berlin travel

[Berlin, Germany] Celebrating Christmas in the City of the Ampelmann

With dreams of a “white Christmas” vacation and images of lively Christmas markets in mind, we boarded our flight to Berlin in December 2013. Well, although snow didn’t make an appearance during our trip, we ventured out in (almost) freezing weather to experience the warmth of Berlin’s Christmas markets. The gaiety, bright lights, colorful stalls, and variety of food and drink lent a magical, festive touch to the city. In the capital of Germany, we explored the Christmas markets, visited historical monuments, learned about the Ampelmann, spotted colorful bears (the bear is Berlin’s symbol), and spent solemn moments at two memorials.