Germerican Denglish

12:00. That’s what time we woke up on our first full day in Germany. And I’m not talking about waking up 20 times and going back to sleep. No, no. I slept like a rock and only opened my eyes a couple of times as I rolled over. To tell you the truth I would have slept even longer if my wife hadn’t woke me up.

Oh the pleasures that awaited me once I was up though, Maasdamer cheese and Schwarzwälderschinken (smoked pork that is thinly sliced). There are many European cheeses available in America, but so far we haven’t found any Maasdamer which is a real shame. I’d you like very flavorful cheese without having to get your fingers stinky or moldy, then Maasdamer is the way to go. And Schwarzwälderschinken, there just isn’t a substitute for that. Literally translated it means Black Forest Ham, but what they sell in the States under that name isn’t even in the same ballpark. And even if it is smoked, the real stuff isn’t cooked so the American ham is just a poor imposter. Now they do sell Prosciutto in Boise and it will do in a pinch, but the Italians just don’t make it as well as the Deutsche.

After a nice afternoon of coffee and crossword puzzles with my father-in-law, we set off for a nice family dinner in our favorite neighborhood restaurant, Zum Alten Brauhaus.

We have been regulars for years and I think it is one of Trier’s hidden gems, but it had changed hands since our last visit so we were very curious how it had changed. The first impression was excellent though as they had remodeled from a “good old reliable neighborhood restaurant” look to a very chic, modern style. Before we could get an impression from the food though, we were first astounded from the sheer size of the monster schnitzel that was served to us….
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Absolutely the largest schnitzel I have ever seen, ever. But man was it delicious, and I ate every last bite. I was a little worried that they would have to roll me home, but we stayed long enough that I was still able to walk back to the house.

Once back at my father-in-law’s house it was time to watch some football. I’m not sure if you are aware, but this year they started showing regular season NFL games in Germany. All in all the coverage isn’t too bad. I have to admit that after watching half of a Super Bowl in German TV a few years ago where the commentator called every catch a touchdown, I was a little skeptical. There were still some mistakes, which is to be expected, but they’ll get better.
So, after a little trouble going to sleep thanks to jet lag, day 1 was in the books. Bis später!