Trier, Deutschland

Hello again! How are you all doing? I'm going to be telling you all about Trier this time. It is a very old city, Roman in origin, and even has the oldest intact Roman gate, the Porta Nigra. Here is a photo of it:

It's really big, isn't it. There was even a church in it at one point. Originally there were four gates around the city, one at East, one at West, one at North, and one at South. This is the only one left because the others were dismantled to use the parts for other building purposes.

Our first night in Trier we ate at Walderdorff's near the cathedral. The first course was this lovely tomato soup with roasted potatoes and courgettes on top. It was incredibly thick with nice chunks of tomatoes in it. This was definitely not Campbell's tomato soup out of the can! Delicious!

The main course was a pasta and vegetable dish that these European restaurants seem so fond of. It was alright, but a little olive-ey for my taste. The noodles were also a bit soft, definitely not al dente. The sauce was tomato-based, which considering that we had tomato soup for the first course wasn't exactly ideal.

For dessert I had this fruit bowl. Everyone else had apple crumble, which if it was vegan, I would have obviously preferred. The fruit was alright, but it seemed as though it had been soaking in some sort of acidic solution for a while. Oh well, at least there was some dessert!

The next day for lunch I had a falafel pitta with chips from a kebab house in one of the main squares of Trier near our hostel. It was pretty good, but obviously not the best I've ever had - that would be Maoz falafel!

We had a free day and went walking around some of the Roman ruins, and Heidi was kind enough to take this photo of me on this old Roman ruin. It is just unbelievable how old these ruins are!

We also visited Luxembourg during our time staying in Trier, and for lunch one day Heidi and I went to a pub in Diekirch. Guess what? They had Strongbow!!! It really made me feel like I was back in London...sort of.

We also visited Vianden, Luxembourg to see Vianden Castle. We had quite a bit of free time after we saw the castle, so we sat around, walked a bit, and ate some food. Here's a bar that I bought at a health food store in Trier. It was Banana-Almond flavour, and rather tasty.

As you can tell if you've ever had a Larabar, it looks a lot like it on the inside. It was similar, but with a drier texture and a thinner size. I still prefer Larabars!

In Vianden we also went to a cafe/restaurant for a bit to warm up as the weather was getting a bit cooler. I ordered an Earl Grey tea and it came served in that huge teapot on the background with a Bavarian china cup and saucer. It was extremely tasty and very cute! The cafe also had free WiFi, which was a bonus since our hostel in Trier had none!





Well, that's all for Germany folks - next stop Belgium!

Strasbourg, République française

So, the second stop on our European tour was in Strasbourg, France which is in the province of Alsace. The Alsatian region has been switching between Germany and France for many years, but is currently part of France. During our stay in Strasbourg we lived in a château, which was wonderful for many reasons: it was beautiful, had a kitchen (!!!!!), and had free wireless internet! Our first night there, we had dinner at a wonderful little French restaurant that was very close to our château. Once again our wonderful guide, Nicola, was able to get me a vegan meal!

The first course was a beautiful vegetable salad with a  mustard vinaigrette on top. The vegetables were fresh, flavourful, and crisp. After not having a plate of veggies for a while this was a welcome dish!

The main was pasta with a tomato sauce and green beans on the side. The sauce was flavourful and complex, but the pasta and green beans were rather boring. I think that I actually enjoyed the salad more than this, but I was happy to have it anyways.

Here was the dessert: a chocolate cake. I was assured by the staff that it was vegan and it was very tasty, but I was a little suspicious that it 'just happened to be vegan.' I guess we will never know and I will just have to be satisfied with that.

We visited a castle while in Strasbourg and I couldn't help but laugh at the toilets that are visible from outside the castle. Since there was no plumbing, the toilets were simply extensions from the outer wall of the castle that had openings to the outside. Whatever went into the toilet went out onto the ground. I hope nobody was standing there when somebody used the toilet...gross. I should get a toilet like that and position my enemies below it! Good plan, right?

After we saw the castle, we visited the town of Obernai for lunch. There really weren't many options, but I did find these pretzels. I do love me some salty, chewy bread!

I also had this bar to eat. I bought it at Vx before I left London and happened to have it with me - thank goodness!

Here's a photo of it on the inside. It was apple cinnamon flavour and was filled with nuts. I really liked it and it reminded me of a Larabar - if you're American, you probably know what I'm talking about. 

We also visited the Struthof that day. It was one of the Nazi concentration camps during WWII. The only photo that I thought was appropriate for the blog was this one of a monument that was built there, but as you can imagine it was very sad. I have visited the Dachau concentration camp in Bavaria twice, so it wasn't anything new, but still sad. Even though many people may not agree with me, seeing the way people were treated at these camps reminds me how animals are treated every day in factory farms and other places such as circuses where they are exploited. I know that many people have trouble identifying with the pain of animals, but when you look past the fact that they are a different species than our own, we are all very much the same. I am not trying to devalue what people at these camps went through during WWII, but it is just something to consider. 

