Say it with me, München!

The husband and I have been to Munich few times and each time it feels like a city that’s busy but unlike New York City or Bombay where one feels cramped for space or overwhelmed with people, Munich’s full of history buffs.  Due to it's prominence in World War II, many tourists (read Americans) and Germans make a stop in Munich. 

 

The first time the husband and I visited we toured the city with a group and a tour guide and saw the key tourist attractions.  Some of our favorites are Viktualienmarkt and Feldherrenhalle.  We ate dinner at the famed Augustiner Bräu (brewery) restaurant.  That day was filled with learning about the Bavarian capital.

We went back for a visit to Münchner Residenz, Munich Palace.  The Palace was the former residence of monarchs and now is filled with royal items from those days.  We toured through the museum for the afternoon before heading to dinner. This time around, I’d done research on food and we went to a Mexican taco place.  (Mexican food is impossible to come by here in Nürnberg.)  Although tasty, it wasn’t  memorable.  Our search for great Mexican food in Germany continues.  

With mom visiting, Munich was top of the list.  Upon arriving mom and I stopped in at Viktualienmarkt for brunch.  We bought olives, cheese, bread, bier and Weisswurst and parked ourselves on one of the benches.  The rule on Weisswurst is it can only be eaten before 12pm.  I attest to this because at 11:59am, the butcher we got the wurst from was putting away the extra ones.   In the middle of the market there is a large area with benches that the public can use for a picnic.  The rule is to sit on tables without tablecloths because benches with tablecloths are reserved for restaurant customers.  We spread out the picnic and ate our brunch.  To my surprise, mom really enjoyed the Weisswurst. 

Post brunch we walked around Marienplatz and found this guy. Hey, any way to make a little money.  

We headed to Königsplatz and walked around briefly.  We weren’t interested in either exhibits so we paused in the shade before heading forward.   

We went to Olympia park first and then BMW Welt (world) since they are next to each other.  Although it’s nice to see the park where the 1972 games were held, it’s not extraordinary.  Most of the buildings were closed and the swimming pool pentre was only open to members.  

BMW Welt is neat and had a showroom with their newest models of cars.  The museum is located next door but mom didn’t wasn’t interested in seeing their antique cars so we didn’t bother.  (Mom isn't much of a museum fan.)

Englischer Garten was the final stop for the day.  I’d read about Chinesischer Turm, a biergarden with a restaurant, so we went there for dinner.  They had plenty of pork knuckles but we opted for the Hendl, half chicken, roasted potatoes and beers.  Overall the food was good.  Mom especially enjoyed the roasted potatoes, she never ceases to amaze me.  After dinner, we walked on one of many paths at the garden.  I wish I lived in Munich for the maze of running and walking trails at the Englischer Garten.  

The trip with my mom was memorable not because of any particular sight we visited but how much fun we had being with each other.  That day trip brought us closer together because we were both exploring a new, semi new for me, city and having fun and lots of laughs while doing it.  

Finally there was the well acclaimed Oktoberfest. Days after mom left Germany, we and some friends headed to Munich for Oktoberfest.Brief history- Prince Ludwig (the crazy guy) married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in 1810.  To celebrate with the citizens of Munich, Ludwig hosted a massive party with bier and food in the open fields which is now the area the fest is held.

Like the true locals foreigners that we are, we both dressed up in Lederhosen and Dirndl. We arrived at 11:30 to get a table and have plenty of time to drink and eat. It's recommended to arrive between 12- 2pm (on a weekday) for a table. At 4pm, the only people allowed inside the tents are ones with reservations. I learned, for next time, pacing yourself with biers is the way to have a good time. I did not do that.

We didn’t stay for the late night madness but that was at my request.  It was grand celebrating Munich’s history in a large tent with locals and other foreigners over bier and pretzel.

Schwarzwald with a Guest

A lot has happened in the past few weeks and I am looking forward to sharing some of the adventures. We have been eating, well, both at home and on our travels. More importantly, my mom came to visit for three weeks. Lots of beer and food was had by all, of course, and we traveled some.

On her 2nd weekend here, we took a trip to Schwarzwald, better known as the Black Forest. We did a round trip from here through the southern part of the forest and ended up in Strasbourg and then back.

