Brown paper packages tied up with strings...

Since I've been in Germany for a while now, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite things (mostly food-related), and what I know I will miss once I go back to America!

1: Döner Kebab. This gyro-like sandwich is actually Turkish, but super popular and prevalent all over Germany. At only 3 or so euro a sandwich, it is seriously the most delicious and perfect lunch or snack! There really isn't anything like it (that I've seen) in America, which is honestly such a shame.

2. Laugenbrötchen. While Germany is well-known for soft pretzels, I much rather prefer the Laugenbrötchen, or pretzel roll auf Englisch. They are soft and a little salty, and go perfectly with honey, nutella, salami, cheese, jam, butter, and everything else.

3. Electric towel racks. Is there anything better than a warm towel after the freezing cold air hits you after a shower? I think not. Why don't we have these in the USA??

4. Kaffee und Kuchen. Seriously my favorite tradition here. Pretty much every afternoon after my host dad gets home from work (Monika is already home because Kindergarten only lasts until 1), we sit and drink coffee and tea and eat cake or cupcakes or muffins. It's even better on birthdays, when there is usually a selection of at least 6 cakes for 15 or so people!

5. Dunkel Bier. I was pretty surprised myself to find that I prefer most dark beers to white, but I find them sweeter and easier to drink than weiss bier, although they are both 100x better than American beers.

These are all my brain can come up with right now, but I will think of more and add to this list later! Today I went to a Osternmarkt with my host family since Easter is only a week away. It was in the Freilandmuseum, a little village of houses from the 1800s turned into a museum, which was quite cool, but it was scheisskalt! There was traditional egg-dying with natural colors made from wood and onions and also a market selling Zuckerhasen, or sugar rabbits, a lot like the christmas candy we make but poured into rabbit molds when it is boiling hot. It's hard to believe, but a week from today, I will be in the Vatican City and at Easter Mass given by the new Pope!!

Nele and her natural wood-dyed egg

The making of the Zuckerhasen