Caption This! #3

I'm adding my own caption as well...

AWESOME DAY :)

Das Wetter

Das Wetter- the weather

I don't get it. No matter how many times I try, I just can't figure it out. I'm talking about das Wetter. Growing up in Connecticut, I know all about the 4 seasons and how strange they can be, but this is baffling. Jack and I have determined that there are 3 levels of das Wetter in Berlin; awesome, medium, and absolutely sucky. We have not officially developed qualifications for these levels, but here is an idea:

Awesome Day: Sunny

Medium Day: Grey

Absolutely Sucky Day: Everything else

When we first moved here, we found that most days were awesome...sunny, not too cold, blue sky...we understood why Germans love to be outside. Since the fall, we have encountered medium and absolutely sucky days, with perhaps one awesome day to spice things up. We have been warned (numerous times and by numerous people) that Berlin winters are absolutely sucky, but so far, we've been lucky. In the words of the Starks on Game of Thrones, "Winter is coming."

The medium days are the most strange. Yesterday, for example, the temperature wasn't too cold, and there were grey clouds within the already grey sky. Most days, it's just endless grey and there are no clouds. Amongst the grey concrete buildings and the stone expressions of Berliners on the street, it gets somewhat depressing. But yesterday, there were grey, poofy clouds that you could physically see, even in the sea of grey, and it almost made us consider the day awesome. 

Currently, there is a grey sky but you can kinda see some sun, but it was sprinkling earlier. It's not freezing, but it's just a few degrees colder than comfortably cold. I really don'y get it! 

Give me a High Five #3: Weihnachtsmärkte

It's almost Christmas! I can't believe it's almost here. Germany has been preparing for Christmas for so long, with their Weihnachtsmärkte and their decorations, that it just seems like we were going to endlessly wait for the holiday to arrive. In honor of Christmas, here are the top 5 Weihnachtsmärkte that we have visited in Berlin. We have not gone to all of them, so I am sure that there are other great ones to see, but these are the best out of the ones that we have seen. Merry Christmas everyone! Fröhliche Weihnachten!

1. Berliner Weihnachtszeit
This Weihnachtsmarkt was near Alexanderplatz, but not the Alexanderplatz markt. Here, they had an ice skating rink, many yummy flavors of almonds, and a Pflaumen (plum) dough ball that Susan loved so much.  This market had a good variety of crafts and food, and is where I bought some very warm gloves :) They also had real smoked Salmon that smelled amazing.

Smoking Salmon

2. Potsdam Weihnachtsmarkt
Very cute! The street never seemed to end of stands selling everything from Indian silks, hot chocolate, German Christmas twirly carousel things, Polish Sausages, and other homemade goods. I bought some wool socks, which kept my feet warm. The other bonus, was that there were tons of stores and cafes on the same street, so we could step inside a cafe when it was cold, or step into the Tamaris store to look at pretty shoes.

Polish Sausage guy

3. Potsdamer Platz Weihnachtsmarkt
Really good dried fruit. Susan stocked up on dried dates. There is also a sledding hill, stage for curling, and it's next to the best ice cream place (that I have found so far) in the whole city!

Sledding Hill

4. Schloss Charlottenburg Weihnachtsmärkte
It was very cold the evening that I went with Jack, but they have the Schloss lit up with pretty colors.

5. Lucia Weihnachtsmarkt at Kulturbrauerei
This market is pretty cool because it offers fur coats and heaters to keep yourself warm. Unfortunately, there was no room where the coats were to try them on, but they looked pretty warm. This markt also had the cutest Glühwein mugs, which were in the shape of boots that had little Christmas mice and dolls on it. We kept that one!

Honorable Mentions:
The Nostalgic Weihnachtsmarkt at Opernpalais

Opernpalais also had pretty lights

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church Weihnachtsmarkt

And a bonus:

-1. Gendarmenmarkt (yes, there is a negative sign before this one)
This markt was actually the biggest disappointment, but I'm writing about it because the experience was interesting. The markt at Gendarmenmarkt is probably the most famous one in the city, and even costs a euro to go. However, what they don't tell you, is that you have to waddle like a penguin throughout the whole market because it's so crowded that you cannot move or walk. If you get separated from your party, you better have a meeting space, because there is no where to stand aside and wait, nor can you catch up. They put a huge performing stage smack dab in the middle of the markt, where way too loud, mediocre singing is taking place. Why they put the stage in the middle, where all of the waddling penguin traffic is taking place, I don't know. We were in and out in 5-10 minutes. However, they did have samples of homemade Applechips which were pretty tasty, and it was also aesthetically pleasing.

