Berlin is a truly multicultural city, and this diversity is celebrated at the ‘Karneval der Kulturen’ (translated into English as ‘Carnival of Cultures’), held every May during Pentecost in Kreuzberg. The highlight of the festival is the grand parade on Sunday.
Karneval der Kulturen in Kreuzberg
The Karneval der Kulturen (Carnival of Cultures) is a large urban festival with an open program for four days in Berlin-Kreuzberg. The festival is free and features various stalls offering a wide array of food and drinks from around the world, as well as clothes, toys, some handmade musical instruments, jewellery, and other treasures. Additionally, there is a green area and many stages where various artists and musicians present their art and music.
Large parade in the streets of Berlin
One of the highlights is the big parade on Sunday, where about 1.3 million people come together. Dance groups, musicians, and other artists celebrate and dance through the streets of Kreuzberg, from Hermannplatz to Yorckstraße/Möckernstraße, turning them into the biggest stage in Berlin. This year (2015), the parade started at 2:30 pm and ended around 9:30 pm, featuring over 70 groups. The audience can join the parade and celebrate along with them. The music was mostly techno and electro music, which Berlin is known for. The atmosphere was fantastic and the streets were full of dancing people. All streets were closed to traffic, and it felt like a massive party where the whole city was involved.
First written on Friday, May 20th, 2016, you have read the blog post Karneval der Kulturen – celebrating diversity on Berlin’s streets on My Travel Journal-Blog.
I love to taste new dishes from foreign countries or enjoy meals I already know from my past vacations (it brings back good memories). That’s why I was very excited when I heard about the food market at the ‘Görlitzer Bahnhof’ in Berlin.
From Switzerland to Peru …
In Berlin, you have the opportunity to choose between various food markets. I went with a friend to the Markthalle Neun (Eisenbahnstraße 42/43, Berlin-Kreuzberg), near the Görtlitzer Bahnhof (U1, U3) to sample some foreign dishes. The market opens every Thursday from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm. You can find a wide variety of food from all over the world, ranging from Switzerland to Peru, from Vietnam to Italy. There are different stalls offering dishes from specific countries.
Summer rolls
Our first dish was summer rolls from Vietnam. They are rice paper filled with tofu, peppers, cucumber, rice noodles, Chinese cabbage, and fresh herbs, served with peanut-hoisin sauce. They were really tasty. My friend bought something like samosas filled with meat from an African stall.
Naanwich
It was really difficult to decide what to eat because there were so many creative dishes that looked so delicious. In the end, we decided to eat a Naanwich, which combines the words Naan bread (typical Indian bread) and sandwich. So, you can already guess that it’s Indian food. You could choose between meat (12-hours cooked pork) and tikka cheese (paneer), combined with salad, various vegetables, coriander, and mint yoghurt sauce, all wrapped in bread. It was not easy to eat, but it was really good (I actually love Indian food).
Fluffy waffles filled with Mousse au Chocolat
My friend decided to try some of the wines they offered. I wanted to save my money for dessert. I forgot the name of the dish, but it was a special kind of waffle (very fluffy), rolled up to resemble an ice-cream wafer and filled with Mousse au Chocolat. You could choose between different fillings such as Baileys, strawberry, banana, Nutella, or just the classic option with sugar and cinnamon. The evening was very nice, and we plan to come again. After the market closed, we went to the nearest bar to drink a beer.
When a West European girl visits a mosque for the first time …
Visit the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul
Most immigrants in my home country Germany are from Turkey. Nonetheless, I never knew much about Islam. A really good friend told me once something about the five pillars of religion. His mother is from Turkey, so he knows a lot more about Islam than I do. Actually, I really had the wish to visit a mosque a long time ago. I got this chance when my university in Berlin had an exchange with Istanbul. This should be the first time I would see a mosque from inside. It was really exciting for me.
Actually, my first contact with the mosque was already on the first day of my arrival in Turkey. When we went through the city a Muezzin started to call and pray from the minaret. For me, this was really new and unexpected. But I guess you could compare it to the bells from Christian churches, they also call the believers into the church.
Washing rules and blue scarves
I really like the architecture of the big mosques in Istanbul. We visited the Hagia Sophia. First of all, we had to wash before we were allowed to enter the mosque. There are different water tapsoutside, one side for men, the other for women. They have a fixed process of how to wash and when.
