June 27 & 28, 2013

We had a bit we did back in college – I won’t claim credit for it, I think it came from Charles Dowd.  When things were a little off kilter, we would talk about this being on “The Oregon Plan.”  What is The Oregon Plan, you ask?  The punch line was “There isn’t one.”  I have long ago applied The Oregon Plan to these little excursions to the east.

The original plan for this summer had me researching places to go and things to see in and around Venice, Italy.  My short list for all such research for such excursions being two questions: “Who wrote music nearby?” and “Where can I get a good and unique beer here?”  This is all you really need to know about any location, my friends.  The rest, as they say, is just scenery.  I knew Venice had the Gabrielis and St. Mark’s (about which more later), so I could pass on the beer – always a little sketchy in Italy anyway.

Hey look!  They have Starbucks in Germany!

City Hall in Heilbronn.  You miss this if you never come
out of the stores!

Then Peter developed some serious medical issues that required a change of plans and the scuttling of the Venice trip for this year.  My new research assignment was to find places to visit near and around Peter and Vera’s German Apartment.  My short list for this was simple: Heidelberg for the bier and Stuttgart for the Mozart.  Being well acquainted with the Oregon Plan, of course it was no surprise to me when our one day of German sightseeing (due to our plane mishaps – see previous post) would involve going to Heilbronn to go shopping.  My skeptical “How many shoe stores are there?” was greeted with howls of laughter from Peter.

Heilbronn reminds me a lot of Amberg.  There are some very pretty buildings there, but an authentic postcard of the place really should be of a bunch of stores, as no one really goes there to do anything but shop.  Our shopping excursion begins at C&A for more fest clothes.  I then took a quick trip around town to look at pretty buildings while the ladies shopped for shoes.

Nordsee - would there were one near me!

My guilty pleasure in Germany is the Fish ‘n’ Chips at Nordsee, and I’m always happy when we can find one in our adventures.  Just our luck, there was one right outside the garage where we parked!  (I know – I am a vegetarian, but my Doctor is on me all the time to eat more fish for health reasons.  We compromise on about a couple servings a month.)

I admit to being greatly excited about our mystery visit this evening.  Z told me we were going to visit Michael Jordan.  “The basketball player?” I asked.  Turns out M.J. is 70+ years old, is fluent in Croatian, Hungarian and German (but not English), and is broader than he is tall.  Oh – and he’s Anglo.  Let me explain.  When Kyra was younger, she got frustrated when she kept being introduced to all these strange people with long names she couldn’t remember.  So Z would assign them names based upon their occupations or avocations. Many of the names stuck over the years.  All this is by way of explaining that M.J used to play for the Yugoslavian National Basketball Team.  Hence…

June 28,



Downtown Öhringen -
Pretty, isn't it?

The church in Öhringen.

This morning we took Peter to a medical visit, and then I was treated to a visit to, as Z put it, “another old town.”  Behind the wheel of the mighty Opel, I followed directions and drove out through the German countryside, past beautiful fields and half-timbered farm buildings, through to a new town for me – and into a parking lot.  Of a shopping mall.  To be fair, it was an older shopping mall.  And it only had two shoe stores, so there was that.  We “enjoyed” a couple of hours here and then had lunch from the counter at the Rewe.  Mine was a wrap of tomato, mozzarella, lettuce and “tomato pesto” (any resemblance to store-bought marinara was clearly coincidental) – it was, well, let’s leave it at that.  It was.

Z and I actually do take these
trips together - although the photos
sometimes make it appear otherwise!

After lunch I was directed to a lot in downtown Öhringen.  This visit easily made my trip (so far!).  It would be easy to see this place as a model for a theme park.  There are lots of old half-timbered buildings, dating back to the 1500’s, weird narrow pathways between buildings, a huge beautiful church, and on.  You have seen pictures of these kinds of places before – you know what I am talking about.  But after several years of visiting new versions of this stuff, I still get excited about exploring a new one – or visiting an old friend, for that matter.  I spent an enjoyable afternoon running around taking in the sights (even through the quick thunderstorm), while the ladies went shopping.

*****

This being Germany, of course many good biers were quaffed…

Altenmünster, brewed by Allgaüer Brauhaus A.G., Postfach 1109, D-87401 Kempten.  According to the label, it’s 4.9%.  Pale yellow in color with a creamy white head and a nice green aroma of Hallertauer hops – a classic German Pilsner.  I found it lightly hoppy in flavor with a hint of malt poking through, all well in balance.  It was a tasy pils, well worth a repeat – and so I did!  And it comes in one of those cool, old-style flip-top bottles!!

Halleröder by Hasseröder Brauerei Gmbh, 38855 Wernigerode.  According to the label, it is 4.9%  According to the publicity department, the label describes this as “The Beer of Soccer.”  Nice pils color, although the head disappears a little quickly for my liking (it could have been the glass – unlikely, Vera washed her glasses by hand).  Abundant Hallertauer hops in the nose and in the flavor, but not overpowering the malt.  It would make a refreshing summer beer.  Alas, according to the bottle cap I’m “leider kein gewinn” (not a winner), but I still get to drink the beer, so I’m good.

Budweiser Budvar, brewed by Budweiser Budvar NC, Karoliny Světlé 4, České Budéjovice, Czech Republic.  The label says it’s 5%, so who am I to quibble.  This is the original Budweiser, kids, accept no substitute – Budweiser meaning originally “Beer from Budéjovice” (Bidweis to the Germans).  Anheuser-Bush has an ongoing trademark dispute going with the two breweries in this little Czech burg using the name.  Best I can tell, AB is losing.  A few years ago, as a result of this legal wrangling, this beer became available in the states.  You can find in the beer isle near you, labeled as “Czechvar.”  Czech pilsners are bigger than their German cousins, and this one is no exception.  A lot of saaz hops in the nose and flavor, well balanced with the malt.  A very enjoyable beer – you should go find one, you’ll like it!

Unterländer Volksfestbeir by Haller Löwenbrau, brewed by Löwenbrauerei Hall Fr. Ethard GmbH & Co. KG, Schwabisch Hall.  The bottle says 5.4%.  I say wow!  Let me start by saying once again that this is not that Löwenbrau, this “Lion Beer” is brewed by a microbrewery in Schwabisch Hall.  It is crisp, refreshing – I.E. everything you expect in a good German Pils.  And this is one.  Very well in balance and quite tasty – a very good pils.  One you could easily see drinking at a fest from mugs the size of your head.  Hey – Mt. Angel O-fest board?

Binding Adler, brewed by the Binding Brauerei AG 60598 Frankfurt am Main.  The bottle says 6%, and after drinking a couple with few calories consumed before, I ain’t arguing.  It is a beautiful golden yellow beer with pillows of white head floating on top.  It is more malty than the traditional German Pils, and there appear to be more than just Hallertauer hops in here.  Very complex flavor, and is easily the best beer of the summer so far.  The hops hang around in your mouth after you swallow.  This is a particularly tasty beer.  I am told that it is a seasonal, and pretty rare.  So if you find one, bring me a six, ok?