When we went to San Angelo last year because it was one of the few places in Texas that had not cancelled their 4th of July fireworks, we decided to also finally visit a place I had heard so many good things about: the Caverns of Sonora. They are somewhat isolated as you can see on the map below, so the 1.5 hour drive from San Angelo seemed like a great opportunity to see them. And believe me, I didn’t regret it one bit. The Caverns of Sonora are beautiful!

The Caverns of Sonora

I grew up close to some small caverns in Germany, I’ve visited the incredibly big Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico a few times, but the Caverns of Sonora were by far the prettiest I have ever seen. And it’s not just the caverns themselves that make Sonora so special. The owners have created a great park around the caverns with a tons of chickens and peacocks roaming around; a cute house where you can buy the entry tickets, souvenirs, snacks like homemade fudge and lollipops with bugs in them; lots of feeders for hummingbirds and benches to hang out on and watch them. Random fact: It took Sonora for me to realize that what I know as a kolibri is in fact a hummingbird. How did I finally make the connection? I saw some in real life for the first time

I remember that I was surprised when we got there about how pricey the tickets were, but, oh well, we were already there and in the end it was all worth it. Unlike most caverns, you can’t just walk around there. You buy your tickets and are signed up to meet your guide at a specific time. Our guide was an older Texan gentleman and his Texas accent and expressions added to the atmosphere It was here that I learned that cement is pronounced like semen in Texas…. imagine my confused look when he told us about all the semen in the caverns until I figured it out And the story about how the caverns were found!! There was a raccoon that some guys followed down a hole I believe. Our guide kept saying how they followed “the coon” and and I didn’t get it. “The coon” this and “the coon” that and finally I broke down and asked “Which animal???”. Somebody else in the group laughed and explained that it was a raccoon… I kind of had a little rabbits-in-the Egyptian-pyramids moment there Anyways, he was a great guide and I enjoyed all his stories and explanations. At one point he made our group sit on a few benches and turned all the lights off. You can’t imagine how dark it was, pitch black really.

Know before you go

© 2012, Country Skipper. All rights reserved.

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Caverns in Texas: A Walk Through the Caverns of Sonora

When Adam chose this month’s topic for our Blogger Stammtisch green spaces and parks, I actually laughed out loud. Why? Because green spaces are probably what I miss most from Germany (of course except for people). I mean yes, some German foods, drinks you can only find in Germany, … all that sometimes makes me miss my home country. But green spaces and parks? They barely exist here in the dry South Plains. There’s a park I run in here in Lubbock sometimes and it’s really only green a few months in spring and a few months in the fall.

But what’s even more different than the lack of green spaces is the attitude toward being outside. You see, in Germany the weather can be pretty bad and it can be overcast a lot. So when the sun comes out, everybody flocks outside. The moment it gets warms enough (even if barely so), us Germans tend to make the most of it. Cafés put their tables and chairs outside, restaurants serve food on their patios or anywhere they can fit a few tables really, and everybody wants to sit outside. I love that time of the year! When I first moved to sunny West Texas, I couldn’t believe that the weather was almost always sunny and warm. I mean, every morning I would wake up and open the door and be happy about the blue sky. I started taking it for granted and now I get kind of moody when it rains for more than two, three days. Anyways, when I first moved here, people would suggest to eat out or go out for a drink and I couldn’t understand why there were so few places to sit outside. Why would people NOT want to sit outside when it’s warm/hot, sunny, and the sky is blue? I still don’t get it and tend to prefer restaurants that have a patio and bars that serve drinks outside, but I’ve gotten over my initial shock of people preferring air conditioned rooms. I’m also happier with less green…. It rains so little here that things can’t really be green. When I discovered that the new Chipotle in town had an area where you can eat your burritos and tacos outside I was so happy – despite the fact that you basically sit in a fenced in area that’s between the restaurant and the parking not. Who cares? It’s outside! And it’s sunny here

I just have to imagine some of the pretty German scenery or a proper Biergarten…

Check out some of the other Blogger Stammtisch members’ musings on green spaces and parks here:

And for next month’s Blogger Stammtisch, look out for football/soccer-themed posts.

© 2012, Country Skipper. All rights reserved.

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Green Spaces and Parks in Germany

Our family is coming to visit us in Lubbock and has a layover in Houston on the way here. Naturally, they asked us for advice on where to stay and what to do. Well, we’ve only been to Houston a few times and it’s not really one of the cities we know a lot about. First step? Google to the rescue. Second step? Ask all my friends and blogger buddies on Facebook for input Thank you Michelle, Leah, and Cathy! Yeah for social media! I figured my family isn’t the only one wondering about what to in Houston on a layover, so here’s my summary.

