Christmas time in Berlin

When my former landlord from Atlanta Facebooked me saying that he and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Choir (ASOC) would be performing in Berlin with the Berlin Philharmonie I knew this was a sign that we've got to finally make the trip. I'd been wanting to go for so long but after about 5 years living in Munich, I still hadn't been there (ashamed to admit!)

Despite the even-more-unusual-than-normal cold temps (our windshield cleaning fluid froze on the drive there from Munich) we thoroughly enjoyed our short weekend trip. The highlight really was the impressive Berlin Symphony and equally impressive 185-member ASOC performing a series of three Brahms Requiem performances. The conductor was Donald Runnicles. The acoustics in the Berlin Philharmony concert hall are unbeatable, and definitely worth the pricey 60-euro tickets we purchased online the week before (only 2 pairs of 2 seats left). We rarely, if ever, attend these types of concerts but we were definitely enriched by the experience.

Before the concert we packed in quite a day of sightseeing in -12 to -15 degree Celcius temps (there's no bad weather, only bad clothing right?!) with Earl, my former landlord, his cousin and wife who came from Oklahoma (Ed and Karen). We had so much fun with them wandering around in the cold and drinking Gluhwein at the Christmas markets to keep us warm. We walked to the Berliner Dom, Fernsehen Turm (TV Tower with great views of the city on a clear day), and the DDR Museum (its free and very interesting!), right near Berliner Dom and just a short walk from our Hilton Hotel on Mohrenstrasse 30 (great location on the East side of Berlin, in the rebuilt quarter "Mitte"). The area is also known as the Gendarmenmarket, a lovely historic area with plenty of shops and good restaurants not to mention the adorable Christmas market set up this time of year across the street from the hotel. And its only a short walk to the famous “Unter den Linden” street and Brandenburger Tor.

Of course I have to mention the 'Essen' in Berlin! Some of the restaurants we ate at were (all within walking distance from hotel):

• Goodtime Thai restaurant (yummy Thai food in a pleasant atmosphere- yes, we had a..good time!)
• Maximilian's Bavarian resaurant (can't believe we ate Bavarian in Berlin!)
• Lutter & Wegner German restaurant (very nice, high-quality not your typical german restaurant). I actually ordered the only vegetarian dish on the menu and it was delicious: gnocchi stuffed with goat cheese. Apparently, the Wiener Schnitzel earned the title as the 'Best schnitzel outside of Vienna' by the NY Times and also got rave reviews from others in our party who ordered it.
  

Before we knew it, it was time to drive back to Munich...still with frozen windshield cleaner but warm and enriched hearts from our experiences in Berlin.

No we didn't drive off in this 'Trabbi' this was at the DDR Museum..

Don't forget to obey those pedestrian crossings, particularly the "Ampelmannchen" ("little traffic light man") cuz they're so cute with their little hats on. One of the few authentic features remaining from East Germany to survive the reunification, makes it more fun to cross the streets!