Christmas Markets

It's that time of year again when the Berliners visit their local Christmas markets.  We had fun looking at several of them and took photos at Alexander-Platz, in Charlottenburg, and on Sunday morning in Potsdam, a small city just west of Berlin.  Prussian-style food, such as kale with sausages kept us going.  Gluehwein, a hot sweetened red wine brew, is a good anti-dote to cold weather, but beware of drinking more than one mug, especially if you intend to get home by bike!  And then there are many stands with lots of goodies for sale, like cookies, ginger-bread hearts, bees wax candles, jewelry, chocolates, knitted hats and scarves, books, and my favorites --- old-fashioned wooden Xmas ornaments made in Thuringia, one of the locations where they originated and where back then poor woodworkers made them by hand.
 
The Xmas Market at Alexander-Platz is a bit like a commercial fair, with ice-skating, a ferris wheel, and lots of music.

Oh, and one more thing.  It's afternoon.... and all the sudden it's dark...  4:30pm.... earlier if it's overcast...  Not that the early dark seems to bother the Berliners.  Even Bill and I are gradually getting used to it.  As a matter of fact, it can be a nice surprise to discover that it's still afternoon with so many hours still ahead...

The Xmas market in front of Charlottenburg castle is smaller, less commercialized, and not as crowded, at least earlier on an afternoon.

I liked the looks of these lit-up "snow cone" tents, but found that their heated spaces offer more expensive stuff, such as leather clothing, real jewelry, wool sweaters, picture frames and the like.    

So back to the open stands where the sales people are glad when the weather is not too cold...

Look at these yummy tools made from chocolate:

Sunday morning in Potsdam: We happened to walk through this market on our way to Sanssouci Castle and Park.