Where to stay on your layover in Houston?

Leah suggested a great hotel, the Sorella Hotel, at the CityCentre complex which is mentioned again below. Of course your choice of hotel also depends on which airport you’re flying through. Our family is coming through IAH (George Bush Intercontinental Airport) which is located quite a bit north of the downtown area.

Since their flight is somewhat early the next morning (around 9am) and I was worried about traffic, I suggested they stay in one of the hotels close to the airport. There are so many! Marco and I have stayed in various on planned and unexpected layovers in Houston and all of them were just fine. I usually use Tripadvisor to check some of the more recent reviews of places I am looking at. One problem we found with the airport hotels? Most of them are somewhat isolated, so eating out was always difficult and often restricted to the hotel restaurant or ordering in. Not the worst problem to have, but something to be aware of. If you don’t plan on renting a car, make sure your hotel offers some options for dinner. Which brings me to the next question…

Should you rent a car for your layover in Houston?

If you are arriving late and leaving early (like our family), I would just book one of the airport hotels and not mess with a rental car. They almost all offer shuttle service to and from the airport and you’ll be set for your stay. However, if you have a little bit of extra time and want to go exploring, I would definitely rent a car. As I said above, the airport is quite a ways from downtown and even the sights themselves in Houston seem pretty far apart. Plus… I like to have the freedom a rental car brings with itself: you can go exploring in the city, you can find fun places for dinner, and you can be very flexible and are not bound by the limits of public transportation. I would feel very different about this in a city like Paris where the metro system rocks and parking is always a huge problem, but Houston? In my humble opinion, yes, go ahead and get that car.

What to see on your layover in Houston? Where to eat?

When I started looking around online I found that layoverguide.com had some neat suggestions: Space Center, San Jacinto Battleground (Monument and Museum), and the observation deck of JP Morgan Chase Tower (Sky Lobby on the 60th floor). The only thing I ever really visited in Houston is the NASA Space Center. It was pretty neat! However, it is actually quite south of Houston and especially from IAH it would be a really long drive. So…. unless you’re really into space and you want to make the Space Center your one and only stop, I’d stick with downtown. I also looked up the San Jacinto Monument and while it looks pretty neat, it’s really quite a bit east of Houston. The JP Morgan Chase Tower seems to be located smack downtown, but on their website I couldn’t find anything about the Sky Lobby, so I’d stick with my friends’ suggestions below instead.

Michelle suggested the Houston Zoo and Hermann Park Conservacy for nature. Both are really close together and located close to Rice University. According to Wikipedia, Houston Zoo is the seventh most visited zoo in the US. If I were to visit, I’d wanna check out the Natural Encounters Building. It sounds like a very interactive experience. If you like the idea of nature, but not the price tag that comes with visiting a zoo, try the Hermann Park. I looked around online and it seems there’s quite a bit to see in the park itself. In that same area, Michelle suggested Rice Village for shopping and food. She said her favorite restaurant at Rice Village is Ruggles. For dinner she suggested Andalucia in downtown Houston instead. Apparently this one is especially great on Friday nights: live flamenco and amazing tapas!

Leah suggested the CityCentre for restaurants, shopping and bars. She mentioned that it’s located pretty conveniently for downtown or the Museum District as well. The CityCentre (0r City Center) might be exactly what you need if you want to shop your heart out in a beautiful environment.

Cathy said she really liked the Museum District (in particular the Museum of Fine Arts) and the Historic District when she was last in Houston. The Museum District is located right by Hermann Park and has nineteen different museums. Check out their website for a list and a map. The Historic District is Houston’s original town center and seems to be ideal for outdoor cafes and pubs. The heart of this district is the Market Square Park.

Since I got a little confused about what is where, I dug up this neat map [downtownhouston.org] about where the different districts in Houston are. Head over there to get a an idea of what is where in downtown Houston. I also created the map below with all of the suggestions from above places neatly on a map for you Enjoy!

View Houston Suggestions in a larger map

Do you have any other Houston layover suggestions? Let me know in the comments below!

© 2012, Country Skipper. All rights reserved.

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Houston Layover: Fun Things To Do In Houston

There are many household chores that bother me. Grocery shopping is not one of them. The older I get, the more I enjoy cooking and picking out food to do that is just part of it for me. I’m not the biggest Walmart fan, but even shopping there doesn’t really bother me. I do prefer the stores that sell more organic and/or local foods and like to pick out fresh produce and European cheeses and good bread when my budget allows it, but for the non-food items like detergent etc. Walmart’s prices are just hard to beat. When we travel, it’s fun to do a little grocery shopping as well. Many things related to food are so different and depend on the local culture: how and where people buy groceries, if you have to bargain for the price, how the food is prepared, the way food is enjoyed, and much more. When we are in Guangzhou we stay with family, so accompanying them when buying groceries is just part of the trip. What we found is that grocery shopping in China can be as Western as you want it to be or as local as you dare to go.

