience, but pleasant. After church we headed back to the Müllers and gathered around the table for fondue. When I first heard that fondue was on the menu, I thought of cheese and chocolate (and yum!).  However, we had three different fondue pans on the table, two containing vegetable oil for frying and one of vegetable broth, a healthier option. With a variety of choices, we filled our fondue sticks with cauliflower, mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, steak, turkey, etc. It was delicious, and a new favorite tradition that Derek and I want to take home. 

Dinner took a while since we actually cooked our food in front of us, and therefore we had more time to just enjoy the Christmas dinner. After dinner, it's German tradition to open presents on Christmas Eve from your immediate family. Earlier in the week, Derek, Adam and I had gone shopping at the U.S. Military Commissary in Wiesbaden and were excited for the Müllers to open their gift of our favorite American foods. We filled an American-sized gift bag of pancake mix with maple syrup, microwave popcorn, chips and salsa, Reese's, beef jerky  and more.  (Somehow, it ended up all being junk food!) 

Table set for fondue

Our American gift of favorite foods

On Christmas Day, we had a relaxing morning and then went to Hilde's for the Nestel family Christmas. It was very similar to my family's Christmas back home, with everyone squeezed into their seats at an extended table covered in so much food! We enjoyed chestnut soup, pork with spätzle, vegetables and salad. And the food didn't stop coming. Throughout the evening we had sheet cake with a white wine sauce, an assortment of kuchen, breakfast pastries, mini sandwiches and chocolates. I suppose that’s how most get-togethers are in a bakery-owning family. Later in the evening, Werner shared his fish that he had personally spiced and salted. It was tasty and reminded me of a delicate, delicious sushi. At one point, everyone received a sheet of music with popular German Christmas carols. We all sang a practice round before calling Derek's Grandpa, Opa, in Minnesota to say Merry Christmas and sing a carol. This has been a long-standing tradition at the Nestel Christmas.  

Derek and I 

Hilde looking over the family tree with Derek

German Christmas carol

After dinner was cleared, another German tradition made its debut. The Feuerzangenbowle is created by placing an extremely large sugar cube over a pot of glühwein. The mixologist then takes a serving spoon filled with rum, lights the rum on fire, and proceeds to pour it over the sugar cube. It’s a very interesting, and somewhat dangerous way to make a drink, but tastes scrumptious!

Feuerzangenbowle

After two pots of Feuerzangenbowle, the men in the group decided to take a trip to Werner's keller in the old town of Oberstenfeld. The story goes that at one time several years ago, Derek and Adam's dad, along with Günter, Wolfgang, and Werner (all of the German dads), were locked in this keller by the women of the family. Therefore, they had nothing to do but try different wines. They left one bottle from that time, back in the early '90s, turned opposite of all the others and our goal of this Christmas evening was to find that bottle. While in the keller, we tried wine from 1983, 1985, and 1987. To everyone's surprise, all tasted delicious. The best wine I've ever tasted, and oldest. And yes, they did find the odd-turned bottle that was placed there in the early 1990's.

Derek, Günter and Adam in the wine keller

The women in the keller

Wine from 1985

Our wine selection of the evening

In Germany, Christmas is celebrated on December 24, 25 and 26. For the second Christmas Day, we went to Günter's brother’s house for Christmas with his side of the family after taking a nice walk through the countryside. Here, we indulged in another European tradition called raclette. Originally from Switzerland, this dining option is popular at German Christmas and New Year's. With a hot skillet oven in front of us, we took turns filling our mini skillets with potatoes, eggs, peppers, etc. and then topped the dish with a piece of raclette cheese. After about seven minutes of baking in the skillet oven, the delicious mixture was ready for devouring.

For this Christmas, everyone also participated in a gift exchange and we enjoyed watching everyone open their gifts. It was a lovely evening and a great German Christmas experience!

Raclette time!

Doro and Marius

Second Christmas dinner

For New Year's Eve, Derek, Adam and I were invited to our friends' house - Nadine and Denis - where we enjoyed another evening of raclette, German board games, fireworks and champagne. It was the perfect way to spend the evening, with good friends, food and laughter. Thanks to Derek and Adam's mom, we even had a festive New Year's party kit. Since Germany doesn't celebrate the Fourth of July or a similar holiday with so many fireworks, fireworks are a large component of the German New Year's. Here's a few photos of the night:

New Year's Eve dinner

Happy New Year!

Nadine and I

Raclette dinner

Group photo!

Additional Notes:

• German Christmas was very similar to how we celebrate in my family in the United States. I think the excitement of a German Christmas originates from the hundreds of Christmas markets leading up to the actual holiday - another tradition we loved exploring this year!
• Thanks to all of our German family for making us feel so welcome! And thanks to Nadine and Denis for being such great hosts!
• If you want to read more about German holidays and traditions, you can read this blog post that I wrote for DFSR.

