Shopping in Europe is Different

On August 16, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, Photo Challenge8 Comments

When we moved into our apartment in Frankfurt, one of the things that we had to get used to was where to go to buy certain things. In the United States, we are used to large chain stores that carry anything and everything that you need. That isn’t necessarily the same in Europe, at least where we were staying. If you need medicine, you went to the apothecary. If you want fresh meat, you went to the local deli. If you want fresh baked goods, you went to the bakery. During our last few days in Germany, we took some photos of the walk along the sidewalk from our apartment to our favorite restaurant.

Another thing that we got used to during our time in Frankfurt was having an aperitif after our meals, something that we don’t see too many people doing here in the States. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is photos of things that start with the letters AP. Here are some pictures of our apartment building, the apothecary on the corner of our street, and the aperitifs that accompanied our meals.

Time Travel is Possible

On August 1, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, Photo Challenge1 Comment

Every now and then, you are able to go to a tourist location and visit it without any other people around you. On those rare occasions when you aren’t surrounded by a hundred people taking selfies in front of what you’ve come to see, it can be a truly memorable moment. It really gives you the opportunity to let your mind wander and imagine what it must have been like to have been there during some historical period of the past. Because we often travel during the off-season, we have been fortunate enough to have a few of these experiences.

For this week’s Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge, we decided to use photos from one of those experiences. When we went to Schloss Stolzenfels on the outskirts of Koblenz we were able to walk the castle grounds without anyone else around us. Walking through the dense forest as you climbed the path up the side of the hillside to reach the castle, it was as if we had been transported to a different time. One could easily imagine horse-drawn carriages making their way up to the castle to attend some royal event. Or perhaps a band of robbers hiding in the woods waiting for the opportunity to make off with some jewels from passing travelers.

It is no wonder that so many fairy tales came from the forests of the German countryside. Walking the roads and trails at night with the fear of wolves, robbers, and other mystical creatures must have been at the forefront of any travelers mind. For a couple of hours, we walked those woods and imagined what life must have been like back in the 16th century.

Red Cabbage and Spätzle

On July 12, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Food, Recipes6 Comments

Osso Buco with Red Cabbage, Spätzle, and Asparagus

During our time in Germany, we were treated to red cabbage and spätzle at several different restaurants and in several different cities. We really enjoyed it as it was very different from what we had eaten here in the United States. So, when we came across Osso Buco with red cabbage and spätzle on a menu at a restaurant here in Scottsdale, Arizona, we decided to give it a try. It was certainly very good, but not quite as good as what we had while we were in Germany. They did their red cabbage with pears, which was fine, but we got used to having ours with apples and cinnamon that was just a little sweeter and not as tart. The spätzle was almost like gnocchi and didn’t look quite like what we used to, but again, it was still very tasty.

Sauerbraten with Red Cabbage and Potatoes

Our First Dish with Spätzle in Frankfurt

One of the realities of travel is that you get spoiled by the authentic food of the places that you visit. Then when you return to home, wherever that is, you can never quite get the same things. Even if the chef is authentically from the region or country, they likely can’t get the same exact quality or freshness of the ingredients and something is lost in the translation. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t or won’t continue to try and replicate the taste experience by cooking or ordering here in the US, but we’ll temper our expectations.