Essen Lesson
We’ve been in Germany for a few days now and I’ve learned something about myself. Over the years I have aspired to be a foodie and definitely enjoy fine dining and innovative chefs. It’s also no secret that I love wines that are way above my pay grade. It should come a no surprise that we spent a lot of our time in the culinary capitals of Italy and France partaking in some of the famous specialties. We had Bolognese sauce on our pasta in Bologna, the appropriate drinks in Bordeaux, Cognac, and Burgundy, and every cheese named after a locality in between.
With this in mind, I had a smug expectation that the cuisine in Germany would be a let-down. I totally underestimated the “comfort food” factor. I also forgot that it’s either in my DNA or maybe just my upbringing to be a carnivore. Our dinners have been wonderful – the perfect thing to finish off a long day of “wandern” (hiking) on the many trails here in the Black Forest. What’s not to like about grilled and roasted beef, pork, or chicken with all sorts of potatoes, noodles made from potatoes, or potato dumplings, all washed down with the excellent local beer. Sehr gut.
Here’s how we’ve been working up the appetite – so many trails, so little time!
halftime
July 24th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Where are you guys staying near the Black Forest? Are you moving around towns or located in one and taking hiking trips in the area? I’m very curious as Ricardo and I will be going to the same area in a couple of months. We’d love any recommendations of good towns to base ourselves from. (and a favorite hiking trail 🙂 ). We are continuing to enjoy your travels vicariously. 🙂 Debby S.
July 25th, 2009 at 9:52 am
We based ourselves in Lossburg which is a small town outside of Freudenstadt. I can recommend staying in Freudenstadt (we couldn’t find a decent room available, but it’s high season now) and taking day trips from there. The Hochschwarzwaldstrasse (Black Forest High Road) goes from there to Baden Baden and there are a ton of hiking trails – we picked up a trail map at the information center there (4 Euros). Many of them start in Freudenstadt and it just depends on how far you want to go. We also spent a night in Freiburg, which is sort of on the edge of the Scwarzwald, but mght be worth a visit. It has a nice Munster and old city.