unhealthy, find out why taking a little digital detox might be a good idea. he had a good 30 minutes on d. w. what secrets lie behind these walls and discover new adventures in 360 degrees? and explore fascinating world heritage sites. d w world heritage 360. get the out now. ah ah ah, ah! hello and welcome to this special christmas edition of checking. every year in

december, germany is transformed into a huge winter wonderland. almost every town opens at least one christmas market. everywhere you go, the air is filled with a scent of roasted almonds, sausages and mold wine. these days he'll find christmas markets all over the world, but its origins lie in german speaking nations. free corona, germany boasted, at least 3000 christmas markets. last year 2020 all the markets stayed shut. now many have reopened, mainly in northern germany, where the case rate is currently lower than in the south. ah, we take a look at 3 of the most gorgeous christmas markets of 2021. we take you along on a tour of christmas kits in cologne,

lew back and berlin. we reveal the art of crafting a hand made icon and dressed and stolen or fruitless. can we attempt to solve the mystery of the christmas pickle? is that a german or an american invention? oh, we start off at the christmas market at cologne cathedral. the tree at the center of the square is 25 meters tall. it surrounded by a canopy of lights comprising 70000 elly deeds. this year the stand and machin, or star girls who help visitors are also carrying out spa checks. good evening were checking whether you are vaccinated or recovered the stand and mention and sure people abide by the corona, virus restrictions only. those who have been vaccinated against cove it or

recovered from it can visit the market and the costume girls scan people's proof of vaccination and issue stamps that are valid at cologne's other christmas markets to have a pleasant evening. by in this 2nd, pandemic, winter checks are essential. but how do people react to them? daphne and so as i mentioned about the markets i've worked, people have always welcomed checks in the not so far, no one has gotten upset or anything with a stamp on your hand. you're ready to set off and see the sites. did you know that the christmas market that cologne cathedral is the largest in all of germany? before the corona virus outbreak for 1000000 visitors flocked here. and just for weeks this year, organizers expect only half as many guests, but that hasn't dampened people's mood. this one be live

a lot less crowded than normally we come to the cologne christmas market once a year. this is where if you were folks, or if there's still a nice holiday movie, we wouldn't want to miss that. first time here, it's very quiet. you to corona, but the atmosphere is really pleasant. i must say it's quite nice and puts you in a christmas mood soon. the lights are nice. the music to what's a good variety of stalls. i mean it's, we get interesting cuisine in the netherlands, but the german food is much nicer. it's lot more sour out, which i'm very fond of. but i love the, the potato pancakes that they have here is fantastic. and the, the, the from luck from lexia. it's fantastic. yeah. and obviously the worst in those grilled sausages, waffled, gingerbread and candy canes are classic treats filled at every german christmas

market. but cologne has things you won't find everywhere. you can have a photo taken with a left one under the mistletoe. maybe even steal a kid according to british traditions, that brings luck or via love la. you can attach it to one of the bridges over the rhine and cologne, or somewhere closer to home, to show that your bond is everlasting. the mugs used to serve, mold wine or another nice souvenir. there is a new design every year. the taste of cologne's organic mold, wine also undergo subtle changes his own. i had went to a special about our mode wine is that we offer red, white and rosy varieties. excellent. my refined by a team from the christmas market that includes somebody for fi maps. mm. and what would christmas be without music? other cities may have cancelled their big on stage events,

but the people of cologne loved singing too much to do that even performing carnival songs at the christmas market. so join in and sing along. ah ah, here are the 3 things you really must do at cologne's christmas market. to take a photo under the mistletoe sample, some organic mold, wine, catch a show and sing along loudly. ah, german bakeries operate at full capacity and run up to christmas. lou producing treats such as gingerbread from nuremberg, and ah,

and not forgetting tito from dresden. this fruit love usually sounds like hot cakes at the dress in sheets and mocked. not this year though, as the market remains shut, due to the karone of irish. in a report from the archive we show you once again, how check in reporter lucas steger learned some tricks of the trade from us teachers. baker, before the pandemic hit injuries nurse, a very proud of this story. a cake like fruit bread this christmas specialty even gave the market its name. the old german word. fortunately, it's only original stolen. if it's baked in, one of the 150 bakery in and around please. and it has to have the steel of the shore protection association. i'm going to learn how to make