After washing the face, the head, and the feet, we entered a line of people to enter the mosque. In front of the mosque, they distribute blue scarves for women. Because when a woman wants to enter the mosque she has to cover her legs, arms, and hair. So we all tried to hide our hair with blue scarves and wore long blue skirts (actually, I don’t know why we had to wear these skirts because all of us had long pants, but the men at the entrance said to us our legs were too skinny). The last stop before entering the mosque is a floor where you have to take off your shoes. Everyone gets a plastic bag for his shoes.
A FEELING LIKE HOME
Finally, we were allowed to go into the mosque. The Hagia Sophia is really big, beautiful and has – I believe like every mosque – many domes. The whole mosque has carpeted floors. One of our German exchange students said that walking without shoes on this carpet feels a little bit more like home. We should perhaps do the same in our Christian churches.
The mosque seemed very bright and colourful with its beautiful windows, painted domes and pillars. The lamps hung really deep, this was special for me.
It was really interesting to be in a mosque for the first time and hear something about the second-biggest religion in the world.
First written on Thursday, May 05th, 2016, you have read the blog post First time in a mosque – Visiting Hagia Sophia in Istanbul on My Travel Journal-Blog.
Do you plan to visit Germany? Then you found the right blog post. Here you find some “Insider” news, tips, help and other good-to-know stuff about my home country.
About Germany
Germany has a size of over 350,000 square kilometres and more than 80 million inhabitants. Our capital is Berlin, and of course, we speak German and pay with Euro. Our country has a big historical background, especially the Second World War is still an important subject in Germany and we were divided into two countries (with a wall which even divided Berlin into two parts). The German reunification was on the 3rd of October 1990, it is our national holiday. We are less than half per cent of the world…
Shops are closed on Sundays
It’s cheaper to buy food in the supermarket and cook your own meal than go out to a restaurant. However, if you go to restaurants or bars you usually give the waiter a tip of around 10% for his – and this is the important part – good service. On the other hand, it is also totally common to actually give no tip in case the waiter was impolite or the service bad.
If you want to buy food in the supermarket you should know that all shops and supermarkets are closed on Sundays. There are some exceptions on special days (Verkaufsoffener Sonntag). There are also special rules for convenience stores, petrol stations and supermarkets which are part of a train station. If you are in Berlin, you can for example go to the supermarket at the central station or Ostbahnhof. But the groceries can be more expensive, especially at the convenience store.
One special attention for tourists in Bavaria (for example Munich, Nuremberg, castle Neuschwanstein) and Saarland: Supermarkets close here a little bit earlier, at the latest 8pm.
Deposit on plastic and beer bottles
In Germany, we have a deposit for most bottles. You recognise it through a little sign on the bottle, which shows a can and a bottle with a returning arrow. Plastic bottles, cans and beer bottles but also some other glass bottles (for example soft drinks) have deposits. Most big glass bottles with alcohol (wine or spirits) are non-returnable.
Plastic bottles and cans have a 0.25 Euro deposit, and beer bottles (glass) 0.08 Euro. There is also a deposit on the crate itself. After you emptied the bottles you can bring it back to the supermarket and get your money back. This deposit system is part of the environmental protection of Germany and should help the recycling system. Furthermore, many homeless people in Germany collect bottles with a deposit from public parks. So if you do not want to bring your bottle home you can just place it next to a trash bin people will collect it from there.
Bundestag in Berlin
Public transport
Compared to many other countries, Germany has expensive public transport. Especially the local transport could be very expensive (price reduction for single tickets only for kids under 14 years). When you want to travel across the country you can use planes, trains (for long-distance travel, it’s cheaper to buy the tickets at least three days before – Deutsche Bahn or sometimes cheaper here), busses (f.e. Flixbus, Postbus or Eurolines) or also take a ride with the car (f.e. Blablacar). The last one is a good decision when you want to travel spontaneously. There are different portals you can use and ask foreigners to take them for less money with you.
No speed limit
One cliche about Germans is, that they love cars. The fact is that Germany doesn’t have aspeed limit on highways. But it was already discussed a lot if it would reduce car accidents.
Clean tap water
Our tap water in Germany is very clean. So you don’t have to buy water in the supermarket and can just use the tap to refill your bottle. Many people buy their water anyway in the supermarket. One reason will be that sparkling water is really in common here (but you can also buy water without carbonic acid).
