Wurst of the Week: November 30

There really is a wurst for everyone. Here, we found a chocolate hot dog.

Ice Hockey in Cologne

I'm not the biggest hockey fan in the world. I have been to two games before -- once at Madison Square Garden to see the New York Rangers, and once at the RBC center in Raleigh to see the Carolina Hurricanes. Both arenas are huge and my seat was high above the ice. I found it hard to see the tiny puck and didn't have a clue about the rules. Players skated on and off the ice randomly and the play stopped and started.
When Kevin asked if I wanted to go to a hockey match in Cologne, my initial reaction was, "Why? We don't like hockey." But Kevin assured me that this time is would be different. Our seats would be close to the ice and we were going with a few people who would be able to explain what was happening. Also, I've had fun at other sporting events here in Cologne. The fans are fantastic. They drum and sing and chant and do the wave. Even if the game wasn't that great, I agreed to go thinking that at least the crowd would entertain me.

Our journey to the game didn't start out good. We got stuck in traffic on the way and missed the entire first period altogether. When we arrived at the stadium, we were hungry and tired and in desperate need of a trip to the rest room. If you had asked me then my prediction about the evening, I wouldn't have been too enthusiastic.

But then, with wurst and drink in had, we found our seat and were treated to a truly great sporting match. The score was one-one when we arrived. In the second period Cologne scored twice, while the team from Düsseldorf scored three times. Early in the third period Düsseldorf scored again and things looked like they were falling apart for the home team.

Midway through the final period, however, the teams started to rally. A fourth goal helped to inspire the crowd, who had been uncharacteristically quiet. With the cheering now at full volume, the team played hard for the last ten minutes, and managed to tie up the game with less than two minutes of play left.

This meant that the game when into a five-minute, sudden-death overtime period. In under three minutes Cologne scored and the crowd when wild. It was the exact perfect ending to an exciting game.

No Time to Blog Today

I have a busy day planned. I am working at IFOAM (for my second to last time), then going to the airport with Kevin the drop off friends. Tonight we have tickets to the the Cologne Sharks, the city's ice hockey team. Since the game is in Cologne, there is no real reason to come all the way back to Bonn after seeing our friends off. Instead we're going to get dinner in Cologne and then head to the game.

Christmas Markets to Open This Weekend

I love Christmas. But I'm also don't really want to see the red and green rolled out until Thanksgiving's leftovers are wrapped in their Tupperware containers. That is I usually don't want to see Christmas before Thanksgiving. This year I'm supper excited for the early bit of holiday cheer.

I have a good reason for changing my Christmas tune. My mom, sister, and niece will be arriving on Sunday and I am excited that they'll be able to see the German Christmas Markets.
Last year I couldn't get enough of the Christmas markets. The food, the gluwine, the trinkets: It was all so cozy and holiday-esque. Last year I loved arriving at a market around dusk, warming up with a mug of spiced wine, then wandering around in the crisp air while doing my Christmas shopping. It was far, far, better then visiting the mall.

Not every market will open this weekend. Some will wait until the traditional opening day, which is the first Sunday of Advent. However, according to Google the Bonn and Cologne markets will open on the 21st of November. This year I am adding the Seigberg Market to my must-visit list. Promising mead and minstrels, the town hosts a traditional Medieval Market. This one wont open until November 29, but that will be a perfect way to end their trip.

A Multicultural Experience

One of the things that I have enjoyed most about my time in Germany is that I have gotten to know people from all over the world. This was an unexpected surprise for me, since before coming I assumed that Germany was not a very diverse country. Through Kevin's job, my language classes, and volunteering we have met people from Africa, all over Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

And of course, because I love to eat, having a group of friends from all corners of the earth means that dinner invitations are a delicious way to try authentic international cuisines. Last night we were invited to a birthday dinner for an Indian friend from South Africa.

The menu included two types of curry: one with chicken and peas and one with lamb and potatoes. Tanya starts with her own, homemade curry paste, which includes spices mixed by her mother and specially delivered to Germany. Both were spicy, but not overwhelming. (Though they did tell us that they tamed the dishes a bit for our more-sensitive pallets.) Accompanying the curries were basmati rice and three chutneys. The lime and mango chutney added a lot of flavor as well as some more heat.

