History – Page 11 – European Traveler

New Premicon Queen Brings 5-Star Luxury to the Rivers

By Don Heimburger
Photos by the author or as noted

ON BOARD THE PREMICON QUEEN, MELK, AUSTRIA—What comes to mind when someone talks about the most beautiful waterways in Europe?

There is the Rhine, the Elbe, the Mosel, Main and others, of course, but the Danube seems to conjure up visions of romance, adventure and even intrigue.

The 1,771-mile-long Danube, originating in the Black Forest and flowing through 10 countries to the Black Sea, is Europe’s second longest river (Russia’s Volga is the longest). A third of the river flows through mountains, and the remainder through hills and plains.

So here I am, a passenger on the Premicon Queen, a floating five-star hotel, which caters to travelers who appreciate the finer comforts of life and who can afford the time to enjoy them. It’s said to have more room per passenger than any other river cruise ship, at 484 square feet per passenger.

BUDAPEST IS ORIGINATING POINT
Operated by the popular Cologne-based KD Cruise Company, the five-day trip starts in Budapest and ends in Regensburg, Germany, a distance of 452 miles. And in those miles, as well as in the total miles of this majestic river, I think of all the cultures, towns, traditions and people this river binds together. This thought continues to hold wonder for me throughout the cruise, as we float from country to country and city to city.

Seeing these things all come together on the river—on a luxury ship—is a satisfying way to relax, with plenty of time to think, dream and melt your stress away.

Billed as the world’s most modern twin-propeller cruiser, the 800 KW Premicon Queen features two mini suites, 30 junior suites, 16 deluxe suites and four queen suites. The rooms face the water so travelers enjoy the river from the comfort of their own suite. The crew speaks both German and English.

Deluxe suites, with 237 square feet of space, feature an upscale interior, marble bathroom with shower and panorama doors which when opened, turn the suite into a loggia. Queen suites have a separate living and sleeping area, marble bathrooms with shower and tub and French balconies as well as a walk-on balcony with two seats. Even a butler is assigned to your cabin for any extra help you may need.

Rooms feature individual temperature control, television (with a channel showing a view from the front of the ship), telephone and wireless internet access. Bathrooms had both 110 and 220 volt outlets. Room service was also available.

OCTOBER TRIP
A couple of days devoted to touring Budapest are in order if you’ve never been to this city of under two million people. A city tour by a Cityrama bus (www.cityrama.hu), with a German/English-speaking guide, is a must if you aren’t familiar with the city. Purchase of a Budapest Card is also a good idea if you want to scout out the city on your own. It offers free services or discounts to more than 100 attractions from museums, baths and restaurants as well as public transportation.

Be sure to see the Westminster-style Parliament building, the Chain Bridge (especially at night), Heroes Square, the Palace of Art, the Transport Museum (Europe’s oldest), maybe the zoo, and take the funicular to Castle Hill. For fun visit the Great Market Hall, Statue Park and perhaps enjoy a nice relaxing stroll through Margaret (Margitsziget) Park, located on an island and reachable by tram. While in Budapest, visit the famous Szechenyi Baths in the City Park and eat at the upscale Gundel Restaurant nearby.

The Premicon Queen has arrangements with Hilton to provide lodging at the point of departure as well as the end point on cruises so passengers can spend extra time visiting these cities before and after their cruise.

My October cruise avoided the large tour groups that typically crowd Europe’s rivers and land excursions, so there was not a crush of visitors to deal with. But some of the nicer, warmer weather was gone as well. It’s a tradeoff sometimes.

After a day and a half of visiting the sights of Budapest, it was time to find my ship. Approaching the dock area near Budapest’s Parliament Building where it was waiting, two eager young men greeted me and carried my luggage to my room—no back strain there. After a tour of the room by one of the crew, I’m off to explore this 442-foot by 37-foot wide boat. I’m surprised it’s just a bit over 5 feet deep, but later on the trip I note some areas of low water on the river and understand why this is necessary.

The captain, Stamen Dimitrov, who has been piloting ships for 19 years, will tell you the 106-passenger Premicon Queen can travel at nearly 14 miles an hour and has space for a crew of 60. Cruise Director Doris Moser, Hotel Manager Thomas Boge and Restaurant Manager Oliver Schulz, are on board to oversee virtually your every whim. When you figure the passenger count to the crew, you can see that it’s a win-win situation for the passengers, especially if you like attention.

SUNDECK GREAT GETAWAY
When the weather is warm, and there’s no precipitation, the 10,764-square feet of space on the top sundeck is the place to be. With comfortable lounge chairs, a tai chi area, shuffleboard, chessboard and putting green—as well as waiters ready to take your drink order—passengers have a number of distractions. In colder weather, you can use one of the large blankets supplied by the ship to stay warm.

When departing Budapest at 10 p.m., I wasn’t really sure we were leaving the dock since the ship’s motors were so quiet. After devouring the chocolates on my pillow placed there earlier in the evening by the maid, and after a comfortable night’s sleep in my room trimmed in rich dark wood paneling, I was ready for breakfast, served at the rear of the ship. With glass on all sides and rear of the restaurant, passengers are able to enjoy a wide-screen view of the river at the stern.

If you enjoy variety in your meals, the Premicon Queen will likely satisfy you. Breakfast consisted of a number of different juices, jams, breads, meats (ham, salami, veal liver pate, bacon, sausage), cereals, egg selections, as well as hot drinks, milk (3.5%, 1.5% or .03%), vita drinks such as green and yellow tea, and cheeses (Emmentaler, Tilsiter, Gouda, Edamer or Buttercheese, Brie and others).

In addition, oatmeal, fish, fresh fruits or dried fruits, danish pastries and more await you, and that’s just at breakfast. Did I mention the champagne? Early birds could start their day in the Steamship Salon with a limited breakfast menu until the ship’s main restaurant opened at 7:30 a.m.

One evening for dinner guests were offered appetizers of beef tartar with dark bread and pickles or queen’s salad, or warm potato quiche. That was followed by a pure carrot ginger bisque soup with sevilla orange segments, and a main course of seared plaice fillet on lemon pesto, pancetta and rice souffle, or oven-roasted tenderloin of veal with truffle essence and a baked potato. Dessert was either tiramisu, green tea sherbert, seasonal fruit salad or a selection of cheeses. Oh yes, there was also a vegetarian dish.

Executive Chef Rainer Buss was always busy in the kitchen with his crew preparing new entrees, and Oliver Schulz the restaurant manager was eager to please, inquiring about the food, making sure passengers were well attended to, and sending the wine steward over to help guests make a wine selection.

Wine selections were sometimes a bit hard to make just because of the wide selection. My notes indicate that at one evening meal, passengers could select from two types of Hungarian bottled wines and four types of open wines, two from Germany and two from Austria. Descriptions of the wines and their origins was printed in the menus.

LOCAL CUISINE FEATURED
As the Queen floated down the Rhine between Hungary, Austria and Germany, the meals were often especially chosen to coincide with foods from that area. As an example, near Passau the evening meal selection included beef roulade with gravy, red cabbage and potatoes. A Bavarian crème with blueberry compote, a most delicious combination, celebrated the end of the meal.

As you can guess, meals were served with elegance and flair, and the portions were plentiful. More than once I was glad the ship was as large as it was so I could take an after-dinner stroll. But then came the “midnight snack,” usually served around 10:30 p.m., in case you were still hungry. This usually featured finger sandwiches, fruits, desserts and other tempting treats too good—and presented too elegantly—to pass up. Coffee and tea time was also a daily ritual between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the ship’s Theatron, as was a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m. every evening. Dinner began at 7 p.m.