a real stone master bigger than krista is my boss. and i am his apprentice. all why is the stone protected damask should it has to be protected so that not any old baker in germany can call their fruit cake devised and stolen and blah pick when does f m b o? so we got the idea for this seal, which every baker in this geographically protected area, get home depot, baycove died, jackie, a coffee shop if it's lock is spot before they do for they have to ensure their quality meets our standards. inch placement went on. fortunately, inflation, which ingredients have to be in it is much one for the northeast original dresden christmas stolen ingredients are always measured in relation to flour. fruit akilah, 8 to 500 grams of butter will come with a little smile. and i love me i, we have a recipe that we have to follow from the 65 percent sultan us. we're sorry. 15 percent sweet and been almonds and 25 percent. candid lemon and orange peel. i'm

shot if and fanciful 10th it's hard work. the other stolen has its price. josh does not sign and we had to earn. it will be no image. it always is the bowls of your hands. bend your fingers again and back again. what gonzalez' ye arkwin exactly at me had used the bulls of your hands. yeah. like a massage yard. that's why vegas is how healthy like i oh, i think isn't that she should have said i don't think band is impressed with me. our so sir, that now we pulled the corners in and then finish it off, pressing it together, loose through it to some. but i always thought i'm not a natural annika discount. we'll manage it. would you mind keep rolling it and pull it always rolling off. what does it by itself aligned to the daleks, the next please? the room with us. it doesn't take a lot of effort. and matthew did we dropped down to $500.00 stolen a day,

almost done thick, the theda 8 low. so he's taking his out of the island, so we can put am sam yesterday and him making stone is good exercise 1.8 kilograms in each n. m of nit darby around time. so this is the final product. ours just needs the finishing touches more butter. i thought we were stalking pope, so crystal, feel it when it was land, the renewal back and funded the i'll show you that action a bunch of people that i more on the size i little map is a long form of ill. and the grand finale icing sugar. good. that's enough. sugar's girdle was, but too much in so unhealthy. good. a synthetic as far as his valet says an

original dresden shawna went from the l may by the apprentice. ah, our next stop is the historic old town of lou back home to one of the oldest christmas markets in northern germany. it was 1st mentioned in historical documents from the mid 17th century. we don't know precisely what the stars were offering back then, but we can tell you what lou baxa tops these. no sellers are today from western germany we had nor to lu back. the holton date is the hans, the attic cities, most famous landmark. it's image can be found all over lou back christmas market. ah, the medieval old town provides the perfect backdrop for festive events. yet things are much quieter here than in cologne. the city band all stage shows to prevent

large gathering and has been produced strict safety measure how much do they can do back decided to impose a mosque mandate in the, in a city and visit the market? is it is, must be either vaccinated against ovid or have recovered from it. they must present that id and approve the vaccination or try infection by the needs and knock life. so there's a high level of security. i've got something are visitors and operators really value in times like these safety play such a big role. this is another factor which contributes to that sense of safety. is that this year there are simply far fewer visitors. ah, in the lou back is an old trading and seafaring city that's always been well connected internationally. maybe that's why visitors come from all over

the i come from sweden time from cuba. i'm from venezuela. if i come from brazil, i'm from thailand. from brazil. wine national, the round of mold wine among friends, though in lou back, you should also give the foyer sung and bow and try. but be where it's alcohol. content is quite high. on the, on the phone at some point sang and bullet is the sugarloaf on top. it's ok hyper rum and then from bait until the sugar life is melted from the recipe with red wines. i'm orange, have certain spices, i rum and mall. why he was invited. ah, there is nothing like a mug of floyd song and bold to warm your heart on cold days. like

a trip to lou back at christmas time just wouldn't be as sweet without a visit to cafe. need a vega here. you can get a taste of the festive holiday confection. lou back is famous for martha han ah, ah, ah motley fung date. martha pan consists mainly of 2 ingredients, almon and sugar. and we are neither still make at the traditional way guns. i parties from that to give the mars the pan that roasted aroma. we still roasted in old copper kettle was kept, and then we had a secret ingredient lifeline as to which i can't reveal. but a small lexus mission does reveal the firm's history. in 18 o 6, johan gay or canada opened a cafe. soon afterwards he started to make martha pan, often pressing it into mould like these. and this is his original recipe.

