Well Christmas morning we woke up with our presents under the mirror. It was much more akin to Festivus and putting presents under the aluminum pole rather than under the tree. But our true gift to each other was the trip that we were on rather than items. We were on a strict 20 pound budget and i think we both only went over by less than 10 pounds. Needless to say Kelly got a Purple infinity scarf and hat from me that she actually liked and didnt fake like it and then take it back. I got some Calivin Klein underwear and a book that i wanted, Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson.
After our little gift exchange and breakfast my computer promptly broke again which at the time was a major travesty. It meant we would not be able to chat with both of our families and seemed really depressing. We desperately tried not to let the little setback ruin anything for us but you it was a lingering thing on our minds and left us feeling even more out of touch with families who we desperately wanted to see. To add insult to injury the last time the computer broke was on Thanksgiving. Well we decided that there was nothing to be done and soldiered out into my first white (as in snowing...shame on you for even thinking it) Christmas.
We decided it would be fun to walk past one of the sections of the Berlin Wall that was left standing all around the city. This was the only time we really saw other tourists the entire trip, as in there were 3 people taking pics of the wall when we walked up and then they promptly left. Its always strange to see something that impacted so many people in a horrible way for so long, and to us its, "oh cool, theres the Berlin wall" and nothing more.
 |
| A cute freulein by the wall. |
 |
| On the Russian side of the wall. |
The streets were absolutely empty Christmas morning and it was truly beautiful. Trees everywhere were decorated like this one and it felt like we had the city to ourselves at least until we reached the Christmas market at Potzdamer Platz and found everyone. They had a man made innertube hill that kids were having fun on and every booth was open at the market. I enjoyed some Heisse Chocolate while Kelly got the first of many Gluweins of the trip. Now I like gluewein as well but more the idea of it than the actual drink. Its alright, and while the thought of sharing it with family and friends in a cold Christmas market sounds amazing, Ive just never really been a fan of spiced wine, or hot wine for that matter. We also got some mini-dough balls that were coated in sugar and very good.
 |
| Heisse Schocolate |
 |
| Gluewein |
After our magical fun time at the Market we decided to do what we always do, find a coffee shop and read. It happened to be Starbucks and we were able to find a nice seat with a great view of the daylight fading over the city as we relaxed, read, and had some familiar coffee. Overall, for a Christmas morning and afternoon spent away from family, it was super fun.
After our we walked back to the Hostel to freshen up and get ready to try and find a place for Christmas dinner. We talked to our awesome host at the hostel and he circled some places on the map where we could get an authentic German meal. Now it bears mentioning that we had been looking for an authentic German meal for the entire time but we kept on being unable to find one. Again we ventured out and after about a 15 minute walk found the street they were talking about, which was loaded with restaurants, but no German looking ones. We settled on a Mexican place that in all fairness was amazing. I realized it had been about 5 months since i had had my favorite food and when the chips and salsa were served it tasted amazing. Seriously, if you have ever gone without Mexican food for that long, its ridiculous how much like home it tastes.
We settled on having MASSIVE burritos that were every bit as good as they looked. Overall it was a great substitute for home cooked food, but nowhere near as good of course, just a good substitute if one had to be made. That night we were able to find an internet cafe and long distance bar and got a hold of family on the phone. We also figured out how to hook up skype on our phones and use the wifi connection to talk even more extendedly to my parents and Kelly's parents and sisters and nieces who just got a skype enabled iPod. So all in all we were able to survive without the computer.
They following day ended up being one of the best of my life. I dont exactly know how to express it but i just knew going through it that it was a blessed day and one that i will always remember. We just did the stuff we always did but again it felt incredibly special and just so Christmasy to be out and about in the snow in Berlin. It was also sunny, which helped. We walked back by Potzdamer Platz and then over to the Brandenberg Gate, but on the way we walked past these strange block like things in a field. All markings were covered in snow so we didnt find out until we got back that it was the Holocaust memorial built on top of Hitlers bunker, where he died. It was a cool memorial and was weird how the blocks looked level but some got very tall in the middle where the ground sank.
 |
| At the wall on a sunnier Boxing day. |
 |
| Holocaust Memorial |
 |
| The blocks at the Holocaust memorial got very tall in the middle. |
 |
| Brandenburg Gate |
 |
| Christmas tree and a guy posing as a Soviet for pictures. |
It was when we got here to the other Christmas market that things started to feel incredibly special. The way the light was hitting the buildings just felt magical as we were walking around.
 |
| This is one of my favorite pictures i have ever taken. So cool looking. |
The best part of the day where it go truly special was when we found a tent to relax and have some more Gluwein and warm up. At this point we were realizing the day was a special one and we were saying sweet things to each other and just taking it all in. Right then (10 seconds after this picture) Kelly said, "I will remember this for the rest of my life", at that point a little girl ran up to us and proceeded to puke right in between us. It brought the magic to a screeching halt to say the least but did make for a funny story.
