Ok I know, I know, I haven't updated in ages.
I plead holiday season craziness and a straight *month* of visitors from the States!
Some highlights:
Pre-Christmas "princess party":
Visit from the 'rents and little bro, Dec. 15-22:
This delightful traditional beverage was described to us as "like Glühwein, but more alcoholic." And how!
We also had great fun rediscovering an old Grandpa Bowers favorite: Lamumbas, aka alcoholic hot chocolate (at the Weichnachsmärkte, with rum or amaretto; grandpa B used to serve 'em with chocolate milk and Spanish brandy).
I took the fam for a Berlin specialty: currywurst! It's a chopped sausage smothered in curry ketchup and curry powder. This is the German idea of spicy. At least at Curry 36, supposedly one of the best currywurst stands in the city, you can add extra chili flakes which actually do pack a punch. Here's a picture with some typical accompaniments, an order of fries (pommes) with ketchup and mayo and a nice cold Berliner Kindl:
Mostly the food at Christmas markets is a smorgasbord of traditional German delights, but this stand in Spandau was going for a different approach:
Very authentic I'm sure.
It snowed every day they were here! leading to some very nice views of snowy (and cold!) Berlin:
Especially walking home from the Museuminsel (this was at 5pm-ish):
My parent's hotel, the Radisson near Alex, had a giant aquarium in the lobby...pretty surreal going up the elevator in the middle of it and looking out at the hotel through schools of fish:
We attended almost every major Christmas market in Berlin to sample the goods (mmm...hot alcohol. and bratwurst) and the fanciest one (with a 1eur entry charge!) was at the Gendarmenmarkt:
We enjoyed watching a bunch of ducks and swans get fed by a German family on a snowy walk through Park Sansoucci in Potsdam:
...that's my brief recap of the family visit. I'll update again soon on Christmas and New Year's celebrations!
Bis bald,
D.
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