Giordano's eat your heart out.
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Pizza time!
What to do when you're missing Chicago? Make a slice of home, that's what! We even shared it with one of our roommates (and will maybe even convince a vegan to try a piece!). Here are pictures of our first hand-made Chicago style pizza:
Giordano's eat your heart out.
Giordano's eat your heart out.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Eating Out in Germany (Daily Living Part V)
This will be the last post for the Daily Living series. The next time you'll hear from us we'll be back from Paris! As much as I don't like the idea of four flights in one weekend, I do like the idea of Paris!
Anyhow, we thought we'd fill you in on the restaurant scene here. The first question that Bryan gets asked is if he has enough to eat here (he's doesn't eat meat). He definitely does and actually thinks that it is easier to eat out here than at home.
We live in a larger city here, so there are tons and tons of options for a meal out. If it's dinner or lunch time, you will be able to find sit-down restaurants that feature Italian dishes, sushi, Asian dishes (Chinese, Thai, Japanese (yes, I know that sushi could be included), and Indian are all popular here), and traditional German dishes (wurst, potato dumplings, pork, cabbage, soups, and lots of dishes that feature potatoes, mushrooms, and some gravy). We've also learned that the best place for "American" style food is an Irish Pub. Our favorite here (Kildare City Pub) feautures burgers, veggie burgers (good ones), chicken burgers, and lots of wraps. It's my favorite place to eat!
Here's a link to the menu at our favorite place: http://www.kildare.de/de/getraenke-speisen/
Once you choose a sit-down restaurant, you can usually decide to sit inside or on a patio. Then, you choose your drink. Water is not provided automatically like it is at home and there are no free refills on soda. It is usually cheaper to drink beer or wine that two sodas. Let's just say that I have only had one Diet Coke since we've landed! :) After you order and eat your food, you have to flag down the waiter to pay your bill. Generally you pay in cash and some places won't accept any credit or debit cards at all. For a tip, it is generally accepted to round up to the nearest Euro. Waiters make a much higher wage here and gratuity is usually included on your bill anyway.
If you're not looking for a sit-down restaurant, there are plenty of other options. Bakeries have pastries, breads, cakes, and sandwiches as well. Doner Kebap (kebab) is a popular style of food here as well, especially for a quick lunch or a late night meal (Bryan says it's like Taco Bell in the US). Doner is essentially a meat sandwich, but these shops usually sell falafel and pizza as well. McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Subway, and Pizza Hut are also popular here. Nordsee is a take out fish restaurant that has a pretty delicious fish and chips plate. The best things about these sorts of places is that they usually have patios too.
Our local Doner Kebap (kebab) shop:
Signs advertising fast food:
For dessert, gelato is a really great life decision. It is very inexpensive and comes in a ton of flavors. Last night Bryan had raspberry and I had Tiramisu. It's no Whitey's ice cream, but it is pretty awesome! There are usually full on ice cream sundae parlors too. These dishes are extreme! We're talking 4 or 5 scoops of ice cream, sauce, candy, and maybe a cookie. There are also dishes that are made to look like plates of spaghetti, which is a little strange but still on my to do list. :) A piece of cake is another good plan (it's not like cake in the US). Plum, apple, and strudel cake are the best and are really more like a condensed crisp (like Apple Crisp) than a cake. Delicious!
Ice Cream Sundae Menu:
Spaghetti Eis (The picture does not do the similarity between real spaghetti and this justice):
Pflaumenkuchen (Plum cake):
If you want to eat like this all the time, remember that you need to walk everywhere! :)
Anyhow, we thought we'd fill you in on the restaurant scene here. The first question that Bryan gets asked is if he has enough to eat here (he's doesn't eat meat). He definitely does and actually thinks that it is easier to eat out here than at home.
We live in a larger city here, so there are tons and tons of options for a meal out. If it's dinner or lunch time, you will be able to find sit-down restaurants that feature Italian dishes, sushi, Asian dishes (Chinese, Thai, Japanese (yes, I know that sushi could be included), and Indian are all popular here), and traditional German dishes (wurst, potato dumplings, pork, cabbage, soups, and lots of dishes that feature potatoes, mushrooms, and some gravy). We've also learned that the best place for "American" style food is an Irish Pub. Our favorite here (Kildare City Pub) feautures burgers, veggie burgers (good ones), chicken burgers, and lots of wraps. It's my favorite place to eat!
