Ice Wine Grapes - Image D.Rivard/Wiki

The cold weather, snow and frost are elements that are usually not conducive for growing anything.  But for producers of Eiswein (German for ice wine), snow and frost are just the perfect conditions that they pray for.

So What is Ice Wine?

Ice wine is a type of dessert wine that is produced from grapes that have been frozen while still hanging on the vine. It is believed that ice wine was first invented in Franconia around 1794.

Germany and Canada are the two main producers of ice wine and in both these countries, the grapes must freeze naturally on the vine in order to qualify as ice wine. No mechanical cryo-extraction of the grapes is allowed. In Germany, the grapes are required to be frozen at a temperature of -7 °C (19 °F) or colder and in Canada it is a legal requirement that the grapes are frozen at -8 °C (17 °F) or colder. Ice wine might remind you of Sauternes and other dessert wines, but the big difference is that unlike Sauternes ice wine grapes must not be affected by Botrytis.

Production of Ice Wine

The production of ice wine is a risky and labour-intensive business and the conditions harsh for those involved. As the grapes have to stay on the vine for months after the normal harvest time, the yields are very low and as such the prices for ice wines can be quite expensive. The ripened grapes have to be kept healthy on the vines, away from disease and foraging birds and insects until the cold weather arrives.

There is a sense of urgency in the production of ice wine.  When the required temperature occurs,the frozen grapes have to be harvested immediately requiring the pickers to work at night or in the early morning.  If the freeze is too severe, juice extraction becomes difficult. The frozen grapes are pressed immediately, and requires workers to work in unheated premises.

Whilst Riesling is considered to be the most suitable grape variety by German winemakers, other grapes are used as well including merlot and pinot noir.

Unlike other dessert wines, ice wines are refreshing and not cloying. They also usually have a slightly lower alcohol content than regular table wine.

Ice wine vintners can be found in many of the wine growing regions of Germany, including the Mosel, Rheingau, Rheinhessen and Pfalz. Just follow the snow trail.

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Rhine Riesling Vineyards

For connoisseurs of wine and beer, spring and summer are  fantastic times to be in Germany. From Berlin to the Rhineland, there is a great choice of festivals to attend, depending on whether you prefer to conduct your wine-tasting in one of the small towns along the Mosel or in Rudesheim on the Rhine or at wine festivals in the larger towns like Stuttgart, Hamburg, Mainz, Frankfurt or Aachen. And then there are the almighty giant beer festivals to keep you merry as well.

The German wine and beer festivals are a great time to enjoy a variety of wines and beers, but it’s also an opportunity to observe the local traditions and sample local foods, as well as to meet a nice cross-section of people.

Some Beer and Wine Festivals in 2012

**Some of these dates may change so please always check the festival website before making your travel plans.**
Starkbierzeit 2012 - Munich’s Strong Beer Festival

February 24 – March 24, 2012 (Löwenbräukeller) and March 9 – 25, 2012 (Paulaner am Nockherberg) :  This is Munich’s secret beer festival in spring. Starkbierzeit focuses on strong beers traditionally consumed during Lent. More about Starkbierzeit…
For Munich hotels see Here.

Frühlingsfest 2012 – Munich Spring Festival
April 20 – May 6, 2012:  Munich Frühlingfest ends the spring Strong Beer Season. The fair is supposed to be a scaled-down version of Oktoberfest.  This year the fair will be held in Theresienwiese – Oktoberfest grounds.
Website: www.muenchnervolksfeste.de

Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest 2012 – Stuttgart Spring Festival – Stuttgart
April 21 – May 13, 2012 – Stuttgart Spring Festival in Cannstatter Wasen celebrates the end of the winter season.  The festival features beer tents, oompah bands, funfair, fireworks and lots of parties at night.
Website:  www.stuttgarter-fruehlingsfest.de/

Mosel Wine Festivals 2012
From April 27 – September 23, 2012: From early spring through fall, the towns along the Mosel hold “Weinfeste” (wine festivals). Local foods and wines are served and a general party atmosphere prevails. The Mosel Valley is full of vineyards that rise up the hills from the river banks. There is likely to be a wine festival in one town or another every weekend in the Mosel region.
Website: www.traben-trarbach.de/