In Guangzhou we found quite a few big Western-looking supermarket chains (like Metro or Jusco). These are great if you want foreign delicacies and/or a squeaky clean environment. Jusco is for example where we bought all the sushi and sashimi we ate that one night. This however is not where most locals would shop.

I saw many, many street carts around the city where people stopped and bought bananas, live chicken, and so on. While the bananas were totally fine for me, the chickens and the veggies on the ground were a little too much for me honestly. The streets are not that clean in Guangzhou and some of the food is a little too close to the dirty ground for my comfort.

There are food stores that lay out part of their stuff right in front of the store on the streets. Then there are also what looked liked really clean and modern mini-supermarkets with a ton of different fruit and veggies laid out on stands inside. I wish we had some of these around here in Lubbock! We stopped at one of those to buy some delicious dragon fruit last time.

Something else that seems super popular in Guangzhou are little stores that sell everything from food to household cleaners and tons of little gadgets. The American version of that would be a 7-11.

However, I think that probably most of the grocery shopping in China is done in these huge supermarket-like malls with food stands that seem to have everything from fruits and vegetables to meat. Some are outside, some are inside, some seem fairly clean, some really seem somewhat dirty. What groced me out where the meat stands with some things hanging from the top of the stand, some things being laid out on the stand, and sometimes a little blood running down the side of the stand or on the floor. I found what looked like dog legs hanging down on stand to be the worst…

Check out the pics below for our Chinese grocery shopping experience in Guangzhou.

This post was submitted to Travel Photo Thursday. Head over there to check out more travel pics from around the world.

© 2012, Country Skipper. All rights reserved.

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Grocery Shopping in China: Street Carts and Grocery Stores in China

It’s been a while since I posted anything in my Only in Texas series. Luckily I just realized that I never shared this gem of a story with you: cows on campus :) One afternoon last semester Marco called me with the craziest piece of news. He had been stuck on Marsha Sharp Freeway (a highway close to campus) because of cows running on the highway. Say what? Turns out the cows had made a run for it when they were supposed to be transported away from campus. By the time, Marco saw them they already had people in pick-ups following the two cows trying to catch them. I later found out that they went to ropers from the Texas Tech Ranch Horse Team for help. They called one at home and found the other in class. Can you imagine that happening anywhere but Texas? And can you imagine how cool these semi-professional ropers must have felt? You’re sitting in class and somebody comes running in, calls your name, and tells you that you have to help them get a cow off the streets. I mean, seriously, when does that ever happen? KCBD, the local news station, posted an article about the attempted cow escape here with a few more details: http://www.kcbd.com/story/15695971/udder-confusion-cows-flee-cops-on-marsha-sharp-freeway. I also included Marco’s pics below here. When he saw the cows coming towards the highway, he quickly pulled out his phone and started snapping.

This post was submitted to Travel Photo Thursday. Head over there to check out travel pics from across the globe.

© 2012, Country Skipper. All rights reserved.

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Only in Texas: Cows on Campus

We got back from our big trip in January and once March rolled around, I started getting a serious case of itchy travel feel. Two months and not even a short weekend trip might not sound that bad to most people, but I guess I just can’t sit still for that long. What made it worse is that we really didn’t have anything lined up for summer either, so I started feeling a little caged. However, we couldn’t go anywhere since we had a few events in town we really didn’t want to miss as your friends only have so many weddings and baby showers. Luckily, April came around and with it a travel opportunity: friends invited us to join their family for a weekend of camping and riding ATVs near Kermit, TX. Perfect! It’s only about 2.5 hours south of Lubbock and thus totally doable for a Friday through Sunday weekend trip – after all, I do have to hord my days off since we don’t get that many in the US.

When we arrived Friday night our friends had already parked their RV. We set up tent pretty quickly and then enjoyed a nice BBQ together. The next morning I woke up with the sun, had my breakfast consisting of granola and Frappucino, and explored the camp a little. It was beautiful with the sun just coming up. That morning light tints everything in such a soft light! I usually don’t get to see it since I sleep too long, but I enjoyed it thoroughly that morning. After everybody got up, some went on the first ride of the day and I stayed back with the other preparing the real breakfast: bacon, sausage patties, tortillas, eggs – in short, deliciousness! I went on my first ride shortly after breakfast. It took me a while to get used to the clutch and shifting gears, but once I got a handle on it, it was so much fun.

