Rhein River Cruise

Our housesitting role in Germany is in the Rhein region - full of vineyards, trailing along the beautiful Rhein, which is populated by cute little villages and crumbling castles. 

We have been focusing on the homeschooling and gap filling of concepts, so haven't ventured much out over the past few weeks.  Additionally, our very tight budget doesn't really allow us to go very many places. We have visited most of the interesting spots within an hour and half drive in previous trips to this part of Germany and the kids are a little sick of cathedrals and museums. Having the information and tours in German makes it a little harder for me to 'sell it to them".

However cabin fever has set in, so we ventured out on this cloudy, chilly day to take a river cruise to look at some of the castles.

We were blessed with some clear sky and were able to sit on the front for a little while, but the driving rain forced us inside pretty quickly. We had planned on getting off at one of the castles and going inside, but the teaming rain wouldn't allow the boat to dock, so it turned around and went back to our starting point up the river. We aren't too put out about this, as its an easy hours drive from our housesitting spot, so we may venture out on a different day and take a picnic with us. 

Its little wonder that the Rhein is so famous. Its wide stretches of water, deep river banks and rich soil has attracted tourists, invaders and merchants for centuries. 

Below are a few of our shots along the way. 

Kartoffel Knodel

I love discovering new foods in the places we visit. 

Kartoffel Knodel is a potato dumpling traditionally served with slabs of meat and gravy. We have ours with a gravy and lots of veges.

Its super easy to make as well, and can see that it will join our favourite family mesls. 

Once you cook and mash potatoes, you mix in a little flour and a whisked egg, you form small balls with the mixture.

Ive read you can put semilina in - instead if flour, so perhsps I'll try that next time

They then get dropped into gently boiling warer for about 15 mins.  They puff ip snd become deliciously fluffy mouthfulls of.. YUM

I think traditionally they are triple the size I made mine. 

Our first "from scratch" pretzels

Its no secret that I am a little obsessed with pretzels at the moment. Not the crunchy salty pieces of cardboard in a packet, but the large, crisp skinned ones with soft sweet inners.

I have made bread a few times, so was delighted to see that the recipe was s very simple yeast bread; with the addition that the formed pretzel is dipped for 10 seconds into a baking soda boiling broth before laid onto a tray to be baked. 

Below are some photos I took of us making the pretzels. The kids enjoyed kneading it and were amazed at the proving process. 

I like the recipe too, for its simplicity. Flour, yeast, salt and milk. 

Oh there is something quite magical about the smell of fresh bread.. and in the kneading of it.  

The apartment was soon filled with the delicious sweet scent of fresh bread. Our first attempt needs alittle more adjusting, as they turned out like big fat fluffy weird shaped bread rolls, but boy howdy! they were super delicious. 

Suffice to say that the 9 pretzels we made did not survive the evening, and that we must make more soon!! Oh - and that the kids want to make our own bread rolls and pretzels when we get back to Australia. I'm more than happy to put one of them in charge of t hat job and allow them to have the responsibility each week of making our bread - and snacks!