We stopped in a French cafe that appeared to specialize in tarts, both sweet and savory. Mine was leek and salmon and Jesse's was mushroom and tomato. We each had a Trappist beer with our lunch. I chose the Westmalle Tripel and Jesse's was Rochefort 10, each packing a punch at 9.5% and 11.3% abv. We quickly learned, however, that a beer (especially those potent ones) at lunch made for a very sleepy afternoon.
We only went on one brewery tour, which happened to be at our first stop in Brussels. Cantillon brewery is located on the west side of town, in a bit of a transitional neighborhood, but was well worth the trip. It has been owned and run by the Van Roy-Cantillon family since 1900 and it shows. The pride in their product and process was inescapable throughout our entire visit, especially with the care and detail with which they described the beer as "acidic" not "bitter." After the tour we tasted two of their beers, the Gueuze and Kriek. Both were dry, sour, and definitely not sweet like other Kriek beers. It is definitely a beverage that you would sip on a special occasion, not unlike a very dry champagne. Before returning home, we purchased a bottle of their Lou Peppe Framboise that we'll hold on to for our next anniversary. I kind of like the idea of celebrating with beer instead of wine.
In Bruges, we wanted to experience authentic Flemish cuisine, so we went to a restaurant that came highly recommended by the hostess at our guesthouse. We arrived at 5pm, which according to the front door was the time they opened for dinner, but the owner quickly assured us that they didn't actually open until 6pm. We returned an hour later and were lucky enough to find a table, as nearly the entire restaurant was booked for the evening. I ordered the Waterzooi (a chicken stew with potatoes) and Jesse ordered the beef stew (I can't remember the Dutch name). His came with a baked potato with curried butter melting inside. It was the most fantastic thing I've tasted in a while. We told the owner how much we loved the beef stew and he hustled down to the kitchen to provide us with a recipe! As soon as the weather cools down, I'm going to try and replicate the meal.
After our delicious (and filling) Flemish meal, we walked around Bruges as the sun went down and I took a few night photos. Then, we ended up at Brugs Beertje, a bar that was recommended in our Good Beer Guide Belgium. The atmosphere was relaxed and I was kind of envious of the people who had brought games like cards and Pass the Pigs to play while sipping their beer. Jesse and I sampled two more Trappist ales, the Achel Blonde and Bruin. I love Trappist beers, so I had no complaints other than the fact that I wanted to pass out from the full beer and meal. 
This was our first breakfast in Berlin and pretty much summed up our breakfasts for the remainder of the trip. I was in heaven. When given the option of sweet or savory for breakfast, I always choose the latter. In fact, the best breakfast in my book is last night's leftovers with an egg on top. So, bread, cured meats, cheese, butter, tomatoes and pickles was a-okay with me! 
This was breakfast the second day in Berlin. We had a lot of sandwiches in Germany, but they were consistently delicious whether they had egg and cucumber, or just a variety of cheeses, or curried chicken. I know this photo is a little out of focus, but look at that bread! The bread in Germany was out of this world. Even in Portland, where we have fabulous bakeries, you just can't get rolls of this caliber. Also, schnitzel for breakfast is divine. 
Snacks were essential. Our best days incorporated snacks. This was a break in the Tiergarten in Berlin. We purchased the melba toast and cheese called Partykaas (which roughly translated into "party cheese") in Belgium for the plane ride to Germany. I loved the idea of party cheese so much that we even had a little Partykaas dance when I would reach into the backpack. Also, Kinder chocolates are delicious -- Bueno was a big hit.
On the last night in Berlin, we finally got Döners. I think the picture speaks more to their deliciousness than I ever could.
That pretty much sums up the first few days of our trip. More to come tomorrow in European Road Food Part 2!
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