There are trails around the park that you can follow if sand dunes aren’t your thing. I liked the trails, because they are easy to follow and it gave me an opportunity to get to know the ATV a little better. The sand dunes are lots of fun though! I kind of took it easy and went through some bowls and up and down the dunes. Marco went a little more crazy and followed our friends along the ridges of the dunes and sideways on some steeper dunes. I guess I’m just too much of a chicken, because I was always afraid that the ATV was going to fall over sideways

This was only my second time in sand dunes without a large body of water anywhere nearby (the first time was in White Sands New Mexico which was gorgeous). It’s weird as I always half expect to see the sea after the next set of dunes. It’s no less pretty though.

Overall, we had a great time and I am so thankful to our friends for letting us tag along on their family weekend. Marco and I even got a little Easter basket filled with American goodies like Girl Scout cookies and Mini Whoppers since it was Easter weekend. Seriously! Texans are the nicest people. Where else do people just make you part of their family this quickly if even for a weekend? Talking about Girl Scout cookies… I finally tried my first thin mints. I now understand what the big fuss is about They are so good! On a less fun note… there was a guy with a big swastika tattoo in the park and that kind of freaked me out. I’ve written before about my thoughts on that topic and it’s one of my most popular posts (which I really didn’t expect), so I won’t go into it other than to say that it made me seriously uncomfortable to have such a sign be portrayed so openly so close to me. And really, the guy was there with his family and friends and they didn’t do anything to anybody. It just made me very uncomfortable. Anyways, they were there just for the day, so by the time Saturday evening rolled around, it was just us and a few more overnighters in the park. Luckily our friends’ parents have an RV! Rain and thunderstorm came in out of nowhere and we all happily sought aylum in the RV. I guess that would be the downside if you just went with a few tents. Even before the thunderstorm came in, it was very windy and we spent most of the afternoon in the RV hiding from the wind. By the next morning, luckily things had calmed down again and we went for more rides before driving back home to Lubbock. What a weekend!

Know before you go: 

• Kermit Sandhills is located about 10 miles north of Kermit, TX, and not to be confused with the Monahans Sandhills State Park. The difference? Kermit Sandhills is pretty much exclusively for ATVs (and similar off-road vehicles) and Monahans State Parks allows almost everything but ATVs.
• At Kermit Sandhills you can just put up your tent on the sand beside the RVs somewhere or, if you have one, bring your RV and hook it up to water and electricity.
• When we were there in April, there were also quite a few people who just came out for the day and left soon after it got dark.
• There are some covered areas with picnic tables.
• There are two porta potties and supposedly some outdoor showers which I didn’t see, but also didn’t look for.
• Prices: We paid $10 per day per person and $5 per tent per night I think (April 2011). Check their website for up-to-date information before you go: Kermit Sandhills.
• You have to bring your own ATVs as you can’t rent anything there – or at least not from what I could tell.
• Bring lots of sunscreen – the sand is pretty light and it reflects the sun, so it’s pretty strong out there.
• The nearest towns are about 10 miles and 30 miles away, so plan ahead and bring your drinks and food. I didn;t see a shop or anything on the premises.
• Expect lots of people! When we were there, there was everything from kids with mini-ATVs over dirt bikes to huge caged monster ATVs.

Have you ever gone riding in the sand dunes with an ATV? What was your experience? Similar to mine? Would you jump at the chance to go?

Enjoy some pics from our trip below and head on over to Travel Photo Thursday for more travel pics from around the world.

© 2012, Country Skipper. All rights reserved.

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Kermit Sandhills: Fun With ATVs in the Texas Sand Dunes

When you are on vacation, you want to try all the new and fun foreign dishes you don’t get at home. When you are an expat, you still want to taste all the new specialties of your adopted home, but sometimes you just crave food from back home. Comfort food is different in every country. I have been told by my Texan friends here that comfort food for them ranges from Mac and Cheese (the Kraft stuff) to BBQ. I still haven’t been able to get myself to try the way too yellow Kraft mess and while I do think the BBQ here in Texas is probably the best I’ve ever had, it is not comfort food for me. I think comfort food is often what we grow up with. It’s not really the food, but the associations we have with it. I’ve written about popular foods in Germany before and a lot of these foods are comfort food for me (e.g., Currywurst, Frikadellen, a fresh Döner), but the ultimate comfort foods are many of my mom’s dishes: homemade chicken soup when I am sick, a big bowl of Spaghetti Bolognese made with her recipe, and so much more.

