Central Europe: Food Compilation!

Alright, so the title is a bit of a misnomer. For the first few weeks, I ate the sort of food that could barely be called “central Europe”. Like doner kebaps, train station couscous (albeit really delicious!), and grocery store sushi. Yeah. I went there.  If I can remember correctly, it wasn’t until week two or three that I walked into a restaurant and made a conscious effort to try local dishes. This was the time I mustered up the courage to walk into a restaurant and order food in some strange language I didn’t know. And then consequently sit there eating alone feeling kind of like a loser. I got over that by the end though… but, I digress.

These are my food thoughts, by country, chronological order:

Germany

Bottom line of German food: meat. Especially sausages. Nearly every area I went had its own sausage specialty: for Berlin, it was currywurst (sliced up sausage smothered in curry sauce); the state of Thuringen had their ridiculously long rostbratwurst; and Munich had weisswurst (white wurst) served in their traditional breakfast. Along with beer. They all have their special place in my heart, though currywurst the most so because the stuff was found everywhere (at anytime!), and served as a surprisingly good catalyst for getting to know people. It’s true!

I wasn’t sure what the sausage specialty was for Dresden, though (does it even have one?); I feel that is one more reason to get my butt back there.

Last meal in Berlin: currywurst from the Hauptbahnhof

A Thuringen rostbratwurst, from Weimar

This stand claims the best weisswurst in Munich – but, since it’s highly perishable, it’s not served after noon! We had some bratwurst instead (below).

Czech Republic

Alas, I didn’t have a camera on me on this night, so you’re just going to have to believe me when I say that I had a massive 1-something-kilo pig knuckle for dinner at a Czech restaurant in Olomouc. It was served with freshly cut horseradish and a stack of whole pickles, so you know this thing means business. I shared it another girl from the hostel, but in the end, it was the skinny guy from Dresden who finished it off for us. On our bewilderment, he just said, “I’m German! What do you expect?”.

Yep, this looks about right. (Photo source is at the clickthrough)

Other than vast quantities of meat, we also had some traditional stinky Olomouc cheese. All I can remember about the flavour of it was that it felt like your tongue getting a tap dance from a little man wearing soccer cleats and whacking at the roof of your mouth with nunchucks. I don’t think it stunk as much as it kind of took over your whole oral cavity.

Also: Czech beer at bars is as cheap as water. That is all.

Planning Where to Go

One of the most challenging parts of planning an extended trip is trying to figure out where to go – especially when I haven’t done this sort of thing before! The impulsive part of me wants to see and do as much as possible, but the rational side knows that I have to leave time to explore each place and account for inevitable travel delays.

With that in mind, below is the short list of really-want-to-see places for my upcoming trip. It’s a work in progress, but this gives the general idea!

The Short List

Berlin, Germany: You ever have one of those places you’ve always wanted to go, but don’t really know why? This is Berlin for ya.

Wrocław and Kraków, Poland: I have met some very Polish people in my lifetime, and their rampant enthusiasm for the homeland is hard to shrug off. I’ve been told that Krakow is the crowning glory of modern Poland, and probably for good reason; I’ll just have to go there and see! To round off the country, a visit to the city of Wrocław (pronounced vrOTS-waf, apparently… make note when buying train tickets), and if I have time, the resort town of Zakopane, is also likely in high order.

The railroad leading to Auschwitz, near Krakow

Vienna and Salzburg, Austria: Vienna to stay with a friend and her family (Danke!), and Salzburg, because we are both Sound of Music fans! Other than viewing the architecture though, I’m not sure what else I’ll end up doing in these two cities.

Sarajevo and Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina: I have always wanted go whitewater rafting, and with five or so stunning rivers cutting through this heart-shaped nation, Bosnia & Hercegovina is the no-brainer place to do it. Also, the history of this country is fascinating, to say the least. Also, my like little blurb about Berlin: there are other places to rafting, or see history… but I just want to go here. So I will.

Sarajevo, in particular, is a city that offers a little bit of everything in terms of European history: it started off as a settlement by the Ottomans, was taken over by Austria-Hungary, became engulfed in the former Yugoslavia, was the site of the assassination that triggered WWI, and, only less than two decades ago, was subject the most gut-wrenching war in Europe since WWII. The end result is a melting pot of architecture, culture, and religion – and I haven’t even started with Mostar yet! And of course, there’s no overlooking the natural beauty of this country.

The beautiful waterfall in Jajce, BiH, near Sarajevo

Dubrovnik, Croatia: Dubrovnik is an ancient Roman city in Croatia surrounded by creamy white walls and the crystal-blue Mediterranean. Lying on the southern end of the country, the lack of railway lines leading to this “Jewel of the Adriatic” doesn’t stop tourists to visit by the masses every year. Add another one to the list! I think a bout of sea kayaking is probably in order, too… I’ve always wanted to kayak…!

Dubrovnik: not called the "Pearl of the Adriatic" for nothing.

Plitvice Lakes, Croatia: On the way between Vienna and Sarajevo lies Plitvice Lakes, a national park located a couple of hundred kilometres south of Zagreb, Croatia. If I have to miss out on the exploring the Dalmatian Coast, then I’m going to try to see as much of the “other” side of Croatia’s natural beauty as possible. I think the photo below says it all:

Plitvice Lakes National Park

Kotor and Cetinje, Montenegro: Whether I will make it to this country depends on the time, but it’s hard to resist the dramatic coastlines and unique mish-mash of history in this part of the Balkans. The town of Budva might be a stop as well, except for the likenesses of it being the “Balkan Miami”; that doesn’t really conjure up pleasant images. Still, it’s opportunity that’s off the beaten path, and something to pounce on if I can.

The problem with this list is that the cities aren’t really connected to one another in a coherent way. I will likely have to add Zagreb, Budapest, and/or Prague, as well as other little stops along the way. The hardest part isn’t choosing where to go, but connecting the dots.

Still, being worked up about it won’t be productive to anyone. As one of my favourite songs points out, “And it came to me then: that every plan is a tiny prayer to Father Time.”

If only we had all the time in the world!

Sun, moon, stars, rain.