European vacations - Part 1: Introduction

If you read the post of the Facebook page of I Just Want To Eat!, you know that I was in Europe recently. The primary objective of my European trips is to see my family, but also visit places in Europe where I have never been or went a long time ago. This time it was Germany. 

So the trip was divided in three cities:

• Grenoble, a city in the Southeastern part of France, near the French Alps with a population of approximately 156,000 people. It is known abroad from hosting the Winter Olympic games in 1968. Food wise, Grenoble's specialty is the walnut: you can find it in candy or cakes for instance. But, of course, you can also find in this city some amazing French food from the region and all over France. People are sometimes surprised when I tell them that there is an Italian Quarter where you can eat some great (sometimes bad also, let's be honest) pizza (pasta is not a big of a deal as sometimes people associate it to the time they had to save money for food and thus eat pasta!). This is the Saint Laurent Quarter that is one of the oldest area of the city. Grenoble is located one hour from Lyon that is for lots of people considered as the capital of French Gastronomy with famous chefs (Paul Bocuse being the most famous of all) and delightful cuisine. It is also close to Savoie and Haute Savoie that is known for raclette (cheese dish based on heating the cheese and scraping off the melted part on boiled potatoes or meat) as well as fondue (dish of melted cheese served in a communal pot -caquelon- over heat, and eaten by dipping long-stemmed forks with bread into the cheese). 

• Munich in Germany: it is the capital of the state of Bavaria and third city in Germany behind Berlin and Hamburg with 1.42 million people. This city is of course known for its sad history (Hitler's putsch, Nazi stronghold and the Dachau camp close by are just few examples), as well as lighter things: soccer with the Bayern of Munich team and beer. 
• Berlin: It is the capital of Germany with a population of 3.5 million. Here also, there is a large history. 

One of my colleagues is from Munich and before going, I asked him what I should eat in Germany. He mentioned two things: sausages (wurst) and cakes, especially the World famous apple strudel. Of course, he added beer... In both cities, we saw many tourists from all over the world: USA, Europe, Russia. 

This was a memorable trip not only for the stomach, but also for the soul. I will at least share the first one on my blog and hope to make you (when possible) salivate!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I just Want To Eat!