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Spargel: It's What's for Dinner in Germany. But What is It?

There's a food revolution happening right now in Germany, and although it is almost over with the beginning of summer, the good news is that it returns every year with the ripening of German asparagus, called Spargel. This revolution sees Germans ditch the sausage and heavier entrees for a month of asparagus-focused meals, most popularly serving the white asparagus with hollandaise sauce and roasted potatoes.

Spargelzeit (Spargel time) is a return to fresh vegetables and pastoral charm, which remains true since the great bulk of Germany's asparagus supply comes right from the local farmers.

So what's the difference between white and green asparagus, and why all the fuss? Well, although it's true that the US is used to wimpy green stalks, the white stuff is like super-powered asparagus. Grown under dirt to stop it from photosynthesizing, white asparagus is stronger when raw and far more tender when cooked. It's like the difference between a sirloin steak and filet mignon. Plus, it holds up well on its own as an entree.

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Where to Find the Longest Bar in the World, Which is Actually a Whole Street

While many individual restaurants claim to hold the record for the "World's Longest Bar," there is a single street in the old city neighborhood of Düsseldorf, Germany that truly takes the cake (or the keg). Appropriately for the Altstadt area, a whole string of bars along Ratinger Straße band together to highlight the dark specialty brew, Altbier.

The bars—Zur Vel, Franzmann, Meilenstein, Rosenrot, Brauerei im Füchschen, and Zum Goldenen Einhorn— occupy one side of the street, and their customers spill out as far as the curb, squeezing in so that you can barely tell where one bar ends and another begins. For this reason, they are together deemed "The Longest Bar in the World."

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In the Land of Sausages, McDonald's Sells a Veggieburger

If there's one thing that's inescapable in Germany, it's sausage. You don't have to be eating it, but you will find a thousand variations of sausage specialties offered up everywhere from fancy restaurants to kiosks on train platforms. Because of the ubiquity of meat, we were delightfully surprised to find that McDonald's, usually the bringer of sandwiches covered in bacon and mystery sauce, is considering the rest of the population by offering a Veggieburger in German McDs.

Originally introduced in February, the Veggieburger is still touted as "Neu" (new), and is made with potatoes, peppers and carrots. In the ad above, the sauce looks suspiciously like mayonnaise when they could have chosen a healthier option, but Europeans love their mayo.

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Use Düsseldorf Airport as a Jungle Gym During the Parkour Championships

A video example of what to expect at DUS during the Parkour championship

Have you heard of Parkour? This crazy "sport" is best described as a mixture of Monty Python's "Ministry of Silly Walks" sketch and breakdancing; in essence, it's extreme walking. Actually, the American version of The Office devoted an entire episode to Parkour—go Hulu it.

Parkour actually has a huge following and many talented athletes, even if it's a sport where you find yourself wanting to yell "you'd have to crazy to do that" at them. The focus is on body control and creativity as Parkour athletes find the most efficient way through the city environment. Or, in this case, the airport's environment. Germany's Parkour championship will be held at Düsseldorf International Airport on June 6, and the public is welcome to come and watch the masters for free, without an outgoing flight.

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Is This the Best One Man Band in the World?

Paris has its mimes, New York has its garbage can drummers and it seems like everywhere else has their own version of the living statues, but it's Düsseldorf, Germany that has the Guinness World Record holder for Biggest One Man Band, and his name is Schrotti.

While we were coming down off a high from riding the first Lufthansa A380 flight, we took a trip of our own from Frankfurt to Düsseldorf, and happened upon Schrotti during a stroll along the Rhine River. There he was, stomping his feet on a keyboard that controlled percussion, and triggering some sort of soup can instrument, all while strumming on a guitar and singing songs that ranged from German classics to old Coca Cola commercial jingles.

At times, the crowd watching him got so thick and so spirited that there'd be a small line to add Euro coins to his tip basket. He's such a sight to see, that you almost can't help staring and sharing.

But is he the best busker in the world?

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Taste all the Mustard Flavors Under the Sun in Düsseldorf

It's a beautiful day for a bratwurst, smothered in sauerkraut and onions and a generous slathering of mustard. It's just too bad that our fancy mustard is stuck in Germany, having been unable to ship it due to food shipping policies in the EU. Darn. Guess we'll just have to go back and get it.

You see, last week while we were strolling around Düsseldorf, we happened upon a little storefront in the old city, which called itself a "Senfmuseum," a museum of mustard. Run by the famous Düsseldorfer mustard brand Löwensenf (or Lion's mustard, if you translate it), the little shop peddles a huge range of mind-boggling mustard flavors, and lets you try them all before buying. We dare you to sample the Pepperoni-mustard!

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