Bergkirchweih Erlanger 2012
May 24 – June 4, 2012: This annual beer festival is a 250 year-old tradition and is celebrated around Pentecost for 12 days. More than 1 million visitors each year come to enjoy Erlangen beer and Franconian dishes.  The Bergkirchweih is open from 10:00 to 23:00 daily and you can then roll on to the pubs in downtown Erlangen.  Erlangen’s claim to fame is that they were the first to export beer, even before Munich and Kulmbach.
Website: www.der-berg-ruft.de

‘Assmannshausen in Red‘ – Assmannshausen Red Wine Festival 2012
June 2, 2012 – Assmannshausen is famous for its Pinot Noir.  On this one-day festival wine connoiseurs get to enjoy the Assmannshäuser red wine as well as local dishes and entertainment.

International Bierbörse 2012
June 1 – September 2, 2012:  This looks like a good excuse to drink beer non-stop for 3 months!  Bierbörse is an chain of annual beer festivals which are held in 11 German cities.  You can sample up to 1,000 different types of beer, including those from 75 countries.  What’s more, this is a free event and you only pay for the beer.  Bierbörse 2012 can be found in Bonn, Dorsten, Dusssldorf-Benrath, Frankfurt, Huckeswagen, Karlsruhe, Koln, Leipzig, Leverkusen-Opladen, Mainz, Schwerin and Viersen-Dulken.
Website:  www.bierboerse.com

Wine tavern in Rudesheim

Stuttgart Wine Festival 2012 – Hamburg
July 21 – August 6, 2012:  Just prior to the big Wine Village in Stuttgart, Stuttgart Wineries bring their wares to Hamburg for 2 weeks at the beginning of August. A wine village is set up in the Hamburg Rathaus Marktplace, complete with wine and beer gardens, regional Stuttgart fare and arts and crafts from the Stuttgart region.

Annafest Forchheim 2012
July 21 – 30, 2012:  Forchheim Annafest is an annual fair which takes place in July.  Forcheim is on the “cellar-hill” close to Bamberg and Nuremberg and each year up to 500,000 visitors decend upon its beer gardens (over 20 beer gardens and no tents here).
Website:  www.forchheim-annafest.de

Kulmbacher Beer 2012
July 28 – August 5, 2012 (tbc):  Kulmbacher is a traditional beer festival in the north of Bavaria.  Just for one week in the year, master brewers of Kulmbacher brew their secret formula beer.
Website:  www.kulmbacher.de/de/biwo

Berlin Beer Festival 2012 – Berlin
August 3 – 5, 2012: Usually held on the first weekend of August annually, this festival boasts the longest beer garden in the world – one mile long! One million people come to this festival each year. Stalls offer 2,000 types of beer from over 300 breweries from 86 countries with a focus on smaller, private breweries. However long it might take to sample 2,000 varieties of beer, the Berlin Beer Festival sounds like a great way to quench your thirst on a hot summer day. Live music and shows also keep the crowd entertained.
Website: www.bierfestival-berlin.de

Rotweinfest – Oberwesel am Rhein – Rhine River Red Wine Festival
August 4, 2012 – A very popular one-day Middle Rhine red wine festival in the market square of Oberwesel.

Ruedesheimer-Weinfest 2012 – Rüdesheim Wine Festival 2012
August 17 – 20, 2012: Always charming and picturesque, the small Rhine wine village of Rüdesheim hosts a Wine Festival that features the wineries of the region as well as food. The festival takes place on the main street and you can enjoy the beautiful views to the Rhine and the vineyards above as you sip your wine. If you feel intimidated about going into the small wine tasting rooms, this is a perfect way to get to know Rüdesheim and its wines.
Website:  www.ruedesheimer-weinfest.de

Stuttgarter Weindorf 2012 – Stuttgart Wine Village – Stuttgart
August 22 – September 2, 2012:  The Stuttgart Wine Village is one of the largest and most beautiful wine festivals in Germany. From the end of August to the beginning of September, the Stuttgart city center is transformed into a festive wine village. 120 wine alcoves with traditional decor offer up over 250 wines from the region, including Trollinger, Riesling, Kerner, Müller-Thurgau, Schwarzriesling, Ruländer, Schillerwein, Lemberger and Weißherbst. With so much wine flowing, the atmosphere is bound to be jolly. Great music and food complement the warm and friendly atmosphere.
Website: www.stuttgart-tourist.de/ENG/leisure/weindorf.htm