Age Limits
Germany produces a lot of wine and beer. The age limit for beer, and (sparkling) wine is 16 years. For any other alcohol like spirits or driving cars, you have to be 18 years old. With 18 you’re at your full age in Germany. But you have to be 21 years old for some clubs and every casino.
First written on Sunday, December 20th, 2015, you have read the blog post Good to know about Germany on My Travel Journal-Blog.
In Japan live about 2 per cent of Christians. For sure, it would not be the first country you would associate with Christmas. But this fact doesn’t keep Berlin from organising a Japanese Christmas market. What you can find there? Please scroll down …
At the weekend of the second advent, I visited the Japanese Christmas market together with my flatmates (sometimes we’re Asia nerds). The market was in a big hall in Alt-Treptow in Berlin. The first look wasn’t really Christmassy (neither the second). There were a lot of different booths with typical Japanese stuff like soft toys, pictures, little action figures and accessories. We did also find hand-made kimonos and self-made art. The vendors were different people from Germany or Japan, who came to the market to present and sell special things.
And of course, there were many different booths with Japanese food. Berlin is also really famous for offering a lot of Vegetarian and Vegan food, so there were also a lot of possibilities to have dishes without animal products. Of course, they had a lot of meals with rice like Japanese Curry or Thuna Don. The last one is a rice bowl with marinated tuna Sashimi. Other little things were Yakitori (chicken) or different crepes with Salmond-Teriyaki, Kimchi-Cheese or Matcha-Atzuki. They also sell all kinds of Hot Dogs with specific dishes like Kimchi, Wasabi and Teriyaki. Okonomiyaki reminded me of a big pancake, I think you could compare it with each other. Of course, you could eat typical food like Sushi and Japanese soup. They also sell Zenzai. It’s a sweet red bean soup.
My Gyoza
It was really hard to choose only one dish from the big offer. I decided to try Gyoza. It’s thinly rolled pieces of pastry filled with meat (pork) or vegetables (vegetarian). If you know the German “Maulentaschen” you will know, what I mean. You eat it with soy sauce. It was really delicious, but I waited for one hour to get them because the food needed a lot of time and many people wanted to eat them. But I was lucky because the seller gave me one Gyoza more. Thanks to the hospitable Japanese.
Two other famous Christmas markets are the one at Alexanderplatz and just a few metres from there at Rotes Rathaus. I will tell you where you find a rink for ice skating, real snow, which doesn’t depend on the weather and meet Santa Claus.
💡 WHAT IS A CHRISTMAS MARKET?
Christmas markets are street markets held during the weeks of Advent and originate from Germany. Therefore, Christmas markets are very typical for Germany, as well as Austria, South Tyrol (Northern Italy), and some eastern regions in France. The history dates back to the Late Middle Ages in German-speaking parts of Europe. Christmas markets feature a variety of different stalls selling all kinds of items, including typical Christmas dishes such as German gingerbread (‘Lebkuchen’), candied almonds, various sausages (‘Bratwurst’) and hot mulled wine (‘Glühwein’).
Three Christmas markets at Alex
Alexanderplatz is the most famous square in Berlin with its TV tower and named after the Russian Tsar Alexander I. No wonderit also hosts three different Christmas markets around the area. The one directly on the actual square is full of different booths (more than 100) – and the favourite food of Germans (which you can find at basically every Christmas market) are German sausages, French crêpes and sugared almonds.
Let it snow
Right next to the World Time Clock is a Christmas pyramid designed with over 5,000 lights. Not only is it Europe’s biggest one but actually is also accessible to enjoy your hot mulled wine (“Glühwein”) inside. But also the small fireplaces around the pyramid offer a bit of warmth in Germany’s cold winters. But the highlight is the snow which falls down from the pyramid every full hour. And this snow will fall no matter if it’s cold enough or not (the snow is foam).
Besides the pyramid is traditionally a big children’s carousel. In the stalls around are even more Christmas-themed articles – a lot of them handcrafted.
Christmas Market at Rotes Rathaus
If you follow the square in the direction of the TV tower (Western part of the Alexanderplatz) you will reach the next Christmas market at the Rotes Rathaus. The famous red building is the town hall of Berlin, the home of the mayor and partially even open to the public.
This Christmas market offers a 50m high Ferris wheel (it is actually the same you can find at the Octoberfest in Munich) and a skating rink around the fountain (Neptunbrunnen) for ice skating. Three times a day Santa Clause flies over this fountain in his slide and of course with his reindeers. Furthermore, here you can taste a special menu of Berlin – warm green cabbage (usually served with sausages). Another particular dish they sell is Lángos from Hungary, as well as roasted apples, homemade baked bread from the medieval bakery and hot mead (honey wine).
