Christmas markets.

21 Nov-26 Dec 2005. In the lead-up to Christmas, colourful festive markets spring up all over Berlin, selling everything from traditional gingerbread biscuits to candles and stocking fillers of all descriptions. The Christmas fair in the shadow of the Opera House on the elegant Unter den Linden is one of the citys most historic, specializing in jewellery, glass and ceramics. The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial church in west Berlin is the site of another festive season market, which offers all kinds of gastronomic delights as well as a range of gifts for every pocket. The biggest market of them all is in Spandau, a half-hour journey from the city centre in the north-east of the city, open 23 Nov-23 Dec. The historic Old Town of Spandau is crammed with over 500 stalls selling Christmas decorations and tasty traditional specialities as well as arts and crafts of all descriptions. Among many other Christmas markets check out the ones in Schlossplatz and Alexanderplatz and the Lucia Christmas Market, 25 Nov-26 Dec, in the courtyard of the Kulturbrauerei, an ex-brewery turned arts centre on Knaackstrasse in central Berlin.