On a lighter note, here are some yummy spreads that I acquired. During my time in London this summer, I grew rather fond of Marmite. I've heard several interpretations of what it tastes like, but the only thing that I can think of is something like soy sauce, but nice on bread/toast. The one on the right I bought at Al Natura (a health food shop) in Heidelberg. It is basically a vegan version of Nutella. Now, I haven't had Nutella for quite some time, but it tasted exactly the same to me. This makes me wonder why Nutella has dairy products in it at all? It seems completely unnecessary!

Since we had access to a kitchen while in Strasbourg, I was able to cook! Here was one of my meals. It is a jacket potato (hiding on the bottom) with some Heinz baked beans on top and sautéed broccoli, cauliflower, and Romanesco broccoli. It was mighty tasty and everyone else in the kitchen who smelled it wished that they had my food instead of whatever nastiness they were cooking up!

Another one of my meals. A bowl of Heinz baked beans, sautéed carrots, some German health bread, Marmite, peanut butter, and Samba spread. Oh and a peach too! Very simple, yet very yummy!

Oh, here's a photo of the grand château that we stayed in. It looks pretty nice, right? I apoligise as well for the randomness of the order of my photos. I just post them as they come because I'm pretty random in my life as well. Not too organised, but organised enough to get by. You guys don't mind, right?

For lunch in Strasbourg one day we went to Poeles de Carottes. It was so, so good. I got a veggie burger - it came with a salad and some nice potatoes. It was so nice to be able to sit down and have a nice meal without rushing. It was also nice to be able to choose from several dishes on a menu - just like in London!

For dessert, I got the sorbet. It was sorbet - nothing special, but still nice. It was also garnished with berries that I had never had before. I'm still not sure what they are - does anyone have any ideas? The sorbet was mango, raspberry, and lemon-lime I think. I can't read French so I'm not entirely sure.

We also visited the Alsatian Museum in Strasbourg. Can anyone guess what this chair was for? If you guessed childbirth, then you are correct! How horrific! I didn't even know such things existed. 

And here's a close-up on the handle of the chair. This really makes me not want children more than before. There were no painkillers when this chair was used so I guess the women just bit down on the chair??? I cannot imagine. First you have all this pain and then once that is over you're stuck with a screaming child. No offense to anyone with children, but no thanks.

Another nice meal in the kitchen. Bread, sautéed mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, and some Heinz baked beans in the background. Not much to say about it, but yummy!

Our last night in Strasbourg, we had a group dinner. I made some roasted veggies for it - this pan has potatoes and tomatoes, but I also made mushrooms. Everyone wanted the recipe, but there really wasn't one. It was just oil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. I guess I'm just amazing!

Here's my plate from the dinner. A salad, pretzels, Dijon mustard, fruit cup, and my roasted vegetables. Also some bread on the side to cover with the roasted garlic that I made. Heidi and I mostly ate that though, because nobody knew what it was!

And the last photo to leave you with. We went to a war museum and I thought this was a bit comical. A mother with a gas mask, her child in a full body suit, and a stroller that was connected to the mother's gas mask. This just seems like another way to re-attach the umbilical cord!

Heidelberg, Deutschland

Ok, finally! I'm going to tell you all about the first stop on our European Union tour. Heidi and I boarded the Eurostar train on 16 August and headed to Heidelberg. We stayed in Heidelberg, not only because of how old and beautiful it is, but its close location to Frankfurt; the European Central Bank is located in Frankfurt. Besides visiting the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, we had the usual city tour and a visit to a castle. Our first night with our group there we had a group dinner at the Brauhaus Vetter, which was a traditional German Gasthaus. I was a little worried since we were having a group dinner at a traditional German restaurant. German food isn't the most famous for veganism, so you can understand my concern. I was pleasantly surprised though at the meal that our tour guide, Nicola, was able to get for me. Here's the first photo of it:

It was pasta with vegetables and spices. It was tasty and there was loads of yummy noodles. It was also slightly spicy, which I always enjoy. I was so glad that they were able to accommodate my veganism at this restaurant. I just love a big plate of pasta every once in a while.

Since they didn't have any vegan desserts available for me (sad, I know) they brought me this lovely coffee with a vegan biscuit on the side. It was a nice end to the meal and since I was so full already this was probably best. Anyways, not much explanation here - only coffee and a biscuit!

Here's a shot of Heidi and I before dinner when we were supposed to be 'walking around' and exploring Heidelberg. We didn't feel like it. Ok, now before you get all 'you should experience it while you're there' on us, we were just being smart. We knew we were going on a guided tour in a couple days anyhow. We sat and watched children jump in a fountain and almost trip and fall! Bahahaha!!!

The next day we visited Frankfurt to see the European Central Bank and learn about the Euro, interest rates, and the like. It was mostly interesting and we also went on a walking tour. It was rather cold that day and we ended up going up to the top of this tower thing to get a good view of the city. It was nice, but extremely windy. Here's a view that I got off of the tour. With Frankfurt being such a financial centre and not quite a tourist area it is mostly skyscrapers and empty apartment buildings. Oh well, it is what it is.

