Christmas in Berlin

The German's have a bit of long track record with this one and have honed the holiday to quite a high degree. Loads of lights and decorations and yet almost no sign of that gaudy American stuff that permeates the holiday in the new world. Yes there's the occasional stuffed Santa Claus' hanging from balconies like a merry cat burglar but there are many more paper stars lighting up the windows everywhere. And there's a bit of food...

Being in northern Europe, I thought I would finally get a white Christmas but thanks to climate change throwing a spanner in the works I was denied again. So its a plastic Christmas in one more way than usual.

It may look cold but its been between 4 and 11 degrees over the week of Christmas

Off to the right is a big (but quiet) freezer unit in Berlin in December!

The Arkaden mall at Potsdamer platz. Festive and yet, not a jolly fluorescent red suit it sight.

Where else would you want to stand around a fire drinking your glühwein but underneath...that.

The Christmas Market really lets fly in the evening.

The food is very expensive but it is good.... at attracting hungry kids with dad's wallet

The display from Die Marzipan & Nougateria. Much more reasonable prices but I still spent too much here.

Loads of cheese priced to remind me of the cost of this cheesy comestible back in Vancouver.

Galeries Lafayette of Paris set up a full restaurant in a tent with the Chalet Quebec theme. Canada represented by a fountain of kindling. I didn't see Poutine on the menu.

Just in case you forgot where you were, there's the disco ball which is ubiquitous in Berlin.

Each booth with a tent roof and a paper star on top.

Hmmm, actors and some sort of Christmas play with kings, ice fairies, jugglers, musicians, rabbits and a walking talking Christmas tree.... I have no clue what it was all about. That is snow but its plastic as well.

One vendor for those hand made paper stars.

Porcelain ornament.

I combined three shots here. And here he is, the jolly Santa does finally show up. For some reason a cloud was hanging under the sleigh with some sort of elf I think. Perhaps Santa's tribute to Berlin in Winter? In any event after flying out on wires and a few words for the kids, he zipped off thanks to his 'rocket' powered sled. That is until he hit the end of the cable with a wobbly wobble and drifted back down.

  Up next is New Years in the party capitol but I'm leaving the camera at home for that one.

Post apocalyptic abandoned Brewery

Once again Berlin offers up another amazing site to scour for any photographer. This time its Barenquell Brauerei. The brewery opened in 1882 but closed for good on April 1st 1994. Apparently it was renowned as one of the better beers behind the wall. More history can be found at the Irish Berliner's blog.
 This place was much more eerie to walk around that the hospital as it was in operation up until the 90's so there's much more stuff laying around which reminds you of the people that used to work there. One area had an apartment setup with kitchen and living room. Strangely, below that was some kind of large multiple shower room with all kinds of medical posters and strange bottles of mysterious fluids. Below that, down some dark dank stairs, was the basement which was flooded and way to creepy to explore.

Attention Berlin film crews, if you need someone to recce sites, I'm available!

An ocean of beer labels

Terry Gilliam could film Time Bandits 2 here, Supreme Being ready on set.

Today for show and tell, Azrael has her favorite skull-in-the-box.

The set is ready for Ahhhnuld and the T5 film crew.

It looks like plants growing out of the car but....its just a plastic Xmas tree:)

More photo's of this place and my other explorations on the Flickr site.

Andy

C-Base Berlin, nerd paradise

Disney thinks it has the happiest place on earth but Berlin has a contender to make the geeks delirious.

 The story goes that a space ship crashed into Berlin many moons ago and the C-Base group found it and are excavating the site. The part they've "unearthed" so far looks remarkably like a scifi bar but we are assured that there is much more down below.

yup, a mouse for a door bell.

At the entrance, sheets of reflective metal and coloured lights give a 50's Sci-Fi feel.

 So after a quick look around the main floor I headed for a staircase going down. Down there is a warren of Sci-Fi greeble to impress any film fan. The imagination of many a geek is on display with much enthusiasm. Lots of aircraft seats and upside down urinals that look like alien helmets etc...

When looking for this sort of decor I think it helps to be in a city with a fair bit of aviation history

See the alien alarm :)

 So at this point one of the inhabitants of this netherworld came by to say that there was an alien in the cabinet and that he could turn on the light to show it. The light never did work and when he realized that I wasn't a member of the "crew" and therefore an "alien" I would have to leave! But not before he pressed the alien alarm to alert the others huddled behind the lockers and greeble. Apparently I went into restricted territory and the rule is no one is allowed in this member area alone. So he escorted me back up stairs :D Wow, rather amusing how serious he took this situation.

 So it was about 5pm and dark and the place is right next to the river. As I come out, I see this tourist boat sail by with search lights blazing. Is it just me or is that reminiscent of the blimp from Blade Runner:

And then an elevated regional train came past adding a Fifth Element vibe to the scenario.

 The website for those who want to join up and continue the excavation... C-Base.

Andy