My first time living abroad was at 19. A few weeks after my high school graduation, I moved to a small Egyptian town at the Red Sea. I shared an apartment with whoever I was working with at the time and back then (right around 2000) we didn’t have AC there, it was hot most of the time, I didn’t know my way around the fruit, vegetable, and meat stands in downtown – in short, there was no way I was gonna pick up cooking! So, for a year, I was eating hotel and restaurant food for breakfast and dinner and enjoying the cook’s lunch on the scuba diving boats. After I moved back to Germany and started college I cooked a little more, but it wasn’t until I moved to Texas “for good” in 2004 that I started writing my mom emails that started with “I really feel like eating your Frikadellen/Schweinebraten/Bolognese/Reis untereinander/Hackbraten/etc.” Dutifully she would write back with a recipe that was hard to replicate for a cooking novice like me… You have to understand that my mom was a wonderful cook. She enjoyed cooking for people, inviting people to her place for dinners, packing individual dinners for friends, and seeing her family enjoy her food. She was so used to her own recipes that there were never any exact measurements. And that’s exactly what made it so difficult to follow. “A little bit of salt”, “some pepper”, “more onion than you think”, …. these are examples from her instructions. I have to admit that the first few results were less than stellar. There usually was not enough salt or I had skimped on something else and while it tasted ok, it didn’t get close to what her food tasted like. It took me a few years to develop a feel for what a recipe needs. And now? When people ask me for recipes, I provide them exactly the way my mom did for me and it drives people crazy. Oh well, it’s the only way I know how to and I enjoy being like my mom.

Hackbraten/German Meatloaf

One of my all-time favorites (and Marco’s as well) is the German meatloaf (Hackbraten). It’s very different from the US version as it’s cooked in a broth rather than baked in the oven with a crust. Hackbraten is really a dish from the South of Germany. I’m from close to Cologne, but my dad’s family lives in the South and that’s where my mom learned how to make this particular dish. My dad’s grandma taught her. I remember my mom saying how difficult it was to follow her instructions as her dialect was quite strong and for us relative Northeners hard to understand. Anyways, here’s the recipe for those of you who want to try preparing a real German Hackbraten at home. It’s often served with pasta (ideally the German Spätzle, as pictured below) and a warm potato-cucumber salad. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Hackbraten/German Meatloaf

• 1 lb mixed ground beef and pork (works also with ground beef only)
• 2-3 onion
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley
• 2 eggs
• 2 dinner rolls
• some warm milk
• salt
• pepper
• bread crumbs (optional)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2-3 big carrots
• 2-3 tsp broth powder
• flour/corn starch

Instructions:

• Soak the two dinner rolls in warm milk.
• Mix the ground beef/pork with one finely chopped onion and the bunch of finely chopped parsley, the two eggs, and the two soaked dinner rolls (squeeze the milk out of them a little before adding them). Season with salt and pepper. If the dough feels too liquid, add some bread crumbs.
• Form 2-3 big meatloaves and fry them in a pan with some butter from all sides until brown.
• Cut up the rest of the onions in larger chunks, peel the carrots and cut them in a few pieces each and add them to the pan. 
• When the onion begin getting a little soft, add enough water to cover about half of the meatloaves and mix in the broth powder.
• Cover the pan and simmer for an hour; turn the meatloaves about half-way through.
• Take out the meatloaves and either strain the sauce and throw away the onion and carrots or blend everything together.
• Take the pan off the heat and use either corn starch or flour to thicken the sauce by mixing some corn starch/flour with water and adding it to the sauce. Increase the heat again until the sauce is boiling and gets nice and thick.
• You’re ready to serve your Hackbraten Enjoy!

I am participating in the Expat Blog Hop hosted by Blog in France where expats from all over the place are linking up today. Check out the other participants below.

© 2012, Country Skipper. All rights reserved.

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A Taste of Home: Hackbraten (German Meatloaf)

Last summer, Marco went to Houston for a car thing and I was in need of a long weekend somewhere fun. So, what did I do? I booked myself a hotel for a few nights in Galveston for my Texas weekend getaway. I know quite a few people who really like this little island off the Texas coast. The first time I went was probably around 2006 or 2007  (before Hurricane Ike hit in 2008 for sure). Marco’s brother was visiting us and we went on a road trip: San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and then Dallas on the way back to Lubbock. When we were in Houston, we decided on a day trip to Moody Gardens and an afternoon at the beach in Galveston. Moody Gardens was nice, but what I remember most of the day is how disappointed I was with the beach. I hadn’t ever been to the Texas coast and just expected a beach with nice water to jump into and cool down in the Texas summer heat… We got to the beach, parked at the Seawall somewhere, I walked to the water, and… barely put my feet in. The water was kind of dark, there was a whole bunch of seaweed and jelly fish floating around, and the water was really, really warm (imagine a hot bath). Yikes! In the end we still had a fun afternoon and just hung out at one of the restaurants nearby enjoying a view of the sea with a cool drink in hand.