though unfortunately, the secret ingredient is written on the back. martha pan can be formed into virtually any shape like these life sized figures. for instance. incidentally, the man with a top hat is johan gay or neat vega himself there's even a replica of blue back to old town made almost entirely of martha pan. ah, so these are the 3 must do that lu, backs christmas samples on lou back mars. upin sipped some boiled song and bola and enjoy the flare of the old town with german christmas. markets are

also a great place to find tree decorations and not all of them traditional christmas pickles. for example, this is a trend that comes over to us from the united states. the pickles are really popular. they're apparently because they're thought of as typically german. but you won't find them on many trees here. d, w reporter halle rollinson, set out to solve the christmas pickle. mystery. ah, yes. the christmas pickle. a beloved in time under german tradition. at least that's what i was told. but i'm in berlin at cody bay. germany's biggest department store and i can't find a single one in these christmas trees. are all the pay. oh, but luckily i brought my own, but let me back up where i come from united states. many people think that all

germans hang a single pickle on their 1st mystery. even many american families follow this so called german tradition. so according to this tradition, the 1st person to find the christmas pickle on the christmas tree, yet an extra gift. but to be honest, i haven't seen or heard of a single christmas pickle in germany since i've lived here. so i'm going to ask some germans during their christmas shopping if they've heard of it. bang indeed, are you, hey, a christmas pickle on your christmas tree. this year i knocked so loud that must be a tradition elsewhere. it's not a german tradition. pardon me, do you mean to try and strong cucumber is not my favorite vegetable music crystals . gunter crystals pickles no. no. what's the christmas picking up we'll give wants to you do wouldn't even had to explain it to santa and germany. in fact, 12016 survey found that 91 percent of germans had never heard of it. so if this tradition isn't german, where does it come from?

and how did it end up in the united states? with a little christmas magic, i'm headed to the small german mountain village of now share in their india to explore that a bit more. if anyone knows the origin of a particular glass ornament, it's the people of lucia. they've been blown glass here since 1597 and producing ornaments in the mid 19th century glass blemish. ion holland is the 4th generation to take over his family christmas ornament business. he hand makes and sells glass ornaments, including the christmas pickle to buyers worldwide. but actually he only learned about the tradition in recent years on a visit to california. i was asked and also you also make christmas pickle. thanks . i just laughed. but then someone else asked me the same question until a 3rd, and i started wondering what is it with these christmas pickles of anson one explained that its tradition in germany. it's a hang a pickle on your christmas tree. and that is,

every american knows. this was modeling nobody in germany doses cried butcher. oh, that made him curious. so he came home to search through his grandfather's glass molds from the 19 thirty's shop. not even my found this gurkin windows since then we've been producing these glass pickles. oh, now he sells pickle. ornaments to customers in places like japan, norway, switzerland, and of course the united states. but if he just learned about this tradition, then where did the story start? well, there are handful legend surrounding the origin of the christmas pickle. no one says that a prison guard took pity in a starving german born soldier during the american civil war and allowed him to eat a single pickle. with this act of kindness, he was able to survive and began hanging a pickle on the street each year. some say it was this man frank w woolworth, who needed a gimmick when he began importing ornaments from germany to the u. s. in 1880 s. but maybe i need to ask someone who knows this christmas town the best. so i'm

meeting la shamir, nor but sits mon at elliot spark last winter, founded in 1853. this is the oldest, still existing glasses in town, mister mer 0. the tradition of the christmas pickle is determined by not school go home. we were confused. assistant, a christmas pickle up. what's that? that's what we learned that abroad and people are convinced the christmas pickle is an essential german christmas item made. and lucia is personally, i think some clever marketing guy invented this. one site is opposite sandwich or now has been making glass pickles quite simply because foreigners believe it's a local specialty of motor convicts to corker. ok, so i still don't have an exact answer, but there might still be hope. i'm going to talk to gary ross, a local who came across the pickle tradition in his research for a magazine and marcia glass. so what can you tell us about the history of the christmas pickle helped me should not be washed. i did some research and found out

