Hello everyone and greetings from the train to Hameln. I am excited to explore a town I haven’t been to since childhood and see family I haven’t seen since then. :)

Hameln is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is best known for its association with the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. It’s a dramatic story and sometimes I wonder how we became so well adjusted having grown up with those tragic stories by the brothers Grimm, Max & Moritz, oh don’t forget Struwwelpeter!

I am certain you are familiar with the Pied Piper, but if you are not familiar with the others: Struwwelpeter & Max & Moritz

Hameln has many medieval buildings and is a popular tourist destination. It also has a rich cultural heritage and is home to several museums, including the Museum Hameln, which showcases the town's history, art, and culture. I am excited to see how it has changed. A family friend of ours used to own a bakery there, one of the things he would sell were these little bread rats. They were in theory edible, though they were very hard bread dough and more of a souvenir.

I will spend 2 days with one of my cousins and then head to a small town outside of Hannover to see another cousin and his family.

In terms of cuisine, this region is known for hearty and simple dishes made with locally sourced ingredients. One traditional recipe from the area is called "Himmel und Äd" - us high German-speaking people call it “Himmel und Erden” or for you "Heaven and Earth”. It is a dish made with mashed potatoes and apples, often served with blood sausage. The dish gets its name from the combination of the potatoes, also known as “Erdäpfel” translated as “earthapples” (representing earth) and the apples (representing sky) because they grow on trees.

Other traditional dishes from Lower Saxony include "Grünkohl mit Pinkel" (kale with a type of sausage), - yes we ate kale LONG before it became a thing. 😂 When I was young my parents would always bring back “Bregenwurst”, a local specialty sausage and we would eat it with sweet pan-fried potatoes and also kale.

(I borrowed this image from Marios-kochbuch)

"Rinderroulade" (beef rolls) which my sister-in-law just made the other day, 👇

and "Kartoffelpuffer" (potato pancakes), one of the 2 things my dad used to cook for our family.

I hope you enjoy your day today!

My brother and I redesigned the summer camp page a little and because I appreciate you guys so much, here is a 10% coupon for our summer camps, just for you!

Code: Love

(Valid until February 22nd)

Summer Camp Schedule

Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️❤️

Chef Pascal

Happy Valentines day to all of you