Aachen Wine Festival 2012
August 23 – 26, 2012: Located in North Rhine Westphalia, Aachen is an attractive Roman spa town, famous for its therapeutic waters, hot springs and 1000-year-old remains. This lovely town hosts a summer wine festival in the town center each year with over 400 wines on offer from 20 or more wineries in Rhineland Palatine. Featured wines include Riesling, Mueller-Thurgau, Kerner, Dornfelder and Spaetburgunder. Good food and wine, music and a generally great atmosphere make this Wine Festival a favorite among locals and tourists alike.
Website:  www.aachen.de

Baskets of wine for sale

Mainzer Weinmarkt – Mainz Wine Festival 2012
August 23 – 26, 2012 and August 20 – Septembr 2, 2012:  The Mainz Wine Market (Mainzer Weinmarkt) plays host to over half a million visitors each year. You’ll enjoy wandering through the parks and rose gardens of the town as you go about tasting wines, eating the local fare and checking out the arts and crafts stalls. There is plenty of music to suit every taste and the city is known to be particularly beautiful at this time of year.
Website:  www.mainzer-weinmarkt.de/

Weinfest der Mittelmosel 2012 – Bernkastel-Kues
From August 30 – September 3, 2012:  Bernkastel-Kues Middle Mosel Wine Festival is  the largest and most well-known of the Mosel wine festivals.  Visitors will enjoy the brilliant fireworks display from Landshut Castle and the colourful  winemaker’s procession and the crowning of the Wine Queen.
Website:  www.bernkastel.de

Frankfurt Rheingau Wine Festival 2012
August 29 – Sep 7, 2012: The Rheingau Wine Festival (Rheingauer Weinmarkt) is Frankfurt’s only wine festival with vintners from the Rheingau offering over 600 types of wines in Fressgasse, one of Frankfurt’s charming restaurant and fine food areas. Rieslings are the specialty wines here, reflecting the unique terroir of the Rheingau wine region.
Location of festival is “Freßgass´”, Große Bockenheimer Straße / Opernplatz.
Open Times: Daily from 11:00 – 23:00
Frankfurt Hotels in the Old Town Centre (Zentrum-Alstadt)
All Frankfurt am Main Hotels
Website:  www.frankfurt-tourismus.de

Oktoberfest 2012 – Munich
September 22 – October 7,  2012: Oktoberfest gets bigger and better each year.  With 14 huge tents (maybe more) to choose from, how do you decide? You’ll need to check the website of each of the tents to see which ones you fancy.
Here’s some traditional Oktoberfest beer tents. >
See our Oktoberfest photos >
Website:  www.oktoberfest.de

Stuttgart Beer Festival  2012 – Canstatter Volkfest – Stuttgart
Sep 28 – Oct 14, 2012:  This Stuttgart Beer Festival is second only to the Oktoberfest in Munich in terms of size. It began in 1818 as a harvest festival following a famine and has since been taking  place at the end of September every year.  These days, it provides two weeks of fun with oompah bands in traditional costume, lots of beer inside the marquees and entertainment
Website:  www.cannstatter-volksfest.de

Mendiger-Gambrinusfest 2013 – Mendig
June 2013 (tbc):  Gambrinusfest takes place every 2 years and is the biggest beer festival in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Website: www.mendiger-gambrinusfest.de/

A visit to Germany is not complete without going to a Wine or a Beer Festival. There is plenty on offer so it’s necessary to plan well in order to get maximum coverage.

Did you find the wine and beer festival you were looking for?  Please leave me a comment.  If there are any other festivals you would like to see on this list, please also let me know.

Search, read hotel reviews and book Germany hotels here.>

Food and wine tour
Bavarian Beer and Food tour

Steckerlfisch - Charcoal-grilled fish on a stick

A graphic food image that you’ll see at the Munich Oktoberfest is at the Fischer-Vroni Steckerlfisch stand. Here you’ll see neatly lined rows of whole fish on skewers being cooked over the very long charcoal grill. Besides being photo-worthy, the steckerlfisch is a specialty of the Fischer-Vroni Oktoberfest tent.