Our first stop was at Mummelsee which is beautiful especially on a cold, foggy morning. We ate our packed lunch there and then walked around the lake; it’s short 30 minute stroll. Then we were off to Triberg(er) waterfall, Germany’s highest. Although we didn’t hike to the top, we spent an hour at the there. We then walked around Triberg, the capital of Cuckoo clocks. We did not partake in the tradition of buying a clock, only because they cost an arm and a leg. Our last stop for the day was Hinterzarten. After the morning drive and touring we were all ready to settle into a comfy couch or bed for the evening. Hotel Am Bach was the place for relaxing. We’ve rented rooms from gasthouses before, small homes with few spare rooms for guests, however Am Bach is different from what we were used to. It’s large, spacious home with approximately 10- 14 rooms.

For dinner we went to Pizzeria Leonardo Da Vinci in the main square. The tomato bisque was incredible and the pizzas were acceptable. Post dinner, it was an early night and much needed rest for a long day ahead. The beds at Am Bach were very comfy and just what we needed. The next morning the breakfast was served in the dining room and included freshly baked breads, marmalade, cheese, sliced meats, juice, coffee/tea. I highly recommend this place if you’re in the area.

It was an early start to the morning with a stop at Titisee. Compared to Mummelsee, Titisee was much bigger. Unfortunately there wasn’t a path around the See to walk on so we admired the lake and the small public area that’s decorated with flowers. Parts of the See are blocked off by hotels for private beach area. We then drove to St. Blasien Dom with a farmer’s market in its parking lot. Food lovers that we are, we first browsed the market and then toured the church. Priorities. Unlike most churches we’ve seen in Germany, St. Blasien is beautifully recreated in Baroque architecture. The walls and columns are white which gives it a fresh and peaceful feel. Having seen fresh olives, bread and cheese at the market earlier, we bought our lunch for a picnic. With food in tow, we headed to Freiburg. We wanted to see the Schlossberg so we headed there straight. After driving 15- 20 minutes through the city and up a small mountain, we had a panoramic view of the city from the Schlossberg. Thankfully there were benches and we enjoyed our picnic lunch. Freiburg is a college town that has a small city charm. We visited the Freiburg Cathedral and then walked around the city for few hours. We stepped into a food shop that had amongst other things many varieties of homemade vinegar. We bought their top seller, apple-grapefruit vinegar. (I’ve made dressing with it already, really tasty.)

We especially enjoyed seeing the Bächle, open waterways throughout the city, in Freiburg. They’re gutters so don’t drink the water from them. No one did while we were visiting, phew.

For a late afternoon snack we stopped in at Café Schmidt for the famed Black Forest cake. It was tasty and unlike any cake we’ve had in America. It was multiple layers of crust, chocolate cake, cherry brandy cream and more chocolate.

We then drove to Strasbourg for the rest of the weekend. Arriving late, the only thing on everyone’s mind was dinner. Thankfully we found a French place that had an open table, La Petite Mairie, on 8 Rue Brûlée. It was a locals-only type of restaurant. I had the slow braised pork with onion marmalade and potatoes, the husband got the fish plate with baked Turbot and pan fried Salmon served over pasta and cherry tomato sauce and mom ordered the Cornish hen with roasted potato hash. And if that wasn’t enough we also had a basket of bread and an order of fries (which we did not order), both were on the house. Between the three of us, we had enough food for five people. That was one of the most memorable meals on the trip, delectable food and large portions.

Our full day in Strasbourg was filled with sights of the city including the Notre Dame, Le Petite France and a boat cruise on river Ill. Strasbourg feels very picturesque with its cobbled stoned streets, timbered houses with flower boxes on windowsills on the river. 

The next day we wondered through the streets and found wonderful items at the city flea market. It was fun browsing the stalls full of books (French), glassware, dinner sets and copper pots and pans. The French do love their copper-bottomed cookware. I, unfortunately, did not find a copper pot to bring home but instead a porcelain container to store sugar. Mom also found a set of porcelain jars for tea and coffee.

 

At that market, we came upon a food stand with a long line of customers. If there’s a line, it must be good. Following the locals, we ordered a Traditional and Gruyere version of the Flammkuchen, an Alsace specialty. It is dough flattened very thinly, covered with crème fraîche and topped with onions and ham. They are then baked in a hot wood oven for few minutes. The Gruyere version is the same topped with Gruyere cheese. This is a local specialty and it was an amazing find, worth the long, 30 minute, wait. Next door a vendor was selling local beer and wine so that made for a perfect lunch. 