For dessert we had bread pudding with coconut and apricot jam. The sweet creamy pudding was a perfect counter balance for the spicy entrees.

The whole meal left me wishing I could pack up my international friends and bring them with me back to Raleigh.

Terra Vino: The Best Restaurant in Bad Godesberg

As I start wrapping up my life here in Germany, I was thinking about what restaurants I want to eat at one last time. While I've had a number of good meals while living here, there really is only one place that I feel like I need to visit for certain before I leave: Terra Vino in Bad Godesberg.

Hidden behind a strip of nondescript stores off Koblenzer Strasse in the center of the village, Terra Vino is hard to find. The address, Hubertinumshof 11, is located in a courtyard that looks more like a parking lot. I lived in Bad Godesberg for months before I even knew the place existed. A neighbor recommended the place, claiming that it was "some of the best Italian food he's ever eaten." It took me a few trips to the town center before I successfully found the restaurant he described.

Boy, am I glad I finally found it. Once getting past the unassuming facade and the even more unassuming front entrance you are transported into a charming dinning space. It is best to reserve a table ahead of time, to make sure you can sit at one of the long tables with benches it the back. The walls are lined with dark wood shelves that hold hundreds of bottles of wine. Classified by type and then region Kevin and I usually order one of the Chianti Classicos.

With no written menus, the wait staff explains the day's specials. The selections change regularly, but usually includes a salad, antipasti, brusetta, few pasta dishes, a fish, and a meat dish. The salads are fresh and perfectly dressed, the antipasti platter contains a nice sampling of cured meats and cheeses, but the brusetta is hands down my favorite. With lightly tasted bread, a generous topping of tomatoes and onions, and a fruity olive oil, it is hard to believe that such a simple combination can be so good.

For an entree, I almost always get pasta. I have never been disappointed. All are made from scratch daily, and most often simply dressed. The light and flavorful gnocchi, for example, comes dressed in either pesto or tomato sauce with a hefty sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. There is also usually a stuffed or baked pasta offered. Here, again, the straightforward simple executions are delivered to perfection.

Kevin's favorite item is the baked fish. Always a medium-sized whole fish, such as a dorade, a few lemon slices and green onions are tucked inside the fish that is then wrapped in foil and cooked. The result is a moist, flavorful meal where the taste of the fish is allowed to shine.

We've never ordered dessert, which includes a selection of traditional Italian specialties. For us, lingering over a cappuccino is the perfect way to end the meal.

Terra Vino
Hubertinumshof 11
53175 Bonn - Bad Godesberg

• Phone: 02 28 / 3 29 78 58
• E-mail: terraone@t-online.de
• Open: Monday through Saturday; closed Sundays
• Lunch 11:00 A.M. - 3:00 P.M.; dinner 6:00 P.M. - 12:00 A.M.
  

Wurst of the Week: November 16

At the Cologne Arena, huge utter-like containers dispense the mustard for the Bratwurst. Though this system does away with the sputtering problem typical of regular, push dispensers, it was kind of kind of weird to feel like I was milking the mustard.

The Count Down Begins

I hate moving. The process is such a pain in the neck. It feels like Kevin and I just got our German lives sorted out. Now we're trying to figure out how to cancel our utilities, making appointments with the realtor who is trying to get our apartment rented by January so we don't have to pay an extra month's rent, and finishing up projects at work before we take off.

At the same time we are making time to get together with friends, prepare for visitors, and plan a Thanksgiving/going away dinner fest.

In the mist of all of this, we are also working to get our life back in Raleigh organized. I already have doctor's appointments scheduled so I don't have to miss a singe visit. I've also make a date to visit the hospital where I plan to deliver and finally have found a birthing class. We've started researching what kind of cars we should buy. Our tenant has been informed and now that we have a confirmed move-out date we can make arrangements to have our things moved out of storage.

It's funny to think that a few weeks ago I was looking forward to holing up in our apartment for a few months with the new baby. Now, I am looking forward to the same few months, but everything else about the picture will be totally different.