What is Steckerlfisch?

The world ‘Steckerl’ means ‘little stick’ in the Bavarian dialect and so Steckerlfisch translates as ‘fish on a stick’. The steckerl or stick is thread lengthwise through the gutted whole fish and arranged head-down, at an angle over the charcoal fire.

The fish is brushed with butter or marinade to make the final cooked product crispy. And, the reason for having the Steckerlfisch placed at an angle is so that the fat drains down the stick and not into the fire. Mackerel is the most common fish used, although salmon or trout can be used as well.  The cooked steckerlfisch is served wrapped in paper or on a plate and eaten with pretzels or bread rolls.

The Fischer-Vroni family have been in the fish business since Karl Winter founded his fish wholesale company in 1914. It was Karl Winter who first offered “Steckerlfische” at the Wiesn. It was an instant success with Oktoberfest visitors and sales took off rapidly.

Steckerlfisch and pretzel

Where to Find Steckerlfisch

Don’t worry if you can’t make it to the Munich Oktoberfest to savour some Steckerlfisch. Although Steckerlfisch is a popular snack food at Wiesn, you can also find it being offered in many beer gardens during the summer months.

Fischer-Vroni are also present at the many folk festivals in the Bavarian region and in particular at the Munich Auer Dult and beer gardens like Hirschgarten and the Augustiner Keller. Certainly when you visit Fisher-Vroni’s own Gasthaus, the Jagdschlössl, Sterckerlfisch is a Saturday specialty in their biergarten. You can find Jagdschlössl on Red Square at Nymphenburger Strasse 162, 80634 München.

See more Oktoberfest food at Travelsignpost Oktoberfest photo gallery HERE.

Enjoying a German beer

Oktoberfest is well known around the world (beer drinker or not). But Munich has another huge beer festival that is not so well publicised. At the Starkbierzeit ask for “ein Doppelbock bitte” and you’ll be served with a very potent double strength beer! “Bock” stands for strong beer and “doppel” means double so the beers have an alcohol volume of no less than 7.5%.

Munich’s Starkbierzeit spring festival usually begins during Lent after the end of Fasching (carnivale) and lasts for about four weeks. The modern-day version of this festival is meant to help people forget the harshness of winter and celebrate the arrival of the spring season, although I must say that after weeks of drinking this potent beer, there might not be much that people will remember.

Beer Festival

The Starkbierzeit official opening sees the first barrel of the new season’s Salvator Doppelbock tapped at the Paulaner Wirtshaus restaurant on the Nockherberg, with many prominent guests in attendance. Celebrations are also held in other beer halls and cellars like the Löwenbräu Keller, Unions-Bräu and the Augustiner Keller, where blaring oompah bands, singing, dancing and comic performances are part of the events. Of course there’s plenty of malty, amber-colored Doppelbock on tap and sausages and pretzels.

Munich owes its “spring health cure” festival to the Paulaner monks who set up shop in Munich in 1627. In preparation for Lent, the monks brewed a very strong, malty beer according to medieval Benedictine recipe so as to give them strength during the period of fasting. During Lent, only liquids could be consumed and the double strength stout provided the replacement sustenance. The stronger the brew, the more it helped the monks to not break their fast. The friars called their brew Sankt-Vater-Bier (Holy Father Beer) and the name later evolved into Salvator which is Latin for saviour.

Today, most Bavarian breweries make their own version of a Doppelbock and they usually label their brew with a name that ends in ‘ator’ such as Maximator, Optimator, Unimator, or Triumphator, in deference to the Salvator brew that started it all. But for the people of Munich, the Salvator, the oldest Doppelbock, still takes prime honour in the Strong Beer Season festivities.

So why have we not heard as much of this festival as we have Oktoberfest? I suppose the good people of Munich want to keep this festival to themselves and it might not be appropriate to tell too many people that this is what they do at Lent. So next time you’re planning a Spring trip in the vicinity of Munich, why not head for one of the following beer halls and enjoy a Doppelbock or two.

Löwenbräukeller
Paulaner am Nockherberg (See here on how to book)
Unions-Bräu-Haidhausen
Augustiner Keller

Prost!

See our comprehensive list of German Wine and Beer Festivals HERE.

