Good-bye food in Munich

October 29, 2023 edithted1 Comment

Every time I leave Munich it is tough. It is tough to leave my family, my friends, it is tough to leave all those hugs & kisses, all those tears.

But then there is the good- bye treat at the airport, which are white sausages, pretzel and sweet mustard. It is the ultimate Bavarian comfort food that makes it a little easier to leave – kind of like a band aid with a Mickey Mouse print…

There are a few rules how to eat them though:

You cannot eat them after 12pm! The saying is: a white sausage shouldn’t hear the 12 o‘clock church bell ringing! They are made fresh every day in the morning and they have to be eaten immediately. Therefore white sausages are eaten for breakfast. And yes, traditionally you have to drink Wheat beer with them. And yes, beer for breakfast – it is Bavaria for heaven’s sake! 🍺
You should never cut the white sausage like you’d cut any other sausage: they have to be peeled, but lengthwise! Or alternatively you can grab them with your hands and suck them out of the skin…

White sausage, cut and peeled lengthwise

You have to eat sweet mustard with white sausages, any other mustard would be a crime. Similar to eating French fries with honey instead of ketchup. The combination of white sausages with a salty pretzel (which is actually called a Brezn), and sweet mustard is the ultimate taste combination made in heaven. In the Bavarian heaven. In the Italian heaven, the ultimate combination is tomatoes and basil, in the French heaven it is butter. Butter with everything and anything…

And here I am, on my way into the airport, via the Bavarian heaven

More German food

October 27, 2023October 27, 2023 edithted2 Comments

You might wonder by all the food posting I do (and therefore all the food I am eating), that I must have gained weight like never before! Infact, I wonder myself 🤣

But would you say no if somebody – like my sister Petra – invited you for breakfast and it looks like this?

Or you meet your friend Wendl from highschool to cook dinner together, and you create this Bavarian classic: bread dumplings with chanterelle cream sauce and endive salad, would you say no to this?

As Wendl says: cooking is the sex of old age

Wendl and I have a history together, it’s kind of a love affair, but not with each other: we share the love of cooking and eating. So every time I am in Germany, Wendl and I cook something delicious 🥬🍲🌶️🥗🫒🍷 And did I mention that we know each other for 40+ years?

Or would you refuse to eat those spinach and cheese dumplings I ate today for lunch? Would you? Followed by Kaiserschmarrn, a dessert classic in Bavaria 🥰

My good bye dinner party two days ago was not only lots of fun – 15 family members showed up with fun stories, good mood and big appetites – we also had delicious food!

My sister asked me a few days ago what I’d like to do if I had the chance to try something totally different. My answer: something food related, not being a chef, but a taster (if there is such a thing). Somebody trying, tasting, combining, presenting food to perfection. That’s what I would do! No wonder that I like to eat and drink…..

Things to do in Bavaria

October 27, 2023October 27, 2023 edithtedLeave a comment

Every year in October, the Farm Museum in Ingolstadt let the past come alive by inviting art and craft, food and music vendors to keep old traditions alive.

With my sister and my niece we spent a few hours there, we admired a photo exhibit, we bought some handmade craft and enjoyed the permanent exhibition of the museum.

Petra, Edith and Stephanie (from left to right)

Unfortunately – fortunately the weather goddess is already sad that I’m leaving soon. She’s crying and so we have to deal with rain. It looks like she’s very sad: the prediction is rain until I’ll leave!

The good thing is that there are plenty of indoor activities (cooking, eating and drinking as a last resort 🤣🥗🍷)

Petra and I visited a Salt cave today and spent 45 min relaxing inside this grotto, breathing saline air, listening to a waterfall, soft background music and being lulled in warm light shining through thick rocks of pink salt. Having a warm blanket wrapped around – it was challenging not to fall asleep…

And what else to do? Walk, talk, party!

Vespa in Bayaria

October 21, 2023October 21, 2023 edithtedLeave a comment

About a month ago I bought Jonas. I mean I bought a Vespa scooter from a guy named Jonas, so that’s why the Vespa is called Jonas now.

And today, my brother Jürgen and I took a whole day driving around with our Vespas, enjoying another beautiful fall day here in Bavaria. We drove along fields with corn, cabbage and potatoes, piles of sugar beets along the way, sunflowers and poppies still in bloom. The smell of wet soil, fresh cut grass and moist fall leaves. The sun partly hidden behind the clouds, occasional rainbows inbetween. We drove through many little villages, we stopped at a few ferry crossings along the Altmühl river, it couldn’t be more perfect, romantic or beautiful!

