Bumbag Motel

getting into the xmas spirit this year, not only by making xmas cookies and drinking Glühwein every day – but also by visiting multiple xmas markets! The heated liquid goods taste marvelous by a massive ferris wheel and ice skating rink, with hair blinding the sight, or squeezed between wooden huts, using bins as makeshift tables, listening to the hits of the 80s with the red Rathaus in the background. german xmasy goooodness!

been loving the xmas cookie cutters that I found in the kitchen drawer – who knew that I could eat Moose, squirrel, snail, fox, bear, elephant and hedgehog

cookies.

Continuing our Berlin sight seeing time, Yvette, Cam, Paul and I registered (3 days prior) to go to the Dome at the top of the Reichstag (German Parliament). It offered great vistas across the city and a well plotted and informative audio guide. Was stoked that we were there as the low winter sun set over the city (more photos below), though was verrrry cold times! After here, Yvette, Paul and I went to the Guggenheim museum to warm our limbs (photo of exhibition below may help portray this) and peruse it’s most excellent gift shop (free day Mondays – good!), then went to both the Gerndamenmarkt (highly recoemmend) and Potsdamer Platz xmas markets before heading home to drink supermarket Glühwein for 2 euros/1.5 litre rather than one cup for 3 euros. Yeah, I know my numbers.

Here is Paul, Simon, Sarah and Cam at a bar called ‘Cake’ in Kreuzberg, where Yvette and I were also joining in on the Happy Hour specials – ‘Power Mojitos’, or something to that effect. After here we went to my friend Emma Davies’ gig at Kvartira 62 where we continued to enjoy wines and further chat time – great Kreuzberg evening with Nils kebabs too!

11.11.11 marked the beginning of dining weekend at our place, with Paul as our dinner guest as well as Camilla and Rapha earlier on, then Inga and Christina for Saturday lunch. homemade goods such as choc chip biscuits, hummus, pizza, quiche (made my own pastry) and chocolate tort were on offer – topped off with a selection of wine and hearty German beers. Even better when you don’t even have to leave the house – ‘go home stay home’ winter has begun!

During my time in Berlin, I have been working for this brilliant arts and crafts website called dawanda, which joyously holds an event each month. October was my group’s time, and here we see Peggy and I enjoying one of many beverages on the ‘Schröder Reisen’ comedy bus tour of Berlin that we organised! We went around Alt-Moabit with humorus activities and stops along the way, including improv painting outside what appeared to be a prison!

after getting back to Berlin Cam and I moved into our own place which has been glorious! One of our first guests was Kadam’s boyfriend Patto, who was touring with his band ‘Wicked City’ in Europe. Was most excellent to meet this man, enjoy some wines, experimental pie and stroll about some bergmannstrasse!

Final meal together of cheap and greasy breakfast before final farewells, Cam and I on the bus to Bristol and then flight to Berlin – the others back to London after some Cardiff tour time. Thanks to you all for a most glorious weekend!!