Bohemian vs. Bohemian

While in Prague I had a question that has been bothering me ever since: What does Bohemia (the former kingdom located in what is now the Czech Republic) have to do with bohemians (as in starving artists)?

Turns out, not much.

The term bohemian, written with a lower case "B," refers to the counter-culture lifestyle of artist and intellectuals who choose to forgo material possessions. They live in marginal poverty while pursuing "their art," and often have unconventional styles of dress and morals.

First used by the French in the mid-1800s, the term was soon after was adopted by English speakers. The French began using the term to refer to artists who were moving in to low-rent, gypsy neighborhoods. At the time the French mistakenly believed that the gypsies* came from Bohemia.

In my quick Google search to find the answer I came across one piece of information that I found particularly funny. Wikipedia listed several parts of cities that are now considered to be “Bohemia.” Among the European locations are Montmartre in Paris, Chelsea in London, and Schwabing in Munich. Missing from the list, any place that is in the Czech Republic.

* Gypsies, also known as Roma, are believed to be originally from India and began migrating West toward Europe in the 14th century.

Auf Wiedersehen Deutschland

I've postponed writing this post for a week or so. I didn't want to say anything until it I was 100 percent sure. Now, the tickets are books, contracts are broken, and Kevin and I will be saying "tschüs" to Germany sooner then expected.

There have been rumored changes at Kevin's company for months now. That's why, when a good opportunity back in the states presented itself, we felt like we had no choice but to accept. It was our first act as responsible parents. I'm having a great time living in Germany, traveling to other countries, and tasting as much local food as possible. But when making this decision I need to balance these desires with what would be the best decision for my family. As it turns out, having an income and health insuranceis more important then ever now.

We leave on December 6 and I will certainly be blogging until then. My Mom and sister will be visiting for the last week of the month, so I still have a bit of traveling planned. We also have a lot of get-togethers planned in the coming days. So, there will be plenty to write about.

Also, I expect that I will keep up the blog for a while upon returning back to the states. Even though I haven't been gone for as long as most of the other ex-pats that I've come to know over the last year I do anticipate some culture shocks upon my return. Also, I will keep writing on The Apron Caper, regularly. I still have to eat.

In the meantime, I'd like to say thank you to all of you who have read my blog over the last year. Knowing that someone, somewhere was logging on to read about my travels and experiences has kept me blogging.

Carnival Begins

Carnival season, also known as German's fifth season, started today.
To be precise, Carnival always starts on November 11, at 11:11 A.M. I am not sure the significance of the date and time, but I do know that eleven is the number of Carnival. All of the events start at 11:11 A.M. That's why today is referred to as “der Elften Elften,” which translates from German to "Eleven Eleven."
Despite the dismal forecast this morning, I set out see what festivities Bonn had planned. Last year I remember watching der Elften Elften in Cologne on T.V. Huge crowds dress in costume gathered in the old town to sing, dance, and drink Kolsch.

This year in Bonn the crowd was marketable smaller. This didn't really surprise me: Bonn is not the Carnival Capital that Cologne is. Also, this year celebration fell on a Tuesday, while last year's even was on a Sunday. Even still, a few hundred people, most in costume, gathered in the market square to sing, dance, and drink Kolsch.

I think I would get a lot more out of Carnival activities if I could understand what they were saying. But, I am always impressed at the Germans love for a party. It wasn't but a few minuets past 10:30 when I arrived, but still the beer was flowing, people were decked out in the finest clown gear, and when the band played “Viva Colonia” the crowd joined in and swayed to the music.

Wurst of the Week: November 10

Kevin couldn't resist ordering this dish, which included two grilled Czech sausages. They were made of beef and a little smoky -- kind of like cross between a hot dog and Kolbasy.

Prague Jewish Quarter Tour

On Sunday Morning in Prague Kevin and I took a tour of Prague's Jewish quarter, known as Josefov, through Wittmann Tours. We aren't usually the type of people who take tours, but on our trip to the glass factory we met a mother and daughter from the West Coast of the U.S. who took this tour and absolutely raved about it. They said it was the best thing they during their stay.