The ship’s library was small but had an interesting selection of books on history, travel and novels, as well as some board games. Guests can walk to the clubroom where fine cigars and premium whiskeys are available, or relax in the contemporary steamship lounge.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES, ENTERTAINMENT
With wellness a big item these days in Europe, you can go below deck to the wellness area which includes a glass-encased saunarium, shower temple, a large whirlpool and a variety of cardio exercise machines. On-board staff can assist passengers with advice, acupressure, massages and even Kneipp treatments. A color and face consultation for women was also offered by the salon attendee.

Of course, complete make-up, hair styling and well-being sessions were available with an appointment during the cruise. This section of the ship on the lower deck was attractively decorated and inviting.

After dinner, passengers were treated to the on-board Bulgarian orchestra Rococo, featuring Bulgarian singer Rumy Key, a popular radio and television star. The orchestra also performed at dinner in the restaurant one evening. Also, slide presentations were given by Cruise Director Moser in the lounge, detailing the history of towns the ship was about to visit. These were informative sessions where guests could glean a lot of valuable information shortly before the ship docked in port—I know I learned a lot of information that helped me plan my historical treks through the towns. City maps were also provided for passengers.

The Queen also offers a number of off-ship land tour packages at the various ports where time allowed. Thus at Vienna, where we docked at 8:30 a.m., passengers had until about 10:45 p.m. The ship offered a shuttle service to the city center (Albertinaplatz) for those who needed a ride only. Individual tours were also available designed especially for passengers, such as private tastings with famous winemakers and helicopter excursions. All tours were arranged in small groups with a personal travel guide and minivans.

In Bratislava, passengers were offered a tour of the traffic museum, and they were taken there by an old-timer red bus. Another tour offered—which looked like a lot of fun—was entitled “Cooking at the Flowers Restaurant,” a unique, high-class Mediterranean-style restaurant with a glass roof, located in the historic Erdody Palace building. At Melk, Austria, a three-hour tour about wine growing and the wine culture of the region was available. All land excursions were extra fare, but you can also go on your own.

HIGHLIGHTS ALONG THE RIVER
Along-the-river highlights of this cruise include the Basilica of Esztergom, largest Catholic cathedral in Hungary, the tallest building in Hungary and the 18th largest church in the world. In Bratislava, where we had about 11 hours to explore, we were directed to the Old Town which is adjacent to the Danube. St. Martin’s Cathedral where Maria Theresa was crowned in 1740, is a must-see, as is St. Michael’s Gate, the last remaining portion of the historic city wall; Main Square, the bustling center of the city, Old Town Hall, and Bratislava Castle, the city’s most prominent landmark.

In Vienna, where the ship docked for 16 hours, passengers could spend a whole day and a good part of the evening in town. Highlights of this city are the Opera House, Hofburg Palace area, Schonbrunn Palace, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Albertina Museum, Belvedere Palace, Lipizzaner Museum, the Secession Museum, the outdoor market called Naschmarkt, Liechtenstein Museum, the Sacher Cafe located in the Sacher Hotel, Vienna’s colorful main square called Stephansplatz, the Kohlmarkt (Vienna’s elegant shopping street), and right outside the city by tram, Grinzing, where “new wine” is offered at numerous little taverns and cafes.

Further down the Danube, Durnstein, a small village on top of “bird hill,” contains ruins of the Castle Durnstein. Here in 1192-1193 Richard the Lionheart was held prisoner after the Third Crusade. You can snap some fantastic photos of this intriguing small village from the ship’s sundeck on a clear day. In the Wachau area of Austria, Riesling and green Veltliner grape vineyards line the surrounding hills. The leaves of the vines, turning yellow from the fall season, presented an eye-catching picture.

The ancient Stone Bridge crosses the Danube at Regensburg

At Melk, the ship docked for five hours, enough time to make the trek through the small town of Melk and up to the Benedictine abbey which sits majestically on a cliff at the river bend. An important spiritual and cultural center for more than 1,000 years, Melk’s baroque abbey was first the home to the Babenberg family and since 1089 has been a monastery. This enormous structure, built between 1702 and 1736, is now on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list. Individual and group tours of the abbey are available.

PASSAU NEXT STOP
Passau was the ship’s next stop, and it’s defined by water. Three rivers—the Danube, Inn and Ilz—converge there, making it very picturesque. The Old Town is squeezed between the river banks in a storybook setting. The huge St. Stephen’s Cathedral houses the largest church organ in the world, with 234 stops and 18,000 pipes. Had our ship arrived a bit earlier, a free organ concert would have been on our agenda. Time didn’t permit a visit, but on the opposite side of the Danube was the Vesta Niederhaus, a medieval fortress which at one time formed the outermost defensive wall of the city.

Our last city and stop on the cruise was Regensburg, Germany, originally founded as a military camp by the Romans. It’s an ideal town to explore by foot; 1,300 buildings are listed as being of historical interest, and a good view of the skyline is from the 12th century Stone Bridge which crosses the Danube by means of 15 arches; at one time it was the only fortified crossing of the Danube over its entire length. The streets curve and meander throughout the city center, and it takes some time to acquaint yourself with the old historic district, but it’s an interesting challenge to visit the merchant quarter, the Domnstadt area next to the ecclesiastical buildings, and the other parts of the Old Town. There’s also no problem finding a good hotel here if you wish to explore the city further: the Bayerwald, Furstenhof, Park-Cafe, Lindner Hotel Kaiserhof and Goldene Sonne are several that can make your stay a pleasant one.

With my Premicon Queen trip at an end, I said goodbye to the crew who had made my stay on board a memorable one. It was a river trip to far-off destinations where I had never before been. “Life is a long, wonderful journey,” says the Premicon’s Managing Director Klaus Hildebrand. “To travel is to live, to come to know the unknown,” he says.

That is what this cruise trip was all about for me, discovering people, places and the unknown. It was a fun adventure, and I’m a better educated traveler because of it.

IF YOU GO…
Cruising on a river ship is a relaxing way to visit cities and towns; virtually everything is done for you including meals and entertainment—and you don’t have to make your bed in the morning. It can get chilly on a ship, however, so always pack warm clothing. The evening meal is the time when passengers dress up, so a sport jacket and tie are in order for men, and more formal attire for women.

While there are usually no medical personnel on board, the ship is always in contact with the local authorities and can be at a dock within a few minutes. If you take medication, make sure you have enough of what you’ll need for the trip.

It’s not hard to find gifts along the way to take back home, so take an extra bag that can be folded into your main suitcase which you can then bring back with you.

Traveling with friends on a cruise makes sense. You’ll always have someone to dine with, and they can accompany you on the extra land tours.

Cruises are available for 2,3,5,6,7 and 10 nights on the Rhine, Danube and Main, as well as Christmas Journey and New Year’s Eve cruises.

For reservations contact www.premiconqueen.com, or in Germany call +49-221-2088-500 or e-mail: pearl@k-d.com.

Discovering the Dordogne: France’s ‘Secret’ Region Intrigues and Delights

By Marilyn Heimburger
Photos by Don Heimburger

Paris appears to top the destination wish list on a first trip to France. But after that, the Dordogne area of southwestern France is an enticing destination known for history, culture, wine, gastronomy and relaxation.