Search for Munich hotels, read hotel reviews and book your Munich hotel HERE >

Auerbachs Keller © Travel Signposts

Auerbachs Keller (Auerbachs Cellar) owes much of its fame to Goethe who immortalized the wine tavern in Faust I -  In part V, Mephistopheles, the demon, takes Faust to the tavern in an attempt to ruin him, but fails.

Goethe frequented Auerbachs Keller as a student and called it his favorite wine bar. It is for this very reason that we’ve come to check out this most famous and second oldest of Leipzig restaurants, even though it was a bit too early to eat or drink.

Auerbachs Keller is located below Leipzig’s famous shopping arcade, the Mädlerpassage. Even before you descend into the cellar, the sculpture of Faust and Mephisto gives a hint of which famous individual has strong links here.  If you’re wondering why Faust’s left shoe is lighter in colour than the right, locals believe that if you rub his foot, you will receive good luck.

There are four historical dining rooms in Auerbachs Keller, including one named after Goethe: the Fasskeller (Barrel Cellar), Lutherzimmer (Luther Room), Goethezimmer (Goethe Room), Alt-Leipzig (Old Leipzig), and since 1913 the Großer Keller (Large Cellar). If you just want a drink, the Mephisto Bar is on the floor above.

A Brief History on Auerbachs Keller

Auerbachs Keller’s origin can be traced back to 1525 when Heinrich Stromer, a medical professor from Auerbach, opened a wine bar in the cellar of his house. In 1528, Stromer had the 200-year-old building torn down and a new house with an enlarged cellar built, with the Hexenküche, Fasskeller, Lutherzimmer and Goethezimmer rooms surviving to this day.

Mephisto and Faust © Travel Signposts

In 1911, Anton Mädler purchased the building, with the intention of demolishing it and replaced it with an elegant trade fair building. Auerbach Keller was part of the demolition plan, however due to worldwide protests, Mädler not only retained the Keller, but he also enlarged it with the inclusion of the very elegant Großer Keller.

But it hasn’t always been plain sailing for the Auerbachs Keller. The restaurant was forced to declare bankruptcy in 1995 when its then owner, a ‘construction magnate’ got the restaurant caught up in his dodgy financial deals. Thankfully a new owner arrived on the scene the following year and the restaurant’s door reopened.

Auerbachs Keller Today

The cuisine at the Großer Keller restaurant is marketed as hearty home-style cooking, supplemented with international dishes. Looking at the elegant restaurant, one might expect prices to be rather expensive, but the meals are at “family-friendly” prices.

At the Gift Shop, visitors can buy all kinds of Goethe and Faust-themed souvenirs, and for Euro 2.60 you can even buy a facsimile of a receipt for champagne that was made out by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1804.

Mädlerpassage is at Grimmaische Straße 2 in Leipzig’s historical district, close to the market.

Map of Leipzig:

Café Einstein © Travel Signposts..

By the time we finished exploring Unter Den Linden on a chilly and wet Sunday afternoon, a cup of coffee was much needed. There are a few cafés along this Berlin boulevard but it’s hard to go pass the famous Café Einstein.

Café Einstein is a coffee house chain in Berlin, but it is certainly no ordinary coffee house chain like Starbucks.  Instead, its coffee houses are plush and elegant cafés, much like the classic Viennese-style coffee houses, with uniformed waiters and table service.  It’s no wonder that the Café Einstein was used as a film set for one of the scenes in Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds”. The Unter den Linden café and the one at Kurfuerstenstrasse 58 are the two bigger Einstein coffee houses.  The latter is known to have been a favourite meeting place for writers and other artists.

Café Einstein is very popular with locals and tourists alike, and the couple of times that we’ve been here, it’s  been very busy. Being on Unter Den Linden, this Berlin café attracts a well-heeled clientele which is said to include prominent politicians and bureaucrats from nearby government offices.  But being Sunday, there weren’t any official-looking clients today. It’s a good place for people-watching, although as a visitor we didn’t recognise anyone that we were ‘watching’.

Café Einstein roasts its own blend of coffee and the latté that I had was nice, but as I prefer my coffee strong, it certainly wasn’t the best that I’ve had.  Their in-house baked Apfelstrudel served with vanilla sauce is very popular and so we had one.  The pastry is light and flaky with quality apple filling.