The Spanish Synagogue

What made the tour stand out for the others? Wittmann Tours, owned and operated by Sylvie Wittmann, gives tours of Jewish sites in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany. In addition to giving Jewish-focused tours, Ms. Wittmann -- a native Czech Jew -- has worked to bring Central European Jews back to their Synagogues throughout Bohemia. In 1991 she founded a new Jewish community in Prague to accommodate the city's reemerging reformed Jewish population.

All of her tour guides are very knowledgeable, with backgrounds in Jewish history as well as a few Holocaust survivors. Our guide, Olga Kourová, was very well versed in Jewish history, as well as fine arts and literature. We are again lucky to have a very small group -- there were only three of us.

The Old Jewish Cemetery

The tour of the Jewish Ghetto included all sites of the Jewish Museum, the Old Jewish Cemetery, and the Old New Synagogue. These buildings are the best-preserved collection of Jewish monuments in all of Europe. I was amazed to learn that the some historians believe that the Nazis planned to build a museum about the "exterminated race" and therefore did not destroy Prague Jewish landmarks or the possessions confiscated from the temples and families as the residents were forces to into labor camps. It is because of this well-preserved collection of books, photos, and art displayed in today's Jewish Museum is one of the foremost collections in the world.

Franz Kafka Statue

Though certainly a part of the three-hour talk, the tour didn't focus only on the experience of Prague's Jewish population during the Holocaust. The city's Jews have a long history, dating back to the 13th Century. Times of acceptance were intermixed with times of discrimination.

The Prague Castle

Set on a hill overlooking the Old and New Towns, the Prague Castle dominates in the city's skyline. According to the Guinness Book of Records, this is the largest castle in the world. We admired it from a far as soon as we arrived in Prague, and on Saturday morning we set out to see it for ourselves.
Not a single structure, the castle is actually a serious of buildings surrounded by a wall. Construction began in the 9th century and it has been the seat of power for the royal families of Bohemia, the Czech bishops, and later the governments of Czeslovakia and the Czech republic. The crown jewels are houses somewhere in this complex, along with other treasures of the state.

Entrance to the castle grounds and main cathedral is free. You can walk take in the impressive size and complex wondering through the many courtyards. There are also lookout points that afford picturesque view of the city below. Surrounding the castle are gardens, which appear to be a popular place for residents to run, walk there dogs, and play with their children.
In front of one of the palaces are uniformed guards. They stand, unflinching, as tourists pose for pictures. Other guards march around the castle’s grounds. At noon the guards change position in an elaborate ceremony.

Admission tickets must be purchased to enter many of the buildings. We opted for the "short tour" package, which include entry into the Old Royal Palace, an exhibition entitled "The Story of Prague Castle," St. George's Basilica, and Golden Lane, a small street with shops and Kafka’s house.
We also purchased the accompanying audio guide. As an added benefit, visitors with the audio guide getting to skip the long line the wrapped around the outside of the cathedral. We were told that the line could last upwards of an hour.
Despite having purchased the "short tour," our trip to the castle lasted from 9:30 AM to past 1:30 PM. The audio guide has to be one of the most detailed I've ever listened to, giving lots of historical facts for the interior and exterior of each building in the complex. How else would I have known that jousting matches took place in the great hall of the old palace as a form of amusement for the ladies of the court?

Czech Crystal

When traveling to big cities, I like to spend at least half a day somewhere outside of the main part of town. This lets me get a glimpse of a bit of the countryside, go through neighborhoods where "real people" live, and see something other then what's on the beaten path. Usually I take public transportation to these out-of-the-way destination, which adds to the adventure but also increases the amount of research and time the trip requires.
Before leaving for Prague I discovered that one of the possible out-of-town attractions that Kevin and I could visit was a crystal factory. Knowing that Kevin has had his fill of castles and museums, I thought a factory tour would be something that we would both enjoy. I wasn't able to figure out how to get there by public transportation, though, so we decided to take a tour instead.