The Dordogne, also known by its former name, the Perigord, is an hour’s drive east of Bordeaux. The Dordogne River runs east to west through its center, carving out a winding river valley scattered with more than 1,000 picturesque castles and chateaus. From vineyards in the west to pre-historic sites along the Vezere River tributary in the east, and fortified villages from the Hundred Years War, there is plenty to see.

ISSIGEAC
In the tiny medieval village of Issigeac a circular wall surrounds winding streets dominated by the octagonal bell tower of the 15th century Church of Saint Felicien. The 13th century stone buildings with Gothic arches and charming half-timbered houses with beautiful inlaid brick detail are lovingly preserved, not to attract tourists, but to be lived in and used by the less than 1,000 inhabitants. Look for the “Mushroom House,” built with an overhanging second story, to allow carts access to the narrow streets that surround it. An active market is held in the central square on Sunday mornings, but a stroll through the quiet town at dusk calms the spirit and prepares you for a relaxing dinner.

La Bruceliere restaurant in Issigeac is family-run and serves gourmet local cuisine with regional wines. A pleasant surprise in rural France, it also offers five rooms for overnight accommodations. www.labruceliere.com

BERGERAC
The historic town of Bergerac was founded with the castle built to manage river traffic on the Dordogne, and the 9th century bridge accommodating pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela. In the old town, see the picturesque stone buildings constructed with local yellow stone, and the half-timbered houses on the Rue St. Clar. The National Tobacco Museum is housed in the 17th century Peyrarede House.

In the medieval town square, restored in the 1970’s, you’ll discover a stone statue of Cyrano de Bergerac – the comic/tragic hero made famous by Edmond Rostand’s 1897 fictional story about the brilliant and poetic swordsman with a very large nose, in love with the beautiful Roxane. The real-life Savinien de Cyrano, upon whom the fictional character was loosely based, was born in the 17th century near Paris. When he joined the Cadets of Gascony, he changed his name to Cyrano de Bergerac, after a family estate of that name. The town of Bergerac is nevertheless happy to adopt him as a symbol of boldness and generosity.

Unfortunately, Cyrano’s famous stone nose is routinely broken off by admiring fans. So a new colorful bronze Cyrano with a more permanent nose was erected in 2005 in the Place Pelissiere, in the shadow of the picturesque church of Saint-Jacques.

In the 18th century flat-bottomed boats called Gabarre carried wine and wood for barrel-making from Bergerac’s riverfront to Bordeaux for export. Replica Gabarre today offer tours on the Dordogne in Bergerac and in the castle-rich area near La Roque-Gageac.

A peaceful courtyard is at the center of the Recollets Cloister, now home to Bergerac’s House of Wines. Here a Wine Journey exhibit explains the history and appellations of Bergerac wines. Visitors can also taste the local wines and visit with a winemaker from the Dordogne Wine Route.( www.vins-bergerac.fr/en/p/maison-des-vins-or-house-wines.) What is there to learn at the House of Wines?

The vineyards in the geographic area of Bergerac are classified into 13 appellations that are grouped into five different types:

Reds: Bergerac, Cotes de Bergerac, Montravel and Pecharmant
Roses: Bergerac rose
Dry Whites: Bergerac and Montravel
Sweet Wines Monbazillac and Saussignac
Dessert Wines: Cotes de Bergerace Blanc, Cotes de Montravel, Haut Montravel and Rosette

France’s system of appellations consists of a set of strict rules covering which grape types may be used in a particular wine, the areas in which the grapes can be grown, the maximum permitted yields, the pruning type and sometimes the harvesting techniques.

Particularly popular in the area is Monbazillac, a sweet white wine made from grapes harvested after they have begun to shrivel and develop “noble rot.” Each individual grape must be hand picked from the bunch at just the right time — a labor intensive, painstaking job.

WINEGROWERS
The vineyards of Bergerac cover almost 30,000 acres in 93 villages on both sides of the Dordogne. Although traditionally overshadowed by the more well-known wines of its neighbor Bordeaux, many of the Bergerac wines compete favorably with them, and at a lower cost.

Chateau Puy-Servain (www.puyservain.com) owners Daniel and Catherine Hecquet have nearly 120 acres of vineyards (the average for wine growers in the area is 50 acres) and export 60% of their wine.

The Chateau VARI estate in the town of Monbazillac is an organic vineyard. Their wine bar, la maison Vari, offers wine along with a simple, but delicious menu for a light lunch. www.chateau-vari.com

Winegrower Edouard de Saint-Exupery of the Chateau Tiregand in Creysse (whose famous literary relative wrote The Little Prince in 1943) welcomes visitors for free wine tastings or for a guided tour of the 17th century family estate, located just 10 minutes east of Bergerac. www.chateau-de-tiregand.com

PREHISTORIC SITES
The valley of the Vezere River, which flows into the Dordogne, has been called the prehistoric capital of the world: the part of Europe that claims the longest period of continuous human habitation. Cro-Magnon man was discovered here in 1868 during excavation for the construction of the railroad. A national museum of prehistory is located in the cliffs above Les Eyzies-de-Tayac. www.musee-prehistoire-eyzies.fr

The valley boasts 147 prehistoric sites dating from the Paleolithic age, and 25 decorated caves, the most famous of which is the Lascaux Cave in Montignac. The site of 17,000-year-old paintings and engravings, it was discovered in 1940 and opened to the public for viewing. The paintings had survived beautifully for centuries in the stable and somewhat sterile environment. However, visitors unwittingly exposed the cave and drawings to destructive elements such as algae and carbon dioxide, which forced the closure of the cave for viewing in 1963.

Today visitors to the Dordogne can view an exact three-dimensional replica of largest two areas of the cave in Lascaux II, a remarkable achievement that took 10 years to construct. Since 2012, a traveling replica called Lascaux III will be on exhibit in museums around the world, starting with the Field Museum in Chicago, and continuing to Houston and Montreal, not to return to France until 2020. www.lascaux.culture.fr; www.semitour.com/site-touristique/lascaux-ii

Walking through the Grand Roc Caves in Les Eyzies de Tayac is like being inside an illuminated geode. Well-placed lighting showcases the incredibly delicate stalagmites, stalactites and crystallizations of this Unesco World Heritage site. www.les-grands-sites-du-perigord.com

A few steps away from the Grand Roc is Laugerie Basse showcasing two prehistoric rock shelters and displays of prehistoric mobile art.

EYRIGNAC MANOR GARDEN
Eyrignac Manor Garden is one of France’s most beautiful private gardens. Known for its topiary art, the gardens and manor have been in the same family for 500 years. Owner Patrick Sermadiras is often on hand to meet guests and share his design and gardening expertise. A well-written visitor’s guide and audio tour is available in English to lead you through the seven distinct gardens. An on-site restaurant offers a varied menu for a tasty lunch. www.eyrignac.com

MEDIEVAL TOWN OF SARLAT
A medieval jewel, Sarlat boasts one of the largest medieval urban areas in the world. Locals are especially proud to showcase the birth-house of political philosopher Etienne La Boetie as a gem of Italian Renaissance architecture. Throughout the town, note the roofs made of overlapping flat stones, the inexpensive, readily available roofing material of the time. These stones made the roofs extremely heavy, necessitating steep roof angles for stability. A little jarring, yet noteworthy nonetheless, are the huge metal doors that open into Sainte-Marie church, which now serves as a covered market. World famous architect Jean Nouvel, who was born near Sarlat, designed the doors to replace the destroyed apse. He also designed the glass elevator that bursts through the open roof of the bell tower, offering a spectacular panoramic view of the surrounding old town.

