I am so mad that I did not take a picture–of all things–our breakfast. Boy do we have ALOT to learn from Europeans, guys.
Breakfast was set for 9am, by our illustrious host, Wolfgang. He owns the home where we are staying but lives in another. We heard a “Good morning,” at our door right around 9 o’clock.
We joined Wolfgang up a winding staircase to the kitchen, where the table was set for royalty. He served our offerings on gorgeous china plates, coffee cups and saucers, and egg cups that his grandmother owned. You could tell he was pleased when we remarked at how beautifully the table was set.
If you can believe this, breakfast included a basket of warm, fresh-baked sesame rolls, seeded buns, and pumpernickel slices to be eaten with Danish butter, clotted cream, apple jam, and plum jelly.
In addition, there were lunch-sized plates with cherry tomatoes, celery, carrot sticks, and cucumber slices.
And to our surprise, the hard-boiled egg was set in an egg cup and covered with a fabric-lined dome that was tied at the top to keep the egg warm!
To top it off, there was piping hot, fresh coffee, with sugar and fresh cream options.
But even better than this feast was the wonderful conversation we had with our host about his upbringing while living with his parents, and grandparents (he encourages this), his two sons, and snippets from his somewhat difficult life in Monschau.
He told us the cost of living is very high because of the extreme weather conditions. Last year was disastrous with monster rains that ultimately destroyed homes and took the lives of 143 people. It was truly wonderful to have had the honor of hearing some of his story. This is a theme we are learning –people you meet shape your experience.
I know you may be expecting a snarky comment but I have a real question that I have been wondering about. Being you guys adhere to a plant based diet, how do you decide what you eat when your host prepares such a beautiful breakfast? Do you eat only the veggies or do you eat everything that is prepared for you and be like Paul and become all things to all people?
Again…. Not trying to be snarky…. Just curious…… there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus……
This is not a snarky comment rather, it is a good question. When someone provides a meal for us, we graciously accept whatever the provision and enjoy whatever it may be. Most of the time, however, we are able to stay close to plant-based. In Eastern Europe, there has been a reasonable focus on vegetarian/plant-based offerings. We are however, stepping outside our dietary habits to enjoy some of the local food, i.e. baked goods that are indescribably DELICIOUS!!!!
This sounds amazing! Getting to know how people around the world live is an incredible experience! And definitely people in other countries take care of all generations! My mom was married to a man from Greece. They would just keep adding levels and rooms to their homes to accommodate various generations! They all took care of each other! ❤️
I just saw this, Renee! I do not know much about your mom and Greece. How very interesting! The home where we stayed in Monschau, Germany, had been owned for 5 generations. Rich history for sure!
I’m kinda ticked you didn’t get pictures of breakfast either! 😉 But your description put it all in my mind’s eye.
Breakfast is a huge, fancy affair and I kinda love it!