Here's a link to the menu at our favorite place: http://www.kildare.de/de/getraenke-speisen/
Once you choose a sit-down restaurant, you can usually decide to sit inside or on a patio. Then, you choose your drink. Water is not provided automatically like it is at home and there are no free refills on soda. It is usually cheaper to drink beer or wine that two sodas. Let's just say that I have only had one Diet Coke since we've landed! :) After you order and eat your food, you have to flag down the waiter to pay your bill. Generally you pay in cash and some places won't accept any credit or debit cards at all. For a tip, it is generally accepted to round up to the nearest Euro. Waiters make a much higher wage here and gratuity is usually included on your bill anyway.
If you're not looking for a sit-down restaurant, there are plenty of other options. Bakeries have pastries, breads, cakes, and sandwiches as well. Doner Kebap (kebab) is a popular style of food here as well, especially for a quick lunch or a late night meal (Bryan says it's like Taco Bell in the US). Doner is essentially a meat sandwich, but these shops usually sell falafel and pizza as well. McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Subway, and Pizza Hut are also popular here. Nordsee is a take out fish restaurant that has a pretty delicious fish and chips plate. The best things about these sorts of places is that they usually have patios too.
Our local Doner Kebap (kebab) shop:
Signs advertising fast food:
For dessert, gelato is a really great life decision. It is very inexpensive and comes in a ton of flavors. Last night Bryan had raspberry and I had Tiramisu. It's no Whitey's ice cream, but it is pretty awesome! There are usually full on ice cream sundae parlors too. These dishes are extreme! We're talking 4 or 5 scoops of ice cream, sauce, candy, and maybe a cookie. There are also dishes that are made to look like plates of spaghetti, which is a little strange but still on my to do list. :) A piece of cake is another good plan (it's not like cake in the US). Plum, apple, and strudel cake are the best and are really more like a condensed crisp (like Apple Crisp) than a cake. Delicious!
Ice Cream Sundae Menu:
Spaghetti Eis (The picture does not do the similarity between real spaghetti and this justice):
Pflaumenkuchen (Plum cake):
If you want to eat like this all the time, remember that you need to walk everywhere! :)
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Grocery Shopping in Germany (aka Daily Living Part I)
As most of you know, Bryan and I are in Germany for two months this summer. We aren't quite tourists and we don't quite live here. This puts us in an interesting situation. We've had some friends and family members ask us what it's like to shop, work, and get around here, so we'll be posting this week about daily life.
Since we are subleasing an apartment, we cook quite a bit, just like we both do at home. This set-up requires that we grocery shop regularly. Grocery shopping requires prep work.
Step 1: Gather a backpack, tote bag, reusable shopping bags, and other carrying devices. If you don't bring your own bags, you will have to pay for ones at the store.
Step 2: Make sure that you have a 50 cent or a 1 Euro coin on hand if you plan to use a cart. You'll have to put a coin deposit down to get a cart.
Step 3: Put that coin back. You don't want to get a cart.
Step 4: Make sure you have cash or a debit card. Most stores don't accept credit cards.
Step 5: Get yourself to the grocery store and get ready for an adventure.
We are fortunate enough to live within 3 blocks of 3 different grocery stores: Aldi (yes, that Aldi,) Konsum (the fancier grocery store,) and Netto (a discount grocery store like Aldi). We shop at this Netto:
Most of the products are fairly similar to what you'd find at home in the US. However, there are definitely some interesting products that we would never see at home and some interesting twists on products we have at home. There are also some products that I will miss when I go home and some products from home that I can't seem to find here.
A typical trip to the store involves fresh produce (but not too much because it goes bad more quickly because it is actually ripe,) cheese, pasta, breads, chocolate, pizza making supplies, milk, beer, and wine. The prices are comparable to home, but the exchange rate makes the end result higher. Luckily, though, beer and wine are much, much less expensive than home. :)
Falling into the category of items that we would never see in the States:
These are like fish sticks, except they are filled with vegetables.
