Frankfurt’s Christmas Markets

On December 5, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany4 Comments

The Christmas markets started last week and they dominate the areas where we normally shop and eat. The markets have definitely been everything that we were expecting and heard that they would be. Lots and lots of food, Glühwein, Apfelwein, beer, candy, and souvenirs galore. We understand that Frankfurt’s markets are one of the larger Christmas markets, at least in terms of attendance, and the crowds have definitely shown up in full force. We aren’t ones to stay out too late, but from what we have heard, the crowds can get quite boisterous and it is quite the party with everyone who has had the fill of alcohol and food. It is hard not to have a good time with everyone enjoying themselves and a general feeling of celebration in the air.

During the day, it is definitely a family affair as kids ride the merry-go-rounds and are amazed at the festively colored temporary buildings. It is amazing how elaborate these stalls can be considering that they are only in place for a month including restaurants with tables, wine stands with indoor seating areas, and stores with hundreds of shelves. As the day turns into night, the markets turn to more of an adult playground as more and more young adults make their way out to party with the Christmas spirit.

We made our way down to Alten Limpurg, one of favorite restaurants, but it was quite difficult to get there and we were lucky to get a seat. We definitely won’t be going there over the weekend as it is far to busy for us. The party goes on seven days a week, though, so we can probably make our way down there during a weekday when the crowds are not quite as bad. We have had bratwurst and currywurst from the stands and we will definitely be getting some roasted chestnuts soon. We have also had some chocolates and will have a few specialties from Frankfurt over the coming weeks.

Dining in Würzburg

On November 30, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, Recipes4 Comments

We mentioned this the other day, but we were very fortunate to find a wonderful little restaurant in Würzburg over the past weekend. We were walking some of the side streets, trying to get away from the larger crowds around the Christmas markets when we found Stachel, a restaurant established in 1413. The atmosphere was relaxing with wonderful stained glass windows and very unique chandeliers. In fact, we have found a lot of places to have beautiful chandeliers, which we have enjoyed seeing.

We don’t usually do starters as well as an entrée, which we shared of course, but we decided to do so this particular day. Game food is definitely on the specialty menus these days, rabbit, duck, goose, and venison can be found at almost every authentic German restaurant. There are also a variety of seasonal soups, including chestnuts, Riesling, and potato soups. We decided to go ahead and get the black pudding, also known as blood pudding, which was served with roasted potatoes.

Trio of Soup, Potato, Beef Broth, Creamy Riesling

For the entrée, we chose the half duck, which was definitely a lot of food for the two of us, but it was exquisite. Tender and moist, but the crispy skin was the highlight of the meal. We have had potato dumplings before and the ones that accompanied our duck were very similar, although it is hard to describe the texture of these springy sponges. A local beer was definitely the perfect pairing for the gamey taste of the duck.

Speaking of beer, our day started by stopping in a small pub as we arrived in town. We would later learn that there is a difference in how the people from the Bayern region view having a beer early in the day versus those in the Hessen region where Frankfurt sits. This was definitely the local watering hole and although it was only noon, there were not any empty seats as the local men gathered to share stories from the week and most likely talk politics and life.

It isn’t all about beer, though, Germany has wonderful wines and we have enjoyed many of those as well. We ended our day by stopping by a wine bar, Weinstube, which carried local red and white wines. Their logo is a monkey drinking wine with a pretzel in his hand, so we shouldn’t have been surprised when our wine glasses arrived with a plastic monkey hanging from the lip. Some cheese covered bread to go with the wine made our food day complete. We probably won’t have a chance to visit Würzburg again, but we definitely enjoyed the food and drinks that we were able to have during our brief visit.

Hochheimer Market

On November 7, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany3 Comments

We didn’t go far this weekend since we needed to take care of some much needed shopping while the stores were open, but that doesn’t mean that we didn’t have a good time over the weekend. As we have mentioned before, all of the stores in Frankfurt are closed on Sundays, so if you need anything, you have to buy it during the week or on Saturday, therefore we spent Saturday taking care of buying a few things for our new apartment. On Sunday, though, we took a short thirty-minute train ride to the town of Hochheim to visit a market that one of our new friends here in Germany had told us about.

It is one of the oldest markets in Germany having been established in 1484. Based on the crowds, it is also one of the most popular, we can only imagine what the Christmas markets are going to be like once they start at the end of this month. There are stalls selling sausages, hot mulled wine called Glühwein, nuts, popcorn, and candy galore. There are also rides and carnival games, but it was hard for us to see much of anything through the wall-to-wall crowds.

Bratwurst, Currywurst, Rindwurst, and More

We had some of the Glühwein and enjoyed a wonderful bratwurst as we scanned all of the crafts on display for sale. We even found a nice children’s book as a souvenir, but we did not take a photo of it to share. We shared a German market from Denver last year, but clearly it did not prepare us for the size of this market. They even jammed the use of cell phones so that there was no risk of anyone detonating anything with all of the large crowds. It was a quick trip, but definitely a fun one, but the size of the crowds made it a little difficult to enjoy everything that the market had to offer. We look forward to many more festivals and markets during the months ahead.