Surviving the Winter in Berlin
It's a party at first, but there are dark days ahead.
My family and I spent Sunday back at the Mauerpark Flea Market - the first time I had been back since we first moved here in 2022.
It was the perfect fall day - temps in the mid teens (that’s Celsius, by the way, it was in the high 50s F) with clear skies. Most of the tourists have moved on and it’s mostly local Berliners out enjoying the last days of sunshine before the north German winter.
As Berlin gears up for the first of many (many) long weekends, holidays and festivals of autumn—it might seem like I’m being overly negative worrying about winter already.
After all, we have a four-day weekend this week to celebrate German reunification - the holiday marks the start of the Berlin Festival of Lights, there’s also the Medieval Juggler’s Festival in Spandau, the Schöneberg Pumpkin Festival, the Autumn Market at Domäne Dahlem, to name a few.
Almost every bezirk, neighborhood or region will be holding multiple parties of all kinds pretty much back to back until November—when the Christmas markets start.
But, I just have to say it.
Winter is coming.
It snuck up on me the first year I was here. The cold was not that much of a surprise—the darkness was another story.
To give you an idea of just how far north Berlin really is—the 49th paralell north, the line of latitude that marks the U.S. northern border with Canada, runs through southern Germany. (Berlin is in northeastern Germany, for any geographically challenged readers out there.)
I was born and raised in the southeastern United States - and while we were used to the winter days being shorter than those in summer - I was not prepared for the sun rising after 8 a.m. and setting at four in the afternoon.
Our first year here was unusually cloudy and rainy, so that I distinctly remember the day in March of 2023 when I saw direct sunlight again. The actual sun - the yellow glowing globe in the sky that I had started to doubt I would ever see again.
Last winter was actually colder, but brighter—with several sunny days. But some days, the most you will see is a grayish glow to the sky until the sun sets again and it’s dark.
I have noticed that lots of Berliners head outside the minute they get a glimpse of a sunny day—no matter the temperature. We had a few positively chilling sunny days in January this year—but there were crowds of people sitting on blankets along the Spree.
Just like now. Get the sun while it lasts. You have all winter to clean the bathroom.
Bringing the light inside
To combat the winter blues, I’ve already started checking the batteries on all my electric light strings and LED candles. I have found that it’s essential for my winter mental health to maximize sources of artificial light.
I embrace the dark outside, picturing medieval German villages in the winter, blanketed in snow—but with cozy interiors warmed by a hearth, lit candles, comforting food and piles of soft pillows and blankets.
I have pillar candles, strings of fairy lights, grow lights for my indoor plants. The plants are another way I try to keep the harshness of winter at bay—when everything outside is brown, white or gray, it’s nice to see some green living things. But even with our floor-to-ceiling windows, the plants are going to live through a Berlin winter without a little electric sun.
My kids both have one of these dawn simulator alarm clocks that helps them wake up for school when it is dark outside—and stays dark outside.
For a good chunk of their school year, they are sitting in class when the sun comes up and it sets before they get home in the afternoon.
We don’t have a fireplace or wood stove (some older apartments do, actually). So I like to fake it by putting on of these YouTube fireplace videos. It’s become something of a winter tradition, now. When I get up to make breakfast, I put on a video—with or without music—to start everyone’s day.
Take your vitamins
Specifically, you have to supplement with vitamin D. With so little sunlight, almost everyone here would be vitamin-D deficient without supplementing. You can buy tablets or drops to add to food at any local pharmacy.
Our first winter, I wasn’t really serious about this and ended up feeling very sluggish with aching joints. I thought this was just age-related until my doctor told me I had very low vitamin D levels and to be sure to supplement. Once I started being consistent, I noticed a definite improvement in how I felt.
If you live or work in a drafty older building, having one of these personal hot water bottles that you can hold in your lap or wear—with the strap—on your torso will go a long way to keep you feeling warm, even when the heating system isn’t keeping up.
Lots of Germans swear by hitting the sauna, too, though do read up on German sauna culture before you go.
Moisturize!
The cold winter air is very, very dry. And Berlin’s water is very, very hard (lots of minerals). The skin on our hands and faces got extremely chapped our first winter.
Winter or summer, I advise avoiding any bar soap and use moisturizing liquid soap for handwashing and a moisturizing bodywash for showers. Lip balm and lotion every morning and evening.
I also give the kids hand cream for the backpacks and hand sanitizer with moisturizer added.
Wool is the way to go
For socks, for scarves, for gloves, for hats—it is all-natural, keeps your delicate appendages toasty warm— and is much better than artificial fleece or other fabric. However, it’s not waterproof— though it does wick moisture away from skin. You definitely want natural fabrics that are insulating, warm, but that will breathe.
So I usually for the wool inner layer with a waterproof exterior layer (boots, gloves, etc.) if I am heading outdoors.
Take the party indoors
Give yourself something to look forward to. Focusing on fun things you can do indoors - maybe even reserving those things for the cold months - is another way to stave off the winter gloom.
For us, that’s family board game night. Also, baking lots of warm, yummy snacks.
Have some friends over to share hotpot or raclette and fondue. It’s not just for Silvester.
Believe it or not, the winter doesn’t last forever. You will start to notice the days getting longer in January. The Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year - falls on December 21. And you will notice the first day that the sun is still above the horizon at 5 p.m.
A brief glimmer that spring is on the way. Then you can start preparing - like a true Berliner - to complain about the heat in July.
The Year’s Not Over Yet!
Not ready to surrender to the doom and gloom? Check out the links below for fun things to see and do this fall.
tipBerlin: Gratis im Oktober in Berlin: 12 kostenlose Tipps für den Monat
The Berliner: What to do this October
The Local: What’s on in Germany - 10 Events not to miss this October
But wait, there’s more …
The Deutsches Technikmusem reminds us that next Sunday is Museum Sunday, when admission is free at participating institutions. You may have to make a reservation. More info here.
Bezirksamt Friendrichshain-Kreuzberg announces extended opening hours at three branches of the city library on Fridays and Saturdays through April - so you can cozy up with a good read during the long winter nights.
And, fall is an excellent time for travel around Germany. Anna at @travelaroundberlin is sharing four old towns that are good for day trips from the city.
Do you have a favorite way to beat the winter blahs in Berlin? Let me know what I’m missing—and …
I had no idea that Berlin was that far north! Only 8 hours of sunlight a day isn't much. But that German pancake looks good.....