These are the fish you could serve with your vegetable sticks. This is marinated herring (pickled herring).
In addition to these two extreme examples, there are far more pickled items (carrots, cabbage, and the like,) spreads for crackers and bread, and more powder based sauces than you can imagine. In fact, there is an entire shelf of sauce mixes:
The next category of items is made up of familiar items with an unfamiliar twist. Mexican food doesn't seem to be well-understood here. It's almost as though someone misinterpreted the characteristics and ingredients common of Mexican food. For example, this is Mexican dip:
Roughly translated, this is "ideal with grilled meat and fish, potatoes, salad, vegetables, french fries, and toast." Interestingly enough, none of the Mexican restaurants I have ever been to really focus on those dishes served with dip. Tortilla chips here are more like Doritos, salsa is not spicy, and nachos just taste wrong. Also, tacos are tortilla chips. This is all quite confusing. However, it gets more confusing:
This is a Mexican fish fillet that is filled with corn and tomatoes. I don't really understand.
Milk is sold both cold and shelf-stable here and eggs are sold at room temperature.
Potato chips are also different here. Besides Pringles, chips are all paprika (pepper) flavored. There is a large selection of paprika flavored snack items:
Coca cola, Sprite, and Pepsi are common here, as is mineral water, tonic water, etc. However, the containers are 1.5 L and most bottles include a deposit. It is common to see people on the street with gigantic containers of soda, juice and the like:
There are some foods that I have gotten really attached to. For example, Doppelkeks (Double cookies) are awesome! Bryan loves Doppelkeks too!
There are also some awesome salty snack packs here. There are tiny compartments of pretzels, crackers, etc. Bryan loves these more than anything else in the store.
Probably the best item is this:
Although there are tons of familiar and new, delicious items, there are some things from home that I miss. Macaroni and cheese doesn't seem to exist here, and I have been craving it for weeks! Brown sugar, canned soup, chocolate chips, and marshmallows are also not found in the grocery store. Some familiar American brands are in stores like Netto and Aldi, but the best bet for imports from home is the gourmet grocery store in the basement of the department store in the city center.
Overall, the grocery stores are much smaller and a larger percentage of the store is devoted to beverages, dairy products, and sauces than at home. The product section is also smaller than you would see at Hy-Vee. People tend to go shopping more frequently here, so you don't see overflowing carts with enough food for a week or more very often. It's taken some getting used to, but I would say I am now an experienced international grocery shopper.
I hope you enjoyed hearing a little bit about the more mundane details of our life here.
Since we are subleasing an apartment, we cook quite a bit, just like we both do at home. This set-up requires that we grocery shop regularly. Grocery shopping requires prep work.
Step 1: Gather a backpack, tote bag, reusable shopping bags, and other carrying devices. If you don't bring your own bags, you will have to pay for ones at the store.
Step 2: Make sure that you have a 50 cent or a 1 Euro coin on hand if you plan to use a cart. You'll have to put a coin deposit down to get a cart.
Step 3: Put that coin back. You don't want to get a cart.
Step 4: Make sure you have cash or a debit card. Most stores don't accept credit cards.
Step 5: Get yourself to the grocery store and get ready for an adventure.
We are fortunate enough to live within 3 blocks of 3 different grocery stores: Aldi (yes, that Aldi,) Konsum (the fancier grocery store,) and Netto (a discount grocery store like Aldi). We shop at this Netto:
Most of the products are fairly similar to what you'd find at home in the US. However, there are definitely some interesting products that we would never see at home and some interesting twists on products we have at home. There are also some products that I will miss when I go home and some products from home that I can't seem to find here.
A typical trip to the store involves fresh produce (but not too much because it goes bad more quickly because it is actually ripe,) cheese, pasta, breads, chocolate, pizza making supplies, milk, beer, and wine. The prices are comparable to home, but the exchange rate makes the end result higher. Luckily, though, beer and wine are much, much less expensive than home. :)
Falling into the category of items that we would never see in the States:
These are like fish sticks, except they are filled with vegetables.
These are the fish you could serve with your vegetable sticks. This is marinated herring (pickled herring).
