Dinner Time

Here are some scenes involving one of the best activities that can be done when in Germany......dining.

The peaceful dining areas at the hotel, Alte Schule.

Below is the Niederegger coffee shop which sits above their gift shop in Lubeck. Niederegger makes some of the best known and most widely distributed marzipan in the world. Outside the window across the street sits a famous landmark, the staircase of the Rathous (town hall).

Inside the gift shop.

This plate is the main course of a specially arranged four course dinner at Lenz Restaurant in the outskirts of Hamburg. The item between the beef and potato is calf cheek; great flavor, interesting texture. To the far left, we have morel mushrooms, and next is white asparagus, a specialty of northern Germany - all part of the main course.

The Seehof restaurant, shown below, has it's own deer farm. Venison is definitely on the menu!

The deer graze in the fields just outside the establishment, waiting anxiously to see if they will be invited to dinner.

The restaurant also has a place to stay, and is located on this lake.

Sunday Travels

The day we had here in northern Germany on Sunday provided unique weather and lighting conditions. I managed to sneak into Ahrensberg for a few morning shots, and then we went to Lubeck in the afternoon. Throughout the day we had everything from sun to rain to hail with plummeting temperatures, which made for some dramatic skies.

Ahrensburg

A typical scene - a properly dressed elderly couple out for a Sunday stroll.

Lubeck

The man with the bicycle began speaking to me when I walked by the bookstore, where he had been studying something through the window. As he began in German, he instantly recognized from my face that I didn't understand much. He then switched immediately to French, and I just shook my head "No" again. "Spreken Englesh" was my feeble response. "Ah, you speak English!", was his lingistically nimble exclamation. He then explained, literally with a tear in his eye and the same emotion in his voice, that he was back here visiting, because he was born in Lubeck 60 years ago, "the greatest city in Germany", as he called it. I wished to stay longer and learn more from what this man wanted to tell me, but my traveling companions hadn't noticed that I was stopped, and I was already way behind from taking pictures. At the last second, I just turned back and preserved what I could of the moment.

This was my favorite shot of the day, standing under the main gate of the town, the same gate as in the picture above. I had about two seconds to grab the shot while this couple was in the right spot at the right time. The sun was also about to be eclipsed by the enormous storm cloud.

I learned from my friend here that the rounded blocks in the corners were to keep the carriage wheels from hitting the walls as they pass through.

Germany

I'm back in Germany. This time I brought company.

We've come for a week of work (for me) and enjoyment (for us), visiting Christmas Markets in as many towns as we can fit in, drinking Gluhwein (not really!) and sampling some authentic German meals (well, more than just sampling) typically served this time of year in this region near Hamburg. Last evening we visited Lubeck, a facinating place of historic significance during the trading days of the Hanseatic League, walked the Zentrum, visited the Weihnachtsmarkt, stepped into a small brewery for a bier, and had a fine dinner at a very old place decorated with model ships. We had a great time and considered what kind of job I could get here.