December Roadtrip: Two Nights in Berlin

Derek and I at the Brandenburg Gate

Our experience in Berlin lived up to our expectations; the city was a thriving mix of international eateries, numerous boutiques and large shopping areas, history that stretched for miles and a culture that is still forming. According to our tour guide, Berlin doesn't have a defined culture but is still developing its true identity. The city has over 100,000 construction sites; the Berlin that we visited last month will be a different Berlin in ten years. With it's grim past in the past, Berlin has transformed into a thriving, hip and welcoming city.

After a three hour drive from Hamburg, we arrived in Berlin to our Meininger Hotel on December 19th around 2:30 pm. We checked into our very cheap and nice hotel - a three person room for two nights in Berlin for 96 Euro. We stayed in what was formerly known as East Berlin on Oranienburger Strasse right across from the New Jewish Synagogue and around the corner from Museums Island along with numerous international restaurants.

We dropped off our bags and set out to explore the city. After picking up some coffee and a snack from the train station's shopping area, we headed down the famous street of Unter den Linden to the Brandenburg Gate in the Pariser Platz. Built in 1791, the Brandenburg Gate has been a symbol of German struggle and freedom throughout it's history and is the last surviving gate from Berlin's old city wall. From here, we walked through the gate and around the corner to the Holocaust Memorial. Our tour guide pointed at (on the following day) that the line running through the road on the other side of the Brandenburg Gate was were the Berlin Wall used to be. The Brandenburg Gate was used as an highly guarded passage from East to West Berlin. 

Bradenburg Gate at Christmas

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe at dusk stood like shadows eerily inviting a passerby to stroll through the cement blocks. Look at the photo - there is no plaque or sign describing what this monument is portraying. The designer, an American Jewish man, wanted the memorial to leave an impression, but left it up to the viewer to create that impression by using no symbolism. With 2,711 concrete blocks of the same width and differing heights, the memorial left me with the impression of a giant, somber graveyard. When looking at the photo, it is difficult to tell, but the center of the memorial actually dips down and the blocks tower above you as you walk through. Underground the memorial, we found a memorial center that paid tribute to all victims of the Holocaust. We spent about an hour walking through the exhibit. 

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

We continued strolling the busy streets of Berlin, trying to get good feeling of the layout of the city. And then we stumbled upon the store. The Rittersport Chocolate store. The store not only sold every type of Rittersport chocolate in every size but even had a small chocolate museum and Rittersport history overview. We packed a basket full of our favorite chocolates, and left the shop as jolly as could be! 

Rittersport heaven

Derek in front of the Rittersport Store

We walked a bit further and found the Gendarmenmarkt - one of the many hearts of Berlin. The market was filled with many market stalls, all catering to eager Christmas market goers. Since this was the most famous market of Berlin, there was actually an entrance fee! But for one or two Euros, we entered the market, enjoyed a stroll around the enchanting stalls, and sipped some gluhwein. We even stopped to listen to the choir on stage (per my request). This market was quite fancy in many areas, with makeshift, charming restaurants set-up under the tall tents.

Gendarmenmarkt Christmas Market entrance

I loved the ambiance and warm colors of the area.

Market stall

Derek and Adam warming up with a warm drink.

Lovely setting 

Busy market square

After the market, we headed back to our hotel and enjoyed some wine and beer before adventuring out for dinner. We decided on a very lively Indian restaurant just down the road, complete with dim lighting, delicious chicken curry and over-sized Indian decorations. The next morning we awoke around 9:30 and grabbed pastries and coffee before heading to the Brandenburg Gate for the meetup of our tour group. We joined the free Sandeman's New Europe tour, the same tour company that we used in Prague. I immediately liked our tour guide and looked forward to hearing Berlin's history over the next three hours. We started at the Brandenburg Gate and made our way to the Holocaust memorial once again before venturing to the site of Hitler's old bunker where he and his wife died. Now a parking lot, there is no memorial marking the spot besides a basic sign.

Checkpoint Charlie

Our next stop was the headquarters and old air force base of the Third Reich and then onto Checkpoint Charlie. With fake military guards trying to con tourists and a McDonald's across the street, this famous checkpoint that separated East from West Berlin is now just a tourist trap. However, we were told that a memorial or museum is in the works. We also passed part of the Berlin Wall near the Topography of Terror Museum. I never fully understand the history of the wall and East versus West Berlin but after this tour, I had a much better understanding of the conflict. This wall not only represents the barrier between East and West, but also the human struggle of communism and moral rights. When the Soviets decided that too many of their East Germans were migrating into West Berlin so that they could be airlifted to West Germany, the Soviets built this wall around the entire region of Berlin occupied by the United States. If a family member was working or visiting a friend in the other part of town the night the wall went up, they were barred from seeing their trapped family for years and years. On the other side of this wall was a no-go zone, where many people died trying to escape. Our tour guide said that people tried everything - building tunnels, windsurfing and building a hot air balloon to escape, and some did succeed. That's my explanation of the Wall in a tiny, itty-bitty nutshell. I wish we would have had another day in Berlin to dedicate to this history as there are several highly-regarded museums available. 

