A few of my favorite things~ Candy in Germany

The other day I blogged about my favorite foods you can buy in German grocery stores. I am sure you have been waiting for my post about all the delicious candies and sweets I constantly buy and send family and friends back in the States. 

Here is a list of my top favorites (in no particular order):

Böhme Fruchtkaramellen
I have always enjoyed getting these little treats at restaurants after a meal but FINALLY learned they sell them at the grocery store down the street. These are very similar to Starbursts but are WAY better!

Happy Hippos
These are everyones go to item when I take the to a grocery store in Germany during a visit. I admit, I do not blame them for bringing an extra suitcase just for Happy Hippos. They are made of a wafer biscuit, shaped like a hippopotamus and the inside is filled with chocolate and vanilla icing.

Ritter Sport 
My all time favorite chocolates! Ritter Sport is family business that started when Alfred and Clara (over 100 years ago) decided to dedicate their lives to make chocolate and this today means a square chocolate bar that comes in many flavours/mixes.  
My top favorites are: Honig-Salz-Mandel, Alpenmilch, Erdbeer yohgurt, Espresso and Nugat

Milka
Another tasty chocolate bar that has numerous flavors from Oreo to hazelnut. They are all delicious.

Haribo
All German supermarkets sell the HARIBO and it is almost overwhelming to pick one when you see all the different kinds they have. Also, the Haribo gummy bears here in Germany taste so much better here. Don't quote me on this but I think that they use different better ingredients on their Germany candies. 
My top favorites: Goldbären, Happy Cherries, Happy Cola, Balla Stixx, Lasso (I usually can only find these ones at Globus or at festivals) 

Kinder Surpise
These funny chocolate eggs are illegal in America because of the bite sized toy that comes in every Kinder egg. My husband is usually not a fan of candy but enjoys these layered chocolate and vanilla flavored eggs.

Kinder Bueno
These little chocolate bars are hazelnut cream filled wafers with a chocolate covering. 

Tofifee
These bite-sized treats are a carmel cup filled with chocolate with a surprise hazelnut in the middle. 

Nutella
Oh Nutella... I had to post this one because this is the stuff everyone asks for. Yes, you can buy it in the States BUT it is definitely different ingredients. The stuff here in Germany tastes WAY better and is WAY cheaper. I can buy a huge jar of this stuff for 3euro while a smaller sized jar is $8+ in the US.

*I just want to say that while I wrote this I ate a whole bar of Ritter Sport Honig-Salz-Mandel, lol 

A few of my favorite things~ German style

As we are starting to get ready for our big move back to the States, I have been coming up with lists of what I will miss most in Germany. One of the things I love most about Germany is the food! 
I have been avoiding the commissary on base and shopping exclusively on the economy the past couple years. I will have to make a separate post about candy in Europe.  

Here is a list of my top favorites:

Thomy Scharfer Senf
LOVE this stuff! It is a little spicy so you can get the other one (with a blue top) and it is not as spicy.

Kräuter butter
You can make your own but I just buy it at the local store for cheap. I will have to learn to make it when we move back to the States. This surf is amazing with pretzels or other bread and vegetables! 

Müller milch, reis, johgurt, desserts EVERYTHING!!!
Seriously, everything I buy from Müller is amazing! I love it all! I even bought some crazy looking flavor mike and yogurts and they were the best tasting thing I have ever tasted!

ButterKäse
I love cheese and this one has quickly become one of my favorites. It is smooth and creamy and is a semi-soft, cow's milk cheese. This has also become one of Rand's favorites. I buy it in slices for sandwiches and get it cubed for snacks. 

Knorr Karibik sauce
I enjoy lots of Knorr products but this one if one of my favorites. It is great for fish but I love it with grilled pineapple. YUM!

Joghurt kräuter

Germans definitely know how to make a spectacular salad and it is only right that the dressings are just as amazing! Joghurt Kräuter is my all time favorite dressing and I think half of my household goods will be jars of this stuff ;)

Pesto Calabrese

I have been obsessed with gnocchi lately and this stuff is fabulous with it. I usually just boil the gnocchi and after draining, mix this stuff with it and bake it with more cheese for a few minutes. It is seriously the most amazing sauce you will ever buy at a grocery store.

Lotus Speculoos Cookiebutter and Biscuits

Cookiebutter?! Yes, you heard that right! This stuff is like crack. Just slab some on a cookie or mix it in to make a cake or other dessert and your taste buds will be dancing all night. You will find tons of recipes online on how this little jar of heaven can upgrade any recipe instantly. 

Schweppes Bitter Lemon
Nothing tops an iced cold glass of this carbonated soft drink flavoured with quinine and lemon. This has quickly become my go-to beverage while in Germany. My Dad is also a big fan of this drink.