Wen I planned my getaway to Galveston this time around, I wasn’t planning on going in the Gulf of Mexico to start out with. That was purely based on my impressions from our previous trip there and before I even found out through some research online that some of the jelly fish in Galveston are actually man-o-wars, the really purple jelly fish with long, long tentacles that sting anything that gets close to them. No thanks! Either way, I had my mind set on long walks at the beach instead and maybe a few drinks with a girlfriend from Houston who decided to join me for the day. The City of Galveston provides a map of beaches that is pretty helpful. However, my friend and I just drove west along the Seawall Boulevard until we hit a big parking lot right by the beach, got out, and started walking. It was pretty with the houses quite far in the distance and not too many people out and about. Later that afternoon we went closer to the pier (Souvenir Pier), parked close to the Hotel Galvez, and walked around the public beaches there for a while. I liked this area as you can walk for quite a while in either direction, but they also have nice restaurants or bar you can stop at for something to eat or drink.

Our hotel didn’t have a pool, but what they did have was a deal with the Hotel Galvez that we could use theirs. Perfect! So after all the walking and eating and seeing water without being able to go into it, we headed straight for the pool. Well, I’m lying… you obviously can get in the Gulf of Mexico of course and I saw plenty of people swim in it and kids playing in it. I honestly was just too afraid of all the potentially mean jelly fish, didn’t like all the seaweed floating around, and the water was too warm to be considered cooling. There you have it, I prefer a pool over the sea in some cases. Luckily, the pool at the Galvez is really awesome with cooling water, nice palm trees, and pelicans flying above your head. What more can a girl ask for on a weekend at the beach anyways?

Check out the pictures below to get an impression of Galveston Beaches and head on over to Travel Photo Thursday for more travel pics from around the world.

© 2012, Country Skipper. All rights reserved.

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Last month, I wrote about different kinds of popular German food that I miss from Germany. This month’s Blogger Stammtisch is all about drinks instead – a topic chosen by the lovely Frau Dietz. I have a somewhat uneasy relationship with that one as everyone here in Texas seems to think that Germans drink nothing but beer.

Did I ever tell you how I ended up in Lubbock, TX out of all places? I was studying International Business in Germany. One requirement of the degree was to spend one semester studying abroad. I had just completed an internship in Paris, France and was semi-secure in my use of French, so I decided I wanted to study in an English-speaking country. Australia sounded like fun, but the dates didn’t work. England is so close to Germany, that I figured I’d end up seeing it sooner or later – I didn’t know then that my sister would end up marrying a British guy and I would get to witness their beautiful wedding outside of London and they would introduce Marco and me to lots of yummy English food on our visits to London. Anyways, that left America on the potential list from our partner universities… the big US of A. I had never been and was kind of curious, so I looked at the websites of our partner universities and chose the one that looked the most “American” – you know, cheerleaders, football, big campus. Texas Tech University fit the bill.

One of the classes I took was International Management. The professor would always start the class with funny multiple-choice questions about stuff in different countries. One question was which country had the most productive workers and the options included Germany, France, and some other European countries. I don’t remember my guess and I don’t even remember the correct answer. I do remember however one of the students yelling through the class that it couldn’t possibly be Germany because all Germans did was drink beer all day…

via Wikimedia Commons

So, to debunk the myth that Germans drink nothing but beer, let me tell you about some other popular drinks in Germany.

German Coffee

Coffee is a big deal in Germany. Most people will drink at least one in the morning and another one after lunch or, even better, in the afternoon with a piece of cake. In fact, you can almost add Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) as a meal by itself to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So, in Germany, we eat four times a day The first few times I took Marco to see my family in Germany, he was surprised that everybody would serve us coffee and cake. Now, he kind of expects it and we schedule visits around mealtimes to avoid way too much food.

Most people drink regular drip coffee (like in the US). However, that is slowly changing and more people now aspire to have fancy machines that provide all sorts of coffee drinks like Milchkaffee (coffee with lots of hot milk, some of it frothed up). Something else you see at restaurants sometimes is a Kaffee mit Sahne (coffee with cream – either liquid cream or whipped cream).

