Berlin to Helsinki Day 9: Kaliningrad
At the request of my mom, I will write a little more about food. Maybe she's worried that I'm not eating enough. Since we were in Russia, we made a mission to only try food off the menu that we couldn't understand. This was not difficult because since Kaliningrad is not very touristy, there is no English menu option and nobody speaks English. Yes, we did try at least one of everything below, and yes it was like eating 5 meals in one day but we are hungry, hungry bikers.
So, here are our selections:
* Квас (Kvass)- a brewed grain without alcohol, tastes a little like liquid bread. A popular drink for a hot day. We saw stands like the one below all over the city who brewed their квас daily.
* Морс (Morse) - a fresh cranberry juice/tea which seemed to have some other herbs inside it. Very refreshing
* Щи (Stchi)- A sour soup with onions, cabbage and sour cream
* Борщ (Borstch) - the quintessential Russian/Ukrainian beet soup. This one was especially good since it also had potatoes and onions in it!
* Блинчик с творогом (Blinchik s Tvorogom) - Also known as Blini; it is сметана (smetana), kind of a sweet creamy cottage cheese wrapped in what resembles a French crêpe.
* Самса (Samsa) - pastry triangles filled with either meat or potatoes. I guess like Samosa from Madagascar or parts of Africa but not fried.
* Шашлык (Shashlik) - meat skewers, basically shish-kabobs with lamb and served with raw onions on the side
* Чучвара (Chuchuvara) - a tasty vegetable broth with some kind of small, meat-filled wonton inside
* Лагман (Lagman) - soup with onions, potatoes and noodles
* Вобла (Vobla)- dried, salted fish, a specialty from our host's hometown of Ashkatan in south- central Russia. A little bit like fish jerky (but home-made)
* Конфети - special Russian milk-chocolate individually wrapped candy. Only available to be bought by the kilogram.
We also ate quail egg omelets for breakfast.
Quail eggs
But we didn't just eat during our day in Kaliningrad. As we waddled around the center, we spent the morning and early afternoon with our wonderful hosts Boris and Dasha who filled our head with as many facts about Kaliningrad and Russia as was feasibly possible to fit into several hours of conversation. They actually took us on an extended tour of most of the city. Starting with the cathedral and te tomb of Emmanuel Kant. Kaliningrad belonged to Germany until 1984 and was known as Königsberg, Kant was buried here:
Although I find his resting place to be more decadent and colorful than his literature.
We also saw the opera house/theater, but we probably wouldn't have had much luck seeing Romeo and Juliette in Russian.
Mylène along with Boris and Dasha in front of the theater in the center of Kaliningrad.
We also passed in front of the law university. Boris pointed out the statue of two bisons butting heads which symbolizes debates and the transfer of knowledge by argument. I thought it would have been an interesting juxtaposition to see at CU, except that these bison are unusually ripped.
As I mentioned, Kaliningrad is not at all touristy. This is highlighted by the center which is decidedly more functional than other places such as Prague or Berlin where there is a featured central area with shops, museums etc. the main buildings in the center were shopping malls and an Aeroflot office space. However there was the centerpiece of a newly reconstructed Russian Orthodox Church.
Most of Kaliningrad was bombed during the WWII (as with most places held by Germany) and only a few schools and churches remained. This church's facade has been completed but inside it it still being painted and the alter is also under construction, but the doors behind it are as gold as the roof on the building.
We also learned that Kaliningrad is responsible for about 90% of the world's amber. In fact, there are amber deposits on the beaches all over the Baltic Sea. There is also a large amber market. Our hosts took us to the amber museum and we learned more about its production as well as saw pretty much every way in which it is used.
Mylène in front of an Amber vase at the Amber Museum.
After our hosts left us to our own devices we tried to go to the local market to get some snacks for our trip to Lithuania tomorrow as well as some ingredients to make crêpes in the morning.
Mylène exploring the central market.
After our day of waking around, we finished it on a nice terrace overlooking a lake to try out all of the fine foods listed above.
Tomorrow our Russian visas will expired - we better leave...and you wonder why they haven't developed the city for tourists...
