A Typical Sunday in Berlin, Germany

Shh.  It’s Sunday in Berlin.  That means no malls, no grocery shopping, and definitely no construction projects.  Everything is closed, and excessive noise is off limits.  Germans value their day of rest.  If you break the rules and, I don’t know, mow your lawn today, you’ll be given a nice little fine.

Transitioning to the German way of living was really hard for us.  We honestly didn’t know what to do with ourselves.  I mean, who can relax when your house is being remodeled and looking like this?

So it’s taken a little trial and error, and now here’s what we’ve found about Sundays in a country where the old fashioned values are still practiced and very much enforced by the law.  Lets just say I’m slowing down a lot more, loving life, and finding happiness.  It’s not worth stressing over things you can’t change, after all.

A Beautiful Sunday in Berlin

sunday-brunch

9:00 Attend church.  You can find any type of service in a multitude of languages.  Church bells will ring throughout the city, welcoming you with their deep, vibrating tones.  These bells will continue to ring at various times throughout the day, bringing music and reflection.

11:00 Go to a cafe.  Order the most amazing coffee EVER for less than two bucks.  Sit in the sunshine with a newspaper or book until friends arrive.  Visit and eat the delicious spread of food served buffet style for six to fifteen bucks depending.  Don’t worry about waitresses asking if you need anything over and over.  Just kick back.  If you want something, make eye contact or say, “Entschuldigung“ excuse me to her, and she’ll come.  This is how to get your bill, too.  Otherwise, she’ll leave you alone to relax for hours. 

3:00 Buy fresh flowers.  (Flower shops are one of the few businesses allowed to open today.)  You’ll find a shop every block or two, and the flowers will only cost a few bucks.  I suppose you could buy souvenirs in the tourist districts, too.  But today you’re a local.

3:30 Take the kids to the park or go to the flea markets.  Tip your head back and let the sun shine on your face because sunny days are rare.  

park

6:00 Go home for a small dinner of rolls and croissants (made by the bakery down the street yesterday), the greatest cheese and salami of your life (locally made and sold at the Saturday farmers’ markets), and fresh vegetables.  Drink mineral water and locally brewed beer from glass bottles that you put a 10 or 15 cent deposit on at the beverage store next to the grocery store.  Eat a little quark (yogurt-like dairy product) with fruit or yogurt (the most delicious you could ever have.  I suggest hazelnut.).  Have a pastry or cake wrapped in a piece of paper for dessert (also from the bakery for around a buck); fight off the urge to eat a second or third.  (Well maybe a second is okay.  They tend to be fruit or quark based with 1/3 of the sugar US treats have.)

7:30 Do the things that make you happy as long as they’re not loud enough to disturb the neighbors.  Vacuuming, running the dishwasher, and doing laundry are classified as unnecessary noise, so I’m sorry.  No chores tonight.

9:00  Maybe sneak a little bite of chocolate.  (Just be forewarned… you’ll never be interested in American chocolate again.)

(images from Flickr and Katie for Making This Home)