After the Gluwein we decided on some dessert. This was a sweet waffle, freshly made, covered in custard, and given a small pool of chocolate sauce. It was absolutely amazing. I cant wait to go back next Christmas just to have another. We also got some roasted almonds and strolled around for another hour or so just taking in the plays and performers, the lights, and watched the sunlight turn to twilight, and eventually go out.
We walked home past Checkpoint Charlie once again and got some more Starbucks. We stayed there reading until they closed just wanting the day not to end. We went back to the Hostel and decided to try the Mediterranean place across the road. Thats right, Italian, Mexican, Mediterranean, but still no German food. Needless to say it was incredibly good. Also it was funny, we didn't order anything but soda's for drinks and our server must have taken a shine to us. He spoke no English but came over and just poured us two shot glasses full of clear liquor. Now Kelly and I aren't big time shot takers but we also aren't ones to be culturally rude. So we took them, it tasted just like pure liquorice, but i quickly had some more soda to wash it down. Now we ate and it was good, but there was a small mix up with our bill and to make up for it our waiter came over and said sorry and before we could protest poured out two more shots. I was laughing about it and really didn't want it since i didn't need anymore and i have liquorice, but when in Rome... Kelly and i made it home and went to bed afterwards and slept like babies. The next morning we had to check out of our hostel as i had booked another hostel across the city for our last night in Berlin. When we got there, it really wasn't much of a Hostel as a 4 star hotel at hostel prices. It was called Singer 109 if anyone ever goes back, amazing. Now we got there a bit early and put our bags in storage and had to kill 3 hrs. So once again we decided to walk around and see what we could find. What we found was the river full of ice and a beautiful time, these next few pictures are what we saw.
 |
| Just some more unforgettable beauty (Kelly and the River) |
 |
| Yes this is a swan chilling on a chunk of ice |
 |
| I thought this statue looked funny, like the lion had a blindfold on. |
 |
| Peasant girl outside of the Berliner Dome. |
Well during the last portion of our walk (about 3 miles from the hostel) it started to snow hard. We found shelter in yet another coffee shop and read in order to try and wait it out. It didn't stop, so we made a long journey home in the snow and checked in to our room and finally dried out. Luckily on our walk i spotted a Brauhaus that looked like authentic food and we made a mental note to go back. We showered in amazingly private and clean rooms at the hostel and got ready to go out for the evening. I stopped on the way in the snow to grab this picture specifically for my Facebook profile. It really doesn't get more perfect for a profile pic than this. We got to the Brauhaus in spite of the increasing snowfall. It had probably amassed about 4 inches since our afternoon walk.
At the restaurant we finally found what we were looking for in authentic German food. We also decided to order a stein of Beer since it was brewed on site. It was served at room temp and was surprisingly good and flavorful. We also looked around for the beer menu for a while before we realized they only had one type, and that was of course the type they brewed there.
This was our meal. Kelly had a pork steak with a salad and mashed potatoes that was very good. I on the other hand had the most delicious piece of medieval looking pork leg that i have ever seen. It came with German style potatoes and fresh hot sauerkraut, which i don't like, but i tried it here and it was amazing. Also it was all served with an amazingly good hot mustard. We finally got our German food and it was everything we could have ever hoped for it to be.
 |
| Our dinners |
 |
| This belongs on a kings table circa 800 years ago. So good though. |
 |
| Afterwards i was feeling a bit full |
To end it all we had a beautiful walk in the most snow of the trip. We each had about an inch on us by the time we got back to the Hostel. We read in bed with our wet clothes on the radiator and had an amazing close to an amazing trip.
 |
| Our 'Hostel' reception area. |
 |
| Morning after the heavy snows. |
To end it up we checked out and made it to the airport fine. Our only delay was that customs took forever and we got to our bus an hour late. They wouldn't honor our ticket that i had pre-booked so we got our ride from an alternative bus company. It was disappointing to be back in the UK and getting ready for work, but as i always remind Kel at the end of our trips, we are leaving Europe, to go home to Europe and we are very lucky for that.
Sorry for the extreme delay in this as these do take a while and i find my self very very busy with school these days. Thanks for reading and leave a comment if you enjoy these infrequent looks into Kelly and my life over here. Love you and miss you all. Later.
