Some observations about Germany and Belgium

In Germany, the main food seems to be pork, pork & more pork! Not much in the way of veggies (other than really good salads) in restaurants.

Outdoor tables with umbrellas were found everywhere. We had to walk by to see the food on the tables since we couldn't read the German menus. However, some menus did have English translations.

Cafes with large outside TVs were VERY popular during the soccer matches. After Germany won one of its matches, the partying, horn-blowing, cheering and flag waving continued throughout the day and a lot of the night. While in Wittenberg the celebrating continued until almost 3:00 a.m.

No tap water was served automatically in restaurants. When asked for tap water, the servers would seem confused. Apparently, they want customers to pay for everything they drink. So, we would often have to buy "gas" water (water infused with CO2). One of our taxi drivers explained that the servers are afraid that if water is free, no one will buy drinks and they lose money.

In both Germany and Belgium, the beds at the hotels are called "French beds." The mattresses were foam and covered with a cloth sheet. And my, they were comfortable! Folded on the beds were duvets with a comforter inside. If you got too hot you could remove the comforter. Then the duvet (like a body-sized pillow) would serve as a cover.

Continental breakfasts at our hotels were fantastic, but the contents of which proved to be a little strange for some of us Americans:

Cheeses, lunch meats, cucumbers, sometimes pickles, tomatoes, eggs (orangish yolks in Germany--probably due to type of food the chickens were fed), sausages, bacon, rolls, breads, French toast, pancakes, crepes (no Belgium Waffles), mueslix, cereals, many kinds of yogurts in large bowls, fresh fruits, wonderful jams (fruitier taste and not as sweet as in the States) & many types of juice. And, of course, we were offered coffee and tea.

Fabulous coffee could also be purchased in restaurants; however, there are NO free refills. Food, in general, was pricey but very good.

Graffiti could be found everywhere, sometimes even on cathedrals and historic monuments. Some homelessness was observed, but nothing like we see in San Diego.

Construction/renovation was also prevalent. We saw lots and lots of cranes, and some of these seemed to be used in the construction of private homes.

Homes in Etall (only about 4 km from Oberammergau) have beautiful religious/historical murals painted on their walls. Many homes throughout Germany & Belgium have lace curtains and artistic shutters.

At 10:30 p.m. it was still light outside. We discovered there is evidently a 2-hour daylight savings change, according to one young man. He called it “artificial time” and didn’t really like it!

We visited Eisleben, Martin Luther's place of birth and death. Here he also stayed under protective custody for 11 months. We stayed there only part of one day.

The pastors, Andy, Laurie & Larry, were allowed to climb the steps to stand in the altar where Luther preached at one cathedral.

Autobahns seem to be great roads, although a fair amount of construction was going on in some areas. The fastest car we saw was a fancy Audi.

Green, green fields and trees are visible from the roads and from the airliners in which we travelled.

We learned that asparagus is a popular crop. It is served seasonally at many restaurants.

We visited a couple castles in Bavaria. King Ludwig II of Bavaria lived in Schloss Linderhof and then began work on another castle, Schloss Neuschwandstein. He was a bit of a recluse. He never married…& no girlfriends. He lived alone with 9+ servants at Linderhof. He had an amazing grotto created on the property (and what a hike it was to observe this!). He had intended to present Wagnerian operas in it, but that never happened. King Ludwig idolized Louis the XIV & XV of France and copied a lot of the opulence from those French kings’ courts. Schloss Linderhof is dazzling with gold inlay everywhere and opulent colors. Meissen porcelain figures abound. Mirrors and paintings can be found on the walls and ceilings. Expensive fabrics line the bed, the throne and windows. In the Hall of Mirrors we could look at one mirror and the reflections of others continued to infinity…very ethereal!

One of the German castles we visited was the "fairy castle" that is Schloss Neuschwandstein which translates roughly to “new swan stone castle.” It was much admired by Walt Disney and this masterpiece of architecture inspired the famous Magic Kingdom. Though never completely finished, it is probably the most well-known castle in Europe. Ludwig was declared insane (but he most likely really wasn't) and died (in his 40s), along with his physician, in a lake under mysterious circumstances. King Ludwig lived in this castle for only five months preceding his death.

In Belgium the Belgian (sometimes called Brussels) Waffles are small and served as hand-held snacks in stands or shops (no syrup). One ad showed a stack of these small waffles with various fillings and topped with whipped cream. In both Germany and Belgium ice cream and yogurt stands abound and are very popular.

Flemish Stew was somewhat disappointing in that it's only meat - no veggies. However, it was very tasty--of course it was cooked with beer!

Many food entrees were served with large bowls of frites. Belgium is noted for its French fries. They are double-fried; very crisp outside and soft inside, and they don’t look greasy at all.

Houses from the 1600s line the canals in Ghent, Belgium. Boat rides are available.

The canals were built for merchant transportation. Our hotel in Ghent, the Ghent River Hotel, was a renovation of a very old building and had, at one time, been a home and had housed several manufacturing ventures. It is the only hotel in the city that can be reached by boat.

Hops and barley (for malt) is a big commodity in Belgium. This is understandable since Belgium is noted for some very fine beers.

In Bruges, Belgium, some of us visited a small pub, named De Garre, while others enjoyed a "High Tea." At De Garre we traipsed upstairs and forthwith tried several beers. After having consumed the phenomenal “De Garre Tripel en vat,” Pastor Andy and Scott tried the “Judas” and “Satan” brews.

The following day we visited three renowned breweries, one of which

produces perhaps the best beer in the world, according to many, many worldwide connoisseurs. It is brewed at the Westvleteren Brewery, part of a Trappist monastery near Bruges, Belgium. The monks only want to make enough money to cover their expenses and are not interested in a full-scale world-wide production and distribution of their beer. They have requested that anyone who buys their beer not resell it.

Westvleteren 12 (11.8% alcohol) is difficult to get since it's brewed in limited amounts and is only sold through the monastery in the restaurant where we had lunch, the Westvleteren’s Café "In de Vrede," next to the monastery. It is interesting to note that this beer is sold with NO labels. PARTY ON!

Darlene & Scott

(Photos will be posted soon)