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Easter in northern Germany

Today is the 2nd day of the Easter weekend. Friday being Good Friday was a holiday and it was a simply beautiful day in north Germany. Gisela and I had organized a motorcycle ride with some German friends (he rides a Harley but he’s OK nonetheless) and after meeting at our house and having a coffee and a WC break, we took off and rode to Grömitz which is a small town on the Baltic Sea. The trip up took about two hours given the holiday traffic but the ride was pleasant. We arrived just about lunch time, parking the bikes in a lot and headed for the promenade on the water. There we found a nice restaurant with tables outside and in the sun so we stayed for lunch. Afterwards, we walked along the promenade, with Gisela and me drawing some funny looks because we were both wearing leather chaps which are not common in Germany or Europe for that matter. There was a kite festival going on and we watched that for a while before heading back to the parking lot. We started back home and after about an hour on the road, I spotted a sign for a café where we stopped and had cake and something to drink. After a pause of about 45 minute, we hit the road again and got home shortly after 4 PM. There I set up some Apple Schole (apple juice mixed with bubbly water) and set out some snacks. Normally I would offer beer or wine or a mixed drink but since our friends still had to drive, that was out of the question. Germany is very strict about drinking and driving. Our friends stayed for an hour or so and then headed home Thus endeth Good Friday.

Today, Saturday, again an absolutely beautiful day with warm sun and a cloudless sky. Such weather is soooo welcome after the grey winter months. Today is also a normal business day in that the shops and markets are open. We’ve been to the market and have everything we need until Wednesday when we will go to the next market. For lunch today, we will eat Matjes (a sort of mildly pickled herring) served with a cream-onion-apple sauce and potatoes boiled in their skins, and of course, beer followed by a cold schnaps….yummy. The market and the stores were really crowded today…one would think that everyone went shopping on the same day. Crazy.

Oh, I have to tell you the headline in one of the best weekly newspaper here – in German it reads:

Die unglaublichste Geschichte der Welt….Nichts klingt unwahrscheinlicher als die Auferstehung Jesu. Warum feiern Milliarden Christen transzdem Ostern?

Translation – The most unbelievable story of the world – Nothing rings more unrealistic than the resurrection of Jesus. Why do billions nonetheless celebrate the Christian Easter? Pretty strong stuff, huh? I wonder if the editor will have his job on Tuesday after the church(s) raise holy hell about that headline.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and of course, the churches will be doing a booming business. Sunday is our day for eggs and for a change, I will be preparing some English bacon and for me, two English Bangers (a type of sausage that I just love, along with fresh brotchen (rolls, but nothing like we have in the US) along with jams and tea) After than we have nothing special planned except for lunch which will be at home (duck breast, potatoes and home-made apple sauce, some chilled white wine and an espresso after dinner and of course, a nap). Many folks go out for Easter Sunday lunch and reservation are made months in advance. No walk-in business on Easter Sunday. The weather is again supposed to be great, as is Monday and probably Tuesday.

On Easter Monday and again a holiday here, we will be off to one of our favorite restaurants for lunch….Der Alte Schule (the old school). The restaurant is housed in an old school building and is a family concern owned by the Franke family (husband, wife and daughter). The chef is the to-be son-in-law. According to the daughter, they plan on getting married as soon as they have some time, but right now the business takes up so much of their time. The family recently added a small hotel to the restaurant…….it’s where we spent our New Year’s Eve 2008-09. The restaurant is superb and would probably be a lot more popular if it were closer to Hamburg, but most of the clients are local people of which we are two (and known by the owners). We have our favorite table IF/IF we book early enough, which unfortunately, we didn’t for Monday. Still the food will be great, no matter where we sit.

One thing I haven’t mentioned is the normal Easter Markets which are all over the place and regretfully, we didn’t attend any this year. AND there will be lots of Easter fires tonight all over. Many communities have Easter fires where lots of brush wood is piled up and burned and the local political groups set up tents and sell beer, wurst, etc. And of course, the fire brigade is involved and standing by, just in case.

And such is Easter in Germany, at least for the Yeager family.

Hugs to all – Ken in Großhansdorf

1 comment to Easter in northern Germany

  • Admin

    Ken … thanks! Great Post! 🙂

    English Bangers … yummyyyyy!!!! Can’t find English Bangers here, only Scotish Bangers.

    Rock on my friend … 🙂

    Bob

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