Berlin Wall

In front of the Berlin cathedral

Looking down from the loft in our hotel.

After the tour ended on Museums Island, we decided to visit the famous Pergamon Museum  home to the Pergamon Alter from second century b.c. The alter comes from the Greek city of Pergamon and was excavated from 1878 to 1886 by a German archaeologist. A 269-foot-long frieze wrapped around the outer wall of the museum. The most impressive thing to me about this alter was how they excavated it in current-day Turkey and transported it to Berlin. After viewing the next attraction, the Market Gate of Miletus - a 95-foot-wide and 55-foot-high gate from an ancient Roman city, we came to the Ishtar Gate of Babylon. Using many original glazed tiles and many reproduced ones, the gate created a feeling of mystery, intrigue and beauty. Used as the entrance to the ancient biblical city (575 b.c.) , the Ishtar gate was beautiful and breathtaking. What would it have been like to ride on horseback through these gates to the wealthiest city of its days?

The Greek Pergamon Alter in the Pergamon Museum

The Ishtar Gate from Babylon

We finished the evening with a quick tram ride to the northeast neighborhood of Prenzlauerberg where we sought out the Saint Lucia Christmas market, a Swedish market, and indulged in some Icelandish gluhwein. For dinner, we found a friendly and tasty Cuban diner. It was a great end to long, history-filled day. The following day Derek had the bright idea of visiting the German Technology Museum before heading home. Out of all of the museums in Berlin, I would not recommend this unless you are a train and wind enthusiast. But I do believe the guys enjoyed it, at least I hope so.

Enjoying a Cuban dinner - notice my handmade scarf!

Empanadas!

Derek and Adam with their fruity beer

Admiring the art of the Victory Monument

Additional thoughts on Berlin:

• Take a tour! I would have liked to take additional tours as well, possibly to Potsdam or the DDR history tour through Berlin. I'd also recommend the tour company we used. You pay the guide what you think he/she deserves and they are working for tips, so they do try very hard to give as much information as possible. 
• For cheap eats, always consider the train station. Many large stations have nice grocery stores, ample bakeries and street food. Our lunches consisted of pastries, sandwiches, coffees and curry wursts. This makes me feel better about spending more money on a nicer dinner.
• Stay in central Berlin. Our hotel was perfectly located - we could walk everywhere in central Berlin. A tram even ran directly in front of our hotel with access to other regions of the city. 
• Take 30 minutes or an hour to go through the Holocaust memorial center at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. 

Frohe Weihnachten aus Deutschland!

Heppenheim Weihnachtsmarkt

'Tis the season for Christmas music, Advent calendars and candles, glühwein and many, many Christmas markets! What I've learned so far about the German Christmas season is that every single German town has a market, whether for one weekend, one day or for every day of December, and more importantly, Advent. Derek and I have concluded that Germans always have a reason to celebrate, whether it be carnival with Easter season, opening of the wine season, summer festivals, closing of the wine season, Autumn beer fest, wine walks, and now, Christmas markets. From my one weekend of experience I've decided that Christmas markets are not just places to buy adorable Christmas decorations, but also a gathering of intense glühwein drinkers trying to stay warm. I'm also not sure that a more adorable, romantic ambiance could be created for Christmastime. 

This past weekend Derek and I took the train to Darmstadt for a meetup of Derek's colleague and my friend. As a larger city, Darmstadt did not provide the charm of half-timbered houses or quaint cobbled streets, but was a good start to our weichnachtsmarkt experience. On Saturday, Derek's birthday, we headed to our initial home-base in Germany and charming town of Heppenheim. Talk about romantic and adorable, Heppenheim had it all. We enjoyed glühwein with friends, explored the market stalls and strolled through the town. The old rathaus accompanied the Christmas tree in lighting up the marktplatz as a local band shared holiday joy. For a birthday dinner, we settled into a charming weinstube where Derek indulged in Argetentine steak and I had a schnitzel. On Sunday we ventured to the town famous for its rathaus and cuteness, Michelstadt. With fresh snow on the ground, the town was a hustle and bustle of holiday cheer. After collecting a glühwein mug for our collection (you pay about 2 Euros for a deposit), we met up with Nadine and Denis in Derek's town of work, Reichelsheim. This may be the smallest market we visit, but nevertheless, it was a wonderful yet freezing evening spent among the star-studded church. I can promise that this month's blogs will be filled with Christmas cheer (singing loud for all to hear!), so stay tuned! 

We awoke Sunday morning to snow!

Derek and I in Heppenheim

Nadine, me and Eva

Derek's birthday dinner

Michelstadt Christmas market

Derek and Rudolph

Glühwein market stall

Conversing at the Reichelsheim market

Group photo in Reichelsheim

Fun fact of the day: How do you say "Merry Christmas" in other languages?

Deutsch: Frohe Weihnachten

French:  Joyeux Noël

Spanish: Feliz Navidad

Italian: Buon Natale 

Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyiunnepeket