もう1月も終わってしまいますが…あけましておめでとうございます！

January is almost coming to an end but...Happy New Year!

年末年始にヨーロッパに行ったので、写真をシェアします

I went to Europe during the winter holidays, so I'd like to share some pictures.

パートナーがドイツ人なので、まずはベルリンにある彼の実家にお邪魔して、クリスマスイブとクリスマスデイを一緒に過ごしました。

My partner is German, so first, we visited his family home in Berlin to celebrate Christmas Eve & Day with his family.

クリスマスツリーは本物のツリーでした！ドイツではほとんどの家庭は人工樹ではなく、モミの木を地元のマーケットやショッピングセンターで購入するそうです。

The Christmas tree was a real tree! Apparently in Germany, instead of getting an artificial tree, most households purchase a real fir tree at the local market or shopping center.

ツリーにぶらさげるオーナメントは各家庭によって違うと思いますが、クッキーのようなお菓子をぶらさげる家庭が多いそうです。パートナーくんは小腹がすいたらツリーからお菓子をとって食べてました笑。

In terms of the ornaments to decorate the tree, I'm sure this differs from household to household, but I was told that many households like to hang little cookies and snacks. My partner took cookies from the tree and ate them when he was feeling snacky lol.

プレゼントはくるみ割り人形と一緒にツリーの下に。

The presents went under the tree, alongside the Nutcracker dolls.

クリスマスイブのディナーは、まずはコーヒーと、ケーキやチョコを頂きました。甘いものから始めるんですね！これも家庭によって違うそうです。

Christmas Eve dinner started with coffee, cakes, and chocolate. I was surprised to start the meal with sweets! This apparently also differs by household.

ポテトのスープ。これはパートナーのリクエスト。濃厚で体も温まり、美味しかったです

Potato soup. This was requested by my partner. It was so thick and creamy and warmed me up.

オーブンで焼いたチーズ。パンをディップして食べました。

Oven-baked cheese, eaten by dipping pieces of crusty bread into it.

ここまできて、もうすでにお腹いっぱいでしたが、なんとここからが本番でした・・

I was quite full at this point, but little did I know, the meal was just getting started...

七面鳥のほかに、ブラウクラウト（ほんのり甘酸っぱい紫キャベツの煮物）とダンプリング（じゃがいもをすりつぶして、小麦粉をまぜてゆでた物）。

In addition to turkey, we had blaukraut (slightly sweet and sour braised red cabbage) and dumplings (made from mashed potatoes and flour that are combined and boiled).

おなかがいっぱいになったところで、ウィスキーを飲みながらプレゼント交換の時間。ウィスキー好きのお父さんには「響」をプレゼントしたら、喜んでました

Once we were stuffed and couldn't eat anymore, we exchanged gifts while sipping on whiskey. I got my partner's father Hibiki whiskey from Japan since he loves whiskey, and he seemed to love it.

次の日の朝ごはん。ハムやチーズ、パン。

Breakfast next morning. Ham, cheese, and bread.

クリスマスデイだというのに、花屋さんだけは空いてました。クリスマス時期が一番売れる時期だそうです。

Even though it was Christmas Day, the flower shop was open. I was told that they sell the most around Christmas time.

アマリリスはドイツではクリスマスシーズンの花だそうです。こんな感じで売られているのを見たことなかったので、びっくり。

Amaryllis flowers are prevalent in Germany during the Christmas season. I had never seen amaryllis being sold like this before, so I was surprised!

花束を持って、午後はパートナーのおばあちゃんの家に。ここでもご馳走になりました（食べてばっかり・・）。

We bought a bouquet and headed over to my partner's grandmother's house in the afternoon. I was fed a beautiful meal here too (I'd been eating non-stop for two days at this point...)

ロールキャベツにポテト、美味しかったです。

Rolled cabbage and boiled potatoes. It was delicious.

ここでもプレゼント交換しました。日本からのお菓子やお土産、喜んでもらえて良かったです

We exchanged gifts here too. I'm glad everyone enjoyed the snacks and souvenirs I got from Japan!

夜はクリスマスマーケットへ。ベルリンのマーケットは一つだけなのかなと思ってたんですが、複数ありました。

At night, we headed to a Christmas market. For some reason, I had thought that there was only one Christmas market in each city, but there were several in Berlin.

あいにく雨で、氷点下ということもあり、人はあまりいなかったですが…

Unfortunately it was raining cats and dogs, and the temperature was below freezing, so there weren't many people there...

びしょ濡れになってしまいましたが、並ばずホットワインやお菓子を買うことができたので、結果オーライということで

We got drenched in the rain, but the good thing was that we didn't have to line up for anything as we enjoyed mulled wine and snacks. All's well that ends well!

この後プラハに3日間行ったので、また写真をシェアします！

We headed to Prague for three days after this, so I'll share pics from that trip sometime soon.

まだまだ寒い日が続きますが、皆さんお体に気をつけてお過ごしください

The weather is still very cold in Japan. I hope you stay warm, healthy, and safe!

Berlin Part 1