May and June Revisited

Edging into summer was the best part of the year. The weather was more than agreeable and, we would later realize, the warmest it would get because the middle of summer brought yet more rain. We enjoyed all there was to offer during this season including eating outside, many an asparagus dish, and I even fit in an impromptu trip to Amsterdam because Christina's brother was studying there. It seems the only surefire cure for spring-fever is to get out there and enjoy it!

In the Checkpoint Charlie Museum in Berlin, the most interesting exhibits were the ones displaying feats of human ingenuity in crossing from East to West Germany. Here is one of our favorites with two suitcases placed side-by-side inside a train to allow for a woman to fit, albeit snugly, inside.

A strange touristy Checkpoint Charlie moment occurs.

Our first time staying in a hostel in Berlin was an amazing one. Check out our Bug's Life themed room!

Somebody got a little too creative with the pipes and gold paint though.

The Zucker Fee, or The Sugar Fairy, was quite the find!

This restaurant and cafe offers an amazing assortment of sweet treats, beverages, and food made from scratch.

Housemade chocolate marshmallow kisses, cakes, and chocolate truffles.

We started off with a round of Cafe Cortado Leche y Leche, which is a layered coffee consisting of sweet condensed milk, strong espresso, warm milk and then a creamy milk foam top. There are also an amazing homemade hot chocolate and latte macchiato in the mix.

Now THAT is what I call a proper brunch! Pancakes, assorted cheese and fresh homemade baked goods, toast with homemade jam, soft boiled egg, and exotic fruits arrive in a pretty tiered tray.

As you can see I'm kind of in shock.

I ordered their special on the menu of tropical coconut french toast with pineapple sauce.

My french toast, along with a side of chives scrambled eggs and two orders of the Cafe Cortado cost me around €9. Insane!

That night we had a feast of authentic Indian fare!

We're wiiiiiild about Berlin!

Munchies in Amsterdam were met with a stop at a Chinese bbq pork sandwich shop that made little sandwiches which tasted almost exactly like the sweet bbq pork bao buns I so miss!

Amsterdam at night.

In the middle of the Museumplein area.

Amsterdam is hipster sensibility mixed with old world charm.

The house-boating life without the stuffy mentality.

Hands down the best pancake restaurant I've ever been to this side of the Atlantic.

Tim's pancake has mint sorbet and grapes with chocolate on it. Craziest combo I've ever seen.

Banana's Foster pancake.

View from the top of the Pancake Bakery.

The canals

Walking off breakfast.

At three feet across, who says size doesn't matter?

This city was made for strolling.

One of many historic alleyways with the ever notorious coffee shops.

My first bagel in Europe--they're starting to get really popular over here--and it was beyond amazing. Local camembert-like goat cheese with roasted walnuts and honey...

and a 'bacon' and goat cheese version with toasted pine nuts. Creative and gooey delicious!

Back at home again, we celebrate our niece, Mia's, 1st birthday.

I remember having one of these!

I was thrilled to see her immediately hug my present when she opened it. An organic cotton bunny with a self crocheted scarf for the bunny and a matching scarf for Mia.

My heart is melting!

Germany's answer to the live action spider musical.

It's asparagus season and the Germans go craaaazy! There are asparagus dishes offered everywhere but this one stood out from the rest. White asparagus soup and green asparagus ravioli's with a white asparagus cream sauce taste like the essence of spring.

I do my own version of gnocchi in a lemon basil cream sauce with green asparagus and a dill cucumber salad.

We go French the next evening and do a cheese plate with a refreshing apple green salad.

One warm weekend found us hiking in the Deister, the local woodland area of Hannover. Truffles is tuckered out after the first twenty minutes.

Mario picked me a pretty little spring bouquet of typical woodland flowers.

The Masala festival brought to Hannover the flavors and music of Africa. Fried plantains, a lamb stew along with messy rice and a fried donut-like pastry dipped in a sweet syrup.

Truffles makes friends with a fellow Masala festival goer.

The prettiest authentic offering of sushi we've gotten in Hannover, of course from the beloved Sushi-Do.

In Linden, the alternative bohemian quarter of Hannover, you can find all the coolest small businesses, restaurants and shops popping up. Here is one we stumbled upon one day called the Süß Kraemerey. One to watch, they sell home-made caramels and to-die-for nougats.

Loving the antique appeal of the decor.

You can buy nougat by the slice or the whole thing at one go.

Little teaser to-go bags of treats.

Flowers in bloom in Linden.

The appetizer platter at Zorba's, our favorite Greek restaurant.

A going away get-together for our dear friend Riti at his and our favorite Greek restaurant. A co-ambassador for Greece, poor Riti has lived in Hannover on and off for a few years but got called back to stay in Greece indefinitely because of the crisis. With a pay cut.

Discounted dirndls at the local TJ Maxx equivalent store.

I order something that I and Mario thought was something else, and got something entirely different.

Good although not what I was in the mood for, this big cold cut in aspic would be terrific in warmer weather. Too bad it was chilly and rainy that day. Oh well, the pan fried potatoes with pancetta bits was out of this world!

Katydid at the animal garden in Hannover.

Deer get to roam free, but never within petting reach!

It's tempting to try to get closer, isn't it?

The wild pigs need fences because they can be quite temperamental! However, that doesn't stop people from treating them to dry pasta! Catch the corresponding video on my You Tube page.

Popping plants! Who needs bubble wrap.

Jenneke's birthday brunch spread.

A bunch of baby ladybugs from a bouquet I picked ended up morphing into their adult selves and I set them free from our window.

Marylouise visits!

A Sunday brunch with Mario's family in our then still unfinished apartment.

The Hannover is Fantastic Festival--no joke!--brings one Michelin Star restaurant La Forge to town with a food tent. I try their venison medallions with chanterelle mushrooms and the best knödel I've ever eaten. I normally don't like knödel, which is basically a big giant flour gnocchi.

Mario goes for something a little lighter by ordering their foie gras melon terrine. Both dishes are pretty fantastic, Hannover!

I was so surprised by this southern German dish, unappetizingly called a germknödel. It's basically steamed bread dough with a plum preserves filling covered with vanilla poppy seed sauce, but the bun is exactly like a Chinese bao!