In addition to these two extreme examples, there are far more pickled items (carrots, cabbage, and the like,) spreads for crackers and bread, and more powder based sauces than you can imagine. In fact, there is an entire shelf of sauce mixes:
The next category of items is made up of familiar items with an unfamiliar twist. Mexican food doesn't seem to be well-understood here. It's almost as though someone misinterpreted the characteristics and ingredients common of Mexican food. For example, this is Mexican dip:
Roughly translated, this is "ideal with grilled meat and fish, potatoes, salad, vegetables, french fries, and toast." Interestingly enough, none of the Mexican restaurants I have ever been to really focus on those dishes served with dip. Tortilla chips here are more like Doritos, salsa is not spicy, and nachos just taste wrong. Also, tacos are tortilla chips. This is all quite confusing. However, it gets more confusing:
This is a Mexican fish fillet that is filled with corn and tomatoes. I don't really understand.
Milk is sold both cold and shelf-stable here and eggs are sold at room temperature.
Potato chips are also different here. Besides Pringles, chips are all paprika (pepper) flavored. There is a large selection of paprika flavored snack items:
Coca cola, Sprite, and Pepsi are common here, as is mineral water, tonic water, etc. However, the containers are 1.5 L and most bottles include a deposit. It is common to see people on the street with gigantic containers of soda, juice and the like:
There are some foods that I have gotten really attached to. For example, Doppelkeks (Double cookies) are awesome! Bryan loves Doppelkeks too!
There are also some awesome salty snack packs here. There are tiny compartments of pretzels, crackers, etc. Bryan loves these more than anything else in the store.
Probably the best item is this:
Although there are tons of familiar and new, delicious items, there are some things from home that I miss. Macaroni and cheese doesn't seem to exist here, and I have been craving it for weeks! Brown sugar, canned soup, chocolate chips, and marshmallows are also not found in the grocery store. Some familiar American brands are in stores like Netto and Aldi, but the best bet for imports from home is the gourmet grocery store in the basement of the department store in the city center.
Overall, the grocery stores are much smaller and a larger percentage of the store is devoted to beverages, dairy products, and sauces than at home. The product section is also smaller than you would see at Hy-Vee. People tend to go shopping more frequently here, so you don't see overflowing carts with enough food for a week or more very often. It's taken some getting used to, but I would say I am now an experienced international grocery shopper.
I hope you enjoyed hearing a little bit about the more mundane details of our life here.
Friday, July 1, 2011
News
As some of you might have heard by now, Bryan asked me a very important question on Wednesday evening. :) I also gave a very important answer to that question.
Our evening started out with some homemade fondue. We made a few stops at some stores in the neighborhood to gather the supplies to whip up some cheesey goodness! Garlic bread, pretzels, and roasted veggies were chosen to play the important roles of "dippers" for our cheese fondue. Here's what dinner looked like:
After dinner, we decided that going for a walk in the nearby park would be an excellent idea because it was incredibly warm on Wednesday, and our apartment does not have any fans or air conditioning. I went to brush my teeth before we headed out the door, and Bryan took the opportunity to grab the ring from his luggage.
We walked for quite a bit before we happened across a bridge over this adorable creek:
I told Bryan that we should grab the camera and he responded "There's something else first." He took the ring out of his pocket and asked me to marry him and I said yes.
Afterwards, we went out to a neighborhood bar that has a patio and ordered some Prosecco to celebrate.
It was very simple, very Bryan (planned but also spur of the moment,) and overall very nice. The ring he picked out is great and one-of-a-kind (from the local jewelry store in Des Plaines). A photo can not do this ring justice, but you all have been requesting one. Here it is:
Please don't laugh at my short fingers or tiny hand! It's not nice!
Our weekend plans include visiting Dresden, which is a city on a river. You all know how much I love water! Have a great 4th of July weekend!
Our evening started out with some homemade fondue. We made a few stops at some stores in the neighborhood to gather the supplies to whip up some cheesey goodness! Garlic bread, pretzels, and roasted veggies were chosen to play the important roles of "dippers" for our cheese fondue. Here's what dinner looked like:
After dinner, we decided that going for a walk in the nearby park would be an excellent idea because it was incredibly warm on Wednesday, and our apartment does not have any fans or air conditioning. I went to brush my teeth before we headed out the door, and Bryan took the opportunity to grab the ring from his luggage.