The tour package included transportation from our hotel to the Rucki Crystal Factory in the town of Nizbor, about 45 minutes outside of the city. No searching for the train station or trying to discern the schedule was necessary. Since November is low season, we were luck to have a semi-private tour. There were only two other people in the group with us. On the way through the city, our guide spoke about the points of interest that we passed and provided us with a bit of history as we traveled along the highway.
The area around Prague is world-famous for it's Bohemian cut crystal, which was first produced in the region in the early 17th century. Glasscutters from Italy and Germany traveled to Bohemia and cut the natural crystal found in the mountains of the region. In the 18th century manufactures began producing cut chalk-glass items. These products brought the Czechs fame, but they fell out of fashion by the early 19th century. Soon, however, the manufactures turned to making lead crystal. And by the middle of the 19th century, the region was again at the top of the industry.

Once we arrived at the factory we switched tour guides. The new guide, who worked for the factory, gave us a brief overview of the family that ran the business and the materials used for production. This factory makes most of its products on an order-by-order basis, which is why the name isn't as well known as other manufactures. Then she took us to see the glass being blown.
It was amazing to see the glowing masses removed from the furnace, and then blown. I kept thinking that it was like bubbles for adults. One thing that shocked and surprised me is that the glass blowers are allow to drink beer and smoke cigarettes while at work. The factory even provides the brew. Our tour guide assured us, though, that it had a very low alcohol content.

After watching the glass being blown, we saw the quality control department in action. Less than 20 percent of all glass blown makes the cut. The rejected pieces are then tossed into large bins, which are then sent back to the furnace. Nothing in the factory is wasted.

The items that are approved are then sent to the cutting room. Workers here sit at diamond-saw wheels for eight-hour shifts. Each day they work on one part of one design. Repeating the cuts over and over again.

After walking through the factory I have a whole new appreciation for cut crystal.

Obama!!!

I have to postpone my next Prague posts to take the chance to relay the German take on Obama's victory.
For weeks I've been walking around with my Obama pin. In general, it has gone uncommented upon. Today, however, people on the street started talking to me, which in itself is a very un-German activity. They told me how happy they are. Many of them had stayed up late to watch the results on German T.V. or woke up in the wee hours to turn on the radio.

Upon walking into the office today, I was greeted by pats on the back and handshakes. Everyone was so happy for me. They congratulated me. They were happy for themselves as well. When I saw one of the Americans in the office we hugged and all day long talked about what a great day it was.

(Photo (c) The New York Times)

Prague Orientation

On Thursday afternoon we arrived in Prague. After figuring out the exchange rate (100 Czech Koruny equals about 4.50 Euro), we got ourselves some Czech Crowns, and headed to the taxi stand outside the airport. Many travel sites and guidebooks say that taxies in Prague are rip offs. But, since I didn't have time to fully research other options for how to get to the city center, we decided to take a cab anyway. The trip was 600 Koruny, which is about 25 Euros. That's still a reasonable price in my book.
After settling into our hotel, we decided to spend the afternoon getting our barrings. Later in the trip we'd discover that Prague is pretty easy to navigate. But we seem to always take the hardest, longest, or least traveled path. Even though we picked up a map at the hotel reception, we didn't ask them to show us the best way to the old town.
Instead of taking a left, which would have gone directly to a bridge across the Vltava River, we went right and rambled through a bunch of quite, residential neighborhoods before stumbling upon the main tourist center. Staying off the beaten path worked out to our advantage though. We had lunch in a local-feeling pub, which was terrific. I had goulash and Kevin had a dish that the waitress translated as "pork stump."

After lunch we found the old town we wondered it's charming, cobble stone streets. Prague is one of the few cities in Europe to have suffered from very little bombing damage during World War II since the city had no war industry. The result is that the city's buildings still have their original detail and the streets veer off with no apparent rhyme of reason.
We were lucky enough to come to the astrological clock at the top of the hour, getting to see the characters emerge from their roost. On the way back to our hotel, we head across the Charles Bridge as dusk turned to dark. With the Prague Castle a glow in the background, our first day in Prague turned out to show off a city even more beautiful then I expected.

Wurst of the Week: November 3

I found this unique sausage at the food hall at Galleries Lafayette in Paris. It's called Andouille du Guémené. Requiring 20 to 25 pig intestines, the concentric circles are achieved by winding the intestines around itself and wrapping the completed sausage in beef casing. Once formed it is smoked, dried, then cooked with hay.