Help with my Amsterdam-Berlin trip in WINTER?

Question

I'm flying out Dec 11-22 and it's winter! i'm a very outdoors kinda girl so most of the green i wanna revel in would be gone wouldnt it?

i'm interested in ice skating and cycling and walking and museums and ooh THE NUTCRACKER on stage... what else can I do?

Same thing with Berlin, but I have no clue what there is to do there in winter. help?

Recommendations for accommodation would be appreciated too ;)

Answer 1

I recently took a trip to Austria and Germany in winter and it was COLD.  All of our pictures are of us completely hunched over and bundled up so that you could only see our eyes.  Definitely no greenery.  I still went jogging while I was there though, so it wasn't so cold you had to stay inside.  Bring lots of warm clothes.

Answer 2

Amsterdam is pretty much the same in winter as in summer, if a lot quieter.

Most of the trees will be without leafs, but there will be Christmas decorations (and trees) instead.  

In December the chances for natural ice to skate on are very small, in Amsterdam so little that you better find ice rinks if you want to skate.

The Nutcracker is often on round Christmas, but not guaranteed, so best search the dance listings before you leave home, early booking can be a must.

Walking Amsterdam in winter can be fun, and there are many places to warm up again.

Museums will be open as usual.

This is a good site with links for almost everything in Amsterdam:

http://www.amsterdam.info/

I found one message about the Nutcracker, there are several afternoon shows of it, on different dates, but not all days.

The site I mention in source has all info, but only in Dutch and is hard to navigate, even for a Dutch person.