Horumersiel-Schillig, Germany ****

Horumersiel-Schillig with an annual 1.2 million overnight guests is one of the most popular holiday resorts in Germany. This is certainly also due to its special geographical situation as a peninsular, which bestows on today's North Sea Health Resort not only a bracing climate similar to that of the East Friesia Islands, but also a length of beach far from common in the region. Here, as long ago as 1860, at a time when in other parts of Germany tourism was unheard of, the first official bathing beach was opened.  To this day the region has maintained this tradition.adition. The typical Friesian hospitality, coupled with the most up-to-date facilities, around 6,000 guest beds of all categories and one of the largest camp sites in Germany all contribute to the resort's huge popularity. Families with children in particular feel very much at home in Horumersiel-Schillig, which has won several awards in the National Family Holiday Contest, and count frequently among the regular visitors.

Source: wangerland.de

Leberkase (Leberkäse) ***

Leberkäse is a traditional German food made from mixed ground meats baked into a loaf. Essentially, Leberkäse is the German version of meatloaf, featuring traditionally German ingredients, including liver and pork. Some German restaurants offer this delicacy on their menus, as do German butchers, and it can also be made at home and ordered from specialty companies that supply various European food treats.

In German, “Leberkäse” literally means “liver cheese.” One could suppose that the name is a reference to the fact that Leberkäse contains liver and that it can be used sort of like a cheese, but more likely, the term comes from a Middle High German word meaning “loaf.” You can also see Leberkäse spelled as Leberkase or Leberkass.

Austria and Switzerland also serve Leberkäse, reflecting the cultural exchange in this region of Europe, and some regions have their own special Leberkäse recipe, turning it into a local delicacy. In Bavaria, for example, Leberkäse contains no liver at all, only corned beef and bacon, while other producers include veal liver, other pork products, veal itself, and a variety of other meats. Onions are typically included in Leberkäse as well.

To make Leberkäse, cooks grind the meats they are using together with the onions to create a uniform blend, and then pack the ingredients into a loaf pan for baking. The Leberkäse is baked until it develops a crispy crust, with the outside remaining tender and pink. Leberkäse can be served hot, or eaten cold in a variety of ways. Leberkäse sandwiches with mustard, for example, are very popular in Berlin, and some people also like to pan-fry this food as a snack.

Culinary historians believe that Leberkäse dates to the mid-1700s, although it is hard to pin down precise information about its origins. Like other meatloaves, Leberkäse was undoubtedly developed as a way to use up scrap meats efficiently. Making Leberkäse would also be less expensive than using high-quality cuts of meat for roasts, making meat accessible to people in the lower classes who could not afford it otherwise. The dish may also be related to sausages, dishes made from ground meats packed into casings.

In regions where Leberkäse includes liver, the dish may not be to everyone's taste. Liver has a very distinctive flavor which some people find too intense. For people who want to explore Leberkäse without encountering liver, Bavarian-style Leberkäse is highly recommended, as it usually does not contain liver.

Source:wiseGeek

Quiche ****

In French cuisine, a quiche (English pronunciation: /ˈkiːʃ/) is a baked dish that is based on a custard made from eggs and milk or cream in a pastry crust. Usually, the pastry shell is blind baked before the other ingredients are added for a secondary baking period. Other ingredients such as cooked chopped meat, vegetables, or cheese are often added to the egg mixture before the quiche is baked. Quiche is generally an open pie (i.e. does not contain a pastry covering), but may include an arrangement of tomato slices or pastry off-cuts for a decorative finish.

Although quiche is now a classic dish of French cuisine, quiche actually originated in Germany, in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, under German rule, and which the French later renamed Lorraine. The word ‘quiche’ is from the German ‘Kuchen’, meaning cake.^[1] The Lorraine Franconian dialect of the German language historically spoken in much of the region, where German Kuchen, "cake", was altered first to "küche". Typical Alemannic changes unrounded the ü and shifted the palatal "ch" to the spirant "sh", resulting in "kische", which in standard French orthography became spelled "quiche."^[2]

To this day, there is a minor German influence on the cuisine of the Lorraine region. The origin of Quiche Lorraine is rural and the original Quiche Lorraine had a rustic flair: it was cooked in a cast-iron pan and the pastry edges were not crimped. Today, Quiche Lorraine is served throughout France and has a modern look with a crimped pastry crust. Consumption of Quiche Lorraine is most prevalent in the southern regions of France, where the warm climate lends itself to lighter fare. The current version of Quiche Lorraine served in France does include cheese:either Emmental or Gruyère. Unlike the version served in the United States, the bacon is cubed, no onions are added and the custard base is thicker.^[4] 

 ^{Source:Wikipedia}

^{Yummy: Recipe} 

Straße der Megalithkultur, Lower-Saxony, Germany ****

You will find them almost everywhere in Northern Germany: megalithic stone graves, colossi weighing tons from a past time. These 4000-5000 year old structures from the Neolithic lie in a belt, which stretches from the east of the Netherlands, over Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxonia-Anhalt. According to the researchers, these 1000 stone graves are said to have served as burial or bone storage places for whole clans.

Archaeologists frequently find pottery from the Beaker culture, stone axes, arrowheads, amber disks and beads. Human remains are only rarely found, and allegedly never complete skeletons. Some theories about the dead cult of the Neolithic age assume that the bones of humans in these stone graves were arranged, into separate groups of long bones and skulls. Many researchers have come to the conclusion, therefore, that the dead bodies were first exposed on frames, trees or even on the ground until their flesh was completely decayed suspended. The remains of the skeleton were later placed within the grave chambers.

The megalithic graves in Germany were built mainly from granite foundlings (erratics) from the last ice age, which were shifted by the ice masses from Sweden and Finland to Northern Germany.

