Getting into the holiday spirit in Berlin

Those who know me or who follow my blog know what a hopeless Italophile I am, with a ridiculous soft spot for my ‘hometown’: Rome.

BUT, there’s one time of year when Rome disappoints me, and that’s the Christmas season.

It’s not that there aren’t beautiful Nativity scenes in the churches  – the traditional Christmas decoration here rather than the more recent import (from northern Europe) of the Christmas tree.

It isn’t that I don’t appreciate the generally mild weather in those days and the excellent theatre, opera and exhibitions that usually accompany the season.

But the decorations and lights on the street never feel like New York or London or Vienna.

That’s one reason I was happy to take a trip to Berlin earlier this month to enjoy all the spectacular Christmas decorations.

I’ve already written about all the great Berlin Christmas markets that helped get me in the proper holiday mood.

In Berlin, the days were short, cold and dark, but the Christmas lights were bright and cheery.

I think those shorter, darker days make the cheery Christmas decorations even more important. We certainly enjoyed our wanderings out through the streets of Berlin more with these festive holiday reminders at every corner.

And I loved our late-night peek into one of the few Friedrichstrasse art deco passages to have survived intact, all spruced up for the holidays. It was truly picture-perfect with its Christmas trees with shimmering white lights… and made me think I’d wandered back to sophisticated Berlin at the turn of the last century.

All in all, a very nice weekend that nudged me into the Christmas spirit. If you’re passing through Berlin around the holidays, enjoy all those beautiful holiday lights brightening up those dark, northern European nights!