Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Dining in Hannover

We only have a few meals in Hannover, but we truly enjoy them.  Our first meal is at an Italian restaurant near the train station:  Amici Miei.  We start with insalata di polpo (octopus salad with potatoes, celery, tomatoes, olives, capers, and anchovies), followed by assorted fried fish and homemade tagliolini swirled in parmesan and served with mushrooms and truffle oil.

Octopus salad

Swirling the tagliolini in parmesan

Assorted fish from the grill

Back at the hotel, we have an after dinner drink:  a great glass of German beer.

The day winds down

Our next meal is at a beer hall:  Paulaner am Thielenplatz, also near the train station.  We start with an appetizer of two pieces of Munich white sausage served with a pretzel, followed by a roasted half duck, with red cabbage, and rinderroulade (beef roulade filled with dry-cured ham, gherkin, and onion), served with red wine sauce, red cabbage, and chopped apple and potato dumpling.  And, of course Paulaner beer.

Munich white sausage and pretzel

Duck and rinderroulade

We have a great view of the bar from our seat.  The Paulaner brewery was established in 1634 in Munich by the Minim friars order of monks and is named after Francis of Paola, the founder of the order.  Paulaner is one of the six breweries who provide beer for Oktoberfest and their restaurants are located all over Europe and Asia.

Paulaner

We've come to the end of another journey and it is time to head home in the morning.  Stay tuned!


Friday, March 25, 2022

A Day at the Hannover Zoo

We stop in at the Hannover zoo, established in 1865 and the fifth oldest zoo in Germany.  The Erlebnis ("Experience") Zoo is located in the city center, a few blocks from the train station, and covers and 22 hectares (54 acres), containing more than 3,000 animals of 237 species.  The experience theme of the zoo divides it into themed park sections, each with animal species that are characteristic of the theme, as well as themed restaurants, shows, and attractions.

We walk past the Hannover train station, over a few blocks, and then cut through the Eilenriede park, one of Europe's largest urban parks, with over 640 hectares (1,600 acres) of paths, restaurants, and attractions.


Cutting through the park

Entering the zoo

We wander through the themed areas, enjoying the themes and the animals.


Farm theme

Playgrounds

Interacting with the animals

We continue to wander and share a few of the sights we find.







Wandering through the zoo

Deeper in the zoo, we find more themed areas and animals of each theme.




Themes





Animals in character with the themes

It's been a great day at the zoo!