I could honestly go on for days abut my favorite things to buy at the grocery store... the bio fresh produce, the cheeses you can sample, the jams and the bakery aisle, all the yogurts ... it is all amazing. You will probably need to swing by a few grocery stores to find the products you want. For example, I love grocery shopping at Lidl but I know I need to go to Kauflands or Edeka for other specialty items.

One of the first things I noticed while shopping in Europe is that plastic or paper shopping bags cost money. Usually anywhere from ,50 euro cent to 1 euro. I quickly bought a few canvas bags but my favorite shopping bags are actually a Reisenthel carrybag and easyshoppingbag.

I highly encourage you to go out and grocery shop on the economy. I know it is overwhelming the first few times but it is worth it. You will be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the products and food along with the low prices. I honestly think that shopping off base for food is much cheaper.

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Spa Weekend at Gartenhotel Heusser

This past weekend I had the chance to run away with some girlfriends and have a relaxing kids free weekend. My one friend found this amazing hotel, Gartenhotel Heusse,  in Bad Dürkheim and the best part was it was less than an hour away! We stayed 2 nights and booked a "Girl friend's" package. We had 2 relaxing days full of facials, massages, yummy food and lots of girl talk! The Spa had so much to offer but what really made it was that we were the only ones in the Spa! We really lucked out because the three of us had free range over all the amenities.  No one else booked any appointments that day so we had the place to ourselves!

The Spa had so much to offer and we took full advantage of it all. The Spa had numerous saunas, a steam room, quiet rooms, an indoor pool with jets and waterfall, a snack bar with tea, coffee and other drinks (from 1400-1700 & the bottled drinks were extra), a water bed that has massagers, 5 different types of showers (massage showers, rain shower heads, waterfall showers, multi-head showers and high and low pressure jets in singles or multiples.) They even had tanning lights on the ceiling over some of the lounge chairs. 

This pod looking thing is a floating sensory pod. I booked an appointment to use it for 50 minutes and it was a very cool experience. Floating in the pod is compared to a baby in it's mother's womb. It is relaxing and has many beneficial effects from being a stress reliever to relaxing your body and muscles. Floating in this man-made pod mimics those found in nature: the Dead Sea in Jordan, known for its high salt concentration, attracts thousands of visitors each year to relax and treat various medical conditions by immersing themselves in the water. After floating on the surface of this super-saturated salt water, you will need to take a shower. I had salt in my ear the rest of the day, lol. They have a shower right in the room and ask you take a shower before and after using the pod. 

I thought this was a neat little thing that I have never seen before, a glasses holder! 

They had these all around the spa.

The beautiful indoor pool

the snack bar

After a day at the Spa, we enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner at the hotel and 

walked around the hotel's Japanese garden. 

On our way home ,we passed through Bad Dürkheim and came across this huge wooden structure. 

We just had to investigate and one of my friends knew exactly what it was; a salina or graduation tower. They are commonly found in Germany, Austria and Poland in spa towns because they artificially create salt concentration in air similar to sea shore area. You can pay a couple euros to walk around the tower on the covered walkway and breathe in some fresh saltwater, woodsy air. They say it helps with respiratory issues like asthma. 

~Tips for Gartenhotel Heusser~

*Only a few hotel workers know English so brush up on your Deutsch!

*Check in is at 2pm and check out is at 11am

*When booking your room, ask for a garden view.

*They do accept VAT! Drop if off at check-in so the manager can fill it out. 

*They have a good selection of wine and even have a "make your own" sample glass at dinner.

*This is a very nice and calming place. I recommend leaving the children at home.

*Our package included a basket with a robe, slippers and extra towels for the Spa. You can also get these for 10euro at the front desk.

Wissembourg, France & Burg Berwartstein

One of my very dear friends and my roommate throughout college came to visit me for a few days before heading off to Paris. It was so much fun having an old friend visit and show her around my little village and the area.

We had a full day to explore and she wanted to go somewhere I have never been before. I knew I wanted to show her a castle but also take her to a cute little "picturesque" European town. A few of my local friends have mentioned a place called Wissembourg and it was less than an hour away so I thought this would be the perfect place. I researched a little more and found a castle called Burg Berwartstein, which was only 20 minutes away from Wissembourg but was on the way home. IF we had enough time, we would of stopped at the Teufelstisch (Devil's Table). It was on the way and past right near it but we needed to head back home.

In this small village of Wissembourg, if the top chololateir in France, Daniel Rebert.  We read that the eclairs were to die for, so I got a vanilla and my friend got a cafe one. We were not disappointed. I bought some macaroons and chocolates to bring home and those were also amazing.

 After enjoying some flammkuchen at Charles V and walking around a bit, we headed to Burg Berwartstein.  I put Rand in my DIY carrier and paid the 5euro for our tour. After a brief explanation on the castle's history and sites to see, we ventured off on our own to explore the castle. We were there for an hour and needed to start heading back to have dinner at home.