FOODIE IN FLIP FLOPS

My best friend Danielle was visiting from St. Pete, Florida. Both of us have a mutual love of wine so we went to where the best Rieslings in the world are made. This was our first view of the Mosel when driving in. It was so beautiful, the views were amazing!!! We stayed in Bernkastel. It's a cute medieval German town directly on the Mosel. Narrow, winding cobblestones roads make this village so charming. The village was completely walkable with steep vineyards in every direction. There were lots of nice eateries with inviting outdoor tables. We took a 45 minute side trip to Trier. Trier was a grand Roman City second to Rome. This gate, Porta Negra, was built in the second century to ward off attackers. It is very well preserved and also offers beautiful views of Trier with its two impressive cathedrals. Inside the Porta Negra - it is hard to believe this was built over 2000 years ago. We had to get back to Bernkastel for our sc...

Cheese and charcuterie on wheels, Köln rocks!

A shout out to the owner of our dry cleaner who we have become very chatty with, it is wasn't for him we would be eating cans of tuna and microwave popcorn out of our cupboard. In Germany, Good Friday is considered a silent holiday. All the shops and grocery stores are closed, most people have the day off of work as well. Very few restaurants are open, but if they are no music can be played. Of course public transport is running, but the streets and parks are empty. The Germans celebrate Easter Sunday as well as Easter Monday. On Easter, the traditional meat served is lamb or chicken. In the evening, it common to build a bonfire with the Christmas trees that are saved for this occasion. The burning of the Christmas trees welcome spring. On Easter Monday, egg games take place and families take walks or go on hikes. Egg games include egg hunts and egg rolling. Egg rolling is pushing the eggs down a hill or moving them with a stick, and whoever finishes first wins. Leave it to the Ger...

Since moving to Köln Germany two weeks ago, we have frequented many Brauhaus's to try the different Kölsch beers. Kölsch beer is a Pale Pils and native to Köln. The beer is served in cute cylindrical glasses that are 6 and 3/4 oz. It is very refreshing, light, and easy to drink. They range from  €1,10- €1,90. It is cheaper to drink beer than to drink water!!!! There is no such thing as tap water in restaurants, it is all bottled water with gas or no gas. This is the beer from Bier Esel. They serve Sunner which is the oldest Kolsch in Koln and happens to be my favorite so far. Below is how they bring the beer to tables and they keep track of how many drinks you have by marking your coaster. The rounds keep coming until you put your coaster on top of your glass. At Paffgen Brauhaus it is your typical German beer hall, communal tables, dark wood and lots of meat offerings. We sat next to a German couple that were friendly and asked  them to suggest something off...