A search for Cinderella at the Freiburg Munstermarkt

If there is something that travel has taught me, it's that the process will leave you always yearning for food and drink from distant (or not so distant) lands. I'll never stop food-lusting over the truffle gnocchi I had at a small restaurant outside the Duomo in Florence, or the dinner we had on a blustery January night in Lyon, or the wine we drank while staying at monastery-turned-spa in Monchiero Alto. Freiburg as well holds a little gem of food lust for Les Duggans. Dan and I have spent the last year dreaming of the brat we had at the Freiburg Munstermarkt, so naturally when we found ourselves there on Friday morning of our trip, it was a no brainer: brats for breakfast.

The only problem was, it was a bit like Prince Charming trying to find out whose dainty little foot fit the glass slipper. We couldn't remember which stand we had bought it from, only what side of the cathedral the stand was on, that it came from a white and modest looking stand, and what the brat looked like.

This was not the brat we were searching for. It was still delicious, but not our Cinderella Brat.

We began to fear that we would never find the stand. Or that it was no longer there. We scoped out all the stands on this side of the cathedral, and non were the stand selling our Cinderella brat. We took solace in that fact that we at least had the chance to have that brat once in our lives, and carried on with our shopping.

What? It can't be! It is! It's our little Cinderella stand! I threw around the idea in my mind that they were simply set up on the opposite side of the cathedral, but quickly shoved that thought. "That's too easy. This is Europe. It's gone forever," I thought. But no, alas here they are! Uhl's served us up the same amazing and herb filled bratwurst that we had remembered in our brat filled dreams, and we happily devoured them. So fast that there are no pictures to prove the tale, you'll simply have to take my word for it. In the end I don't know what was more pleasing: the taste, or solving the mystery.

The Freiburg Munstermarkt takes place every Friday outside of the cathedral, and you can find everything from plants to brats, jams and juices, herbs and spices, children's toys and household cleaning products (seriously, there was a broom stand). It's a lively market, and when we were there the school kids were all out for lunch and running around the square. I couldn't help but think how fun it must be to be a kid in Freiburg and spend your lunches in that square, and grabbing delicious hot food on Fridays with your friends. This market has a really special old world feel, and it made me want to do our weekly shopping. People on bikes carrying parcels, tables dedicated to solely selling walnuts, tiny live Christmas trees for sale...I wanted to just live in this market all day. But alas, we had some more Christmas Market going to tend to, and that's pretty awesome as well. We'll hopefully see you again next year Freiburg Munstermarkt!

Oh, and a little advice from those who have learned the hard way: when you have that meal, that meal that you know will haunt your dreams with dancing truffle gniocci or the like, always remember to take a picture of either the restaurant's sign or menu. That way you'll never have to search on an empty stomach for your Cinderella.

A la prochaine friends...

Honey