You can also have lunch and dinner at Café Einstein and one of the classics from the kitchen is their famously huge Wiener Schnitzel.  But for a meal, there are better places to dine in Berlin that are less expensive as well.

Berlin Map:

Nürnberger Bratwurst © Travel Signposts

Nuremberg is famous for its Nürnberger bratwurst which is traditionally grilled or roasted and served three abreast on a bun with mustard. Whether it is served Drei im Weggla (three in a roll), on a plate with sauerkraut or with potato salad, the Nürnberger bratwurst is amongst the most popular fast food snacks in the Franconian metropolis.

Thick as your thumb and golden brown, they taste best when freshly cooked on a charcoal grill.  There are many restaurants in Nuremberg that specialize in the Nürnberger bratwurst, but it is also common to see them being sold in market or street stalls.

There are many legends surrounding the origin of the Nürnberger bratwurst. One of them revolves around the size of the bratwurst – it is said that the bratwurst were made slim enough to allow them to be pushed through medieval Franconian keyholes to hungry customers who were willing-to-pay for them after curfew hours.

The modern take on this is that the Nürnbergers prefer quality not quantity and therefore prefer the small and finer sausages rather than the coarse Franconian offerings.

About Nürnberg’s Distinctive Bratwurst

Thanks to its brisk trade with the Orient, Nuremberg had access to unusual and exotic spices even in the Middle Ages. Then as now, the production of bratwurst is subject to strict standards. Only select first-class pork without tendons or rind is used and the minced meat is spiced with a touch of marjoram. The mixture is filled into narrow sheep casings and twisted off after 7-9 cms.  The bratwurst are approximately 1.5 cms in diameter and weigh 25 grams.

Since August 2003 the names “Nürnberger Bratwürste” and “Nürnberger Rostbratwürste” are trade-mark protected throughout the EU.  Only sausages manufactured according to traditional recipes within the urban area of Nuremberg are allowed to call themselves the above. The restriction has not affected the popularity of the Nürnberger Bratwürst in the least.  On the contrary, the Nürnberger bratwürst is believed to the one of the most popular bratwurst in Germany and each year around 800 million sausages are produced and sold all over the world.

Dresden Christmas Stollen

The Christmas season brings with it many special treats and one of my favourites is the Stollen. This German Christmas cake, called the Weihnachtsstollen or Christollen is a loaf-shaped cake made with chopped candied or dried fruit, nuts and spices. Marzipan stollen is my favourite.

Although many German towns make their own stollen and there is some dispute as to which German city invented the stollen, it is the Dresden stollen that is world famous. The international renown of the Dresden Stollen Festival also confirms Dresden as the unmistakable capital of this German Christmas cake.

About Dresden’s Stollen Festival

The Dresden Stollen Festival takes place on the Saturday before the second Sunday in Advent and is very much a part of Dresden’s cultural calendar. It is one of the highlights of the Dresden Striezelmarkt (Christmas market) and more than 700,000 visitors come to enjoy the festivities each year. It seems that even travel companies are getting in on the act and offering special Dresden Stollen Festival tours.

The elements that make up the Dresden Stollen Festival include, the selection of a Stollen Maiden, the baking of the Giant Stollen, the Stollen procession and the slicing of the Stollen with the special Stollen knife.

The baking of the Giant Stollen is of course one of the highlights of the festival. Weighing between 3 to 4 tonnes, Dresden’s bakers and pastry chefs are in the Guinness Book of World Records for having baked the the largest stollen in 2000 – the Dresden Giant Stollen weighed 4.2 tonnes.

The other highlight of the Stollen Festival is the traditional procession of the Giant Stollen and Dresden bakers and pastry chefs across the city’s Old town. At a ceremony in the courtyard of the Zwinger Palace, the Stollen is unveilled and its weight announced. Following this, the horse-drawn wagon with the Giant Stollen and the festival convoy make their way through the Old Town towards the Striezelmarkt at the Altmarkt. Along the way, the procession passes important historic sights like the Semper Opera House, the Royal Palace, the Cathedral, the Fürstenzug (“Procession of Princes”), the Frauenkirche, the Coselpalais, the Albertinum, and the Bruehl Terrace.