In Frankfurt, we visited the department store, Galeria Kaufhof. They are all over Germany and usually have foodhalls in the basements. I got this Joya brand soya yoghurt there. It had a really nice texture - very creamy and smooth with just the right amount of fruity bits. I really liked it and wished that I could buy it in the States!

I also got this Joya brand soya drink, chocolate flavour. This was tasty as well with a nice smooth texture and nice chocolate flavour. It wasn't anything special, but nice for the train ride back to Heidelberg!

I also saw this in Frankfurt. It's a rickshaw cab thing, but the advertisement on the top reminded me of that one Doors song. Can anyone guess which one I mean? It's incredibly obvious if you've ever heard any of the music by the Doors!

Here's a shot of me at the top of Heidelberg Castle, overlooking the 'Altstadt,' or 'old city.' We climbed to the top of the castle to look at this great view, and there it is!

Heidi and I had lunch at this little Asian restaurant in Heidelberg, and it was an interesting experience. They had extremely beautiful flatware (see it on the left?), but the food was only okay. This is my starter of fried tofu with a spicy sauce. It was good, but not great.

I got a miso soup with my main, and it was also alright. It was the end of my meal though. My main, that did not say that it had meat in it in the English translation, ended up having chicken in it! I can read most German, so I should have read that menu to double check, but I didn't. After that sad lunch I was not in a very good mood...

On our way out of Heidelberg we stopped at a European tourist attraction, called the 'Mummelsee,' which is somehow associated with this ghost thing. The photo on the left is of some guy dressed as this ghost and charging for photos with him. Great, huh?

Fortunately the Mummelsee is also right in the 'Schwarzwald' or Black Forest. We were able to take photos there as well during our twenty minute stop. I would take this photo over one with the creepy Mummelsee ghost any day!

We also stopped in Baden Baden that day. Apparently Bill Clinton said that it, "was so nice they had to name it twice." It was very beautiful and one of the main attractions is the traditional Roman-style baths. Heidi and I didn't go in the baths, but went to a lovely park and found this beautiful river-type water thing. It was nice and relaxing.

We also stopped at a fancy cafe for some Earl Grey tea. It was sort of expensive, but it came in a huge pot that gave me at least four cups of tea. It was also really, really good tea. Plus we were in a great location to watch people. What fun!

Here's a shot of the tea after I poured it, just so you could see the lovely colour!










So, that was Heidelberg and the places we visited while there and on the way out. Be on the lookout for my next blog post, hopefully tomorrow or the day after!

The last of London...si tragique!

Ok, I'm back...finally!!! I know that you've all missed me and wondered where I've been, right? Well, maybe not, but I'm here nonetheless. I'm back in the States now, but there are many photos of food and other fun things from London and the rest of Europe to post. So, instead of having one giant post, I will have several to separate it all. I'll start with my last few days in London, so it will probably be a bit sentimental. Heidi and I were left there for a few days on our own after most of our group went home to the States. We were due to start a tour of the EU in a couple days in Germany so we were just relaxing and enjoying our last few days in London.

So, here's a photo of the street that I lived on in London. It's pretty posh, right? There were always nice cars, pretty people, and maids wandering about. I absolutely adored living here!

The street was called York Terrace East. The letters 'C.E.P.C.' stand for 'Crown Estate Paving Commission.' The N.W.1. is part of the postal code for our street. The entire post code is NW1 4PT. The 4PT part is specifically for our street and the NW1 stands for northwest London.

So, this is our room and my bed specifically. I'm sort of a mess if you can't tell. I'm hopeless at organisation in the personal sense. When it comes to work or something I'm fine, but if it's just for me I just can't be bothered. Also, in my defense I was packing to leave London at this point.

Here's a shot of the small corridor that was outside of our room. We lived in the basement and we had a window-door that led to this. Not too glamorous, but still cool. Sometimes we would see obnoxious school children running by in the morning, which could be somewhat shocking if one was standing in front of the window-door in their pants!

I finally took a photo of one of the typical meals that I would eat at the ISH restaurant, the cafeteria at the International Students House. A jacket potato with baked beans (which are nothing like American-style baked beans) and a green side salad. The salad doesn't come with dressing, which is rather annoying and the potato is usually dry and old, but other than that it is delish! At least the beans are always good and the cafeteria staff are super nice. If you're ever in London, definitely stay at ISH!

So, these next two photos are the last of the Ms. Cupcake action until I get back to London (hopefully in the spring!). The first one to the right here is 'chocolate mint.' It was great - ultra minty with a piece of mint candy on top. The bottom one is 'betterscotch fudge,' which was absolutely divine! It had a rich and creamy flavour along with a piece of gooey fudge on top! YUM!

I ate this one for breakfast the day I left London...bittersweet!

These two pictures are of a vegan jerky that I bought at Vx before I left London. They are called 'Chunkies' and this is the teriyaki flavour. They were very tasty and a good snack to eat on the train from Brussels to Frankfurt. They look kind of dry in the photo, but trust they were yummy!
So, that's all from London. The posts that follow will be of my educational tour of the European Union. I will have a post to cover Heidelberg, Strasbourg, Trier, and Brussels. I can't wait for you to read all about it!