wine

Wine Tasting at the 600th Annual Dürkheimer Wurstmarkt

Wine Tasting at the 600th Annual Dürkheimer Wurstmarkt

Last year on a trip to the Pfalz with a friend, we passed by what looked to be a giant fairgrounds. A quick Google search told us we'd seen -- and missed -- the Dürkheimer Wurstmarkt, purportedly the largest wine festival in the world. Set on making sure we wouldn't miss the festival again, my friend booked us a hotel for the next one.

And so, on the weekend of September 16th, we hopped on a train out of Stuttgart headed for Freinsheim in the heart of the Palfz to start our weekend experience at the Dürkheimer Wurstmarkt...

A Hike Through the Vineyards at the Obertürkheimer Weinwandertag

A Hike Through the Vineyards at the Obertürkheimer Weinwandertag

We were inspired by the warm, sunny weather last weekend to get out and enjoy the hills around Stuttgart. Weinmanufaktur Untertürkheim was having their annual Weinwandertag (wine walk day) on May 5th this year, which also happened to be  Himmelfahrt (Ascension Day) and thus a public holiday (i.e. no work). 

We hopped on the S-bahn to take the 15-minute ride to Obertürkheim and arrived around 13:00. Though the walk had only started at 11:00, the area was already packed, and we had no trouble finding our way to the beginning of the walk by following the sea of people in comfortable hiking shoes and day packs headed up the hill...

Exploring Italy By Train, Foot, and Stomach: Florence

Exploring Italy By Train, Foot, and Stomach: Florence

In my last post, I wrote about our trip from Milan to the Cinque Terre and our hike through the five villages. We had a really wonderful time on the coast, though I was looking forward to seeing Florence for the first time, a city that many of my friends and family members say is their favorite in Italy. 

We got to Florence late on Tuesday night with just enough time for a quick bite at a local restaurant before bed...

Exploring Italy By Train, Foot, and Stomach: Cinque Terre

Exploring Italy By Train, Foot, and Stomach: Cinque Terre

It's been a while since our last trip to Seattle, so I decided it was time to pull out our passports and head to someplace new over Easter weekend. Our destination? Italy! Though Matt and I went to Rome for a day on our honeymoon, we haven't made it back since, which is surprising given that Germany really isn't that far and we've already lived here for four years now. Most of all, we decided this trip would be a great opportunity to explore all of the Italian cuisine that we've been missing...

A World of Tastes at the Markt des Guten Geschmacks 2016

A World of Tastes at the Markt des Guten Geschmacks 2016

Every year at the Messe (meaning fairgrounds), the Markt des Guten Geschmacks (the market of good tastes) comes to town. I've somehow missed it the last couple of years, and so even though we've had a really busy week having just come back from our vacation in Italy (a post on that is coming soon!), I decided that I just couldn't miss this event again. 

The Markt des Guten Geschmacks is part of the Slow Food movement that began with Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1986. The group advocates for regional, sustainable, and artisanal foods, and local chapters organize events like this one all over the world. Germany's own chapter was founded in 1992, and they've since worked to promote the slow food philosophy at events around Germany...

Homemade Maultaschen and a Festival Devoted to Chocolate in Tübingen

Homemade Maultaschen and a Festival Devoted to Chocolate in Tübingen

This past weekend we took a trip south to Tübingen. Our goal was twofold: to eat some delicious Swabian Maultaschen and to check out the Chocolate Festival for the first time. While it can usually take over an hour to get there by train from downtown Stuttgart, we were lucky to have a friend with a car who was willing to drive our small party.

We set out early(ish) on Saturday and zipped along the Autobahn. Just 45 minutes later, we made it to our destination. The town was absolutely packed for the chocolate festival, and though we hadn't planned on having to drive around for 20 minutes to find a parking spot, I'm glad we arrived early. We parked the car at at a garage near the center of town, and walked the quick 15 minutes through the old town to Hotel am Schloss next to the castle. We were scheduled to have lunch there, at Restaurant Mauganeschtle, at noon...

Recap: Savoring American Cuisine in Seattle, Part 1

Recap: Savoring American Cuisine in Seattle, Part 1

We just got back from a whirlwind week in Seattle full of family, friends, and food. Though as my sister-in-law joked before we got there, we mostly based our plans around food. That probably explains why I'm still feeling full and why I'm really, really missing seafood right now. All that aside, we had a fabulous time visiting our family and getting to know a new city (and for me, a new coast!). 

Before I launch into our activities and meals, I want to mention a few general thoughts...