Our final destination before heading home was Obernai, a town with some vineyards. Obernai is the part of an Alsace wine road that has wineries along the way. Our goal was to find wineries that sold their locally grown and produced wine. We found two wonderful wineries that met our needs. At each we bought Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Rosé.

This was exactly how we’d hope our trip would be; mom requested a tour through scenic Germany and she got just that with an added bonus of food and wine.

You-Pick Farms

This summer has been perfect. Let’s hope I don’t jinx it by saying that. I know in United States it’s been hot and uncomfortable in most parts of the country while in India it’s the usual humidity. We lucked out in this part of the world and had bearable temperatures. I will admit part of last week was uncomfortably hot and without air conditioning it felt miserable inside the apartment as well outside. But thankfully the late August, high 60s to low 70s, are back this week.

This warranted a trip to the local farm that has you-pick veggies and fruits. I wanted to go to the you-pick farm since I heard about it in Spring. You-pick farms allow customers to come and pick their veggies and fruits. I went with couple friends few weeks ago and bought way too many veggies and blueberries. I’d bought 1/2 kilogram of blueberries and they were gone faster than I could say pancakes! I went back and bought more veggies and raspberries. This time around, I bought a kilo of raspberries and hope they last longer. But this isn’t about raspberries. This is about the corn.

Corn isn’t local to Germany, it’s local to North & Latin America. And Germans are keen on eating foods that are locally grown in the area, which I fully support. However both summers we’ve been here I haven’t seen much of corn at the market or at the grocery stores. When I saw the corn field at the farm, a very small one at that, I made a dash for it. I’ve missed eating sweet corn in summer.

And unfortunately the husband isn’t a fan of sweet corn so that’s the first thing he passes up at state fairs or festivals. I believe, growing up in India has something to do with that. Fortunately for me, the only way he (and most Indians) eat sweet corn is in “sweet corn soup.” The soup tastes nothing like what people in America call sweet corn soup. None the less, I could make my version of sweet corn soup and the husband would eat it just based on the name. Deception is a fine art. With an addition of Jalapeño and sausage, the husband would eat anything, really.

Summer Sweet Corn Soup 

1 teaspoon clarified butter, ghee
1 link smoked pork sausage, sliced (I used garlic wurst from a local farmer)
1 medium red onion, cubed
2 garlic cloves, halved
2 Jalapeño peppers, chopped
3 ears of corn, husks removed
2 cups stock, homemade preferred
1/3 cup whole milk
salt and freshly ground pepper

In a small dutch oven or sauce pan, add ghee on medium low heat. Add the sliced sausage and brown for 3- 4 minutes. If the sausage becomes too crispy too fast, lower the heat to low. After 4 minutes, remove the sliced sausage with slotted spoon onto a plate, leaving behind pork fat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in a pinch of salt, garlic and chopped Jalapeño peppers.

Hold the corn on the cob straight up on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut the kernels off the cob. Some kernels will fly off the cob. 

Add the kernels to the dutch oven. Cook for few (2- 3) minutes then stir in stock and milk. Add salt and black pepper, to taste. Add less salt than normal because the sausage is salty. Bring the liquid to a slow boil; once it’s bubbling, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Using a stick blender, blend the soup in the dutch oven. If using food processor or blender, carefully transfer the soup from dutch oven to processor and pulse. If using stick blender the soup won’t be absolutely pureed and that’s okay for us; if you like yours very fine, pass it through a sieve.

Ladle soup into bowls and top it with cooked sausage. Adjust salt and pepper accordingly.

The soup was a hit and I'm glad I bought 4 ears of corn. I’ve got one left to boil and eat with butter.  Lunch tomorrow will be alone in my balcony enjoying the sun and the sweet sweet corn. 

Würzburg, Bavaria

Würzburg is a small town 100 kilometers from Nürnberg. We took a day trip there by train on a Saturday. It is so close but yet so different than Nürnberg; full of wineries and thus offering great tasting wine. We arrived at 11 am, in time for a glass or two of wine. After sipping local wine at the wine shop, we ate lunch at an Asian place because the German restaurant we wanted to try was full. It was just okay. Post lunch we hiked up to Fortress Marienberg. It’s a 30 minute uphill hike so good walking shoes are vital.

After wandering through the open-air fortress, we walked back to the old city for a tour of the Residence Palace, a World Heritage Unesco site. There we learned the city was affected and destroyed during the last few weeks of World War II. However the rebuilt architecture is like before, unique to the city and its wine culture.

