After a detour to Byron Bay, we’re back to Germany! Summing up our trip from earlier this year, that is. After feasting like Kaisers in Berlin, it was off to Hildesheim to see my family for Christmas. Being a small town, the vegan pickings were really nothing to write home (or to the internet) about- but we still had a great time!

Almost as soon as we’d arrived, it was time to head into the town square to check out the Weihnachtsmarkt, where we could at the very least fill up on roasted nuts, hot chips and of course, a few beverages.

This was Chadwiko’s first time meeting my German family, and he seemed to appreciate the boozy German hospitality- not speaking the same language doesn’t seem to be an issue when you’ve had enough to be incoherent in your own tongue, anyway.

Although I’d expected the worst in terms of vegan-friendliness here, we actually did pretty well for ourselves. While dining out still isn’t really an option, I was happy to find a well-stocked health food store where we picked up some staples (a lot of Tartex) and a few novelties (vegan bratwurst, anyone?).

On the day of Christmas Eve we hopped on the train to Hannover for a spot of last minute Christmas shopping, and managed to track down somewhere to eat too. At Der Muffin Mann, we were able to step out of the cold to grab some vegan bagels and stock up on muffins to take back to Hildesheim with us.

There were a ton of options here, from old favourites like peanut butter and chocolate to a few German specialties, like Rote Grütze. They were huge, too- even when shared with the family we had some left over.

They came in handy a couple of days later, though, when we bid auf wiedersehen to Hildesheim and caught the train down to Munich.

After the requisite sightseeing, we headed to a restaurant we’d heard a lot about- Max Pett. While they were open, unfortunately for us due to the downtime after Christmas, the full menu wasn’t on offer. While I was a little disappointed not to be able to try a lot of the dishes we’d had recommended to us, we were still hungry and cold and grateful for any vegan options to fill our bellies.

Chadwiko ordered a falafel plate with ratatouille, cous cous and hummus…

… while I went for this puszta goulash with orecchiette. Despite what the awful iPhone photos might indicate, these were pretty tasty dishes! The local cola we also tried here warrants a particular mention- this stuff was good!

Despite the cold outside, we finished off the meal with some shared vegan ice cream, whipped cream and raspberries. What can I say- Germans turn up the indoor heating so high that it didn’t seem like a terrible idea! Until we had to leave, that is. The walk back to the hostel with our overstuffed stomachs suddenly seemed a lot longer than it had on the way there, and we found ourselves scraping together a few Euros for a taxi.

After a big last day in town filling up on beer at the Hofbrauhaus, another huge meal didn’t seem entirely necessary so we headed to Tushita tea house for a light meal. We ended up getting there pretty late and the pickings were slim- there was just one option on the menu for the night, a tempeh bowl with rice, veggies, baba ghanoush and peanut sauce.

I didn’t mind it, but Chadwiko- an ardent hater of both tea and baba ghanoush- was less than impressed. While the food wasn’t bad, it also wasn’t worth the trek across town, and the service left a bit to be desired (no one likes to be watched while they’re eating, and then ushered out as soon as they put their fork down!).

The food in Munich can’t compete with Berlin (few places can, really), but it certainly puts up a fair fight when it comes to showing travellers- particularly of the beer-loving variety- a great time. We’ll be back for sure- Oktober one year, perhaps?

Tagged: germany, hildesheim, munich, travel