Adventures of a Weary Traveler - Germany, Austria, France, India, Nepal – Entry 2

Last night I stayed in Ulm. The night before was Wurzburg. That’s where I had the awesome sauerbraten and knodel. Mmmmm, can still taste it.

This morning, Saturday, I woke up early to see Ulm. Never heard of it before but it was on my way to Zweibrucken and I was tired, so I stopped here. It was a good place to stop. I happened to be in a hotel that was right by a hub of activity including a very large farmer’s market, what is here called a fussgangerzone (foot going zone). People everywhere and the all important source for the weisse bratwurst I seem to be living on. See picture below.

These folks were just standing outside of an italian restaurant that was so full I didn’t dare try to enter. The food looked absolutely delicious, but my German is so terrible, I didn’t dare attempt to order italian food in german. Make sense? No, I didn’t think so either. So, I opted for my favorite meal. The simple and more important, easy to order, bratwurst!

I took this picture because it seemed the quintessential sight. It’s almost cliché. And yet, this is what you see everywhere. People in Germany are generally very happy and very social. Except for the guy in the bratwurst line I asked to help me understand how to order bratwurst. I had forgotten the German penchant for efficiency or I’d have otherwise understood that “od.” is the abbreviation for oder. “rote od. weisse” simply means red or white. After he tried to explain to me in rapid fire German, I smiled and said “Ah, danke” as if I actually understood a word he said. Only as the line got shorter and I got closer to ordering did I figure out the abbreviation. Adventures in ordering… Funny thing is, most of the folks here, especially in the hospitality industry speak better english than I do. But, they let you go on trying to speak German as long as you’re giving it the college try. Tonight, however, I was in a shop where mostly women go trying to find a gift for one of my daughters. The gal gave up and broke down to speak in English. Then, when she noticed my surprise/relief/disappointment said. “Oh, we can do this in German if you like. Deutsch oder English?” How deflating…

Ulm has a beautiful cathedral that is presently being renovated. I was awestruck to put it lightly. It’s absolutely monumental, this thing. It’s not just the size either. Look at the detail, everywhere. It’s as the Germans say, unglaublich!

With the fall colors out, the city is covered with leaves everywhere. It really is a beautiful time to visit Europe. There was nothing particularly interesting about this scene other than what I thought would make a pretty picture.

You know, in Seattle they have the fish market where all the fish are arrayed on ice before you. In Germany, they have bread markets. Care to take a guess which one smells better? Mmmmmm, the bread here is auch unglaublich. So many different kinds to choose from, all so delicious. This was at the farmers market by the cathedral.

OK, now we’re talking good lunch! You got your fruit food group, meat food group, grains and breads food group, and the mustard has to count as fruits and vegetables food group. Actually, I bought a bunch of grapes and bananas, and had some cheese on a crepe later so I’m still on a balanced diet!

This stuff is so good. I’m practically living on it… Can’t seem to get enough. When my neighbors saw me taking a picture, they laughed. I told them, hey, I’m an American, I don’t get this very often. The guy said, “Nur in Deutschland!”

They guy taking the order was funny. He seems almost like a local celebrity or something. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see someone come up and ask him for his autograph. Women were fawning and men were chatting him up. Then I had one of his brats and understood. Bestes in Deutschland.

You see some of the strangest meats in Germany. That’s all I have to say about this picture.

And some of the yummiest cheeses.

I don’t think this picture gives the viewer the full perspective of just how grand the cathedral is inside. The archways above are likely 10 standard stories high. I got a little acrophobic just looking up at them, if that makes any sense.

See what I mean when I talk about details?