We walked for quite a bit before we happened across a bridge over this adorable creek:
I told Bryan that we should grab the camera and he responded "There's something else first." He took the ring out of his pocket and asked me to marry him and I said yes.
Afterwards, we went out to a neighborhood bar that has a patio and ordered some Prosecco to celebrate.
It was very simple, very Bryan (planned but also spur of the moment,) and overall very nice. The ring he picked out is great and one-of-a-kind (from the local jewelry store in Des Plaines). A photo can not do this ring justice, but you all have been requesting one. Here it is:
Please don't laugh at my short fingers or tiny hand! It's not nice!
Our weekend plans include visiting Dresden, which is a city on a river. You all know how much I love water! Have a great 4th of July weekend!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Germans love to march
On Friday night, Steph and I went out for coffee and apple cake (Apfelkuchen) after work. We strolled around the city for a while and ended up going to an English pub in a cellar in the city center. Being the only native English speakers in the joint, we only stayed for a little bit. We then headed to the main restaurant/cafe/bar drag and had some "sour" beer from Leipzig (Gose Bier). Supposedly, the reason it's actually sour is because of the water source it comes from, which is also why it is and can only be brewed in Leipzig. On our way home, we utilized the $3 tripod I got before we left for some neat night shots.
Saturday was a long day. We got up early to visit a couple of cities in the region: Halle (Saale) and Naumburg. Halle is about 20 miles away from Leipzig and is the hometown of George Frideric Handel, which they are quick to mention. The road to the old town was a bit sketchy, but the main square was beautiful with a nice weekend market taking place while we were there. We stumbled upon an organ concert taking place at the Market Church, so we stayed and listened to one of the oldest operating organs in Europe, and which J.S. Bach christened in the early 1700s. Naturally, they played a piece by Handel and one by Felix Mendelsohn Bartholdy who was also from Leipzig. After the concert, we had a quick lunch on the market from food trucks. I had Asian and Steph had some sausage and fries from a stand named "Don't worry, be curry!" We also saw a sign for a Zumba class, which Steph had to take a picture of. Here are a few pictures from Halle.
The Market Church:
Inside the Market Church:
Exercise time:
From Halle, we took the train down to the city of Naumburg, where they were having a Cherry Festival. The initial reason we decided to visit Naumburg, however, was the immensely important and huge cathedral dating from the 11th century (!). It is also the site of the "Naumburger Meister" who was a master sculptor nearly a thousand years ago. Being a medieval town we had to march up the hill from where the train station was to where the town actually was. Walking around the enormous cathedral, we walked into where we could enter the cathedral. When we got into the church, we found that we COULD NOT GET IN!!! Needless to say, I was slightly peeved. Apparently, the church was closed for the setting up of an exhibition of the Naumburger Meister for most of June. It reopens on the 28th!
After fuming for a bit and thinking to myself that I thought I learned that God does not take a vacation, we walked toward the Cherry Festival. Like any good festival in Germany, apparently, there was a parade through the center of town. What can I say, Germans love to march! Naumburg also happens to be in one of the northern-most wine-growing regions in Europe, and there was plenty of festival wine to be had. The town was kind of pretty, I guess...and we had a good time nonetheless. I tried to explain what I remembered of Nietzsche (who lived in Naumburg), but decided against it. Instead, I channeled my rage from the cathedral's closing to enjoy the good food and wine.
Flowers along the former city walls:
Naumburg street view looking toward the Kirchfest:
The cherry festival also had something to do with religious Hussites in the 15th century, which was the reason people dressed in silly outfits pushing carts:
This is another street view in Naumburg, this time without any people:
The inner courtyard of the Naumburg Cathedral, which we weren't allowed to go in:
This was the view of the cathedral as we approached walking up the hill from the train station:
After getting back to Leipzig, we got a note from our roommate inviting us out for dinner and a party afterwards. Long story short, we met some Americans, went to an Irish pub, talked some theology with a theology student at the university, and got home at 4 in the morning.
