{"id":3133,"date":"2011-12-11T14:00:46","date_gmt":"2011-12-11T14:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=3133"},"modified":"2017-11-14T14:36:02","modified_gmt":"2017-11-14T14:36:02","slug":"a-visit-to-one-of-berlins-christmas-markets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/a-visit-to-one-of-berlins-christmas-markets\/","title":{"rendered":"A visit to one of Berlin’s Christmas markets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although snow hasn’t reached Berlin yet, when you are out in the city you cannot miss that it’s Christmas time. People may have decorated the trees in their front yards with Christmas balls or electric lights.
\nThe city itself has also done some spectacular decoration with the help of its electricity supplier: The linden trees along the boulevard Unter den Linden are illuminated by 80 km (50 mi) of electric lights.<\/p>\n

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And there\u00a0 are dozens of Christmas markets<\/a> in Berlin. I cannot imagine Christmas time in Germany without at least one visit to a Christmas market! Even the village I grew up in had its own Christmas market for two days in December. (Christmas markets originated in the German speaking regions of Europe in the Late Middle Ages. Only recently have they also become popular in countries like England and the U.S.)<\/dt>\n
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But back to Berlin! This week I visited the Christmas market at Gendarmenmarkt. Gendarmenmarkt<\/a> is a square in the center of Berlin, famous for its two cathedrals, the French and the German one, as well as the Konzerthaus. I like this market for its diversity. There are a lot of food stalls which sell typical German Christmas food like Lebkuchen (ginger bread), Marzipan (almond paste) and Bratwurst<\/a>, but also many many arts and crafts stalls that offer Christmas decorations and unique handmade gifts.<\/p>\n

And of course my friends and I couldn’t go without having Gl\u00fchwein (mulled wine)! Many Germans just go to Christmas markets in order to enjoy this seasonal drink. Gl\u00fchwein is usually prepared from red wine, which is heated and spiced with cinnamon, clove, lemon zest and star anise. Delicious!<\/p>\n