VILLAGE OF BEYNAC
Bring your walking shoes and climb up the winding stone streets of the beautiful medieval village of Beynac. Your goal is the 12th century fortress at the top of the cliffs overlooking the Dordogne. From there, the view of the surrounding countryside, the town below, the winding Dordogne River and the Castelnaud Castle on the opposite riverbank is unforgettable. A walk through the restored castle is a living history lesson.

During the Hundred Years War, the Dordogne River was the border between France and England. Beynac Castle was French and Castelnaud was English. All along the Dordogne River struggles for supremacy meant the bastides (fortified towns built by either the French or the English during the 13th century to contain invasions) were shuffled back and forth between the two countries.

Beynac Castle and village served as the location for more than a dozen films, including Joan of Arc in 1999, Ever After in 1998 and Chocolat in 2000.

After climbing and touring Beynac Castle on the cliff, enjoy a meal at LaPetite Tonnelle, a quaint restaurant tucked against the cliff on the way down. Their menu offers homemade dishes with locally sourced gourmet food and regional wines, served on their patio with a beautiful view of the village or in their dining room, built right into the rock wall. www.restaurant-petite-tonnelle.fr

CHATEAU DES MILANDES
On the other side of the river in the town of Castelnaud le Chapelle is the Chateau des Milandes, a beautiful 15th century castle, and the former home of musical entertainer Josephine Baker. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Josephine’s popularity sky-rocketed during the 20’s in Paris when she appeared in the Revue Negre at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees. During her time at the Chateau de Milandes she adopted 12 multi-national children (her “Rainbow Tribe”) and became beloved by the locals because of her generosity and kindness, even working for the French Resistance during WWII. Poor financial planning caused the house and its contents to be put up for auction in 1968. Four families have owned the Chateau des Milandes since the auction. Current owner Angelique de Labarre has passionately collected items from Josephine’s past to fill the 14 rooms with original costumes, music, photos and furnishings. Beautiful gardens and a live birds-of-prey show on the grounds outside the castle complete an entertaining visit. www.milandes.com

PERIGUEUX
Périgueux, located along the Isle River, is the largest town in the Perigord region, and its contemporary face makes finding the hidden medieval gems a little more difficult.

Périgueux began as two distinct towns. Easy to see are the historic remnants of the older one: Gallo-Roman town of Vesunna. The ruins of the inner sanctum of the temple for the goddess Vesunna and remnants of the ancient amphitheater stand near Jean Nouvel’s newly-designed Gallo-Roman Museum. The Romanesque gate of Porte Normande leads to what is left of the Barriere Castle and Romanesque-style house built in the Middle Ages on Roman foundations. The Saint-Etienne de la Cité Church was the cathedral of Périgueux until 1669, when that title was transferred to the Saint Front Cathedral in the second nearby settlement that comprises today’s Périgueux.

Further to the east, the more commercial city of Puy St. Front, the second “building block” in what is now Périgueux, developed in the 12th century. Look carefully down narrow streets of the old town for half-timbered houses, towers, walls with evidence of ancient arched windows and gateways, bricked-in and changed to fit the needs of the century. Beautiful ancient stone staircases still lie hidden in entryways of private houses, accessible to guides with keys.

Dominating the skyline is the Byzantine-style bell tower of the Saint Front Cathedral. The church is in the shape of a Greek cross, with five domes dating from the 12th Century. It was restored by Architect Paul Abdie between 1852 and 1895. His award winning design of the Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmartre in Paris was inspired by the style of the Saint Front Cathedral.

ACCOMMODATIONS
The Chateau des Vigiers in Monestier on the western edge of the Perigord is one of the few places in the area that can accommodate large groups. This luxury hotel, with a spa and a 27-hole golf course, offers 36 romantic rooms in a 16th century chateau and annex and 40 more in its contemporary, eco-friendly Relais des Vigiers. www.vigiers.com

For peaceful and luxurious accommodations five miles south of Bergerac, LaChartreuse du Bignac offers 12 rooms and a restaurant in a 1630 stone chateau with vaulted ceilings and exposed beams. Extensive grounds with terraces, a swimming pool and a park lead to a small lake. www.abignac.com

The recently renovated Hotel Les Glycines in les Eyzies de Tayac is centrally located near the Cro-Magnon museum and Grand Roc cave, and is a short drive to Lascoux cave. The hotel features beautiful romantic rooms, extensive gardens, a pool and a wonderful restaurant. Order the “Victoria pineapple” for dessert, aim your video camera, and watch the magic begin. The waiter pours warm rum/passion fruit syrup over a hollow chocolate ball until the surprise pineapple tidbits, pina colada and vanilla ice cream appear. Entertaining and delicious! www.les-glycines-dordogne.com

Vieux Logis in Tremolat is a lovely 4-star country inn, formerly a priory and then a farmstead, that is not to be missed. Rustic comfort in 14 rooms and nine apartments, with a one-star Michelin chef, gourmet restaurant, bistro, seminar rooms and lovely garden and terrace. Once there, you won’t want to leave. www.vieux-logis.com

NEED A GUIDE?
For a professional travel guide in the Dordogne, European Traveler recommends Frances and Sandra Ho Tham Kouie.

They have more than 20 years of experience in tailor-made tours for English speaking travelers – either individuals or groups. Their knowledge of history and attention to detail will smooth your way to an enjoyable discovery of the Dordogne. www.voyages-france-impressions.com.

For more information about the Dordogne region, go to www.semitour.com. Also, www.dordogne-perigord-tourisme.fr and www.perigord-reservation.com.

Great German Beers

by Sharon Hudgins

Fifteen years of living in Germany convinced me that I was in beer-drinker’s heaven. Actually, I think it took only 15 minutes of intimate contact with my first mug of the local brew to convert me into a lifelong lover of “the national drink of Germany.”

I also discovered that Germans take their beer seriously. In 1516 the Dukes of Bavaria issued an edict in the city of Ingolstadt specifying that only water, barley and hops could be used in the brewing of beer.

Known as the Reinheitsgebot, or Purity Law, it was later amended to include processed yeasts (instead of wild yeasts from the air) and wheat (the only grain allowed besides barley). Still in effect, this early food safety law protects the integrity of German beers and insures the quality of the product. And today, German brewers of “organic beers” even go a step further, using only grains and hops that haven’t been treated with chemical pesticides and artificial fertilizers.

TWELVE HUNDRED BREWERIES
Germany boasts more breweries than anywhere else on the globe—1,282 throughout the country, nearly half of them concentrated in the southern state of Bavaria. And Germans happily consume most of the output, quaffing 115 liters (more than 30 gallons) per person annually, while exporting only 13% of the tasty brew to the rest of us.

Beer brewing is a controlled, scientific process, developed over centuries of experimentation. And German brewers are masters of the art. Germany claims the world’s oldest brewery—Brauerei Weihenstephan, in Bavaria, where beer has been brewed on that site since 1040. It’s also home to the world’s oldest monastic brewery—Klosterbrauerei Weltenburg, in Bavaria—dating from 1050, and the oldest wheat beer brewery, established in the Bavarian town of Kelheim, in 1607.

STYLISH BREWS
Large or small, old or new, secular or monastic, German breweries now produce more than 5,000 different beers in a variety of colors, tastes and strengths. Each of these beers belongs to a specific category, or style, determined by the way it’s made. But whatever the particular style, all German beers are either top-fermented (an older method in which the yeast rises to the top during heated fermentation) or bottom-fermented (a process perfected in the 19th century in which the yeast sinks to the bottom during a cooler fermentation). Today, the majority of German beers are of the bottom-fermented type.