Saturday was a long day. We got up early to visit a couple of cities in the region: Halle (Saale) and Naumburg. Halle is about 20 miles away from Leipzig and is the hometown of George Frideric Handel, which they are quick to mention. The road to the old town was a bit sketchy, but the main square was beautiful with a nice weekend market taking place while we were there. We stumbled upon an organ concert taking place at the Market Church, so we stayed and listened to one of the oldest operating organs in Europe, and which J.S. Bach christened in the early 1700s. Naturally, they played a piece by Handel and one by Felix Mendelsohn Bartholdy who was also from Leipzig. After the concert, we had a quick lunch on the market from food trucks. I had Asian and Steph had some sausage and fries from a stand named "Don't worry, be curry!" We also saw a sign for a Zumba class, which Steph had to take a picture of. Here are a few pictures from Halle.
The Market Church:
From Halle, we took the train down to the city of Naumburg, where they were having a Cherry Festival. The initial reason we decided to visit Naumburg, however, was the immensely important and huge cathedral dating from the 11th century (!). It is also the site of the "Naumburger Meister" who was a master sculptor nearly a thousand years ago. Being a medieval town we had to march up the hill from where the train station was to where the town actually was. Walking around the enormous cathedral, we walked into where we could enter the cathedral. When we got into the church, we found that we COULD NOT GET IN!!! Needless to say, I was slightly peeved. Apparently, the church was closed for the setting up of an exhibition of the Naumburger Meister for most of June. It reopens on the 28th!
After fuming for a bit and thinking to myself that I thought I learned that God does not take a vacation, we walked toward the Cherry Festival. Like any good festival in Germany, apparently, there was a parade through the center of town. What can I say, Germans love to march! Naumburg also happens to be in one of the northern-most wine-growing regions in Europe, and there was plenty of festival wine to be had. The town was kind of pretty, I guess...and we had a good time nonetheless. I tried to explain what I remembered of Nietzsche (who lived in Naumburg), but decided against it. Instead, I channeled my rage from the cathedral's closing to enjoy the good food and wine.
Flowers along the former city walls:
After getting back to Leipzig, we got a note from our roommate inviting us out for dinner and a party afterwards. Long story short, we met some Americans, went to an Irish pub, talked some theology with a theology student at the university, and got home at 4 in the morning.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Weekend Adventures!
Hallo!
We took advantage of our first non-jet-lagged weekend here and did some "adventuring." We started off our Saturday with a tram trip to a very eastern Germany neighborhood to find an ATM that would accept my card. Let's just say that it's incredibly different from the neighborhood we live in here... there were no cafes, lots of abandoned buildings, and more graffiti than normal (there's graffiti everywhere). I don't think we will be heading back to that particular area again soon.
Then, by a combination of elevators and spiral staircases (seriously intense numbers of steps,) you can reach several observation decks. Scroll back to the first picture and look at the very top of the dome. The following picture was taken from next to that dome. It is of a church at a cemetery next door (and also a little view of former Soviet block housing!) There were rain clouds rolling in and we could see the rain falling on the other side of the city. Very, very impressive!
After seeing the cemetery from above, we wandered over there as well. There is a beautiful church (actually, upon further investigation it is a crematory) and monument to those who lost their lives fighting for Socialism. I was surprised at the number of headstones at the monument. There were many professors from the local university who were included. Once again, it was an impressive sight.
On the way back to the tram line, we passed a large flower garden and decided to try out some of the techniques we picked up in our photography lesson. Here are the results:
All of this exploring left us ready for a hearty German meal. As a result, potato dumplings, roasted white asparagus, roasted onions, and a sauce were created at home. I am happy that I have found a country that loves asparagus more than I do; it makes my life here pretty good. This vegetable is everywhere! After dinner, it was off to a Paulanergarten for a pint and some people watching.
Sunday was another adventurous day. This day was all about Luther! Considering my upbringing, this was a pretty big deal for me (Bryan said I was giddy). As we rounded the corner from the train station, we saw two odd individuals wearing cloaks. At first we just thought they had odd fashion taste (it happens,) but it turns out they were coming from the medieval festival taking place. It turns out that Wittenburg was having a Martin Luther Celebration! What luck! We're still not sure why we had to pay an admission fee to the festival, but it seemed that the locals were okay with it so we just went along with it too. We stopped at the "theses" church where Luther is buried and paid for the privilege to take photos. So worth it!
