A Quiet Day

It's Christmas Day, but since we decided to do things the German way and open our presents last night it feels more like Boxing Day and lots of places are open for business.

I didn't get so many presents this year because we're far away, but I got plenty of e-cards and text messages from NZ. We also got a big care package from my boyfriend's parents, with Milo, gingernuts, chocolates, Marmite (am all Marmited-out). My boyfriend gave me a cool new phone, a German one which people won't have in NZ, so I've been playing with that.

We also sat down to a big candlelit dinner of ham, salmon, breads, wine, tabouli, mashed potatoes, tomato and mushroom salad. Yum! And chocolate pudding for dessert. For some odd reason we don't have an oven in our new flat (the money obviously all went into the Japanese warrior).

We ended up watching some movies, including Princess Bride, which my boyfriend hadn't even seen. Even after 20 years or so, it's still very funny. "My name is Inego Montoya. You kill my father. Prepare to die." And we watched a few episodes of Arrested Development which is my favourite programme at the moment. Genius.

So all in all, it was a nice night, if a bit lonely. Of course I do have friends in Berlin, but they'd all gone away for Xmas. So it will be good to go to London and spend New Year with friends, and I'm expecting some visitors here in Berlin before we go.