Snacks and Fast Food
Just as the English have their morning and afternoon tea, so the Germans have Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cakes). Though the elegant type of cafe serving a choice of espresso, capuccino and mocha to the accompaniment of cream cakes, pastries or handmade chocolates is indelibly associated with Austria, it's every bit as popular an institution in Germany. This hardly constitutes a cheap snack but is unlikely to be a rip-off - except in the most obvious tourist traps. An almost equally ubiquitous institution is the ice-cream parlour ( Eiscafe ). Almost invariably, these are run by Italian emigres and offer a huge range of flavours and concoctions to choose from, which can either be eaten on the premises or taken away. More substantial food is available from butchers' shops . Even in rural areas, you can generally choose from a variety of freshly roasted meats to make up a hot sandwich. It's also worth going to the open-air markets which are held anything from once to six times a week in the central square of most towns. With a bit of judicious shopping round the stalls, you should be able to make up an irresistible picnic for a modest outlay. Larger cities tend to have a daily indoor version of this, known as the Markthalle . The easiest option for a quick snack, however, is to head for the ubiquitous Imbiss stands and shops. In the latter you have the option of eating in or taking away; the price is the same. These indigenous types of snack bar tend to serve a range of sausages, plus meatballs, hamburgers and chips; the better ones have soups, schnitzels, chops and salads as well. Spit-roasted chicken is usually recommendable and very cheap, at around DM5-6/?2.50-3 for half a bird. Mustard is usually available at no extra cost with all dishes, whereas small supplements are often levied for mayonnaise or ketchup. Most Imbiss places sell beer, but as many are unlicensed you may be forbidden from consuming it on the premises. Among the fast-food chains , Kochloffel stands out for cleanliness and good food. The speciality here is spit-roasted chicken; prices compare very favourably with the many American-owned hamburger joints. Another chain with decent food is Wienerwald, but its menu, set-up and price structure are more comparable to a restaurant than a snack bar. The Bavarian butcher's chain Vincenz Murr sells full main courses to be eaten on your feet, costing DM5-12/?2.50-6; many smaller concerns throughout the country offer a similar service. Virtually the only places outside northern Germany where you can regularly find salt-water fish are the shops of theNordsee chain. These vary a lot in size and hence choice, and the pre-prepared dishes for consumption on the premises seldom look as appetising as the fish sold for cooking at home. Nonetheless, they are reliable choices for a quick lunch. By far the most innovative and original chain is that run by the Swiss company Movenpick under the Restaurant Marche logo. Here, fresh market ingredients are the watchwords, whether in the enormous cold buffet selection from which you help yourself, or in the hot grill dishes cooked to order before your eyes. Because of the sheer scale of each operation, they're only to be found in the centres of major cities. Ethnic snack bars are predominantly Italian, Greek or Turkish. The pizzerias are a major boon if you're on a tight budget. Either taking away or eating standing up, prices start at around DM5/?2.50 for a simple tomato and cheese pizza. Most pizzerias also serve pasta dishes, though these are usually less of a bargain. As always, the kebab houses adapt their technique to suit the national taste. The Gyros or Doner is based on real lamb meat and fat and served in bread, generally with tsatziki as a sauce, and costs DM4-6/?2-3.
funAshley says "Germany is full of wonderful sites to see!" howmary says "how much are ur food genal cost of meals cost over there" Explore Germany On Line (Video and Stills)David Mundstock says "My film “Septemberfest” presents all of Germany’s best known places: Frankfurt’s old town, a Rhine River cruise, Cologne’s Cathedral, the Hamburg red-light district, Berlin (The Wall, and other changes since 1990), lovely Dresden, Nuremberg, the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial, Munich (glockenspiel, beer hall, and palaces), plus King Ludwig II’s most famous castle.
This is a free, non-commercial, streaming video on the Windows Media Player. No ads and no strings attached. I sell absolutely nothing. However, you need a high speed internet connection such as DSL or cable in order to view the film.
The still picture gallery of Germany can be viewed with any modem.
There are over 30 of my other amateur travel videos on-line covering all seven continents. Visit Italy, Morocco, Antarctica, Bali, Russia, China, Hawaii, Peru, Mayan Pyramids, American National Parks, Egypt, Greece, or Turkey, among many choices; see whales, penguins, or polar bears.
The planet is yours, including my Home Page giant galaxy of still pictures.
To watch a video or view stills, please ask a search engine for: Intrepid Berkeley Explorer"
Your Tip for Germany
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Germany - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Germany - visit the main Germany forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Germany webguide section below! Thanks.
|