Coffee is one of those things you’ll hear Germans gripe about when they travel. It’s just not the same as back home – in fact, when I want to treat myself, I still order a German brand like Jacobs from the German Deli. What’s so special about German coffee? The ground coffee itself is a lighter brown rather than the really dark brown you see in the US a lot. The grind is usually much, much finer – kind of like Italian espresso. Most importantly, it doesn’t tend to have the bitter aftertaste some other coffees can have. And I found that Germans tend to drink their coffee stronger than their American counterparts, but drink less of it.

via Wikimedia Commons

via Wikimedia Commons

Non-Alcoholic Drinks in Germany

Another thing Germans like to complain about when traveling is the lack of (good) sparkling water. In Germany, the tap water is usually very good and drinkable. However, most Germans prefer to drink sparkling water (aka Mineralwasser). In fact, when you order water at a restaurant, they will most likely bring you a glass or a bottle of sparkling water if you don’t specify that you want stilles Mineralwasser (non-sparkling mineral water). Sometimes water is called Sprudel as well. Oh, and water isn’t usually free in restaurants in Germany since you get bottled water and not tap water as in the US. There are different varieties: naturally sparkling, some added carbonation, or a lot of added carbonation. Water is something that most people in Germany buy in a big old plastic case that holds something like 12 glass or plastic bottles. The most famous brand is probably Gerolsteiner. When I first moved to Texas, I bought the not-so-great-tasting soda water at Walmart as a cheap substitute, but when that got more and more expensive I switched to a soda maker. Now, we buy filtered or spring water and add the sparkling part ourselves at home.

Do Germans drink water instead of all the sugary sodas like Coke, Fanta, Sprite, etc.? No, we have plenty of those as well in Germany, the big American brands as well as local brands. By the way, I have been told that the reason that Coke tastes different in Germany is that it’s made with real sugar in Europe and with cane sugar in the US. What’s almost more popular than sodas in Germany is to mix sparkling water with fruit juice. The most popular mix is definitely Apfelschorle which is sparkling water mixed with apple juice. It’s so popular that it’s usually listed as a drink on restaurant menus alongside Coca-Cola, etc.

via Wikimedia Commons

via Wikimedia Commons

Alcoholic Drinks in Germany

Yes, yes, you guessed it. Beer in fact is popular in Germany. Germans drink beer – among other things. The fun thing about beer in Germany is that it’s largely a local thing. While there are brands you can get anywhere, every region tends to have a kind of beer that is only brewed in their region. Where I grew up, outside Cologne, Kölsch is the local beer (kind of like Lager). In Düsseldorf, people tend to drink more Alt (a very dark beer). In Southern Germany, Weizen (wheat beer) is big. The type of beer determines the glass the beer is served in. For example, Kölsch is served in small .2 liter glasses that the server transports in what is called a Bierkranz (round plastic thing that holds quite a few small Kölsch glasses. A Weizen is usually served in a big tall glass that holds half a liter of beer. By the way, if you ever get to serve somebody in Germany a beer, make sure you include a two-finger foam above the beer. We Germans are very particular about the way our beer is served and foam is part of it – a beer without foam is assumed to be old and not have any carbonation in it. Marco was nice enough once to volunteer to get everybody at the table a fresh beer and came back with beer without the foam. He was sent back and taught how to do it the right way (i.e., the German way) by my dad very quickly. Poor guy! When traveling through Germany, you might be able to find a local brewery and ask for a tour. I went for many in the Zunft Kölsch Brauerei outside of Cologne growing up They all included free samples after the tour.

Another popular drink in Germany is wine. I know that Germany is not often thought of as wine country, but there are some really good local wines that you should try while in Germany. The most famous wine regions in Germany are located along the rivers Rhein and Mosel. Check out one of the wineries there for a local tour. It’s a really pretty region and you might be surprised by the quality of the wine. Most of the wine produced in Germany is white, but there are a few red ones as well. Abroad, German wine is mostly known as the supersweet, cheap white wine, but insiders usually prefer a crisp Riesling. Another popular kind of wine is the sparkling white wine called Sekt (aka Germany’s champagne).  A fun one is German Eiswine (ice wine), a wine produced from grapes that went through a freeze after they were fully ripened. It’s a dessert wine and usually very sweet.

On to another popular alcoholic drink in Germany, the Schnaps. While in the US schnapps is a sweet liquor, in Germany Schnaps is a any very strong, clear, lightly fruit-flavored alcoholic beverage. People will usually drink one of these after a heavy meal, sort of to aid digestion. The most popular ones are probably Obstwasser (apple and pear I think) or Williamsbirne (pear only) – but as I said, just because it has fruit in the name it doesn’t mean that they are fruity-sweet. Some people would also call the different kinds of Kräuterlikör (herbal liquor – once again, not sweet) Schnaps. I think Jägermeister is probably the most famous in that group followed by Underberg.

