Well we made it to Detmold last night. We had an adventurous ride on the Autobahn and stopped at a 'Truck Stop' for supper, that was interesting. I had Burger King and the chicken sandwich and fries tasted just like those in the USA, the only difference was the flat Diet Coke with no ice. I guess they put all their bubbles in the water instead of the soda and forget about trying to get ice! Oh well... We spent most of our day at the Max Rubner Institute visiting the various labs... It was pretty interesting. Lots of cool research going on around there! We got to see so many labs... including lab-scale mill and bake quality. We also had lectures and lab tours related to potato research and other cereal grains. The potato lab was very interesting, under the lab is a huge 'cave' used for potato storage! We also got an extensive introduction of potato and asparagus planting and harvesting. The German's love spargel (asparagus), especially the white variety, which is essentially green asparagus but grown 'underground' or covered by mulch to prevent the green chlorophyll production during photosynthesis. A spargel special can be found at every restaurant in sight and is usually served with hollandaise and ham... Very yummy!
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| Trying to figure out the parking situation... With finesse all the vans fit! |
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| Hotel Breckmann |
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| Jennifer and I on the horse ride at the Open Air Museum |
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| Our trusty steeds |
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| Tadpoles!!! |
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| The original bakery at the Open Air Museum |
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| More horses... So pretty! |
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| The ducks that stealthly followed us around |
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| The first truck I've seen... I had no clue VW made trucks!! |
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| Detmold Pilsener=Yumminess in a glass! |
After a fun-filled day at the Max Rubner Institute, we headed over to the Open Air Museum on the outskirts of Detmold. It was very interesting. Jennifer and I decided to take the lazy route and opted for the horse drawn carriage ride to the far side of the museum. At the drop off we were able to see an authentic bakery, including similar baking pans that are still used today for shaping loaves of bread. It was a little difficult to determine what things were and what time period they were from since everything was in German, but it was still neat to see everything. As we made our journey back to the entrance we saw a variety of animals, including a pair of beautiful horses, ducks, chickens, catfish and tadpoles! We also saw a variety of old farm building and windmills (that looked Dutch to me, but I guess they were German). After a leisurely stroll back to the entrance (the ducks helped rush us along), we headed to the gift shop for ice cream! Jennifer found some interesting looking schnapps and I found some wooden shoes (again, I thought that was a Dutch thing) but decided they probably wouldn't be all that comfortable for walking long distances. After the crew was rounded up we headed back to the hotel and ventured out for a quick tour of the old city area of Detmold and then dinner at a brewer in the second oldest building in Detmold. The food was amazing and so was the beer! I've noticed that people around the area take their time, whether it's eating or just walking to their destination. The locals all around us seemed to take their time and were in no rush, unlike the American lifestyle includes rushing about for everything! It was a very relaxing evening, with a leisurely stroll back to the hotel and bedtime for me, while others ventured out for an evening nightcap!
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