A typical Kruschev-era building found in Kaliningrad, and often throughout Eastern Europe, even Berlin. They were built as temporary replacements to the bombed out buildings. But, as Boris pointed out, "the most temporary solutions are often permanent."
So, here are our selections:
* Квас (Kvass)- a brewed grain without alcohol, tastes a little like liquid bread. A popular drink for a hot day. We saw stands like the one below all over the city who brewed their квас daily.
* Морс (Morse) - a fresh cranberry juice/tea which seemed to have some other herbs inside it. Very refreshing
* Щи (Stchi)- A sour soup with onions, cabbage and sour cream
* Борщ (Borstch) - the quintessential Russian/Ukrainian beet soup. This one was especially good since it also had potatoes and onions in it!
* Блинчик с творогом (Blinchik s Tvorogom) - Also known as Blini; it is сметана (smetana), kind of a sweet creamy cottage cheese wrapped in what resembles a French crêpe.
* Самса (Samsa) - pastry triangles filled with either meat or potatoes. I guess like Samosa from Madagascar or parts of Africa but not fried.
* Шашлык (Shashlik) - meat skewers, basically shish-kabobs with lamb and served with raw onions on the side
* Чучвара (Chuchuvara) - a tasty vegetable broth with some kind of small, meat-filled wonton inside
* Лагман (Lagman) - soup with onions, potatoes and noodles
* Вобла (Vobla)- dried, salted fish, a specialty from our host's hometown of Ashkatan in south- central Russia. A little bit like fish jerky (but home-made)
* Конфети - special Russian milk-chocolate individually wrapped candy. Only available to be bought by the kilogram.
We also ate quail egg omelets for breakfast.
Quail eggs
But we didn't just eat during our day in Kaliningrad. As we waddled around the center, we spent the morning and early afternoon with our wonderful hosts Boris and Dasha who filled our head with as many facts about Kaliningrad and Russia as was feasibly possible to fit into several hours of conversation. They actually took us on an extended tour of most of the city. Starting with the cathedral and te tomb of Emmanuel Kant. Kaliningrad belonged to Germany until 1984 and was known as Königsberg, Kant was buried here:
Although I find his resting place to be more decadent and colorful than his literature.
We also saw the opera house/theater, but we probably wouldn't have had much luck seeing Romeo and Juliette in Russian.
Mylène along with Boris and Dasha in front of the theater in the center of Kaliningrad.
We also passed in front of the law university. Boris pointed out the statue of two bisons butting heads which symbolizes debates and the transfer of knowledge by argument. I thought it would have been an interesting juxtaposition to see at CU, except that these bison are unusually ripped.
As I mentioned, Kaliningrad is not at all touristy. This is highlighted by the center which is decidedly more functional than other places such as Prague or Berlin where there is a featured central area with shops, museums etc. the main buildings in the center were shopping malls and an Aeroflot office space. However there was the centerpiece of a newly reconstructed Russian Orthodox Church.
Most of Kaliningrad was bombed during the WWII (as with most places held by Germany) and only a few schools and churches remained. This church's facade has been completed but inside it it still being painted and the alter is also under construction, but the doors behind it are as gold as the roof on the building.
We also learned that Kaliningrad is responsible for about 90% of the world's amber. In fact, there are amber deposits on the beaches all over the Baltic Sea. There is also a large amber market. Our hosts took us to the amber museum and we learned more about its production as well as saw pretty much every way in which it is used.
Mylène in front of an Amber vase at the Amber Museum.
After our hosts left us to our own devices we tried to go to the local market to get some snacks for our trip to Lithuania tomorrow as well as some ingredients to make crêpes in the morning.
Mylène exploring the central market.
After our day of waking around, we finished it on a nice terrace overlooking a lake to try out all of the fine foods listed above.
Tomorrow our Russian visas will expired - we better leave...and you wonder why they haven't developed the city for tourists...
A typical Kruschev-era building found in Kaliningrad, and often throughout Eastern Europe, even Berlin. They were built as temporary replacements to the bombed out buildings. But, as Boris pointed out, "the most temporary solutions are often permanent."
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