Jonas is 20 years old; quite a senior Vespa, but he is a great scooter with some age related issues…

The tubing connecting the gasoline pump and the gasoline filter was so old and brittle, it broke, and all the gasoline was gone in a matter of just a few minutes. Gas tank empty, that means:

Fortunately Jürgen is an expert: he repaired the broken tubing and we were back on the road again in an hours or so. And so we continued and enjoyed our ride.

Then, another part of the old tubing decided to claim retirement a few hours later, so Jürgen, still an expert, repaired the second issue, and we were back on the road again in 45min or so. I guess if we would have continued a little longer, and if a 3rd issue came up, he would have needed only 30min, right?!? 🛵🛵🛵

Many more villages later, Altmühl River, Schambach River, the Main-Danube channel and the Danube, we crossed many bridges, we drove through forests and fields – it was a gorgeous day and Jonas and I were very happy (I guess Jürgen too 🤩)

Germany and food

October 20, 2023 edithtedLeave a comment

I love German food! The smell of a bakery, fresh baked bread and pretzels (which we call Brezn) or the smokey smell of a butcher store, I just think of heaven! Sweets, that are not too sweet, pickles that are not too sour, beer that is strong and flavorful; why is it not possible in the US to grow, cook, bake and brew like in Germany?

Venison goulash with red cabbage and bread dumpling for Jürgen, tagliatelle with salmon for me

Fall in Germany

October 20, 2023October 20, 2023 edithtedLeave a comment

It is the middle of October and fall is in full swing! Night temperatures reach down to the freezing point, the days are barely warmer. Rain showers shake hands with sunshine, hail knocks down some leftover flowers and heavy wind gusts blow the colorful leaves off the trees. And then it starts over again. You never know what to expect and/or what to wear.

Citymap of Ingolstadt from 1810. It is surrounded by protection buildings and a citiwall that is still intact. Nowadays the Danube on the south side of town has 3 bridges for traffic crossing over, 2 pedestrian bridges and 1 for trains… Ingolstadt was founded in the year 806 and had a busy history, being a custom point for the salt trade from the Alps to northern territories. Here, every shipment of salt had to cross the Danube, which made it a popular location for thieves and bandits.

Today my brother Jürgen and I spent a whole day together. He needed a haircut, a motorcycle helmet, tennis shoes, lunch, a walk and everything wrapped with meaningful brother-sister conversations.

On our way to the motorcycle helmet store we found this neat barber shop

With his new haircut, Jürgen bought a new helmet and afterwards we had a tasty lunch at a restaurant at a nearby lake, the „Auwaldsee“ in Ingolstadt. At this lake I learned to swim, to ice skate, I learned to play Romme, I read books, many MANY books. Back then we rode our bikes to this lake, we spent our childhood afternoons there, and for us, it was perfect! The lake seemed huge, biking around took forever, swimming across seemed impossible! And today after lunch Jürgen and I walked around the lake, 3km, 1hour, just a little afterlunch walk. And it was beautiful! And perfect!!!

Back „home“, but still not at home…

October 18, 2023 edithted1 Comment

I know it’s confusing, but when it comes to „home“, I’m kind of a schizophrenic. What is home? Where you grew up and know every sound, every smell, every little detail inside and out? Or is it the place you live with your husband, a comfortable warm place you enjoy and where you can do whatever you want? Or is it the place you want to be buried? I’m torn and never know what to answer, if I’m asked. So, I’m home now (home #1, where I grew up).

After a short 3.5hour flight from Istanbul I landed in Munich, where my brother Jürgen picked me up and we went to a fun, loud, techno dance party / concert, that left Jürgen in shock. He never was a club, dance party, techno guy, so starting this when you’re 55 years old is a stretch 😱. I on the other hand was sore from dancing the next day, I couldn’t hear well and my voice was hoarse… I always loved techno!

Home late, the next day was already packed with a 20 people family lunch at the restaurant Wild in Hagenhill – good food mixed with good company – what else do you need? So this is home then?

https://g.co/kgs/EjGmpH

And right after lunch, the whole crowd meets at Jürgen & Anjas house for coffee / tea and a variety of homemade cakes! Delicious!!! Just like home!🤩! My nieces Saskia and Tamara should get an award 💝. My family stretches from 2-month old Niklas (our Mini Schneider) up to 85-year old Helmut!

