Tuesday, the 28th.After about 1pm, our plane landed on a beautiful, if not overcast, fall day in Ramstein, Germany. I kept pinching myself that we were really there. I got my first ever stamp in my passport. It was official. I was in Germany!
As we were waiting for our baggage, Jim pointed over my shoulder to Julie and both of us started dancing through the window at each other. Again, still pinching myself.
It didn't feel very German at first since we were on an Army post and everyone spoke English and used American dollars. But, Julie did treat me to my first pretzel and I was hooked.
So I would like to dedicate this post to all the pretzels I ate in the Deutschland.There were 8, in fact. I made it my goal to have one every day. For the sake of honestly, I did miss one day (Trier apparently doesn't sell pretzels??!!) but I had two the day before so I'll count it even.
I love German pretzels so much because even though they aren't always evenly salted, there's something salty in the dough that makes them just perfect. And Julie has a backarie (bakery) within walking distance of her home in Rodenbach. So I could have one just about whenever I wanted!
This picture needs a little explaining. It seemed that when I would order pretzels there was always some confusion as to how many I wanted. They would try to give me two and I never knew why. Until Jim was with me at one point and mentioned that in my excessive use of hand gestures to communicate, my one really looked like two. Because, in America, when we teach our kids 2, we make a peace sign. In Germany, they use their thumb and forefinger. (I know, it's weird that I stick my thumb out so much.) My bad.
This picture is another favorite because as we were all on our way to Belgium, I insisted on a quick stop at the backerie for my habit. I hopped out and returned with this mother of a pretzel. Heaven!I didn't take pictures of all of them, sadly. But if nothing else, you can see that I also enjoyed a love affair with my green scarf. I didn't mean to look the same in every single picture, but warm is warm, and so there you have it.
Now that I'm back in the States I have developed what we addicts like to call withdrawl. I even twitch and shake. But my new goal in life is to open a backerie of my own and make pretzels every day. How hard can it be?
8 comments:
Your one also looks like an L. When I first saw that picture I thought, "Why is she calling herself a loser? I'd have eaten 8 pretzels too if I had been there!!" :-)
I can totally relate. My pretzel addiction was started at St Joseph's Catholic school in 1964. Two girls would carry a laundry basket from classroom to classroom selling SOFT salted pretzels for 5c.
When my family went camping to Lancaster PA I didn't give a schmekt about quilts or antiques....GIVE ME A PA DUTCH SOFT PRETZEL!
I tried the mustard. I liked it. But I think I was a purist: hot, soft pretzels with steam coming out after a bite. Perfect.
I even looked for recipes (long before the internet) and experimented with making my own. This was my initiation into cooking at age 10 or so.
Anyway, I can relate! You should start a bakery in your new home town when you get there! You look Deutch. Call it "Stella's Pretzellas".
ooo, love it! stella's pretzella's! Have you ever made homemade? I remember doing that way back when I was little with my cousins, but haven't tried it since.
loving the play by play day by day of germany!
Think you look lovely in the green scarf, too!
Yep, I am SURE there is a market for a german bakery in El Paso....
Maybe it's time to start thinking about breakfast burritos!
we have pretzel shops everywhere here you know. And german restaurants. and german bakeries. when you come next week we will go get something nice!
i, myself am a pretzel addict! pretty much any pretzel i love... soft pretzels are a special treat. unfortunately, auntie anne's and whetzel pretzels are only i've tried. oh, except for the soft crab pretzel at bill bateman's, those are so yum!
You are adorable! And now I really want to try one of those pretzels. I love soft pretzels, but I have a feeling that I'm missing out on something better than what I've had in the past.
I thought you were making the loser sign as well! I would visit your bakery! I bet it would AWESOME!
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