sprocket i/o

When Dallas first told me about Apfelwein (apple wine) being a traditional drink in Frankfurt, I dismissed it in my head as a tourist gimmick rather than a reality. Last night we tried this concoction for the first time. We both were expecting something like a sweet apple-flavored white wine.

When we tried the first glass, both of our faces had puckered lips that stated “WTF” without saying a word.

Dallas said that apfelwein was not her thing. It’s “blah sour”, not yummy cider, she said. I thought it tasted almost more like beer than wine. We both reluctantly sipped on what my coworkers refer to as “pure apfelwein” (undiluted). It wasn’t until a plate full of pork arrived that we both learned just how well it pairs with meat!

My colleagues mentioned to me today that it indeed is a typical drink here. They went on to describe that it can also be mixed with just about anything. Apfelwein commonly mixed half/half with water for a relaxing summer drink, or with lemonade for something sweeter. In a greater scope, I have found that the Germans will mix just about any drink:

• Coca-Cola and Red Wine
• Coca-cola and orange juice (commonly sold pre-mixed)
• Sparkling Water and Apple Juice (commonly sold pre-mixed)
• Coca-cola and Beer (“Diesel”)

Today, they took me out to Apfelwein-Dax, a restaurant popular with the locals. I tried the apfelwein and water mix, and found it to be quite refreshing. I don’t think I will be seeking it out in stores anytime soon, but it was nice to try something local. I also tried another Frankfurt specialty, Schnitzel with “Grün Soße” (green sauce), but found the sauce to be everything that I don’t want to come anywhere near my meat.

Dallas and I both enjoyed Frankfurt quite a bit, and although it is not a fantastic tourist destination, it seems like a really great place to live. In the morning, we make the 600km ride to Berlin!

Did you know that there are two cities named Frankfurt in Germany? I did not know either until I tried to reserve a hotel room. This is Frankfurt am Main, the larger of the two cities, named after the river that runs through it:

Germany, and especially Frankfurt, reminds me more of the United States than anywhere else in Europe. Like Portland (Oregon), Frankfurt has a distinct balance of fast-food chains and health-food stores, bars and green spaces, cars and bicycles. The style and quality of both beer and food is pretty similar between the two as well. The cuisine emphasizes meat and potatoes, and is often fried. The beer here seems to also favor quantity over quality.

My experience here has been an interesting contrast to Bruxelles as well. Whereas the Belgians try to introduce inefficiency in every step, the Germans try to banish it. I see this constant contrast not only in taking the subway system, but also in the dining experience. After my battle with the ticket dispenser for the public transit system here, I also think the Germans try to introduce complexity wherever simplicity is possible. This completely explains BMW motorcycles.

Lowlight of the day: Dropping a 50-cent piece into a pile of wet pigeon feces, and having to retrieve it to satisfy an exact change requirement.

So, we made it through our first day! We left home around 09:30 this morning, and arrived in Frankfurt around 20:00. I think the highlight was wandering down the Rhein river from Boppen to Bingen, where we saw a dozen castles without even trying! My favorite however was the Burg Eltz, which we did go out of our way a few km to go see:

Tomorrow I have to work, so don’t expect anything too thrilling. Cheers!

Earlier this week I got permission to go on a bit of an adventure for work, visiting 4 of the EU offices I support: Frankfurt, Berlin, Budapest, and Munich. Everything is pretty dead quiet around Brussels as everyone is on vacation, so we figured we’d just go and do this trip now — leaving this morning:

There are an awful lot of cool things to stop off and visit in between cities, so we’re dedicating the next 3 weeks to wandering around Europe. Surprising to myself, we have managed to pack up everything into just the luggage that came with the motorbike: two laptops, 2 SLR’s, books, games, first aid kit, and a weeks worth of clothes. We should be staying in hotels with internet access, so I hope to post some photos soon.

Looking outside of the window, it’s going to be a rainy start! See you in Frankfurt!