And that’s not all: last night my sister Petra and her husband Erwin took me to a lecture about the James Webb Telescope. This was so interesting! I just love it when you learn a lot while being entertained, while you can laugh and think „Uhh, Ahh, Really?“ Prof Andreas Burkert from the TU Munich is such a good talker: a big bravo to his fun, informative style of lecture! Looking at the unimportance of our home planet, how small the earth is compared to the universe. It makes you question why people think so much about themselves, how important they think they are. Listening to Prof Burkerts lecture should put you back into perspective…

And today? Home improvements are on the daily chore list. A remote garage door is needed to make the life of my mom and Helmut more bearable. So here we go, „home“ improvements. Everything involves the word „home“….. I wonder why?

Istanbul, good bye…

October 14, 2023 edithted2 Comments

Istanbul surprised us in so many ways; we were taken in by the cultural richness, the diversity, the magnificent mosques and – of course the food!

Last night, Ted and I went to a rooftop terrace restaurant just around our hotel for a delicious good-bye dinner. We got the best seats, overlooking the Bosporus, the narrow strip of water between Europe and Asia, and the magnificent view of the Blue Mosque.

Our dinner was a delicious vegetable and meat dish from Anatolia, that is baked in a clay pot. The waiter then gives it another good burn near the table, breaking the top of the pot and pouring the content on a hot serving dish.

Our very last adventure in Istanbul is an adventurous taxi ride to the international airport. 40 min, mostly on the highway with 90km/h, and our young driver is not only fiddling around with the radio, but uses 3, THREE cell phones simultaneously by texting and talking all the time while constantly switching lanes in dangerous maneuvers. Ted asks him to please stop that for safety reasons and the answer is: “yes, the international airport”. I guess our Turkish is not good enough 😬🚖😱🚖🥴🚖😳

Istanbul: bazaar, food, cats, etc.

October 13, 2023 edithtedLeave a comment

Walking around town is so much fun in Istanbul! An overload of stimulation from colors, shapes and smells is overwhelming! Hundreds of stores along every street, inside and outside of the markets: stores for spices, jewelry, sweets, jewelry, shoes, jewelry, clothing hangers, jewelry, leather & fur and, guess what? Jewelry! It is overwhelming, stimulating and fun!

The Egyptian Bazaar is more food oriented than the Grand Bazaar, the later being very touristy. What we really enjoyed are those areas outside the bazaars, where the locals shop and no tour guides with their flock of tourists can be seen. Household items, store fixtures, jewelry making supplies, fabrics & notions, party supplies, everything and anything can be found. The streets take us in, we float, we eat, drink, have fun!

What you can also see everywhere are cats, mostly kittens, who sleep, relax, beg for food and/or mind their own business

Istanbul, Turkey

October 13, 2023October 12, 2023 edithtedLeave a comment

Istanbul, Constantinople, the center of the Byzantine Empire, the bridge between Europe and Asia, the needle hole for every trade going from east to the west and vice versa! Istanbul, where Christians and Muslins live together for centuries, where the western and eastern influences mix, where spices and gold were traded, where many different languages were spoken, Istanbul is truely a one-of-a-kind in every way.

We left the cruise ship today, said good-bye to our comfortable room, and headed straight into the next adventure.

We found our hotel, checked in and couldn’t wait to visit the grand bazaar! 35 years ago I was in Turkey for 6 weeks and loved it! The people were so friendly and welcoming, by the mentioning of being German, they bend over backwards to tell me their connection to my home country: VW for 17 years, Mercedes for 10 years, Audi for 20 years, etc. Many of them had worked in the German Automobile industry, after the Italians in the 1950s and the Greeks in the 1960s and early 1970s.

There are still many Turkish people in Germany, marking the second biggest ethnic group there. You can find lots of Turkish restaurants and delicious street food (“Döner Kebab“) everywhere.

The grand Bazaar just swallowed us in! According to Wikipedia, „The Grand Bazaar (Turkish: Kapalıçarşı, meaning ‘Covered Market’; also Büyük Çarşı, meaning ‘Grand Market’) in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 4,000 shops on a total area of 30,700 m², attracting between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily.“ It has 21 entrances! So it’s easy to float around and/or get lost…

Fortunately our hotel is just a 15min walk away from the Grand Bazaar, so I head back to our hotel after a late lunch in order to teach; somebody has to work….. The good thing is the time difference: we are 10hours ahead of time from California to Turkey, so my classes are from 6pm until midnight. Meaning I can explore during daylight and teach at night 🥳

Over 3000 mosques are in Istanbul and when they call for prayer, 5 times a day, I’m getting goose bumps all over my body. I’m not religious, but this prayer calling has a special sensation that goes under my skin – I love it!

Time for my classes – more tomorrow!

Let‘s Go!

Edith & Ted explore, eat, and enjoy

Month: October 2023