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.

Saint Martin's Day: a German tradition for children

November 11 is marked across many parts of the world as Armistice Day, Remembrance Day or Veterans Day to recall the end of hostilities of the 1st World War. 
In Germany, the Carnival season begins at 11:11 on November 11 and people traditionally eat Berliner Pfannkuchen (similar to doughnuts but without a hole) on this day.
November 11 is also Saint Martin's Day, which is celebrated by all children in Germany as "Laternenfest", the party of the lanterns.
If you happen to be out on the streets just after dusk on Saint Martin's Day, you will most likely encounter one or more processions of children carrying lanterns and singing Saint Martin songs. 
However, if you're at work or live in a neighbourhood with very few children, you will hardly notice. It was only when I moved to Berlin (and to an area full of children) that I first saw a procession of lanterns.
If you're a child growing up in Germany the party of the lanterns is one of the highlights of the year. The lanterns are prepared days or weeks in advance at nursery or school and the children practise signing the typical lantern songs with their teachers. On the actual day, children, parents and teachers gather outside nursery or school and together they walk and sing. At the end of the procession there is usually a party with food and drinks. In some cases there is also a bonfire. On these cold and dark autumnal nights, the lanterns bring much needed light and warmth.

Post-Brexit family reunion

Once again our Anglo-Italian-German family (with Austrian and Swedish connections) was reunited. The location was a 1950's villa with stunning views over Lake Garda and the special occasion was my parents' 40th wedding anniversary.

As might be expected, Brexit was one of our main topics of conversation after "Where is the best pizzeria?", "Where is Leo hiding now?" and "Have they emptied the bin/taken away the rubbish?" (more on recycling later). My Gran's favourite topic of conversation as always was Andy Murray, followed by Brexit.

I've heard about people falling out with other family members, friends and colleagues over Brexit, but in our family we all agree on two things:

1) The referendum was a bad idea from the start.
2) Brexit doesn't mean Brexit.

As time goes on and no clarity emerges, there is a possibility that Brexit can still be avoided, at least we hope so. After all, there is a legal argument that the government is not constitutionally entitled to trigger article 50 without approval from parliament. 

So far, nothing has really changed in our family, except for the fact that the pound has lost value against the euro, so holidays in Italy and Germany are now more expensive for our UK based members. 

Even the waiter serving us "coppe gelato" in the village of Montinelle couldn't resist a political observation: "Britain has never been the same since Margaret Thatcher left". Eyebrows were raised, coughing sounds were made and giggles were stifled, but I'm not sure the waiter noticed.

The truth is nobody really knows what will happen. It's all a giant mess (or an Eaton Mess) and it will take years to sort out.

It's even worse than sorting out the rubbish in Manerba del Garda. After one week most of us (except for me, as I did a crash course on recycling on the first day) still didn't know where to throw the serviettes or the tea bags away!

Rubbish collection is a serious and complicated business. Each day of the week, between 8pm and 4am, your rubbish needs to be left outside your house or taken to the nearest street corner. Monday is organic waste (biodegradable bags in brown bin) and other rubbish (black bags no bin), Tuesday is paper (in paper bags or cardboard boxes only, no bin), Wednesday is organic waste again, Thursday is glass and metal (blue bin only, no bags), Fridays is plastic (transparent bags no bin). 

Confused?

Or you could do as my uncle suggested: dump everything into the bins on the beach, which is kind of how I feel about the Brexit ballot papers.

Meanwhile we are all back in our respective countries of Italy, Germany and the UK, except for my brother who's currently on a business trip in India.  

Looking forward to the next European reunion...

My life in the EU

Yesterday I was shocked, sad and angry. Today I am still angry with the people that have voted to leave, but I am mostly sad. I am sad for the 48% of the British population that wanted to remain and I am especially sad for the young people that could not even vote and that will never experience life in the EU.
I was born in the UK and I grew up in Italy in a British/Italian family. I spent most of my summers as a child in the UK.

I studied at a British university and most of my friends were undergraduates, Erasmus* students, PhD students and postdocs from the EU. 

I studied at a French university for a year, as an Erasmus student from a British university, and met lots of lovely people from the EU, including the UK. In France I also met my German husband, by the way.

When I finished my degree I moved to Germany, where I worked and spent my free time with lots of Brits living and working in Germany.

I then moved to London, where I studied and worked with young people from the EU that were living, studying and/or working in the UK.

Now I live in Berlin, which is also the home of thousands of Brits.

My life would not have been the same without the EU. I would not have met most of my friends. I would not have met my husband and I would not have a son that can speak three languages.

I am sorry for the young generation living in England and Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland may choose a different path) that will not be able to have the same wonderful experiences. They will never know what it meant to be part of the European Union.

*The Erasmus Programme is an EU exchange student programme that has been in existence since the late 1980s. Its purpose is to provide foreign exchange options for students from within the European Union and it involves many of the best universities and seats of learning on the continent.

It's Spargelzeit! (The Trouble with Spargel)

Although I have lived in Germany for many years, there are still lots of things about German culture that puzzle me.  
Why is there no speed limit on some motorways?
Who on earth decided that a mobile phone should be called a "handy" (pronounced hendy)?
Why are Germans so obsessed with “krimis” (in other words, thrillers)?
But most troubling of all is:
Why do Germans get so excited about white asparagus? 
When I say excited, I mean over-the-top ecstatic.

Typical stall selling white asparagus

 

Strawberries I can understand... cherries I can understand, but tasteless white asparagus?!?

After all the years I've lived in Germany (I’ve already reached my tenth anniversary), I still have no idea what the fuss is all about. 

One of the typical ways of eating Spargel - as they are called here - is drenched in hollandaise sauce, which says a lot about their taste. In fact, you need a really good dressing to be able to taste anything at all.

Having said that, asparagus soup is all right I suppose...

Some devoted German Spargel eaters have tried to make their case, but whatever they say I just don't get it. Or at least I think it’s more about the fact that Spargel is synonymous with spring and good weather rather than good taste. 

Personally I believe that you have to be either German or have grown up in Germany to really appreciate white asparagus.

In any case I have a feeling that the question will continue to trouble me for many more white asparagus seasons to come.