Many of these beers are also categorized as lagers, which means that they have been lagered, or stored, in wooden barrels or steel tanks to mature over a period of time in a cool place such as a cellar, cave or under refrigeration.

Alcohol content is another way of classifying beers. Beer described as Schankbier is lightest in alcohol, with 2% to 3% alcohol by weight. Most German beers fall into the Vollbier category, with an alcohol content of 3.5% to 4.5% by weight. Stronger beers, such as Bocks and Double Bocks, with 5% or more alcohol, are called Starkbiere.

Germans also produce a few alcohol-free beers, as well as a type called Mälzbier, with little or no alcohol and a sweet, malty flavor, made from malt extract.

Sure, you can enjoy drinking German beers even if you don’t know much about them. But it’s a lot more fun if you know what to order when given a choice between a Helles or a Dunkles, a Rauchbier or a Weissbier.

Germany produces several classic styles of beer, which also have variations within each style. Bottom-fermented styles include:

* Hell / Helles – “Light-colored beer,” a common style of pale-colored, full-bodied lager, most often a Bavarian brew.

* Pilsener – A premium-quality pale lager with a distinctive flavor of hops and a dry finish; brewed throughout Germany but particularly associated with the northern part of the country, especially the city of Hamburg.

* Export – A light-colored but stronger lager, typically from the city of Dortmund, one of the largest producers of beer in Europe.

* Bock – Stronger in alcohol, traditionally brewed in the spring, especially in the cities of Einbeck and Munich.

* Doppelbock – “Double Bock,” an even stronger beer, traditionally dark in color but sometimes pale, made for wintertime, particularly in Munich and Kulmbach. Double Bock beers with names ending in “-ator” are especially strong in alcohol (Kulminator, Triumphator, Celebrator, and others).

* Märzenbier – “March beer,” a medium-strong, malty-tasting, amber-red beer traditionally drunk at Oktoberfest. In the past, before refrigeration, March was the last month that beer could be brewed before summer, and the beer had to be strong enough to remain in storage during the warmer months without spoiling. The last March beer in the barrels was drunk in September and Oktober as the next brewing season was about to begin.

* Dunkel / Dunkles – “Dark beer,” brewed in several locations but especially in Bavaria.

* Rauchbier – “Smoky beer,” a dark beer with a distinctly smoky taste, brewed in the city of Bamberg; sometimes described as the beer equivalent of single-malt Scotch whisky because of its smoky character.

Top-fermented German beer styles include:

* Altbier – “Old-style beer,” copper-colored and with a distinct taste of hops, brewed in the city of Düsseldorf.

* Kölsch – Pale, golden, light-bodied beer. By law, only beers brewed in the north German city of Köln (Cologne) may be labeled Kölsch.

* Weizenbier or Weissbier – “Wheat beer,” so called because it’s brewed from a combination of wheat and barley (instead of barley alone); also known as “white beer” because of the light-colored yeast that floats on the top during the brewing process. Most wheat beers are pale golden to light amber in color, although a dark type is produced, too. “Hefeweizen” beer is a richly flavored, cloudy looking, unfiltered wheat beer with the yeast sediment floating in the brew. Wheat beers are especially popular as summer drinks, often served at a slightly cooler temperature than other German beers and sometimes garnished with a slice of lemon. Wheat beers are made in many parts of Germany, but are especially associated with Bavaria in the south and Berlin and Bremen in the north.

SPECIALTY BEERS
In addition to the classic beer styles, German brewers produce a variety of specialty beers for holidays, festivals and other important occasions. Other beers are local types made only by a single brewery and seldom available beyond that locale.

Special beer types include heavy Bock beers brewed for the Lenten season; Oktoberfestbier for Germany’s most famous beer bash, in Munich; and Weihnachtsbier, or “Christmas beer” for the Christmas and New Year season.

Unique Steinbier (stone beer) is a top-fermented brown beer whose smoky flavor comes from stones heated over a beechwood fire, then added to the liquid at two different stages during the brewing process. A very strong beer known as Eisbock (ice beer) is produced by freezing Double Bock beer, then removing the ice that forms in it, leaving a brew with an even higher proportion of alcohol.

FLAVORINGS AHEAD
Germans also occasionally add flavorings other than hops to their beers. Under an exemption from the Beer Purity Law, top-fermented Gose, a spicy-tasting, deep-amber-colored beer from Leipzig, is flavored during the brewing process with coriander and salt. Berlin’s refreshing, low-alcohol Berlinerweisse white beer—sometimes called “the champagne of beers”—is often served with a splash of raspberry syrup, which sweetens the beer and tints it rosy-red, or with Waldmeister Sirop made with woodruff, a natural herbal additive, which colors the beer green.

A brewer in Abensburg even concocted a Spargelweissbier (asparagus white beer) for a special dinner during the Spargel (asparagus) season in Germany. And special beers are also brewed for the annual Tag des Deutschen Bieres, “German Beer Day,” on April 23, when Germans celebrate the establishment of that Beer Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot) enacted nearly 500 years ago.

BEER HALLS AND BEER GARDENS
“Wherever you travel in Germany, you’re never far from a glass of good beer.”

Although the state of Bavaria—and especially the region of Franconia—has the largest number of breweries per square mile, beer direct from the barrel (vom Fass, or Fassbier) or in bottles (Flaschenbier) is available at almost every place that serves food, from snack bars to the most upscale restaurants.

Some of the best places to taste barrel-fresh beers are the big beer halls owned by major breweries, especially those in Munich; at any Brauerei-Gasthaus (brewery with a restaurant attached) in many parts of Germany; historic monastic breweries such as Kloster Andechs in the scenic Bavarian Alps; open-air beer gardens shaded by spreading chestnut trees; friendly little family-owned inns throughout the country; and at the hundreds of festivals held every year in Germany, from local fests in tiny villages to the world-famous 16-day Oktoberfest in Munich.

BEER TANKARDS
German beer is drunk from a wide variety of containers. Beer tankards and mugs are an art form in themselves, made from glass, ceramics, wood, pewter, and even leather and ivory in earlier times. (Several German museums display fascinating collections of colorful, intricately crafted, beer mugs.) And certain beers are traditionally served in specially shaped glasses: Dortmund’s Altbier in short cylindrical glasses; Kölsch from Köln in tall, narrow, cylindrical glasses called Stange; Bavarian wheat beers in tall glasses, narrow at the bottom and wide at the top, that show off the beer’s carbonation; and Berlinerweisse wheat beer in large, heavy, bowl-shaped stemmed goblets like schooners or oversized Champagne coûpes.

But be forewarned: When you order “ein Bier, bitte” (“a beer, please”) at a Munich beer hall or Bavarian beer garden, your beer is likely to be served in a heavy glass or stoneware Masskrug, a mug containing a whopping one liter (just over a quart) of foamy beer. No, it’s not a pitcher for the whole table—so don’t ask for extra glasses. That one liter is entirely for you! If you want a smaller beer, ask for “ein Halbe,” meaning a half liter.

In other parts of Germany, however, “ein Bier” or “ein grosses Bier” (“a large beer”) is .5 liter or only .4 liter, and “ein kleines Bier” (“a small beer”) will be half of that, .25 liter or .2 liter (barely enough to quench your thirst, in my humble opinion).

CHOWING DOWN
“Beer is even considered one of the basic food groups in Germany.”

