Karlsruhe
Mid December 2018
Finishing work for the year, I quickly made way to Edinburgh airport to join Amy in Germany. Only, I didn’t, because a piece of plastic got stuck in the plane’s engine. Finally leaving the tarmac a few hours later, I was then treated to a rather rough flight. Relieved upon reaching Frankfurt in one piece, I then caught the train to nearby Mannheim. My spirits were soon lifted by seeing Amy and unsere Deutsche Familie.
Amy’s family in Perth occasionally houses international students and we became very good friends with the first student they ever had, Laura. She, in no small part, helped us fall in love with Germany and has been kind enough to have us stay with her family in Karlsruhe several times. On this trip I was to meet her brother, Hannes, in Mannheim, prior to travelling with him and Amy to Laura’s family home in Karlsruhe.
It’s now almost a tradition that if we’re in Germany around Christmas time, we make our way to Karlsruhe to see Laura’s family. In all honesty, we completely geek out on the experience – warm houses, freshly cut Christmas trees, home-cooked food and a chance to speak German. Seeing everyone again this year was wonderful and we had a pleasant afternoon sharing stories, exchanging presents, eating marzipan, and catching up with Laura’s parents Diemut & Rheiner. Upon reflection, my German was a little rusty - Schade.
I’m completely biased, but I feel that Germany has the best Christmas markets going around. I’m just not attached to an Australian style Christmas – I can’t handle the heat, I don’t care for cricket, I don’t particularly like seafood – but that’s just me; I’m a grouch. Give me snow, roast meat, and actual Christmas trees any day.
We soon made our way to a nearby Christmas market in Durlach, decked out in medieval tradition. Think of tents, old garb, crossbows, axes, mulled wine and mead. Oh, and a rather strangely placed ABBA cover band. Not sure how that decision was made. Taste in music aside, the market was wonderful and put me right into a Christmas mood – it’s hard not to be when you’re being warmed by nearby wood fires, with the spices from the mulled wine floating in the air. It’s what Christmas should be like.
Speaking of mead, it was the first time I’ve actually tried it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Essentially, it’s fermented honey and it’s hard to put down. If you’re in Germany and you don’t know what to get, I’d suggest you try it after a mulled wine or two. If you manage to find it, do also try a Feuerzangenbowle, and try to stay standing.
We then wandered around the corner to a local brew house to share a delightful Swabian meal. I adored being back in Germany and gleefully devoured my Hirsch Sauerbraten, while downing beer, and talking politics with Laura and her father. So… if you can’t already tell; I’m hopelessly in love with Germany – I miss the people, the food, the history, the value for money, the beer, and the overall feeling whenever I’m not there. Being back with friends in a local tavern was the perfect reintroduction to Germany and a wonderful way to spend our first night. We left overjoyed.
We started the next day with a slow German breakfast, complete with fresh bread, cheese, bretzlen, leberwurst, and cured meats. One of the things I miss most about Germany is the bread – if you haven’t already, avail yourself of a bakery next time you’re there. Brötchen, Bretzlen, Katenbrot – buy anything, it’s all phenomenal.
Later that morning, we went to nearby Etlingen to check out another Christmas market. Smaller in scope, but still cute, we had a wonderful day exploring the small, yet energetic town.
In Etlingen, we had the chance to try two new dishes – Langos (which is actually Hungarian) and Dampfknudeln. Langos is a glorious mix of fluffy fried dough, sour cream, cheese, garlic, and paprika, and it makes for an astounding snack if you’re cold, drunk, or both. Dampfkundeln is slightly more refined, and consists of spiced & boiled dough, which is then half pan-fried and served with custard. Neither is especially good for you. Both are delicious.
Our time in Karlsruhe was sweet, but unfortunately short. After saying our goodbyes, Hannes then kindly drove us to Karlsruhe station to catch the afternoon train out of town.
Next stop: Nuremberg.
Vielen Dank, Familie Holz. Bis später. !
JC
"The human race is a monotonous affair. Most people spend the greatest part of their life working in order to live, and what little freedom remains so fills them with fear that they seek out any and every means to be rid of it."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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