Wilhelmshaven

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After a 1 delayed flight, one $120 cab ride, one lost bag, I’ve arrived in Germany with a grand total of over 24 hours in route. We are staying the the City Hotel Valois in what seem to be the heart of Wilhelmshaven. Wilhelmshaven is a sleepy northern town of around 100,000. It is home to one of the larger German naval bases, a local soccer team, and a local brewery.

The hotel is across from a nice little mall called NordseePassage. It has a few bakeries I have been buying sandwiches for lunch. I attempted to look for some shoes but, as with european jeans, I think most everything about me clashes with them. The mall also houses the train station, which I may need to use if I take a train to Bremen, Germany to catch a flight.

With all travel, the food is always a highlight. My first meal on this trip was an introduction to currywurst. It is pretty much hot dog with ketchup, that’s kicked up with a healthy sprinkling of curry powder. It is high recommended. Maybe I can convince my local hot dog shop to keep some curry powder on hand.

On Monday, I had lunch German-Chinese restaurant. The food is still very good, however the menu is quite different. First off, the selection of item is much smaller that in the United States. In addition, the dishes common in the United States (General Tso’s, Beef and Broccoli, Sweet and Sour Chicken?) are missing from the menu. Most dishes consist of a rice-flour bread piece of meat that is deep-fried, sliced and placed on a bed of bean sprouts, served with rice and an accompanying sauce.

Just today, I tracked down a Turkish restaurant a few blocks away. Instead of the traditional döner kebab, I tried something called a döner rollo. This is a at 10” x 4.5” pig of a Turkish burrito. It is lamb, cabbage (slightly vinegar), cheese and banana peppers rolled in a freshly baked wrap and baked again with cheese on the outside. It is a bomb, but very good.

I will be in Wilhelmshaven until Friday, when I will fly to Lisbon via London, where I will continue my gastronomic adventures.