“Made from the same ingredients as bread—grain, water and yeast—beer is known as “flüssige Brot” (“liquid bread”). And like bread, German beer is an excellent accompaniment to many foods. Connoisseurs match beers with foods in the same way that wine lovers pair reds, whites, and rosés with different dishes: heavy dark beers with roasted meats, Bavarian Helles beer with thinly sliced white radishes, Kölsch with blood sausages and raw onions and elegant pale Pilseners with lighter fare.

Guzzling and gastronomy go hand-in-hand in Germany. At beer halls, beer gardens, and festivals you’ll find a variety of foods traditionally consumed with German beers: roast pork with sauerkraut, smoked ham, grilled sausages, rotisserie chicken, braised pork knuckles, smoked fish, potato pancakes, goulash soup, red cabbage, rye bread, sliced cheeses and cheese spreads, soft yeasty pretzels and German potato salad. There are distinct regional differences, too. Typical beer cuisine in Bavaria is different from what you’ll taste in Hamburg or Dortmund. Beer also shows up as an ingredient in many German dishes, from soups to sauces to desserts. Would you believe Prussian hot beer soup or Mälzbier ice cream?

As you drink your way through a meal in a German beer hall, brew pub or beer garden, whenever the waiter brings you another beer he often keeps tab by penning a mark for each beer on the coaster under your glass. These colorful cardboard coasters—many with the logo of the brewery or tavern—are nice little souvenirs to bring back from your trip to Germany. The waiters don’t mind if you take a couple of them from the table (after all, beer coasters are advertisements for the brew), and they’re lightweight to pack in your luggage.

Zum Wohl (Here’s to you!) and Prosit! (Bottoms up!)

ET EXTRA
For more information about Germany’s tasty beers, go to:

www.beerhunter.com
www.germanbeerinstitute.com
www.germannews.com/bier
www.bavarian-beer.de
www.franconianbeerguide.com
www.europeanbeerguide.net

Christmas Is a Time of Food and Fun

European Traveler has gathered Christmas holiday recipes from around Europe, and we present them here in a special tribute to the countries from which they come. You’ll find a variety of tasty foods in these selections, from desserts and breads to main dishes, to cookies and candies. As December progresses, we plan to add more, so stay tuned!

Please note that some of the recipes are in metric measurements and may need to be converted.

Bon Appetit!

AUSTRIA

VIENNESE VANILLA CRESCENTS (VANILLEKIPFERL)

Eva Draxler / Vienna Tourist Board

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter
2/3 cup finely ground nuts (almonds or hazelnuts)
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
dash of salt

PREPARATION
Knead all ingredients together quickly – keep them cool. Cool in refrigerator for several hours. When forming crescents, take out only the amount of dough you are working with. Form into large, sausage-like rolls with a diameter of about 2 inches. Cut thin slices and quickly roll each of them in the palms of your hands, thus forming small crescents. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Let cool for no more than five minutes. While still warm, roll in vanilla sugar.

THE AZORES

HOTEL MARINA ATLANTICO
THE AZORES

Courtesy Monica Bensaude Fernandes/Bensaude Turismo

COD “COM TODOS” STYLE

INGREDIENTS
2 cod steaks
300 grs of cooked chickpeas
1 Portuguese cabbage
200 grs carrots chopped in thin circles
2 dls extra virgin olive oil
30 grs fresh coriander
1 salted pickled red pepper cut length wise
6 dry garlic cloves
200 grs crumbed corn bread
100 ml cream
Salt and white pepper
PREPARATION
Boil cod for 5 minutes. Remove skin and bones. Grate chickpeas in a tasse-vite. Add cream and season with salt and pepper. Blanch cabbage, drain and sauté in olive oil and garlic.
Sauté carrots in olive oil and garlic.
PLATE PRESENTATION
Using a rim, first layer chickpeas, and then carrots. On top, place cod, broken apart. Cover it with sautéed cabbage and lastly, the crumbed corn bread. Give it a little color by briefly placing in a very hot oven. Decorate with olive oil and fresh coriander.

DUCK BREAST WITH ORANGE AND DRIED FRUITS
INGREDIENTS
2 boneless duck breasts
300 grs red cabbage, julienned
4 oranges
300 grs potatoes, cut in extra fine rounds (chip style)
50 grs crushed walnuts
50 grs crushed pine nuts
50 grs S.Jorge cheese sliced thin
½ cup Brandy
Salt and white pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
10 grs sugar
PREPARATION
Sauté duck in high heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Zest the orange. Set aside. Juice the oranges and add it to pan. Let it reduce and set aside the sauce. Bake potatoes in a fan format with the thinly sliced cheese on top. Sauté cabbage with a little olive oil. Add balsamic vinegar, sugar and dried fruit.
PLATE PRESENTATION
At the top, place the fanned potatoes. In the center, place red cabbage and beneath position the laminated duck. Cover with sauce and orange zest.

VEAL LOIN VERDELHO
INGREDIENTS
400 grs veal loin
300 grs potatoes
400 grs carrots
Verdelho wine from Pico Island
Onions
Leeks
Salt and pepper (local, if possible)
PREPARATION
Season veal with salt and pepper. Blush or sauté loin in high heat for 5 minutes. Remove veal, add onions and leeks and brown. Add red wine and let it reduce. Season and sift sauce. Grate carrots and sauté in a little olive oil. Bake potatoes, which have been previously stuffed with a bay leaf and bacon, in alternating cuts.
PLATE PRESENTATION
Place carrots at the center, potatoes in the back, veal in the front of plate, and cover with sauce.

GERMANY

MULLED WINE
(GLUHWEIN)
Victoria Keefe Larson/German National Tourist Office

Perfect for those dark and cold winter evenings.

INGREDIENTS:
2 bottles red wine
1 cup sugar
3 cups water
1 lemon, sliced
20 whole cloves
6 to 8 cinnamon sticks
1 orange, sliced for garnish

PREPARATION:
Mix water, lemon and spices and simmer for an hour. Strain. Heat but do not boil the red wine. Add wine to hot water mixture. Ladle into cups and serve with half a slice of orange.

HUNGARY

Dios es Makos beigli
Poppy seed and nut rolls (bagels)

From Culinary Hungary/courtesy Elvira Vida/Hungarian National Tourist Office

Makes 4 rolls; the filling ingredients are calculated for 2 rolls respectively.

INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup/120 ml milk
1 cake/15 g compressed yeast
1/2 cup/5O g confectioner’s sugar
3 1/4 cup/500 g flour
6 1/2 tbsp/100 g butter
6 1/2 tbsp/100 g lard
2 eggs
1 tsp grated lemon zest
pinch of salt

For the nut filling:
Scant 1/2 cup/100 ml milk
1OO g superfine sugar
1 envelope of vanilla sugar
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
3 tbsp/30 g raisins
Pinch of cinnamon
3 cups/250 g ground nuts
3-4 tsp honey (or 1-2 apples or 2-3 tsp apricot jam)

For the poppy seed filling:
Scant 1/2 cup/lOO ml milk
1 1/4 cups/250 g confectioners sugar
1 sachet of vanilla sugar
1 2/3 cups/250 g ground poppy seeds
3 tbsp/30 g raisins
1 tsp grated lemon zest
4 tbsp honey

Other:
Butter or lard for the baking sheet
1 egg yolk for glazing

PREPARATION:
Dissolve the sugar in the lukewarm milk, then add the yeast. Mix the remaining dough ingredients wilh the yeast mixture and knead thoroughly. Cover the dough with a dish towel and leave to rise for about 30 minutes.