The main part of the structure is an even chamber comprising two 'yokes' set in an east-west direction (a yoke = 2 wallstones and a capstone) and two smaller end stones. The soil of the burial chamber was paved with small foundling-fragments and boulders and the large joints between the wall and capstones were filled with drystone walling. The entrance of the "Emslaendischen Kammer" lies to the south. The entire construction was covered by the designers with a mound of earth which was ringed at the base with an oval stone setting to prevent the earth from slipping down.

In the past humans were unable to explain how these large and heavy stones were moved and stacked one above the other, leading to speculation that they had been created by giants. For this reason these structures or 'foundlings' were given names such as "Hünensteine", "Hünengräber" or Hünenbetten Definition (Hüne means giant) - Giant's Stones, Giant's Graves, Giant's Beds.

Unfortunately there are now only few constructions remaining intact. Many prehistoric sites were banished during the course of Christianisation as being pagan and devilish. Therefore another name commonly used to describe these megalitic constructions, is "Devil's Stones". Some of the stone blocks were also taken in the past and used for building material in roads and houses.

There is a legend surrounding one site known as the Karlstones (Charlemagne) in Osnabrück:

Emperor Karl had defeated those Saxons. In the Ohne (grove) the Germanic pagans had a large sacrificial offering place. It consisted of a powerful flagstone. However all effort to destroy this place with fire and iron remained unsuccessful. When emperor Karl heard that the Germanic leader, Duke Widukind, was concentrating a new army, he lost all his courage, abandoned the stone and decided to take off with the army. Seven brothers told him to trust God's assistance. Opposite the pagan victim stone they established the first Christian altar in our area. There they knelt down and prayed to God for assistance. Emperor Karl however had lost all hope and said, whilst striking the victim stone: as do not know how to break this stone, I also knowthat the neck of the Saxons will not bend! He had hardly spoken these words when the flagston esplit into three pieces. All regarded this as an indication from heaven and they trusted God that he would not abandon his servants in the fight.

Suentelstein near Osnabreuck Other megalithic structures include the Süntelstein (Suentelstone) near Osnabrueck which is a 4m high stone, a so-called menhir. It is likely that there was a stone circle around the Suentelstone in earlier times, but its meaning is now unclear. Legend has it that this stone was rammed into the soil by the devil, after it had tried to block the entrance to the church of the neighbouring village Venne.

Source: stonepages.de

Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany ***

 PhotoCredit©DirkHartung

Düsseldorf (German pronunciation: [ˈdʏsəldɔɐf]) is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and center of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.  It is an important international business and financial centre and also renowned for its fashion and trade fairs^[2][3].

Even though only among the ten most populous cities in Germany by population within city limits, Düsseldorf ranks as one of the country's five global cities.  As a city by the River Rhine, Düsseldorf is a stronghold for Rhenish carnival celebrations. Every year in July more than 4.5 million people visit the city's Größte Kirmes am Rhein funfair.

Source:Wikipedia

Hotels in Düsseldorf:

I love Düsseldorf:

Staufen im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ****

The city of Staufen im Breisgau lies in the Land district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald (Breisgau-Upper Black Forest) in the German State of Baden-Württemberg. It has approximately 7700 inhabitants and forms, together with the community of Münstertal, a community administrative unit.^[1]  It is noted in history and culture for its association with Dr Faustus who, according to legend, sold his soul to the Devil at an inn here.

Source: Wikipedia

Staying close to the beautiful wine yard town:

A little bits and bites of Staufen:

Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany *****

The Hanseatic City of Lübeck (pronounced [ˈlyːbɛk]  ( listen), older [ˈlyːbeːk]) is the second largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League ("Queen of the Hanse") and because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage is on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. In 2005 it had a population of 213,983.

Situated at the Trave River, Lübeck is the largest German port on the Baltic Sea. The old part of the town is an island enclosed by the Trave. The Elbe-Lübeck Canal connects the Trave with the Elbe River. Another important river near the town centre is the Wakenitz. Autobahn 1 connects Lübeck with Hamburg and Denmark (Vogelfluglinie). The borough Travemünde is a sea resort and ferry port at the coast of the Baltic Sea.

Source: Wikipedia

Hotels in Lübeck:

Lübecker stuffs, yummies, recommended:

Berlin, Germany ****

Berlin is the capital city and one of 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union. Located in northeastern Germany, it is the center of the Berlin-Brandenburg Metropolitan Area, comprising 5 million people from over 190 nations. Geographically embedded in the European Plains, Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. Around one third of the city's territory is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes.

First documented in the 13th century, Berlin was successively the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918), the German Empire (1871–1918), the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) and the Third Reich (1933–1945). During the 1920s, Berlin was the third largest municipality in the world.^[6] After World War II, the city was divided; East Berlin became the capital of East Germany while West Berlin became a de facto West German exclave, surrounded by the Berlin Wall (1961–1989). Following German reunification in 1990, the city regained its status as the capital of all Germany hosting 147 foreign embassies.

Berlin is a major center of culture, politics, media, and science in Europe. Its economy is primarily based on the service sector, encompassing a diverse range of creative industries, media corporations, congress and convention venues. Berlin serves as a continental hub for air and rail transport, and is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the EU. Other industries include optoelectronics, traffic engineering, IT, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering, and biotechnology.

The metropolis is home to world-renowned universities, research institutes, sporting events, orchestras, museums and personalities. The urban and historical legacy has made it a popular setting for international film productions.^[17] The city is recognized for its festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts, extensive public transportation networks and a high quality of living.^[18] Berlin has evolved into a global focal point for young individuals and artists attracted by a liberal lifestyle and modern zeitgeist.

Source: Wikipedia

Hotels in Berlin:

Berlin has ...