Nuremberg Castle in Germany

On November 6, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany2 Comments

Nuremberg is truly a wonderful city in Germany with the walled old town and castle fortress sitting high above the medieval town. While Nuremberg is most known for the trials of the Nazi leaders at the end of WWII, there is much more to see than just the courthouse where the trials occurred. Most notably is the Nuremberg Castle, which provides spectacular views of the city. Almost all castles served as fortresses, while not all fortresses also served as homes to royalty and to the wealthy. Nuremberg Castle feels more like a true fortress than an actual castle, but many kings did stay at the castle throughout its almost thousand year history.

Walking along the walls of the fortification takes you back in time and it is easy to see why the castle fortress was considered to be one of the most important fortifications during the medieval period. Taking a self-guided tour of the castle grounds includes seeing the Imperial Castle, the Imperial City Buildings, and the former Burgrave’s Castle. There are no rooms decorated with historical replicas trying to depict what life was like in ancient times, but there is still plenty to make touring the castle worthwhile.

The views of Nuremberg are definitely the highlight of visiting the castle. There are several spots as you walk along the walls of the fortress up towards the heart of the castle where you can stop and look over the rooftops of old town and see the spires of the cathedral reaching skyward. There are so many interesting features on the castle grounds that you can easily spend a couple of hours walking around and exploring the historic site.

Nuremberg Castle is definitely one of the most important places to visit while you are in Nuremberg. The cathedral and the courthouse are the two other places that should be on your must-see list, but don’t miss out on visiting the castle and getting a true view of the old town and the city as a whole.

The Denver Oktoberfest

On September 24, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Colorado, Germany4 Comments

It is the 50th anniversary of the Denver Oktoberfest and we decided to go to the opening weekend of this popular event. The Oktoberfest festival takes place over two weekends and draws very large crowds enjoying German beer, food, and folk music. Many of the people who attend Oktoberfest dress in traditional German clothing making it even more festive. In addition to the beer and food, there are also a variety of games available to play, such as keg bowling.

People Getting into the Spirit of Oktoberfest

There are several types of tickets that you can purchase at the event or in advance, but we’d definitely recommend purchasing tickets in advance as the lines can be quite long. Other than for crafts and merchandise, you must have tickets to get beer, food, and play certain games as cash is not accepted. We chose a ticket option that included a 34 oz souvenir mug with a couple of refills. We had both a hefeweisen and darker Oktoberfest from Spaten. It is definitely important to pace yourself in order not to overdrink and turn a good time into a bad time.

Obviously there is plenty of German food available including different types of bratwurst, currywurst, schnitzle, pretzels, latkes, and apple strudel. We had bratwurst with sauerkraut accompanied with potato pancakes, called latkes, one with sour cream and the other with apple sauce. Later we got a chicken, paprika schnitzel with spätzle as well as apple strudel. With drinking 68 ounces of beer, eating food was an absolute must. The food was really good and definitely reminded us of our time living in Germany.

One of the most popular games was the stein hoisting contest, where people attempt to hold two steins straight out for as long as possible. It was certainly popular for people to watch as well as to participate and having done it in the past, we know that it is extremely difficult. Keg bowling was another popular game with lots of people cheering on those who attempted to knock over kegs with another keg on wheels.

Different musicians play throughout the day, all of them playing festive German folk music. People dance and sing along with the various bands that play, obviously participating more and more as the beer continued to flow. In addition to the people dressing up in traditional clothing, there were also plenty of dogs dressed up as well. Going to the Denver Oktoberfest is certainly a fun experience that we would highly recommend. We had a wonderful time enjoying everything that the festival had to offer.

Butcher’s Sausage with Peppers and Onions

On July 24, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Food, Germany, Recipes4 Comments

When we lived in Frankfurt, there was a butcher located on the corner of our street where we would go and buy fresh meats for dinner. Here in Colorado, we have to go a little bit further to get to a butcher, but it is well worth the effort. Everyone talks about farm to table cooking, but for home-cooks it isn’t always as easy. We also go to a local farmer’s market every weekend to get fresh vegetables. This is a meal that definitely reminded us of Germany, not just because of the sausage, but also because of using the fresh ingredients with no preservatives. Butcher’s sausage is a sausage that is made up of meat scraps that the butcher saves as they trim up different cuts of meat. Our sausage had pork, beef, duck pate, chicken liver, and chicken. It sounds like a crazy combination, but it tasted really good. Obviously, this recipe works well with bratwurst, beef sausage, or almost any type of sausage. You can also use green pepper if you’d like, but red and orange peppers are a little sweeter. Because the sausage has a lot of seasonings inside of it, there isn’t any reason to add anything other than some salt and pepper.

Peppers and Onion from the Farmer’s Market

INGREDIENTS

Two Links of Butcher’s Sausage
1 Red Pepper – sliced
1 Orange Pepper – sliced
1/2 Red Onion – sliced
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Buns or Hoagie Rolls
Dijon Mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

Browned Sausage and Caramelized Vegetables

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat a large skillet with the oil over medium-high heat. Be sure to slice the peppers and onion into similar size strips. Place the peppers in the pan and sauté them for about 5 to 6 minutes, until they start to soften. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and continue to sauté until peppers and onion begin to caramelize, about another 4 to 5 minutes. Butterfly the sausage and place them into the center of the pan, moving the peppers and onion towards the edge of the pan, and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes per side until the sausage begins to brown. Spread the mustard onto the bun, place the sausage cut-side down, and cover with peppers and onion.