Luther Kirche, Kändler, GermanyFirst off, I want to say congratulations and best wishes to my dear friends Carolin and Michael. I was very fortunate to attend their beautiful wedding celebration this past weekend in Germany. It was a wonderful reception filled with fun and memorable antics, new and old friends, good food and drink, and lots of dancing. I hope they will come to visit me in Paris before I have to return to the US later this summer.
The Little Red CarOn Sunday, after a lazy morning of sleeping in and having breakfast with the remainder of the wedding attendees, it was off to Berlin for sightseeing and discovering. This was my second visit to Germany. I did a 5 week summer study abroad program at the University of Leipzig n 2oo2 while I was a student at Ohio University. The last weekend of my study program was spent in Berlin. It was a fast paced 2 days of Museum visits and walking tours of the city, and then a long flight back to the US. I have always wanted to return to Berlin and spend a little more time there; but more on my own pace.
Romain and I didn't allow ourselves much more time in Berlin, but we made the most of it. We walked from our hotel in Alexandersplatz down Under der Linden, across the museum sinsel, and continued all the way to the Brandenburg Gate. This was actually the first time I had seen it. On my last trip it was undergoing some renovations and was covered in a drape with a photo of it printed onto the drape superimposed with the Deutsche Telekom logo. We saw the Reichstage, and found out the dome was closed for rennovations during the time we would be there......you win some, you loose some. So no visit to the top for this visit.
We went in search of Potsdamer Platz and a small brauhaus a friend had recommeded under the Sony center. Not sure if we found the right one; but we did find one that offered a meter of beer featuring 8 glasses of 4 different beers. Then it was back towards Alexandersplatz to find some good German food for our dinner, and of course some more beer.
My first trip to Germany started my love of German beer. I hadn't forgotten about how good the beer was. The one thing I had forgotten about was the Eis Cafes. I confess, German pastries are not on the same level as France's. They do have wonderful breads, wurst and of course, Apfel Strudel. However, the thing that Germany does better than anyone else when it comes to desserts is the ice cream sundae, or as they call it: The Eis Becher. As soon as Romain and I sat down at a cafe to have a light lunch and coffee and we started pouring through the 10+ page of splendid ice cream creations, it all came back to me.
There was an Eis Cafe just outside of the University in Leipzig. I remember seeing couples, friends, old ladies, all sitting at the cafe tables enjoying enourmous and decadent ice cream creations. Fruits, sauces, mounds of whipped cream, sprinkles, candies, you name it, they had it all. And it was all artfully and deliciously arranged in a large martini or sundae glass, whichever fit the creation best.
We skipped the ice cream that morning and opted for coffee and light sandwiches, but the ice cream stuck in our heads. After an afternoon of walking and exploring more of Berlin, we began our search for another Eis Cafe for our ice cream indulgence. We didn't have to look for long before we came across a nice cafe in Wittenbergplatz, just near the KaDeWe. Romain selected an extravagant concoction of vanilla, hazelnut, and chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce and hazelnut rocher candies. I went a simpler route and took a vanilla and strawberry ice cream, loaded with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Some how we managed to eat both, and then we needed to walk some more.
Romain and I didn't allow ourselves much more time in Berlin, but we made the most of it. We walked from our hotel in Alexandersplatz down Under der Linden, across the museum sinsel, and continued all the way to the Brandenburg Gate. This was actually the first time I had seen it. On my last trip it was undergoing some renovations and was covered in a drape with a photo of it printed onto the drape superimposed with the Deutsche Telekom logo. We saw the Reichstage, and found out the dome was closed for rennovations during the time we would be there......you win some, you loose some. So no visit to the top for this visit.
We went in search of Potsdamer Platz and a small brauhaus a friend had recommeded under the Sony center. Not sure if we found the right one; but we did find one that offered a meter of beer featuring 8 glasses of 4 different beers. Then it was back towards Alexandersplatz to find some good German food for our dinner, and of course some more beer.
My first trip to Germany started my love of German beer. I hadn't forgotten about how good the beer was. The one thing I had forgotten about was the Eis Cafes. I confess, German pastries are not on the same level as France's. They do have wonderful breads, wurst and of course, Apfel Strudel. However, the thing that Germany does better than anyone else when it comes to desserts is the ice cream sundae, or as they call it: The Eis Becher. As soon as Romain and I sat down at a cafe to have a light lunch and coffee and we started pouring through the 10+ page of splendid ice cream creations, it all came back to me.
There was an Eis Cafe just outside of the University in Leipzig. I remember seeing couples, friends, old ladies, all sitting at the cafe tables enjoying enourmous and decadent ice cream creations. Fruits, sauces, mounds of whipped cream, sprinkles, candies, you name it, they had it all. And it was all artfully and deliciously arranged in a large martini or sundae glass, whichever fit the creation best.
We skipped the ice cream that morning and opted for coffee and light sandwiches, but the ice cream stuck in our heads. After an afternoon of walking and exploring more of Berlin, we began our search for another Eis Cafe for our ice cream indulgence. We didn't have to look for long before we came across a nice cafe in Wittenbergplatz, just near the KaDeWe. Romain selected an extravagant concoction of vanilla, hazelnut, and chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce and hazelnut rocher candies. I went a simpler route and took a vanilla and strawberry ice cream, loaded with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Some how we managed to eat both, and then we needed to walk some more.
My Strawberry Eis BecherOf course, no trip to Germany is complete without a visit to a bier garten. I love the cafe culture of Paris, sitting with friends crowded around little tables street side, enjoying a coffee or a beer. It's relaxing, and great for people watching. Germany has done it one better with the bier gartens. Tables for sharing with friends, good bier and usually good food too, all in the middle of a lovely park. After hiking through the Volkspark Friedrichshain in search of a hill overlooking Berlin (must have been in another park, we didn't find it) we were ready to sit and enjoy some bier and food. Unfortunately, the grill had stopped service by the time we decided to order. So I only had beer and apfel strudel, but who needs food when you have beer and apfel strudel?
Erdinger HefewiessenTuesday night we returned to Paris just in time to catch the Bastille Day and 200 year anniversary of the Eiffel Tower Fireworks. It was definitely the best and most fantastic fireworks display I have seen in my entire life (sorry Boston, you're going to have to do better). I returned to work at the cafe Wednesday, and am now working through a short week; to be followed by a trip to Lyon this weekend.
1 comment:
SO JEALOUS! I miss you. -K
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