The third Christmas market is more like an amusement park right behind the shopping mall Alexa.
The next Christmas market I visited was the one around the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at the Breitscheidplatz in Charlottenburg. The Christmas market is right next to the famous shopping street of Kurfürstendamm. You can reach it by subway getting out at “Zoologischer Garten” or “Kurfürstendamm”.
💡 WHAT IS A CHRISTMAS MARKET?
Christmas markets are street markets held during the weeks of Advent and originate from Germany. Therefore, Christmas markets are very typical for Germany, as well as Austria, South Tyrol (Northern Italy), and some eastern regions in France. The history dates back to the Late Middle Ages in German-speaking parts of Europe. Christmas markets feature a variety of different stalls selling all kinds of items, including typical Christmas dishes such as German gingerbread (‘Lebkuchen’), candied almonds, various sausages (‘Bratwurst’) and hot mulled wine (‘Glühwein’).
The location
One of the most famous churches in Berlin is theKaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskircheat the Kurfürstendamm in Charlottenburg. The original church was built in 1890 but was damaged in a bombing raid during the Second World War. Nowadays the church is an important landmark of (former) West Berlin.
Thousand lights
I really enjoyed the mood of the Christmas market here, because of the thousands of beautiful lights in the trees and on the stalls as well as a carpet of lights above the heads of the visitors. A popular photo setting is also the huge Christmas baubles decorated with even more lights. Really typical for the markets in Berlin are the big Christmas pyramids with candles and figures from the nativity scene.
The Christmas market is way bigger than it seems at first glance because the stalls are spread all over the square and some even continue along die Kurfürstendamm. Usually, it even has a pop-up restaurant with traditional German cuisine.
Berlin has more than 50 Christmas markets, including the Winterworld at Potsdamer Platz. Potsdamer Platz is one of the most famous places for tourists to visit in Berlin because it is close to the Brandenburger Gate and therefore to the former Berlin Wall. It also offers one of the first traffic lights in Europe (1924), two huge malls, and the Sony Centre nearby. In the Christmas season, there is a huge market – or actually, two because they are separated. You can reach the markets really easily by trains and the subway (the station name is also called Potsdamer Platz).
💡 WHAT IS A CHRISTMAS MARKET?
Christmas markets are street markets held during the weeks of Advent and originate from Germany. Therefore, Christmas markets are very typical for Germany, as well as Austria, South Tyrol (Northern Italy), and some eastern regions in France. The history dates back to the Late Middle Ages in German-speaking parts of Europe. Christmas markets feature a variety of different stalls selling all kinds of items, including typical Christmas dishes such as German gingerbread (‘Lebkuchen’), candied almonds, various sausages (‘Bratwurst’) and hot mulled wine (‘Glühwein’).
About Winterworld Market
The Christmas market has a large toboggan run out of ice. You can also try ice stock sports and ice skating in a small rink. An Austrian cabin (“Salzburger Schmankerl’ Hüttn”) offers a variety of typical food from our neighbouring country. Besides “Obazda” (savoury cheese spread – also typical for Bavaria), “Brettljause” (a wood plate with different meat and sausages), goulash, “Kasnocken” (as the German version of “Käsespätzle” – spaetzles with cheese so basically German Pasta), also sweet dishes as “Kaiserschmarrn” (sugared and cut-up pancake, typical with raisins), Sacher cake and apple tarde.
My favourite Christmas sweets – Schneeballen (Snownballs)
Snowballs
One of my favourite candies at the market at Potsdamer Platz was “Schneeballen” (means snowballs). I didn’t know the dish before. It is like a really large and round cake with chocolate glazing and filled with different topics. I had one with white chocolate and filled with nougat. I don’t want to make too many covered advertising, though it was really tasty.
Besides all the food Potsdamer Platz is also a good opportunity to go shopping. The large shopping mall was full of golden lights and decorations, in my opinion, it’s a little kitschy (but hey, it’s Christmas). Also really kitschy is a big colourful Christmas tree with tonnes of lights in front of the Theatre of Potsdamer Platz.
Last but not least, the stallholders also sell different things as clothes, Christmas decorations, lights or handmade woollen hats.
