South Hessia - in the Middle of Germany

While Heidelberg is very well known to most tourists, the regions close to Heidelberg are mostly unknown to people coming to Germany. Today I want to introduce a zone called the "Bergstrasse". It is located in southern Hessia and it is worth travelling there. You will find picturesque little villages and small cities, vineyards and pretty secondary mountains that always remind me of the "hobbit hills" in the 'The Lord of the Rings'.

The best time to be there is in spring and in the late summer. In Spring you will find loads of peachtrees and appletress or cherrytrees in full blossom. In late summer - e.g. in August you can enjoy one of the many folk festivals around wine. All of the winemakers are usually to be found on these folk festivals and you can try all that tasty stuff from around the area.

Heidelberg is not too far and a trip to the famous Heidelberg castle is easy and quick to make from here. Also quite close is the Frankfurt airport. As Frankfurt is the second largest airport in Europe, you will find direct flights from all big cities around Europe and elsewhere.

If you want to taste something from around the area, go for "Fleischwurst" and "Apfelwein". I cannot show you the Fleischwurst (it is sort of a sausage being heated up) because where I live right now it is impossible to buy it. There are some shops offering "Fleischwurst" all around Germany, but the hessian one is different and cannot be compared to what you can buy elsewhere. So try it only if you are in Hessia - nowhere else.

The Apfelwein (wine made of apples) is something that needs getting used to it. I never will, because the taste is extremely sour and dry. But give it a try and see for yourself. It's typical hessian. If you do not like it; you will certainly find some regular wine made from local winemakers. And, oh .... do not try to get a Weisswurst in Hessia.

Everbody knows the Oktoberfest?

Yes, the German Oktoberfest is known around the whole World. But I took a look on some websites about it and I found some real strange Ideas about food on the Oktoberfest. So here some information about how it really is:

You do eat Weisswurst, Roasted Duck and Roasted Chicken, Potato Salad and of course bavarian people cannot live without soft Pretzels (Bretzel in German). Some websites state, that French Fried Potatoes or Currywurst has something to do with the big party - that's wrong. Also Sauerbraten, Schnitzel, Gulasch, Rouladen, Cabbage and many more things are irrelevant for the Oktoberfest. The drink is very clear: It's Weissbier - brewed in or around Munich.

Maybe you are in the great position to work with a company being situated in or around Munich? If you are, ask your colleagues in Germany when they are going to the Oktoberfest. Every company or department goes there and usually it starts early - sometimes even in the morning. So be prepared for a very long day and do not try to keep up with those Bavarians in drinking beer - you won't make it (Believe me, I've been living and working in Munich for some years and in September our UK-based people always had to attend REALLY important meetings. Surprisingly they often did not manage to find the way back to their hotel in the night after "the meeting").

Many tourists come to see the huge party in the city Munich, but most of them do not take themselves some time to discover the city and the area around Munich. Thats a shame, because it is nice to see. Castle Neuschwanstein ist not far away, the alps rise just a few kilometes south of munich and there are many more things to see. So if you go there, take yourself a couple of days (at least one to recover from your visit on the Oktoberfest) and look for interesting spots:

• Take a tour around the city. Buses are leaving from the main station which is easy to find.
• Go the Castle Neuschwanstein (http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/tourist/index.htm).
• The small city Hohenschwangau is very close to castle Neuschwanstein an it is worth having a look on it.
• You do not have a car and only little time? Take the S-Bahn (Local Train) to Starnberg and leave the train at the last station. You will find yourself in a beautiful scenery along a large lake, a fantastic view on the mountains and a lot of restaurants.
• You love bicycles? Rent one, ask for a map and ride along the river Isar. There is a trail, that will directly lead you to the mountains - through scenic views, nice and cosy villages, restaurants and more. Ask for the Isarradweg (Isar Bike Trail - www.isarradweg.de).

Too Cute for being Food?

Too cute to eat? I found these little porks on a farm in the mountains. As I live in a big city I do not have very much contact to animals. These ones were so cute and they were begging for food. They also very much liked being stroked.

Swedish Party Food: Smörgastarta

As I plan a holiday in Sweden I was looking up some traditional recipes. Not an easy task if you do  not speak swedish. At least I found something very interesting: The swedish Smörgastarta. It is a "Sandwich Cake" and it seems that everyone in Sweden knows it. It's really easy to prepare and it tastes good after remaining in the refrigerator for a day. So it is the ideal party food.

Swedish people use whipped cream and mayonnaise. I did it differently and created a healthy and tasty version of it. Be creative - just use whatever you like. And here is how it works:

• Prepare a basic spread. I used a can of chickpeas (purréed) and yoghurt, garlic, salt and pepper. To make it taste better I added one tablespoon of mayonnaise.
• Split the spread in three portions. Add whatever you like to two of the portions. I prepared one portion with arugula and fresh oregano. The second portion was with very small cut cubes of tomato. The third portion remains the way it is.
• Spread four slices of toast (cut away the edges before) in one layer. Put the spread on top of the layer and prepare a second layer with four slices of toast. Now you put on the second spread and prepare another layer of bread.
• In the end you use your basic spread and coat the complete thing with it. Decorate with cucumber, olives, sausages, cheese, shrimps or whatever you like.

If you like to see an original recipe, look it up here: http://www.squidoo.com/smorgastarta.