One month down

Last night we had our first authentic German restaurant experience.  Not only was it unique to Germany but it was unique to Frankfurt.  We ate at a restaurant that served a beverage Frankfurt is famous for, apple wine.  This happened to fall on the one month anniversary of our arrival in Germany.

We had an appetizer that consisted of bread and two different kinds of cheeses.  One was a hard cheese that was covered in cooked onions.  The other was similar to herbed cream cheese.  For our main meal I had wiener schnitzel with "green sauce", which was heavily influenced by dill, and a side of potatoes.  Brenda had the pasta which is often her only meal option when we eat out.  It resembled cream soup with some noodles floating in it.

The apple wine came in a pitcher and was accompanied by a bottle of water to cut down the flavor.  We tried it without the water at first and it tasted like apple cider vinegar.  The addition of the water makes it much more palatable.  I'm not exactly sure why people drink apple wine since every German I have talked to says you have to get a few glasses down before the taste stops bothering you.  That said, when you come visit we're taking you to get some.

We went to the restaurant with one of Brenda's fellow Oper Frankfurt singers.  He is another in a long line of great colleagues at the opera house.  He is German and, as is the case with many Germans, is fluent in English.  It is also common for Germans to speak English with a British accent, which he does.  He is a smoker and he had a pack of cigarettes with him.  If you remember from the blog entry "Rauchen kann tödlich sein", I was talking about how cigarette warnings aren't very subtle over here.  Below are pictures of the front and back of his pack.

When we are at home I am very conscious of whether the shades are drawn or not.  With the exception of our bathroom, each room in our apartment can be easily seen into from other apartments or from the college behind our building.  Apparently I'm a little more cautious than some of my neighbors.  The other night Brenda and I were watching a movie in our living with just a few candles lit.  I got up to do something and I happened to look out the window.  Across the street was a man naked as the day he was born doing chores around his apartment.  I had been wondering if I would get arrested for indecent exposure if I ever forgot to close the blinds after I'd gotten out of the shower.  My mind is now at ease.

I want to thank all of you who continue to read the blog.  If at any point you have questions about our experiences here or would like us to post pictures of something German feel free to write a comment or send me an e-mail at chadcgraham@gmail.com.  Until next time, have a great week!