Yesterday another edition of the Berlin Grüne Woche - Green Week - dedicated to share food traditions and good practices from all over the world ended. I regularly visit this event and I am always impressed by the diversity of products as well as the interesting healthy options offered.
As a regular visitor to such events, I wanted this time to be a bit selective and stop only in those places with a certain appeal to me. For instance, the Netherlands that created interesting garden and natural corners bringing a corner of spring in the middle of the cold city of Berlin. The green patches resting and growing around metal structures sent the message that nature brings a touch to nobility to anything, particularly anonymous urban - even abandoned - remains. As usual, The Grüne Woche also had a section dedicated to garden furniture and flowers seeds, but haven't noticed anything out of ordinary.
Drinks from all over the world were represented, from the fashionable craft beers - many of them Made in Berlin - to traditional vodkas - including some Bavarian ones - wines - one full section only for them - or natural smoothies.
Berlin doesn't have too many Portuguese pastry stores - compared to Hamburg where finding the right pasteis de nata is a hard choice to make. At the fair, the lovers of such delicacies were offered the chance to taste one or two or...how many you felt like to have. As for me, I decided to try some goat cheese puff pastry from Malta, which was extraordinary - except that it was too oily for my taste. The prices were moderate and very often the visitors were attracted with samples of foods - especially cheese.
As in the case of the Travel Fair that will take place at the end of February in Berlin, Grüne Woche is also an opportunity to discover other cultures and traditions. Each year, a country is the guest star of the fair, this year this honor being awarded to Hungary.
Morocco offered besides various argan oil products, also a musical moment. Bavaria also enchanted the visitors sampling a beer and a bretzel in improvised beer gardens regular concerts featuring traditional songs and costumes. Sometimes, you need to discover more about the cultures in the country you are living in.
Talking about what I have to learn about Germany, I should start, maybe with some of the potatoes sorts. Or the breads. Or the cheese, many of them made in the same Bavaria aforementioned. Or...anyway, after each fair I attend, I have a long to-do-list to deal with, becoming longer and longer each year, especially when it comes to Germany.
For the little visitors, in big number on Sunday, the fair offered a corner of nature, with animals - from cats to donkeys big cows or horses. Especially for children growing up in the city, without too much connections to the countryside, this exhibition offered an image - and the specific smells too - of what does it mean to work and live in a natural environment.
In conclusion, although this year I was very selective in visiting the various sections of the Grüne Woche, I had the chance to try a couple of new things and get some inspiration for coming posts. Plus, some interesting offers for weekends and summer and spring vacations. Looking forward to the next year!
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