The city sits on river Main so we succumbed to a river boat cruise. Thankfully we did, we thoroughly enjoyed the sights and views on the windy river.

There was a wine festival that day so we joined in for festival food and local wine.

Race

I’ve talked about running plenty of times before. I was training for a race or two when I started running.  Both the husband and I ran a half marathon in 2010 so I was excited to run another race but nervous since this would be by myself.

The 10.5 kilometer race was few weeks ago. I was especially thrilled when a local American expat wife was also planning to run the race.  Having prepared for months, I was ready to start and finish.  At 10am, we started together.  The first 5 kilometers felt comfortable.  Although the sun was out in full force, having my music to run with as well as a partner helped pushed me through the first half.  Though at some point in the first half, I said to her the sun was really making it tough to stay cool.  She was supportive and encouraged me to keep going.  After couple quick water stops and 30- 45 second walking breaks, I slowed down at 7,5 kilometer.  My partner slowed down also to run at my pace. Between kilometer 8 and 8,5, I started walking and told her to keep going. 

What ensued is dreadful, especially with all the training I had done.

Around kilometer 9 I started feeling lightheaded.  Instead of stopping to walk, I kept running because I believed I was close to the finish line.  Then I saw big balloons and lots of people cheering so I was happy to cross the finish line.  I called the husband to meet him and our friends.  He was confused because he didn’t see me and couldn’t find me near the finish line.  After multiple failed phone call attempts, we both realized I was disoriented and did not finish.  I was in fact 0,5- 1,0 kilometer from the end.

I stumbled to get help.  Using my best German the emergency unit drove me to the finish line in an ambulance to meet the husband and friends that were impatiently awaiting my arrival.  (side note- when we were driving to the finish line in the ambulance, a young nurse offered me aswater and asked me if I needed to barf. To this day that makes me chuckle because I didn't know barf was medical terminology. Before you roll your eyes, I credit him asking and using his best English.) Once at the finish line, I admitted myself to the make-shift hospital tent to seek help.  The nurses gave me water through ivy and once the first bag was finished, I received another because my blood pressure was too low.  While I was getting ivy, the nurses said I experienced sun stroke and dehydration hence the lightheaded and disoriented feeling.  After two bags of water through ivy, I was discharged to get some food.

Our friends with a car offered to drive us home, thankfully.  I slept for an hour before round 2 began.  And by round 2 I mean all the water I had consumed through ivy and the food I had eaten came back up.  This lasted for couple hours before we decided to go the hospital.  The doctor there gave me water through ivy again and that didn’t last long.   While I was hooked up to the water ivy, I felt the sensation to throw up and did.  Then the doctor took me off of the ivy and gave me anti-vomit medication.  That helped, I came home and went to bed.  The next morning, I woke up feeling a bit sore (from not stretching post run) but fine. 

Looking back there are some lessons to learn from.  I drank 2 glasses of water pre run; I now know that wasn’t enough and any (especially mid morning or mid day) run requires lots more water for a race.  I also didn’t eat a hearty breakfast before the race, another lesson learned.  Eat what works for you; for me fruit, toast and drink plenty of water.  2 mini muffins are not enough.

It’s important to set a pace that works and keep going at that.  Although it was great to have a partner and I will always be thankful to her for running with me, she’s a faster runner than me so I ran too fast in the first 5 kilometers.

There was another race recently the husband and I ran together.  It was at 7:30pm and still too warm for a race but we had the whole day to consume plenty of water and food.  And fortunately for both of us and other runners, it was only 6 kilometers.  We both finished at a good time.

The husband did the 6 kilometers and is finished with running.  The shorter race was motivation for me to keep running and try running another race.   

Free Music in the Park

Klassik Open Air is a show in the Nürnberg that happens twice a year in the summer. It’s sponsored by large companies hence the free. One show is the philharmonic performing and the other one is with the symphony. We were fortunate enough to go for both this year.

We brought picnic, blankets and drinks the first time. The 2nd time we brought picnics, lawn chairs and drinks. Both times it was entertaining and we hope to attend the he future years we are here in Germany.

Sightseeing in Amsterdam

First comes the food than comes sightseeing.

Amsterdam is a city built on canals and so anywhere we went, there were waterways.  My dream is to live near the ocean some day and although canals aren’t exactly ocean I was happy to see water everywhere. 