We also made a stop at the "town church" where Luther preached. There are still weekly services held here. And there's a Swedish king buried here too!
We also saw Luther's house and a parking sign with Luther's picture on it. This was the second most entertaining thing of the day, with number one being the sign advertising "good Lutheran food."
I had my first German bratwurst of the trip at the festival. Delicious! Though I found it odd that in a country where you can find a million different types of bread, bratwurst are served on a small, round bun. Half of the wurst isn't in the bread... I just don't understand.
Bryan saw people wandering by with coffee in tiny terra cotta looking cups and a search ensued to find the vendor. Imagine Bryan's disappointment when he noticed that the cup advertised a festival that took place in Leipzig in 2008! We returned the cup, but not without a photo:
That wraps up our weekend. Happy Father's Day, dads!
We took advantage of our first non-jet-lagged weekend here and did some "adventuring." We started off our Saturday with a tram trip to a very eastern Germany neighborhood to find an ATM that would accept my card. Let's just say that it's incredibly different from the neighborhood we live in here... there were no cafes, lots of abandoned buildings, and more graffiti than normal (there's graffiti everywhere). I don't think we will be heading back to that particular area again soon.
Our next trip was to the main train station to grab some coffee and switch tram lines so that we could visit Völkerschlachtdenkmal (which is a memorial for a battle fought during the Napoleonic Wars in 1813. Bryan thinks the spelling of this word is common knowledge or something.) We just missed the Elton John concert that was held in the front yard. The memorial is being restored, so this photo does not serve it justice:
There's a nice museum at the foot of the memorial, but the main event is inside and at the top of the memorial itself. There is a gigantic rotunda (seriously larger than any rotunda I have ever seen in my life.) Three floors up is the actual memorial:
Then, by a combination of elevators and spiral staircases (seriously intense numbers of steps,) you can reach several observation decks. Scroll back to the first picture and look at the very top of the dome. The following picture was taken from next to that dome. It is of a church at a cemetery next door (and also a little view of former Soviet block housing!) There were rain clouds rolling in and we could see the rain falling on the other side of the city. Very, very impressive!
After seeing the cemetery from above, we wandered over there as well. There is a beautiful church (actually, upon further investigation it is a crematory) and monument to those who lost their lives fighting for Socialism. I was surprised at the number of headstones at the monument. There were many professors from the local university who were included. Once again, it was an impressive sight.
On the way back to the tram line, we passed a large flower garden and decided to try out some of the techniques we picked up in our photography lesson. Here are the results:
All of this exploring left us ready for a hearty German meal. As a result, potato dumplings, roasted white asparagus, roasted onions, and a sauce were created at home. I am happy that I have found a country that loves asparagus more than I do; it makes my life here pretty good. This vegetable is everywhere! After dinner, it was off to a Paulanergarten for a pint and some people watching.
Sunday was another adventurous day. This day was all about Luther! Considering my upbringing, this was a pretty big deal for me (Bryan said I was giddy). As we rounded the corner from the train station, we saw two odd individuals wearing cloaks. At first we just thought they had odd fashion taste (it happens,) but it turns out they were coming from the medieval festival taking place. It turns out that Wittenburg was having a Martin Luther Celebration! What luck! We're still not sure why we had to pay an admission fee to the festival, but it seemed that the locals were okay with it so we just went along with it too. We stopped at the "theses" church where Luther is buried and paid for the privilege to take photos. So worth it!
We also saw Luther's house and a parking sign with Luther's picture on it. This was the second most entertaining thing of the day, with number one being the sign advertising "good Lutheran food."
I had my first German bratwurst of the trip at the festival. Delicious! Though I found it odd that in a country where you can find a million different types of bread, bratwurst are served on a small, round bun. Half of the wurst isn't in the bread... I just don't understand.
Bryan saw people wandering by with coffee in tiny terra cotta looking cups and a search ensued to find the vendor. Imagine Bryan's disappointment when he noticed that the cup advertised a festival that took place in Leipzig in 2008! We returned the cup, but not without a photo:
That wraps up our weekend. Happy Father's Day, dads!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)