Berlin offers more than 50 Christmas markets, including one located at Charlottenburg Palace. Charlottenburg is one of the most expensive districts in Berlin, and in my opinion, also one of the fancier ones. This Christmas market in front of the castle can be reached with a ten-minute walk from the train station ‘Westend’, or alternatively, there is a bus stop right in front of it.
💡 WHAT IS A CHRISTMAS MARKET?
Christmas markets are street markets held during the weeks of Advent and originate from Germany. Therefore, Christmas markets are very typical for Germany, as well as Austria, South Tyrol (Northern Italy), and some eastern regions in France. The history dates back to the Late Middle Ages in German-speaking parts of Europe. Christmas markets feature a variety of different stalls selling all kinds of items, including typical Christmas dishes such as German gingerbread (‘Lebkuchen’), candied almonds, various sausages (‘Bratwurst’) and hot mulled wine (‘Glühwein’).
What to find on the market
This Christmas market is quite extensive and includes a little section for children, featuring different carousels, a small roller coaster, and a special train.
However, the market offers numerous different stalls where their vendors sell Christmas decorations, candles, accessories, as well as arts and crafts. Additionally, there us a wide array of food available. Germany is renowned for its extensive selection of sausages, which you should give a try. Usually, there will be also some vegetarian or even vegan options. Moreover, the market offers a varietyof traditional Christmas dishes such as German gingerbread (‘Lebkuchen’), bread baked in a wood stove, hot mulled wine, and pan-fried mushrooms.
Besides a Christmas pyramid, the market also features a nativity scene and, of course, a castle, which will be illuminated throughout the night in different colours.
First written on Monday, December 7th, 2015, you have read the blog post Christmas Market at the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin on My Travel Journal-Blog.
Berlin has over 50 Christmas markets, among them the Scandinavian Lucia Christmas Market featuring Glögg, ‘Feuerzangenbowle’ and the ‘Open-Air-Coat-Heater’.
💡 What is a Christmas Market?
Christmas markets are street markets held during the weeks of Advent and originate from Germany. Therefore, Christmas markets are very typical for Germany, as well as Austria, South Tyrol (Northern Italy), and some eastern regions in France. The history dates back to the Late Middle Ages in German-speaking parts of Europe. Christmas markets feature a variety of different stalls selling all kinds of items, including typical Christmas dishes such as German gingerbread (‘Lebkuchen’), candied almonds, various sausages (‘Bratwurst’) and hot mulled wine (‘Glühwein’).
My first Christmas Market in Berlin
I just moved to Berlin a few weeks ago. The capital of Germany offers a variety of Christmas markets, and I want to explore some of them in the next weeks leading up to Christmas. The first market I visited was the Lucia Weihnachtsmarkt in Prenzlauer Berg. It’s located at the Kulturbrauerei near the subway station Eberswalder Straße.
I just moved to Berlin a few weeks ago. The capital of Germany has a lot of different Christmas markets and I want to try to discover some of them in the next weeks until Christmas. The first market I visited was the “Lucia Weihnachtsmarkt” in Prenzlauer Berg. You can find him at the “Kulturbrauerei” at the subway station “Eberswalder Straße”.
The market gets his name from Lucia from Scandinavia, she brings the lights on the 13th December (in English it’s SaintLucy’s Day). Of course, you will also get here some Scandinavian drinks like Glögg. But of course, you can also drink the typical hot mulled wine, you can buy at every German Christmas market. Or another choice could be “Feuerzangenbowle”. The drink is named after the pliers above it. It’s hot mulled wine with rum-soaked sugarloaf, which has a blue flame.
When you easily feel cold you should visit the “Open-Air-Mantel-Heizung” (literally translated Open-Air-Coat-Heater). Visitors can wear one of the coats, which are combined with heaters, which get theirwarmth from an oven nearby.
Saint Lucy’s Day
The market is named after Lucia from Scandinavia, who brings the lights on the 13th ofDecember (known as Saint Lucy’s Day in English). Of course, you can also enjoy some Scandinavian drinks like Glögg. However, you can also drink the typical German hot mulled wine, that you can buy at every German Christmas market. Another option could be Feuerzangenbowle. The drink is named after the tongs used to hold a sugarloaf. It’s hot mulled wine with a rum-soaked sugarloaf that produces a blue flame.
Open-Air-Coat-Heater
When you easily feel cold, you should visit the Open-Air-Coat-Heater. Visitors can wear one of the coats, which are equipped with heaters that provide warmth from an oven nearby.
