Life in “lockdown light” – week 2

Mexico City or Berlin?

The second week of “lockdown light” is coming to an end, but you wouldn’t know it walking around the streets of Berlin. There are plenty of people out and about. At least during the daytime - I haven’t been out in the evenings. There are people inside shops (wearing masks of course) and there are queues outside fast-food and other restaurants serving takeaway. There are also plenty of bikes and cars on the streets and people waiting at tram and bus stops. I have been avoiding public transport, but I hear that S-Bahns and underground trains are pretty full. Of course, bars, cinemas, theatres, museums, fitness studios, etc. remain closed.

When the partial lockdown was announced, it was supposed to be in place for at least four weeks, but it may well last longer. We should find out more on Monday 16 November, when Angela Merkel is due to hold a meeting with regional leaders to discuss the current situation. Meanwhile, the number of Covid infections in Germany continues to rise, but at least the reproduction number (or R value) has fallen below 1 – a positive sign. However, these figures may be misleading as the testing strategy has changed since early November. Patients with colds no longer get tested, because the testing capacity is stretched, so we might be comparing apples with pears.

The Christmas season will feel very different this year. Christmas markets are one of the staples of the festive season in Germany, but many have been cancelled. In Berlin, the traditional Christmas markets at Gendarmenmarkt and Schloss Charlottenburg, as well as the Lucia-Weihnachtsmarkt and the Alt-Rixdorfer Weihnachtsmarkt, won’t be happening this year. The Christmas Garden has also been cancelled. Where will we drink our Glühwein (mulled wine) and eat our waffles with cinnamon sugar, just to mention a couple of the delicacies on sale at the markets?  The simple answer is - at home. I guess I will have to invest in a waffle-maker, or my son will be disappointed.

The most awaited news since the beginning of the pandemic came from Mainz, where the German company BioNTech is based. Together with US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, they announced that their jointly developed vaccine is 90% effective in preventing people from getting Covid, according to early results from Phase 3 trials. This news was welcomed all over the world: hope is in sight! BioNTech was founded by husband-and-wife team Prof Sahin and Dr Türeci, both children of Turkish immigrants, or Gastarbeiter, as they are called in Germany (literally “guest workers”). Tell that to AfD voters! In case you don’t know, AfD is a far-right anti-immigrant party.  

If you are looking for Netflix recommendations, the series The Queen’s Gambit is one of the best I’ve seen recently. It’s about chess, but don’t be put off by that. It’s very stylish and beautifully shot. Although the action takes place in the US, Mexico City, Paris and Moscow, many of the scenes were actually filmed in Berlin. Filming locations include the Bode Museum, the Friedrichstadt-Palast (pictured), Rathaus Spandau, the Palais am Funkturm, the Berlin zoo, several locations on Karl-Marx Allee in Friedrichshain, including the bar at Kino International, and even the Humana secondhand and vintage shop at Frankfurter Tor. It might feel like Paris or Moscow in the late 1960s, but don’t be fooled, it’s Berlin!

Advent - Berlin style

Advent in Germany is a special time. 

It's the time of the year for lighting candles on the Adventskranz (advent wreath), for baking Plätzchen (cookies), for drinking Glühwein (mulled wine) and heading to the Weihnachstmarkt (Christmas market).

If you're looking for traditional-style Christmas markets in Berlin, the ones at Gendarmenmarkt and Schloss Charlottenburg are worth seeing.

However, if you're looking for a more "Berlin" experience then head to one of the alternative Christmas markets. Always hosted in amazing locations, with tasty quality street food (pulled pork anyone?) and DJs, you'll find lots of original gifts: pictures, clothes, jewellery, handbags, lampshades, works of art (and much more) made by local designers and often sold at bargain prices. Don't expect pretty candles, traditional Christmas decorations, felt hats, Christmas carols, Bratwurst, Kartoffelpuffer (fried potato cakes) and the Christmas traditional market fare. 

Holy Shit Shopping - for one weekend only (3rd-4th December), but if you missed the one in Berlin you could still try Stuttgart or Hamburg. The location for this well-established indoor designer market this year was the former power station Kraftwerk Berlin.  

Weihnachtsrodeo - on the weekends of 10th-11th & 17th-18th December. The location this year is Postbahnhof am Ostbahnhof. Expect plenty of designer stalls, yummy street food, hip music and of course hipsters.

Holy Heimat - open from Thursday to Sunday during the entire advent season, this alternative Christmas market offers both indoor and outdoor attractions. 
The location is Haubentaucher (RAW Gelände) in Friedrichshain. As well as street food and designer pieces, there is also an ice skating rink, kid's wonderland and live music.  

For a non-shopping experience, head to the Christmas Garden Berlin at the Botanical Garden in Steglitz between 5 pm and 10 pm for a magical after-dark walk in a beautifully lit park. There is also an ice-skating rink.

Whatever you do, avoid Alexanderplatz at all costs. It's a tourist trap and possibly the ugliest place in Berlin.