that a some family tradition of giving that person i'm found the special christmas tree decoration on the tree. the 1st largest gift on the screws, though that the asperger's actually on dark. that's how the christmas pico story originated her. why not squiggle mark so we may never know exactly where this pickle tradition comes from, but it certainly is a little bit of fun. and me, one day the germans will know what i'm talking about. but until then, i have an idea i our christmas theme tour of germany reaches berlin. the streets and squares of the capital are festooned with twinkling lights. and most of the cities christmas markets are open again this year till we counted more than 40. we take you along to the christmas market and friend of the red city hall in the downtown district of

meta yes, sir, lynn is the 3rd stop on our christmas tour this year. there are more than 40 christmas markets open in the capitol. the one in front of the hotel, hothouse, or red city hall, and the district of meta is one of the prettiest. like every year, visitors can lace up their skates and glide around the neptune fountain. the only thing missing the daily shows normally performed here but another crowd favorite is back again. the 50 meter tall ferris wheel. it's panoramic gondolas are heated, so riders stay nicely warm and have a view over the whole market. in berlin, everything's a bit larger than life,

like this huge christmas pyramid. it was crafted in the ask of bigger or, or mountains in the state of saxony, an area known for its traditional christmas ornaments. here, miners, wood carvings, reflected their longing for light. handicrafts from the ants could be ago, are sold at many markets, including in berlin. these are pyramids, incense, smokers, known as white mention, and even figures of the miners themselves. another well known motif is this little church. does this year, does live his, his life and charge a motif used in many things, a guns on candle arches in pyramids o, as the pyramid itself syphon is effectively the capital of the ascii banga, or, and the way of st. james, the salt root, the silver road, that's all cross ins. if'n do because that's likely why this little church is as

famous as cologne cathedral lydia. ly nickos. his overwhelmed villa coronado. many germans placed these candle arches by their windows at christmas. they're called sped bogan, after the german word for floating hears why it does it's in. it's to joe with the minus button on to they came out of the mine that hang them minus lamps over the entrance back mother thing that made it look like a floating, illuminated on shade. when done also, that's where the shape okens shape came from and standing who would have thought that old traditions would play such a big role at a berlin christmas market today. but there's more you can even watch an artist, blacksmith at work, or find hand made jewelry. if you still need to buy a christmas present or to and

of course in berlin, we checked out a mold wine stand on your behalf. here they also serve, mean like the celts once drank. ah, them it is me, is a honey wine that's been around for $3000.00 is the kind we have this year is dry and stronger than usual. it always depends on the honey that's used. honda of an adult if you think you're seeing things after a couple of glasses, that's not because of the me. santa claus really is flying over the christmas market. live and in person here in berlin. oh you're 3 must dues for the christmas market by berlin city hall take a ride on the ferris wheel. marvel at wood, art from the ants could be

a go and try some me. ah, but santa claus always has the last word. for my merry christmas felice navi button ah ah, ah ah ah, ah ah ah

ah ah ah! with checking mail, hosting, se reading news following your followers being always online is unhealthy. neck pain, sleepless night, just plain unhealthy. find out why taking a little digital detox might be

a good idea. good luck on them w. just in my b to and i are taking you on an adventure of a lifetime. destination culture with hon. uh huh. i wrote to my son, saxony, secret a, what a city. there's so much history here yet it also feels very much alive, searching for fine china. so i'll be visiting the famous my think porcelain manufacture. let's go. destination culture. in 30 minutes on the w. o. a reflection of a turbulent history. the cities,

a mosaic of different people in languages. the ron's mountains reveal unparalleled beauty. ah, a special look at a special country. round from above. starts december 27th on d, w. my 1st bicycle was a sewing machine i found from women are bound by this ocean. even something as simple as learning how to write a bicycle in. since i was a little girl, i wanted to have a bicycle of my own, but it took me years to lose my temper. finally, they gave up and went to buy me on my side and returned with a sewing machine, sewing, i suppose, was more appropriate for girls than writing a bite. and now i want to reach out to those woman back home for bone to buy their duties and social rules and inform them about that basic rights. my name is be

about the home and i wore, ah, take your time for an experiment about time. it can be measured precisely, and yet each person experiences it differently as if there are different forms of time time with a dimension and illusion about time starnes december 31st on d, w ah, this is danbury news, and these are our top stories. the authors be a school that's prime minister ma were to has announced a hod lockdown in the netherlands. i the christmas because of the fast spreading on the kronk run of ours buried last minute shop was filled cities.