Well, I am now back in Ukraine… In 9 days I visited 3 cities in 2 countries and can’t even begin to count the kilometers I walked in the cold and snow!
My first stop was to fly from Donetsk to Berlin, via Vienna. I arrived in Berlin after a major snowstorm and we had to wait for the airport to clean off a spot for us to park. It was tiring and funny at the same time walking from Alexanderplatz to the hotel and dragging my 4 wheels suitcase. Those 4 wheels don’t help much in the snow!
Berlin was great. Being there before, I visited a couple of spots like the Brandenburg Gate and the government building. However, the weather was kind of nasty and cold and not too conducive for walking. So I did some shopping! I bought a couple of shirts for 5 euro at C@A. I sure wish C@A would come to Ukraine, then I could actually afford to buy clothing here!
Berlin had lots of small Christmas markets and I was able to buy a few things. I did find a nice Christmas tower similar to this one. There was one market that had lots of handmade things and I found a beautiful hand carved, hand painted Nativity scene. Of course, it is the kind where you order a couple of new pieces every year as they are quite expensive. So, I started a set and look forward to purchasing some new pieces for next year.
After a couple of days in Berlin, I took the train down to Munich. It was an incredible journey. The train passes through some mountains. I remember driving through those mountains in 2004. The evergreen trees were covered in snow. It was spectacular!
Munich is a great city. My friends took me to a couple of shopping places where I stocked up on things we can’t get in UA. IKEA and the supermarket are my friends!!! 🙂 We also went to the historical Rathaus (their town hall) where the famous Glockenspiel is located. It is here were a terrific (kind of small) Christmas market is located. However, the things one can buy there are greater than most other places. Of all the markets I saw, this was by far my favorite!
A couple of days later, I took the train to Vienna. I had made a copy of the metro station and how to walk from the station to the hotel. Only one problem, I came out on the wrong end and started walking in the wrong direction. I stopped one young man and he told me to turn around and go the other direction. I believed my map and not him and kept walking (dragging my suitcase through the snow!!!). Eventually, I asked someone else and he confirmed what the young man told me. So, I turned around and found the hotel exactly where they said it was!
The Vienna markets that I visited were great. I especially liked the one in front of Schönbrunn Palace. It was small and was beautiful in front of the palace. A great setting.
So, now I can check the Christmas markets off of my list. I enjoyed it greatly. Now I can say… “been there, done that” and enjoyed it!
We got a Christmas pyramid just like the one in your picture… I got it at an antique/junk store in Poland when Dalese and I went shopping for Polish pottery
I bought mine in Berlin, however, I found some nicer (and less expensive) ones in Munich at the Christmas market… 🙁