To make the nut filling, put the milk in a pan with the sugar and vanilla sugar and bring to a boil. Add the lemon zest, raisins, cinnamon, nuts, and honey (or peeled, grated apples or apricot jam).

For the poppy seed filling, mix the milk with the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla sugar. Bring to a boil and add the poppy seeds and raisins. Simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and honey.

Divide the dough into four and roll out each piece into a rectangle measuring about 12 x 14 inches/30 x 35 cm. Spread the dough with the nut or poppy seed filling and roll up lengthwise, ensuring that the rolls remain firm. Grease a baking sheet and carefully transfer the rolls onto the sheet and brush with egg yolk.

Bake in a preheated (medium) oven until golden brown. Only remove from the oven when completely cool. If kept covered and stored in a cool, dry place the bagel will stay fresh for a long time. Do not slice until just before serving, arranging the slices like roof tiles on a plate, and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

PORTUGAL

REBANADAS CASA OS MOINHOS

INGREDIENTS

16 egg yolks
500 g sugar
1 kg Portuguese white bread
Cinnamon
Lemon

PREPARATION
Mix the eggs with 16 tablespoons sugar until it is a thick mix — make a thin syrup out of the rest of the sugar. Use one glass of water for this, then slice the bread, — after letting it sit for one day. Dip the slices into the syrup, drain, and dip in the egg yolk mix. Gently pan sear on a medium stove top, and sprinkle with cinnamon and lemon zest.

SPAIN

ROSCON DE REYES
(Holiday Bread)
This recipe is from The Foods and Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas
Courtesy Patricia Wood Winn/Tourist Office of Spain

No holiday is more eagerly awaited in Spain than El Dia de los Reyes Magos-the Day of the Three Kings (Epiphany) on January 6. On this date every year, so the legend goes, the Three Wise Men journey to Spain on camels, bearing gifts for all Spanish children. They use ladders to gain access to city apartments aud leave presents in the children’s shoes, which have been carefully laid out the night before, along with fodder for the hungry camels. Kids who have not been good during the year fear the worst: that the kings will fill their shoes with black coal instead of toys.

Rascon de Reyes is baked and eaten only at this time of year. It is a delicious sweetened bread, coated with sugar and candied fruits, and it always contains a surprise-either a coin or a small ceramic figurine, which is to bring luck for the year to the fortunate person who finds it in his piece of bread.

Makes 1 large bread ring

INGREDIENTS
1 package dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon orange flower water (often found in Italian food shops. If unavailable, substitute strong tea)
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind 6 cloves
1/4 pound butter
1 tablespoon lard or vegetable shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 tablespoon brandy, preferably Spanish brandy, or Cognac
1/2 cup milk, scalded and cooled
5 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
Candied fruit slices (orange, lemon, etc.)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, preferably coarse, for sprinkling

PREPARATION
Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of the warm water. Simmer the remaining 1/2 cup of warm water with the orange flower water, lemon rind, and cloves for 10 minutes, covered. Cool. Discard the cloves. Cream the butter, lard, the sugar, and the salt. Beat in the 2 eggs, then add the brandy, milk, the water-and-lemon mixture, and the softened yeast. Gradually mix in the flour with a wooden spoon until a soft and slightly sticky dough is obtained. Knead on a floured working surface, adding more flour as needed, about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, turn to coat with the oil, cover with a towel, and place in a warm spot, such as an unlit oven, to double in size, about 2 hours. Punch down and knead again 5 minutes. Insert a good luck coin – perhaps a silver dollar or half-dollar – or some other appropriate object, such as a cute miniature ceramic animal.

Shape the dough into a large ring, pinching the ends to seal. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Decorate with the fruit slices, pushing them slightly into the dough. Let the ring rise in a warm spot about 1 hour, or until double in size. Brush with the egg, which has been mixed with a teaspoon of water, sprinkle with sugar, and bake in a 350° F oven 35-40 minutes, or until a deep golden brown.

European Christmas Sweets

From Advent to Three Kings Day

Two famous Swiss Christmas cookies: on the left are the *Mailänderli*, on the right, *Spitzbuebli*. Both will be devoured throughout Switzerland this season. Courtesy Swissmilk.ch/Ursula Beamish

by Sharon Hudgins

Christmas is my favorite holiday season in Europe. Advent, the period leading up to Christmas itself, begins on November 30 or on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, whichever comes first on the calendar. And in most places, the Christmas season doesn’t end until six weeks later, on January 6, known as Three Kings Day (or Epiphany).

Special foods are prepared and eaten at this time of year, some of them with roots in Europe’s pre-Christian past. During the cold, dark days leading up to the winter solstice (December 21 or 22) and Christmas (December 25), people have a natural craving for caloric cookies, cakes, and confections to tide them over until warmer, sunnier weather arrives. Yet not so long ago, Advent was a time of fasting for members of the Catholic Church, which forbade the consumption of butter, eggs, and other animal products during this holy period, in solemn preparation for the coming of the Christ Child.

Today, only a few people still deny themselves such temptations during the days leading up to Christmas. In many parts of northern Europe the annual Christmas baking binge begins as early as October, when home cooks make hundreds of cookies and dozens of cakes and puddings whose flavors are better if they “ripen” for several weeks before serving. Commercial bakers and confectioners hire extra help to produce thousands of holiday sweets for this most lucrative quarter of their business year. And colorful open-air Christmas markets in large cities and small towns sell the seasonal specialties of their own particular region.

Bakers in the British Isles start making their Christmas puddings several weeks or even months in advance of the special December day. Old-fashioned Christmas Plum Pudding—originally made with mutton, beefsteak, and fruits, including plums—has morphed in modern times into a dense, rich, dessert full of currants, raisins, and sultanas, with mixed fruit peel and candied cherries, steamed in a covered bowl and served with a brandy hard sauce made from sugar, butter, and brandy beaten together until fluffy. A sixpence coin is cooked inside the pudding, which supposedly brings good fortune to whoever finds it in his or her serving.

Also popular in Britain are a variety of fruit cakes, sometimes covered with a layer of marzipan and decorated with marzipan “fruits” and sprigs of holly—and small mince pies, their pasty cases filled with a fruity mincemeat mixture of apples, raisins, currants, sultanas, almonds, beef suet, brown sugar, and several spices. In earlier times, the oval shape of these mince pies was said to represent Christ’s crib, with the spices symbolizing the gifts from the East that the Three Kings brought to Bethlehem.

In Scotland, slices of densely textured Dundee Cake, filled with dried and candied fruits and decorated with almond halves on top, are served on “Boxing Day” (December 26). Buttery Scottish shortbread, taken with a dram of Scotch whisky, is traditional for the New Year. And in Ireland the holiday season is the time for loaves of fruit-and-nut-filled breads, as well as several kinds of round or oblong puddings made from wheat or potato doughs, sugar, spices, and dried fruits, wrapped in a cloth and boiled in a big cooking pot.

In the Scandinavian countries the Christmas season begins on St. Lucia’s Day (December 13), which is celebrated with coiled yeast buns colored with saffron. You’ll also find a number of yeast-raised Christmas breads (Julekaka, Julekage) made with plenty of butter and eggs, filled with raisins, nuts, and candied fruits, and seasoned with cardamom. Norwegian Almond Ring Cake (Kransekake) is a tower of baked almond-paste rings, the largest on the bottom and the smallest on the top, fancily decorated with white icing. Crispy molasses-spice cookies called pepparkakor are popular throughout Scandinavia, where they’re made in many holiday shapes and sometimes hung as ornaments on the branches of a special “pepparkakor tree” made of wooden dowels. And a traditional Christmas Eve dessert is rice pudding, with a whole almond hidden inside. Whoever finds the almond will be married before the next Christmas (in Sweden) or will have a series of lucky adventures throughout the coming year (in Denmark).

