#631 Food, Food, Food

We're eating our way across northern Europe.

HAMBURG: The Old Commercial Room for labskaus and more

GDANSK: Gingerbread at Gotyk House, the oldest producer of gingerbread in Poland

GDANSK: Pierogi Ruskie at Velevetka Restaurant

KLAIPEDA: Potato pancakes (Blynai) with Svytury's beer.

KLAIPEDA: Chilled beetroot soup, potatoes, Svytury's beer

 TALLINN: Goat cheese and potato casserole with Saku beer.

 TALLINN: Pork roast with sauerkraut, the traditional Christmas meal.

Yours in fine fare,
Mary

#630 Baltic Gold

I love the Baltic Gold!

Amber trees (conifers) disappeared about 40 million years ago, but before they became extinct, their resin produced the magnificent amber stones that we can still find today in Gdansk and Klaipeda.

 

Amber is most often used for jewelry, but my favorite amber in Gdansk was this beautiful lamp.

We docked in Klaipeda and traveled to the Palanga Amber Museum, housed in a palace at the seaside resort of Palanga.  Huge pieces of amber, many with inclusions of insects are on display.

 

My favorite amber at the museum shop was this necklace - though I didn't like it enough to pay the 220 euros to take it home with me. 

For some, Baltic Gold means something other than amber.  It means Svytury's beer. It's been around since the 18th century and goes well with the traditional Lithuanian fare of chilled beetroot soup and potatoes. 

Yours in appreciating all the Baltic Gold,
Mary

#629 St. Mary's churches

You'll find a St. Mary's Church in Gdansk, Poland and a St. Mary's Church in Rostock, Germany.

These 2 churches are hard for me to tell apart.  They have the same name.  They are both large brick gothic buildings built in the 14th century.  They both house an astronomical clock

 St. Mary's Church in Rostock

 Rostock astronomical clock.

St. Mary's Church in Gdansk claims to be the largest brick church in the world.

 Gdansk astronomical clock

Yours in wondering just how many bricklayers and clockmakers there were in the 14th century,
Mary