Beer, Brezeln, and Brats in Berlin

My brother Matt and I landed in Berlin after a quick 45 minute flight from Munich. Four salty German pretzels, a few Advils, two massive bottles of water, and a brief 30 minute power nap was a necessary start to the long day ahead of us. It was only 6 am and we had about an hour of sleep from the night before, so we relied on pure adrenaline while touring this new city. 

Here's some evidence that you learn to nap anywhere while traveling.

When I tell people that I studied abroad in Europe, they constantly bring up how jealous they are that I was able to eat homemade pasta from Italy and fluffy crepes from France. Germany is not typically brought up... It is not usually thought of as a country with rich culinary delights... yet I personally have a strong affinity for the cuisine. I mean, I guess it makes sense as I am an avid sausage and pretzel lover.

       During the day, we stumbled upon a quaint winter carnival at Potsdamer Platz. There was an open air ice skating rink and Europe’s largest mobile ice track in the middle of a modern public square. 


Wooden tents housing traditional German delicacies lined the intersection. It was early November and there was a strong bite in the air, so I immediately went for a steaming mug of hot chocolate to help defrost my frozen bones. We sampled more pretzels (naturally), apple strudels, crunchy, sugar-coated beer nuts, and bratwurst. 

After taking a much needed nap and warming up from the 20 degree weather, Matt and I trekked to Alexanderplatz for some dinner at Brauerei Marcus Bräu. A male worker from our hostel recommended the brewery for it’s well-known pork knuckle. Matt was the adventurous one and ordered this German classic. The pork knuckle was roasted in a dark beer sauce and formed a crispy skin, known as “crackling”. It tasted like a hard and unpleasantly chewy piece of bacon. I gnawed at the skin incessantly until my jaw was sore. Somehow, my brother seemed to enjoy it.

I kept it more simple and ordered gulasch soup. This particular version had tender meat and soft peppers and onions in a brown broth that had an underlying taste of hops and paprika. I also order käsebrot. Based on my prior knowledge of the German vocabulary, I assumed that this meant “cheese bread”. Instead, it was a strange medley of raw onions, cucumbers, olives, goat cheese, bleu cheese, butter, and lard. Unfortunately, I did not realize that the congealed, dense white slab was, in fact, lard until after I spooned a heaping tablespoon into my mouth. Lesson learned.