At the Striezelmarkt, the Royal Master Baker takes his position and together with the Stollen Maiden, they perform the cake cutting ceremony. A special 1.20 metre-long silver-plated Dresden Stollen Knife is used for the first cut. The cake is then cut up into 500-gm portions and sold to festival visitors for 1 Stollenthaler. You buy your Stollenthalers at the Christmas market or at sales points along the procession. One Stollenthaler costs €4.00, so essentially your 500-gm piece of Stollen costs €4.00, which is really cheap.

Any town that has a Stollen Festival gets my vote and Dresden is another destination to add to the Christmas visits.

Brauhaus Sion, Cologne © Travel Signposts

For the people of Cologne, eating and drinking out is a very social occasion, therefore the venues tend to be loud and jovial rather than hushed and dignified. Cologne‘s famous brauhaus are like microcosms of the city‘s traditional but quirky hospitality.

Here are a few traditional places:

• Brauhaus Sion – has been in existence since 1511 (located on Unter Taschenmacher)
• Cölner Hofbräu Früh – This traditional brewery restaurant opens for breakfast.  (Located just behind the Heinzelmännchen fountain in Alter markt)
• Brauerei der Gebrüder Päffgen – very homey brewpub (located in Friesenstrasse)
• Brauhaus zur Malzmühle - dates from 1858 and was visited by Bill Clinton ten years ago.  Try their most popular beer  Mühlen Kölsch. (at the southern end of Heumarkt)
• Schreckenskammer - now over 500 years old and just as hospitable as ever (just opposite the Romanesque Church of St. Ursula)

About Cologne’s Brauhaus

Every Cologne brewhouse‘s raison d’être is its eminently quaffable Kölsch beer. The beer waiters – köbes - wear the traditional costume of the brewery hands of old and carry the Kölsch to the tables in special ‘crowns’. These are circular trays with a central handle specially designed for the Kölsch glasses – stangen - which hold only 20cl and are unique to Cologne.  Most beer waiters are real characters – quick witted and funny.

Special status is reserved for the zappes, the tapman who pours the beer from the pittermännchen, the particular type of barrel used for Kölsch. These are soon emptied, so the beer is always chilled and very fresh.

The food traditionally eaten with Kölsch can be described as hearty, down-to-earth, and more than a little idiosyncratic. Don’t be disappointed if you order Halve Hahn or Halber Hahn (translation: half a chicken) from the menu and you don’t get any chicken. Halve Hahn is actually a rye roll that’s been halved and topped with a thick slice of Gouda cheese and served with pickles and onions.

Lubeck's Famous Marzipan © Travel Signposts

Lübeck is famous for its marzipan and from the number of visitors and shoppers in the Niederegger Patisserie in Breite Strasse, it is evident that marzipan is much sought after by visitors to this historical town.

Marzipan has been popular in Europe since the 19th century.  The sweets are made from two-thirds sweet almonds imported from Venice and one-third sugar and aromatic oils.  The Persians referred to it as marsaban and in 1530 its name was recorded for the first time in Lübeck as Martzapaen.  Over two hundred and seventy years later, from 1806, the Niederegger Patisserie claims to have perfected the recipe. They established a patisserie on Breite Strasse which is an overwhelmingly successful business today.

Step into the Niederegger Patisserie and you can’t help but be tempted by the huge range of marzipan confectionery on display, from marzipan pralines to marzipan fruits, nougat and marzipan chocolate, etc.  The range is really quite amazing and the shop displays and decorations are magnificent.  You can buy bars of marzipan or presentation boxes of marzipan for gifts.

The shop was extremely busy and some shoppers, who had limited time, were making frantic grabs of marzipan so that they could get on the long queue to pay.  I was initially discouraged by the long queue but noticed that it moved quite quickly.

If you have time to spend in this marvellous shop you could check out all the different flavours before you buy.  For me it was a case of  grabbing few bars and gift boxes and making for the queue.  We tasted a little one after lunch and it was really delicious.  The almond paste is not sickly sweet as is the case with some of the cheaper brands.

If you’re visiting Lübeck, be sure to call into the Niederegger Patisserie to try some of this Lübeck treat.  Even if you’re not a fan of marzipan, it’s worthwhile stepping into the shop to have a look at the displays.