Category Archives: Germany

IKEA in Germany (near Leipzig)

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We happen to stop by in a market area to our drive from Nurnberg to Berlin. I wanted to check out what IKEA in Germany looked like. Well, as you can expect, it was exactly the same as here in Canada except for everything being in German and in Euros.

The layout was the same, the products, etc. It was quite deserted and the cafe looked much bigger than the Richmond one. I wondered how they made any profit.

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Barely any customers…

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Tried their 1 Euro coffee

But then again, we had just gone to a mall which was literally empty – Nova Eventis. It was one of those odd modern mall you’d expect from a movie, so huge with big brands inside, kept sparkling clean, but no people. It could be because it was on a Monday, but I was told this is how it usually is.

I wouldn’t recommend going to IKEA unless you’re wanting to buy furniture. In Europe, IKEA is seen as the ‘cheap’ furniture, for students and low-income. It still has that branding here, but I feel it’s a bit more accepted as the ‘modern, clean, middle-income’ customers. And it’s true that you can make some pretty stylish rooms with their furniture and decor.

Panorama-Gasthof Burgschänke

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Panorama-Gasthof Burgschänke
Burgbergweg 4 90559 Burgthann, Germany

This restaurant is party of a hotel very close to the Thann castle, located in the heart of the Franconian countryside, about 20 km south-east of Nuremberg. Here you can try Franconian dishes, typical German cuisinedishes, or international specialities in  On hotel.info, it showcases that in 2007 the restaurant was awarded with a silver medal to honour its excellent Bavarian cuisine. Parking out in front is sometimes a bit of a challenge, not to mention it’s on a hill.
It was my first dining out experience in Germany.

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The servers were all dressed in the traditional dirndls. The restaurant was quite spacious and bright with lots of natural sun light. It was a very nice atmosphere so it was not surprising that it was full for lunch.

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Schnitzel with fries

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Bratwurst, potatoes, asparagus, saladidearabbit-burgshanke4

Roast pork with potato

I ordered the bratwurst with spargel (white-coloured huge asparagus) – which I really loved! I wish they sold them here in Canada! It came with potatoes and a bowl of salad. For drink, I ordered the apfelschorle – a popular soft drink in Germany which consists of carbonated mineral water and apple juice. This also became my favourite carbonated drink and would often order it at restaurants or buy them bottled.

My company ordered the Schnitzel, which is a boneless meat, thinned with a hammer and covered with gravy-like sauce. Unlike other European countries, schnitzel in Germany is always pork, and often deep fried covered in bread crumbs. This is probably why he would complain at the Deutches Haus and tell them that they are not suppose to be breaded.

The portions were big, way too much for me, so I had some help. But it was REALLY good. Everything was, plus I liked the touch of real flowers in the dish that made it even prettier.I really liked the restaurant.

Not sure about the communication with English with any of the servers. Since all the talk was done by my the German family I was staying with, I can’t comment if foreingers would have a tough time. I would guess you might since it was on the countryside. However, I have seen this hotel posted on English hotel reviews so I would imagine you’d be at least be able to order your food. But there are no English translations on the menu, so unless you know what the dishes are called, it’ll be difficult to know what you’re ordering. I guess you have to be adventurous ;)

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BackWerk

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Moving along into East Germany, we no longer saw sight of Der Beck. Instead, I saw BackWerk. It wasn’t as comfy and elaborate as Der Beck, but they did have really good sandwiches for about 2-3 Euros. The sandwiches looked freshly made, unlike at Starbucks where they would be wrapped up and squished, these were all sitting on trays behind clear plastic doors – like you’d see pastries that you can pick up with tongs at Safeway or Superstore.

I was glad to see healthy choices as ‘fast food’ in Germany, and being in the east side, things were cheaper than the west.

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The drinks were machine made, so not as good as Der Beck or other cafes but I recommend their sandwiches for a quick breakfast or lunch – great for on the go.

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