The Netherlands, Belgium, and northern Germany are home to crispy brown Christmas cookies known as Speculaas or Spekulatius, the dough spiked with ginger or black pepper and pressed into special wooden molds that outline the cookies’ shapes and imprint designs on them. Cookies in the form of windmills and little sailor boys are especially popular. And throughout all of Germany, the Christmas season seems to bring out the best in home bakers, whose kitchens are filled with the aromas of sugar, yeast, spices, nuts, and candied fruits combined in myriad ways to produce some of Europe’s best-known holiday treats.

German gingerbread cookies (Lebkuchen) have been famous throughout Central Europe since the Middle Ages, especially those from the city of Nürnberg. The stiff dough made of rye or wheat flour, honey, almonds, hazelnuts, finely chopped candied fruit peel, and spices—ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, cardamom, and coriander—is pressed into wooden molds that imprint intricate designs on the cookies. Other Lebkuchen cookies are made in simple shapes—circles, hearts, squares—and decorated with white or chocolate icing. No German Christmas season would be complete without plenty of Lebkuchen to nibble on during the entire six weeks from Advent to Epiphany.

Other traditional German Christmas sweets include flat, white, anise-flavored cookies (Springerle), made with pretty designs printed on them with wooden molds; spicy, round “pepper nuts” (Pfeffernüsse) containing ginger or black pepper; six-pointed “cinnamon stars” (Zimtsterne), redolent of that spice and covered with thick white icing; marzipan confections made of sweetened almond paste, shaped and colored to resemble tiny fruits, vegetables, animals, and other figures; Stollen, an oblong fruit-nut-raisin bread covered with a thick layer of confectioners’ sugar and said to represent the Christ Child in swaddling clothes; and Striezel, a braided bread whose three strands of dough symbolize the Holy Trinity.

Holiday treats very similar to these can be found throughout Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Ukraine. Many Poles and Ukrainians also begin their Christmas Eve dinner with kutia, an ancient kind of pudding made with whole wheat grains boiled with honey, figs, dates, raisins, nuts, lemon peel, and poppy seeds. And they conclude the meal with a sweet compote containing twelve kinds of dried fruits, symbolizing the Twelve Apostles. In Hungary, poppy-seed rolls and cakes are popular at this time of year, harking back to the pre-Christian era when the tiny seeds were eaten as a fertility charm on the night of the winter solstice to ensure a bountiful harvest in the coming year.

Christmas traditions are a bit different in the Latin lands. In France, especially in the south, it’s customary to have thirteen desserts for the Christmas Eve dinner that follows Midnight Mass—including fruits, nuts, dates, marzipan, nougat, and always a “Jule log cake” (Bûche de Noël), a long cylindrical cake rolled up around a buttercream filling and decorated on the outside with chocolate icing swirled to look like tree bark, with marzipan “leaves” and meringue “mushrooms” attached to the log-shaped cake. The French end the Christmas season with the celebration of Three Kings Day (January 6), when they eat a special “kings’ cake” (galette des Rois), a round, somewhat flat, golden-colored cake made of puff pastry, often enriched with an almond-paste filling, which has a single bean or a porcelain or plastic good-luck charm baked into it. Whoever finds the charm in his or her piece of cake becomes king for the day and gets to wear the gold-foil crown that was perched atop the cake when it was served.

In Italy, bakers turn out a number of yeasty Christmas breads (pane di Natale), full of butter, eggs, nuts, raisins, and dried and candied fruits. Particularly popular throughout the country is panettone from Milan, a tall, delicate, dome-shaped yeast bread studded with raisins, almonds, and candied orange peel. The northern Italians like their own Alpine fruit bread (Zelten), another yeast-raised bread chock full of dates, sultanas, candied citron, almonds, walnuts, and pine nuts, scented with cinnamon and cloves. The Italian sweet tooth finds satisfaction in all the confections traditionally eaten during the Christmas season, too, including chewy almond nougat (torrone) and marzipan; candied orange halves, candied pumpkin slices, and candied whole chestnuts; and medieval panforte from Siena, a flat, dense, highly spiced, confection-like fruit-and-nut cake containing almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, honey, candied fruit peel, cinnamon, cloves, white pepper, and coriander seeds. And on Three Kings Day the Italians eat puff pastries filled with apricot preserves, as well as a type of sweet focaccia (flat bread) with a single black bean baked inside for the lucky eater who finds it and gets to be “king for the day.”

The Christmas season in Spain is a time for consuming large quantities of the confections for which the country is famous: marzipan from Toledo, often formed in fanciful shapes and sometimes decorated with white icing and colorful candied fruits; almond nougat (turrón), the hard variety from Alicante and the soft version from Jijona, as well as numerous other types of turrón containing hazelnuts, pine nuts, coconut, and chocolate; candied chestnuts; sugar-coated almonds; candied fruits and dried dates; the rich chocolates for which Spain is gaining an international reputation; and “fig bread” (pan de higos), a thick, chewy confection of dried figs, hazelnuts, almonds, and sesame seeds, flavored with grated orange peel and anise liquor.

The special meal on Christmas Eve in Spain often concludes with a sweet soup made of ground almonds, walnuts, or chestnuts, sprinkled with cinnamon. But for children the main event of the holiday season is Three Kings Day, when they receive gifts from the Magi who carried presents to the baby Jesus. As in other Latin countries, the traditional sweet is Three Kings Cake (Roscón de Reyes), a ring-shaped cake studded with raisins, nuts, and candied fruit, and with a coin, a bean, or a small toy baked into it—the lucky charm for the finder, who then gets to wear a king’s paper crown for the rest of the day.

The holiday season in Greece is also a time for indulging in sweets: pencil-thin bread-dough fritters fried in olive oil and drizzled with honey; coiled flaky baklava filled with ground almonds and roasted chick peas; spice cookies made with cinnamon, cloves, and olive oil, then soaked in a sweet syrup; delicate ground-almond cookies (kourabiedes) covered with a thick coating of confectioners’ sugar and with a whole clove baked inside to symbolize the spices that the Three Kings brought to the Christ Child.

Many kinds of special Christmas breads (Christópsomo) are baked in Greece during this season, too. Depending on each family’s own traditions, the Christmas bread might contain walnuts, almonds, raisins, dried figs, lemon or orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds, black pepper, and aniseeds. The shapes of these breads vary according to family preferences, too, as do the decorations on top, which range from symbolic shapes made of dough to sugar glazes and garnishes of chopped candied fruits. After the midnight church service on Christmas Eve, the family and guests gather around the table to share the Christmas bread. The first piece is set aside for Christ, and the rest is distributed among the diners, one of whom will find a coin baked into the bread, bringing that person the blessing of good luck. And on New Year’s Eve, the Greeks share another special bread called Vasilópita (St. Basil’s Bread), a yeast bread flavored with aniseeds or mahlepi seeds, honey, olive oil, and grated orange zest, sprinkled on top with sesame seeds and often decorated with the number of the new year made out of dough. The head of the household breaks the bread at the last stroke of midnight, giving a piece to each person at the table—and whoever finds the coin baked inside will have good fortune throughout the year.