New Experiences
In Bamberg, Germany, population 70,000, there are nine breweries. In 1800 with a population of only 15,000 there were 64 breweries! There are eight miles of beer caves. The city is known for rauchbier, smokey beer. In 1678, a fire in a brewery sent smoke into the area where the hops and other beer ingredients were stored. Not about to lose a whole years’ harvest, they brewed the beer anyway. That year’s brew had a distinctive smokey aroma and taste, and as they say the rest is history.
It was late morning when we visited the brewhaus for a glass of the famous beer. It is a taste one either loves or hates. But no matter it was different and interesting.
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In Munich at lunch we were served a huge plate of thinly sliced white radish. We had this often, but more as a garnish than a whole plate full. They have a mild taste and must grow pretty big. Tennis ball sized dumplings and pigs’ knuckles, called stelze, followed. The pork was tender. Later we viewed the pigs’ knuckles turning on a spit in the kitchen window. In Germany everyone wanted to serve us apflestrudel and it ranged from fair to very good. This one was very good, but I have yet to taste an apple strudel any better than the one I had in Eizendorf seven or eight years earlier!
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At the Heidelberg Castle restaurant we were served a students’ lunch which started with a large green salad. This was followed with mouth pockets, which were large ravioli-like pastas filled with cheese, spinach and meat. They were very different, and I really liked them. It just seemed strange not to have a marina sause over them.
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On an all day of river cruising at 10:30 AM we participated in fruhschoppen. It was explained that this is the time of day citizens congregate at a local establishment for beer, sausage and camaraderie.
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In Wurzburg the coolness was noticeable as we entered the 750-foot-long wine cellar, the largest wine cellar in Germany. Sitting at long tables we found wine glasses and a basket of white bread at each seat. While we sampled three different and delicious wines we were told, “We still use oak barrels which cost about $2000 each, but we feel it is worth it to give our wines a wooden kiss. There are 220 barrels in the cellar and all but ten are full of wine.
“Years ago the public was allowed in the wine cellar and they would thump on the barrel to determine the fullness. This gave them a bit of bargaining power for the cost of the wine. Of course today everything is bottled. The barrels are cleaned each year, usually in August, before the new grape harvest. As you pass through the cellar you will see some barrels with carved fronts. Those are commemorative barrels designed for a special event. There is one fairly new one which is lighted for photo ops.”
