How much do I love the Christmas Markets here in Berlin? Oh, so very, very much. The Romantic in me just dances in delight every time I go to one-but only if it's a very traditional, elegant market, not one of those made over into a carnival with rides and games and the obnoxious merchandise you see at county fairs. No, I love the good and proper old-time markets.
The Christmas Market at Gendarmmarkt is easily my favorite. Guards dressed in traditional livery guard the entrance, which is all lights and tinsel. It's the swankiest of them all, all crystal chandeliers, sparkling lights, handmade ornaments and lots of yummy food that is roasted right there in front of you.
There's also this fabulous open-air bakery that makes fresh Bavarian bread right there in a huge outdoor oven. You stand there and watch the bakers form round loaves out of huge, floury tureens of dough, thumping and rolling the dough until it's perfect enough to pop on a tray and stick into the wood-burning oven.
Besides food, you can wander the stalls, looking at a large variety of handcrafted objects, from traditional German Christmas ornaments to delicate glass balls to hand-knitted caps to Moravian stars:
Through it all comes the gentle sound of traditional carols, piped in over an invisible sound system. There's a stage in front of the Konzerthaus, too, set up for the evening festivities. The acts vary from children's choirs to quartets to silly people dressed as snowflakes. After dark, the whole place is a swarming hive of activity, but the daytime is a lot calmer. I actually prefer it then, despite the lights not being as bright. You can see more.
I had lots more pics, but the gods of technology intervened and I've lost most of the photos on my memory stick: these ones were taken only yesterday, when I realized that recovery was not going to happen. But there should be more coming: I still have to go to the markets and Schloss Charlottenburg and Sanssouci.
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