Faschingsdienstag

Yesterday was Faschingsdienstag: Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras-the day of revelry before Ash Wednesday and Lent kicks in, with all of that denying and being chaste...and the Germans are no different.

I went down to the city center to meet friends to view the Viktualienmarkt Ladies Parade.  What I saw was so much more...you see, here in Germany, Fasching is the time to dress up in silly costumes and party like it's....., well, Fasching!  In the crowd there were wonderful wigs and headgear (a smart way to go, since it was sunny and chilly-that way one can keep the rest of the body warm!), and terrific costumes. 

See below:

These ladies were an absolute blast in their Amadeus costumes!

Bubble wrap hats-the one on the left is a planter with live plants, and the one on the right had a ship topper!

The parade represents the women who work all year in the outside Viktualienmarkt...the Flower Seller, the Wurst and Meat Seller, the Cheese Lady, the Pretzel and Bread Seller, the Schnapps Lady....and more.  The parade winds its way from the Rathaus in Marienplatz to the waiting crowd in the Market...where they perform several dances...including a most enjoyable celebration of  'Thriller'.

There was singing.  There was dancing.  Confetti was tossed.  Silly string was shot.  Libations were consumed.  A great time was had by all. Needless to say, we are pondering our costumes for next year.....

Krapfen-they taste better than they sound!

Krapfen-basically a filled donut with jelly, custard, chocolate or the like...these started popping up in bakeries all over town a few weeks ago.  They are a pre-Lent treat that sadly, will go away after today-Fat Tuesday.  They are similar to the Packzi (pronounced Punch-kee) that are popular in Detroit, but didn't seem as heavy or as it is with most things in Germany, as sweet as their U.S. (Polish) cousins. 

The traditional Krapfen are dusted with powdered sugar as above left and have jelly (often apricot) inside.  The one with the heart stenciled powdered sugar had raspberry jelly, I think...the two with the candy hearts had cherry inside-one with cream the other straight up and the last one was a black forest variety.

On this plate, the crown jewel is the coco dusted tiramisu.  Supporting Krapfen included the glazed egg liquor cream and the white chocolate shaving with chocolate drizzle topped chocolate cream filled and the black forest.

We met some friends and had coffee and the sampling while we had the chance since the Krapfen dissappear at the onset of Lent, which is probably good for all of our wastelines!