via Wikimedia Commons

via Wikimedia Commons

via Wikimedia Commons

via Wikimedia Commons

via Wikimedia Commons

via Wikimedia Commons

Seasonal Drinks & Special Occasions in Germany

What people in Germany drink also varies by the season. During Christmas and on Christmas markets, I don’t know anybody who can resist a nice hot glass of Glühwein (mulled wine). Check out my post on popular German food and drinks on Christmas Markets to read more. Other Christmas-y drinks in Germany are Lumumba (hot cocoa with rum), Eierpunsch (eggnog), and Feuerzangenbowle (Glühwein with burning liquor over a sugar cone). In the summer instead, many people prefer beer or beer mixed with lemonade (Radler – literally, a bike-rider). Have you ever tried a Radler? I know it sounds funny, but it’s actually really refreshing on a hot summer day. I’m on a mission to slowly convince all of my friends of this A Radler is kind of a southern thing, but can be found throughout Germany. In and around Cologne you can also find what we call Kölsch-Cola which is half Kölsch, half Coca-Cola and also much better than it sounds. During summer other people will also mix wine with sodas or water. The combinations are many: red or white wine with sparkling water (saure Weinschorle) or with Sprite (süsse Weinschorle).

If there is something to celebrate in Germany, you better bring a bottle of Sekt (German sparkling wine). It’s what we Germans drink for special occasions. Birthdays, graduations, births, exams? Bring on the Sekt. While there are of course quite a few foreign brands of sparkling wine sold in Germany as well, the most common ones sold I think are German. Check out the picture below with all the different kinds in a single supermarket. We take our Sekt seriously And as you can see, they come in either the regular size or a Pikkolo bottle which contains enough for a single serving.

Prost!

via Wikimedia Commons

via Wikimedia Commons

via Wikimedia Commons

Blogger Stammtisch

Next month, it will be all about parks and green spaces here at the Blogger Stammtisch. But until then, check out all the other entries to this month’s Blogger Stammtisch on the topic drinks below:

© 2012, Country Skipper. All rights reserved.

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Popular Drinks in Germany

If you find yourself in Rome during summer and the beaches close to the city aren’t your thing, you could give one of the many lakes near Rome a try. Believe me, after a few days of sightseeing in Rome in August, you’ll be ready for a cooling jump in the water. In August 2011, we spent one afternoon at the beach in Santa Marinella and another at lake Martignano, or lago di Martignano. It’s located about 60 kilometers northwest of Rome – very close to its much more famous cousin neighbor, the lake of Bracciano (remember the pictures of the wedding of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise?). These two lakes couldn’t be much more different though. While Bracciano has pretty cities surrounding the lake where you can take a stroll and eat out, Martignano has maybe one little house and almost no tourists (at least the side we always stay on – I doubt it’s any different on the other side). I’ve never actually been in the water at Bracciano, but we did explore some of cute surrounding towns and had dinner at a fantastic restaurant there. Another lake near Rome is the Lago Albano. We drove by there on our way to Velletri once and it looked perfect for an afternoon in the water. But let’s get back to Martignano for now…

Lake Martignano aka Lago di Martignano

As I said, the lake itself is much smaller and much less touristy than the lago di Bracciano. It’s not any less beautiful though! Its beauty lies partly in the fact that there are no big restaurants, no fancy gelaterias, no easy access with parking right at the lake… In fact, the lake is a little hard to find. The closest city is called Anguillara Sabazia. Follow this map provided by a local website for detailed directions or check out the Google map below for a more general idea of where Martignano is located. The final stretch, the Via Communale di Martignano, is a dirt road. This road will lead you directly to the top of the hill where there is a big parking lot that is guarded on most days – at least during summer. It’s not very expensive. However, if you want to save a few Euros, you can always park just a little further down the road. If you prefer the parking lot, make sure to bring some cash since that’s the only thing they will accept. From the parking lot you have to walk down to the lake which is located at the bottom of an old, old volcano. So basically, you are parking on the rim of an old volcanic crater and swim where lava used to flow. Neat, right? It’s about a ten minute walk down to the lake and the road can get a little steep at times, but it’s all worth it, I promise. Just wear decent shoes and not flip flops – like me. That will make it much easier!

When you get to the bottom, claim your spot on the sand or on the grass under some trees. There are a few chairs that can be rented, but mostly it’s pretty rough. Make sure to bring your own towels, sunscreen, sodas, and snacks. There is a small place that sells some things, but it’s not always open. You can just hang out and swim in the lake when you need to cool down, but you can also rent canoes, small sail boats and what they call pedalo in Italian – you know, those little boats you sit in and move forward by pedaling with your legs – if you like it a little more active. Some people have put together a website about the lago di Martignano with some information and more pictures if you are interested. Here it is: Lago di Martignano. It’s all in Italian though.

This post was submitted to Travel Photo Thursday hosted by Budget Traverels Sandbox. Head over there for more travel pics from around the world.

Lago di Martignano from the plane - via Wikimedia Commons

via Wikimedia Commons

© 2012, Country Skipper. All rights reserved.

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Lakes near Rome: Lago di Martignano