For the tourist spots, we both highly recommend Van Gogh Museum.  Van Gogh Museum will be a short visit in the day because it’s only 4 levels that are spread out but worth the time because it houses many works by him as well as his mentors, teachers and students.  Another key stop for us was the Dutch Resistance Museum- Verzetsmuseum.  This describes the history of National Socialist party (NS or Nazis) occupation in Netherland, against the Dutch's will.  It shows the Dutch eventually coming together (underground) and standing up and fighting for wrongful killings of mass number of people.  I was very much moved by this and suggest all tourists go see it because it’s important to see there were people that questioned and stood up before the Allies arrived.  

We also visited the Rembrandt house.  This museum is in the house Rembrandt lived in for few years while in Amsterdam.  This is also a multi-level museum but small enough to spend few hours.  The first couple floors display works of Rembrandt’s tutors and students or people that followed his work closely. The next few levels are based on Rembrandt’s work on etching. This is etching. It’s a lengthy read but valuable and it explains how he was able to make so many prints in his time as an artist.  There are at least 100 etched prints displayed at the museum.  On one level of the house someone shows the precise technique of etching which we both found instructive.  Anne Frank Haus is well renown and tickets must be reserved in advance for entrance.   Due to the diaries and the story the house is a busy tourist spot, unfortunately that was the exact reason I didn’t like the visit.  It was very crowded and everything in the house is seen in a line full of people.  There were too many people and not enough time to see or read the excerpts.  For those that really want to see it, go but I wouldn’t do it knowing what I know now.  Instead read the diaries to really understand Anne’s day to day life and the small space she and her family lived in at that time.  Another site that no one misses is the royal palace in the main square.  It’s great for photographs.

One place that we wished we could’ve visited but didn’t have time to was the Amsterdam History Museum.  It came highly recommended to us and we hope to go there the next time we visit Amsterdam.

The city’s flea markets are known to the locals as well as tourists.  Spending an hour at one in Jordaan neighborhood was enjoyable especially since many people had antiques on sale.  Additionally, some vendors were selling clothes, shoes, and things you wouldn’t see in a store.  If time permits, pick one of the better known flea markets and check them out. 

almost all forms of available transportation

We took a ferry ride around the city canals and that was fun.  Our ride was reasonable, 25 euros for two and it was 60- 70 minutes.  It was educational so we learned about the city while being on a boat touring the city.  We recommend doing that but only if at a reasonable price.

No trip to Amsterdam is complete without a stop at the Red Light District.  And although distinctive enough to make Amsterdam what it is, I found the central streets underwhelming.  We didn’t stroll through any of the smaller side streets so we may not have gotten the full experience but couple streets were enough to get a taste for the area.  I was surprised to learn that these sex workers work legally and pay taxes like every other working citizen in Netherland.  Another interesting detail was when Amsterdam tried to introduce male sex workers, the city received unwarranted publicity and eventually had to close.

And unlike the female sex workers having legal rights to work in the city, the biggest misconception of Amsterdam is the legality of marijuana.  To our surprise, marijuana is illegal.  Since it is considered a soft drug there is no-enforcement on locals, tourists, coffee shops or public smoking.  However as of January 1, 2013, it will be tough to buy marijuana at coffee shops because the new law prohibits tourists coming to the city just to get high.  Under this new law only locals with Netherland ID can buy marijuana legally.  That should be interesting for the city's tourism industry.  Oh and don’t be that tourist that’s so high they can’t decipher good decisions from bad.  We saw plenty of those people and were disappointed by the abuse of the drug in the name of fun.

I loved Amsterdam for many reasons but one of which is the English speaking population in the city.  All the locals we spoke with spoke fluent English and were willing to help us translate from Dutch.  I was impressed by this act of generosity especially because Germans (at least the ones we’ve encountered) are total opposite of this.  Germans don't like speaking English or helping translate because they think their English isn’t very good.  Most probably not true but it coincides with us feeling like they aren’t very helpful.  None the less, I loved Amsterdam and its people. 

The weather while we were visiting was cold, wet, grey, dreary and not fun.  So it put a little damper on our spirits but it didn’t keep us from exploring the city and wishing for the sun to come out.  We enjoyed seeing the sights of the city, the waterways and I particularly loved the canal houses.  The moral of this post, go visit Amsterdam!