Hi, and welcome to our video of a trip to Berlin at Christmas captured on our visit in 2018.
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As you're probably aware Berlin, Germany's capital, is in the northeast of the country, which of course you can fly into
However, we're on a four-city road trip starting a Bremen heading on to Berlin, back to Hamburg, before finally arriving at Cologne
but for this video, we're just interested in Berlin
So let's start with our first market then
and this is Gendarmenmarkt on a cold wet Monday morning, almost as soon as it had opened
and as you can see it's not exactly kicking
but it does give you a chance to admire the architecture with a Deutsche Dom at one end
the French cathedral at the other and at the back the Concert Hall
I guess I also need to mention for the first time ever there was an entrance fee for this market
It was only a paltry euro I think, but it caught us by surprise.
of course, you don't have to visit the markets during the day and we have a few other things
later on in the video that may interest you too, so why not hang around for that
I guess this is our number one tip, if you want to peruse the markets for a gift
then this is the ideal time without the crowds.
It's fair to say these places come to life after dark
This is still Monday night and as we head towards the weekend the markets get progressively busier
so if you're taking small ones then maybe plan an earlier part of the week
now after a glühwein or two, if you've avoided picking up yourself a little Christmas gift
well then well done you! I'm not sure we're that disciplined, and when it comes to food - oh dear
and now we bring you the Berliner Weihnachtszeit in the shadow of the Fernsehturm
that's the iconic 1960s viewing platform. Also close by is the Rotes Rathaus, or the red town hall
We like this market, it seems slightly more family-friendly with attractions for the kids
plus there's that fabulous Ferris wheel and of course, there's that great selection of gifts
There's some really unusual items here so you can always bring back something unexpected
So, as well as being home to these family friendly rides and the giant Ferris wheel
it's also got the ice rink around the Neptune fountain
Don't worry they're just preparing the ice - the skaters will be along soon
and for us Brits, plenty of handrails to grasp onto. Actually, I'm tarring everyone with my own brush
I love ice rinks, and I love watching people skating, but I can't.
Scarred for life after being rescued by a 16-year-old, dressed as a giant rabbit, my one and only experience on the ice.
And another market during the day, Potsdamer Platz
It would be fair to say that this market didn't really grab us
obviously, during the day it just lacked a little bit of life
So another tip is if you like the look of a particular market then make sure you do visit after dark, because then it really does come to life
Another thing I want to point out is that Berlin's markets are reasonably spread out
so you will be using the u-Bahn system, their underground, to get around
Don't worry it's straightforward, easy, and felt wonderfully safe
After a morning of discovering, I fancied a beer
and I managed to pick up this cheeky little number - thanks so much to Janis for modelling it
and the next market is Alexanderplatz and as you can probably tell it was a touch damp
so Janis put away the Osmo, and I've captured it with a DSLR
and I've included these shots just so you get an idea of how the market looks
Now, after saying that these markets are spread out, I need to say that this one is within walking distance
a very short walking distance, of the market in front of the Rotes Rathaus, you remember the one with the ice rink and the Ferris wheel
And on the right-hand side of the shot, next to the carousel, you can see the Weltzeituhr, or the world time clock
and as promised, here's a few of the other things we did with our few spare hours
the first was Checkpoint Charlie, which was an obvious choice as we were staying at the Adina Hotel Checkpoint Charlie
and it's an iconic place from history, for people of a certain age
and talking of people of a certain age, we certainly had to visit the Berlin Wall Memorial
on our TVs, we saw this horror from history fall before our very eyes
I have to be honest I was a little ignorant of the facts around the Berlin Wall
but a visit here, and understanding how it impacted people's lives, really brought it into focus
It's easy to follow the story about how this horror divided families and communities
It was immensely touching to see this memorial to those who lost their lives
trying to cross the wall and the sad thing is
some of them, at the very end, were within six months of the fall of communism
I think it's obvious but it's free to visit the memorial site
Another place to visit, and also free of charge, is the Reichstag
I'll pop a link in the description to help you with that, as you need to pre-register and prove identification on arrival
you book a time slot but it's so straightforward
now this tour comes with a free audio guide, that as you walk up along the circular stairway, provides you with a description of the Berlin skyline
the amazing dome structure which allows you to peer down into the debating hall
was designed by Sir Norman Foster, and this was one of the highlights of our tour of Berlin
and we need to thank our barman, Norbert, for recommending this as something to try
and if you're wondering where the Reichstag is, it's just a short walk
from the Brandenburg gate which of course, is another must-see
We had a great time in Berlin, and we'd love to return one day, perhaps when it's a little warmer
Our next stop is going to be Hamburg and I'm now going to pop up a link to that video
so you can see how the different markets vary
Thanks so much for watching take care, stay safe and happy travels