"Paris is always a good idea" - Audrey Hepburn

My friend, Susan, and I visited Paris for a whirlwind 3 days. I went expecting just to go on another trip. I left in awe, in bewilderment, and in love. I never felt this way about a city before. At the risk of sounding cliche and, dare I say, corny, Paris was magical. I really don't know how else to describe it. There were so many moments when I felt complete and utter joy with whatever we were seeing, doing, or eating. I cannot even begin to express the happiness, beauty, and wonderment that we experienced. Instead, I have put together a mini photo diary of our short time in Paris. Unfortunately, part of my complete and utter joy was spent in the Musee d'Orsay and l'Orangerie, both of which do not allow you to take pictures. To see some of our other experiences, click on the picture of Notre Dame. Enjoy!

Paris

Day One	Day Two	Day Three
Notre Dame Versailles	Musee d’Orsay l’Orangerie Walking around Paris	Galeries Lafayette Avenue des Champs Elysees Arc de Triumph Eiffel Tower Notre Dame at Sunset Paris at Night

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum

Our Christmas Tree

I made the star myself, thank you :)

 And some pictures from our walk along the Ku'Damm:

 

Give me a High Five #2: Heimweh

das Heim = home

weh = sick

as ding = thing, die Dinge = things

This has been a very hard week. Perhaps it's because it's the holidays and all I want to do is crawl on the couch with my head in my Mutti's lap as she scratches my head and watches her current USA tv show (Royal Pains? Covert Affairs? Which is it now, Mutti?). Perhaps it's the Christmas lights that I see everywhere and I keep thinking that I'll be going home soon to spend time with family, friends, and chex mix. Perhaps it's because one of my closest friends is coming to visit in T minus 2 days (as long as the weather cooperates). Whatever it is, this week has been one of the worst weeks as far as Heimweh. Sad Kitty is not working. KaDeWe is not working. I. Miss. Home. Where is home? No idea...CT? DC? USA? Whatever it is, it is missed. Some things seem silly, some are serious. Here are the five (plus a few extra) things that I am Heimweh for:

1. Family and Friends. I love you all. I wish I could just text you or call you without having to worry about a time zone. I miss seeing you, some of you regularly, some of you only a few times a year. Some of you, I used to talk to constantly, but since being here, have only talked to you once...maybe twice. You know who you are. I still think about you all the time and wonder what you are up to.
2. My kitchen gadgets/spices. Silly, but I have a fantastic spice and kitchen gadget collection at home, and here, there are the basics. Don't get me wrong! Manuel (our subletter) has basically everything one needs to do your basic cooking and baking. I miss my crock-pot and immersion blender like you wouldn't believe. I miss my lemon squeezer and am tired of doing it by hand and getting my fingers all sticky. I miss my 3 variations of cinnamon because one variation is clearly not enough. I miss my omelet pan that never seems to work and instead of omelets, turns into scrambled eggs.
3. Familiarity. I'm tired of walking into something as simple as a Kino and not knowing what to expect. I haven't had my hair cut since July because I'm petrified of a- not knowing how to explain what I want, b- not knowing if I should tip, and c- getting a bad haircut because I can't figure out how to explain what I want. Most of my familiarity issues are due to not knowing enough German.
4. NFL. Yes, I watch the Pats (still don't know how they won this past week!), but football is usually always on in the background so that through osmosis, I know what's happening with most teams, not just mine. Jack asked if I thought that this was the year that the Pats would win the superbowl. I didn't know how to answer because I have no clue how everyone else is doing. Reading stats are different than actually watching them.
5. Teaching. Who knew? I was ready for taking a year off to pursue other hobbies, but in reality, I love teaching children, even with all of the crap that goes with it. 
6. US food, and no I don't mean burgers and crisco. I mean little silly things, like vanilla extract, pumpkin, peppermint, brown sugar, cilantro, black beans...these basic things, believe it or not, are extremely hard to find, and when you do, are crazy expensive. These are things that I use all the time and I can't get (easily or cheap) here! No, I am not a flexible person, and adapting to German ways is a very tough thing for me to do.
7. The smells. It smells...different...here. I can't explain it. It just doesn't smell like home.

Sorry for the Debbie-downer post. I needed to vent. 

