The Delicious Truth behind German Cuisine
So as I have mentioned before, we have all been completely wrong about German food. Seriously. It’s good. Really good.
Don’t believe me? Let me take you through just one day of Teutonic eats in Cologne.
Read MoreSummiting Cologne’s Gigantic Gothic Cathedral
Cologne’s Cathedral, also known as the Dom Cologne, is Germany’s most-visited landmark- and it’s certainly impressive from the ground, but even more impressive from the top.
But to get to the top? One must endured 509 lung-burning, steep, positively medieval steps packed to the gills with other tourists.
Read MorePartying Hard in Deutschland
Okay, maybe I didn’t quite party hard during my weekend in Germany, but clubbing until 6 am is way too rare for me these days.
So the adventure began when Christian, my Couchsurfing host, made it clear we would absolutely have to play beer pong. He had fallen in love with the game a few months prior while on a road trip through the U.S. and Canada. And who better to play it with than a real live American?
Read MoreA Harrowing Visit to a Nazi Interrogation Prison in Cologne, Germany
I am no stranger to museums commemorating World War II history, and particularly the Holocaust; I’ve visited everywhere from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. And while Cologne’s NS-Dokumentationszentrum is not a Jewish memorial, it possesses a similar spirit and was an even more powerful experience.
Eating, Drinking and Being Merry at Cologne’s Happiest Christmas Market
One of the highlights of my Germany trip was a visit to Cologne’s oldest Christmas market, Markt Der Engel. And though we visited five different Christmas markets during our stay in Cologne, I have to say this one was my favorite by far.
Everything about the ambiance was simply magical, from the stars twinkling in the trees to the bundled up children riding the carousel. Friends talked and laughed loudly over steaming mugs of Glühwein, and it seemed like everyone had just gotten off of work. And most importantly, there were plenty of yummy thinks to eat and drink.
Read MoreFirst Impressions of Germany
So on our first morning in Germany, we were delighted to wake up and find everything covered in snow.
Christian, our Couchsurfing host, and his friend Kevin trekked like gentlemen in the fresh powder to fetch us some Brötchen. We draped the yummy rolls with nutty slices of black forest ham and squirted mustard on them from what seemed like a toothpaste tube.
Read MoreThings that Surprised Me about Germany
As the train moved into Germany, my view out the window quickly began to change; snow appeared on the ground, the rolling fields of France rose into hills and the earth became covered with tall pine and birch forests. And once I got off the train, I noticed the people were taller, and the bread was darker and earthier.
And while a lot about Germany didn’t surprise me, like the crazy-good beer and tall, handsome men in their business suits, a lot did.
Read MoreSaturday Snapshot 10
This Saturday Snapshot is already a fail because today is CLEARLY not Saturday. But in my defense, my memory card mysteriously lost all of its photos so I had to wait for my friend to Dropbox me what he had. So be nice, I’m a mess over here.
This week (or rather, last week) found me in Cologne for four days having the time of my life. To sum up the weekend it went like this:
German beer + friends + snow + house music + clubbing ’til 6 am + potato latkes = a Teutonic, 22-year old version of heaven.
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