The good news is that Susan will be here soon (yay!!!) and I know that seeing her will help me feel a bit better :)

Weihnachtsmärkte: An Introduction to the First of Many

After babysitting this evening, Jack and I high-tailed it to the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) at the Schloss Charlottenburg. The US does not know how to do Weihnachtsmärkte like Germany does, and while I can't speak for the rest of the country, Berlin knows how to have a Weihnachtsmarkt. They are in every major neighborhood and then some. Each markt has their own neighborhood feel, even though they basically sell the same things. Foods include wursts, Flammkuchen, and potato goodies. Gifts include jewelry, handmade crafts, and warm fuzzy items. Think of it like a fairground and Christmas had lots of babies together, and you'll begin to have an idea of what Weihnachtsmärkte are like.

Of course, there is Glühwein. Glühwein, if you don't know already, is a hot and spiced wine that you can order "plain" or with shots of brandy/amaretto/rum/juices/etc... Each markt also has their own Glühwein mugs. You buy the Glühwein and the pfand (deposit charge), which you get returned to you when/if you return the mug. Or, since each markt has their own mug, you can collect the mug and just not get your 2 euro pfand back.

While people are obsessed with Glühwein, I'm not a huge fan (gasp! I know). Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, but it's too sweet. After a few sips, it starts to taste like warm Juicy Juice, and I don't want anymore. However, it's so freakin' cold out that I keep drinking it just to keep my hands and body warm. In 3 days and some hours, my good friend, Susan, is coming to visit, and we will be attending viele (many) Weihnachtsmärkte. Perhaps the Weihnachtsmarkt at Schloss Charlottenburg is different than the other Glühweins at the other Weihnachtsmärkte? I shall have to try again and see :)

It was friggin' cold this evening, so my pictures are out of focus and not that great due to my huge gloves. When Susan comes, better ones will be taken of viele Weihnachtsmärkte.

Entrance to Schloss Charlottenburg

Enjoying Glühwein

Enjoying warmth from Glühwein

Live and Learn #4: Das Kino

Das Kino = the cinema

This past weekend, Jack and I saw Catching Fire at das Kino. There are a few theaters that play the Original Version of films (aka, in English!), and we were happy to find a time to see the 2nd installment of the Hunger Games Series.
       *Side Note: The movie is flipping amazing. It aligns closely with the book. Go see it. I don't care if you haven't read the books. Rent The Hunger Games, and then immediately go to your local theater and see Catching Fire. Read this blog after. I mean it! Go!

Now that you've seen the movie, I can tell you about das Kino in Berlin. Going to a Kino seems like a very simple procedure. In America, you go to the theater, buy the tickets, and get your yummy theater goodies. You then hand your ticket to the guy who rips it, enter the theater, peruse around for a seat, and climb over a family or two to get the exact center seat. You then pass the popcorn, soda and raisinettes to your friend/family member/significant other to hold onto while you take off the many layers that you're wearing because it is cold outside. You then sit down in the seat that seems to squeak every time you move and take the yummy theater goodies while your friend/family member/significant other does the same thing. Then, you realize that you're cold, because even though it's winter and not even 40 degrees outside, the theater blazes the air conditioning. So, you pass the yummy theater goodies back to your friend/family member/significant other so that you can put back on your jacket. The process is repeated by your friend/family member/significant other. Finally, the previews start, you become a movie critic and evaluate the previews, and then watch your feature presentation.

Simple right? It's a little different here in Berlin. I shall explain:

In Berlin, you go to the Kino, buy the tickets, and choose if you want to sit in the front, middle, or back. Yes, there is a price difference. No, there is no sign that tells you this. Yes, prices are more expensive in Berlin than in the US, which is a shocker, since US movie ticket prices are so expensive! We chose the middle seats. While we did not buy yummy theater goodies, there are your typical yummy theater goodies in the typical monster sizes. You can also purchase wine and beer! You then go into the theater to your designated seats, which are not quite La-Z boy chair quality, but close. Oh my, are they comfortable, and plush, and spacious! You have room both in the seat and the aisle to move around. The theater is a comfortable temperature, so no need to add and take off layers continuously throughout the movie. Then, the lights go down and there are ads, which you think would continue into the previews and then the movie, but no. The ads are for the food that you can buy at the concession stand. After the ads play, the lights come back on and you are given an extra 5 minutes to buy food. Then, the lights go down again, more ads play, a few previews come on, and your movie begins. If the movie is longer than 2 hours and is playing after 3ish, they add an intermission. When the movie ends, the lights do not come back on until after all of the credits, and most people stay to read them. I thought that my Mutti was the only one who reads the credits, but apparently, she's not! Jack and I immediately stood up to leave when the credits started, but sat back down again when we realized that we were the only ones. Overall, a great experience at das Kino. While expensive, those seats are worth it!