3-potentially 4 weeks in Germany

yirara
yirara Posts: 9,329 Member
Phew... been looking forward to this, but eating will be difficult. I'll be seconded to a drilling project in Germany for 3-up to 4 weeks from later next week. I'll be twice 3-5 days near the wellsite to supervise and in the town of the company for the rest of the time. The hotel near the wellsite doesn't have a fridge in the room and I get grumpy if I don't get my customary breakfast on working days (skyr with rolled oats, raisins and a bit of fruit). Not something a German country hotel will have.

Dinner will likely be in the hotel restaurant, also not very light German country food. Phew. That will be interesting, considering I'll be sitting in my hotel room for most of the time and only go to the wellsite once or twice per day. I just realized that I won't have cooled drinks either.

I'm less worried about the stay in town as there's lots of food choice, a fridge in the hotel room, and I might even have a mini kitchen.

Ok, lets do this, without going overboard with food, or alternatively with snacks.

Replies

  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 6,476 Member
    Is there a freezer in the hotel room? You could use one of those freezer packs to pack food in for the day. Sounds like an interesting trip!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,329 Member
    Katmary71 wrote: »
    Is there a freezer in the hotel room? You could use one of those freezer packs to pack food in for the day. Sounds like an interesting trip!

    No freezer, like I mentioned. No cool drinks, no yoghurt, nothing i can store to put on my breat during the day :(
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,329 Member
    I. Am. So. Jealous. I lived there for 8 years. I would happily gain weight to have the beer and bread again... :)

    Hahaha! I'll be on a German working away budget, which means I won't have a lot of money for food. And food within this budget tends to be rather bad in Germany: very heavy, not very filling, and rather poor quality. Ho hum...
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    Enjoy your trip.. to bas your not going in the fall. https://youtu.be/l5sIspLfmXM
  • beachwalker99
    beachwalker99 Posts: 950 Member
    edited May 2019
    Have you stayed at this particular country hotel before? Could you email them and ask about lower calorie meals or dietary accommodations? Many Germans are health and diet conscious too, so you may get some good tips from the locals about where to eat.

    In my travels I've found that even small hotels often offer muesli and yogurt or quark (or at least milk) alongside the usual meats and cheeses at breakfast. If not, you could at least pick up some muesli and fresh fruit in town. The Aldi and Lidl grocery chains are relatively inexpensive. You could also pack some of your favorite protein bars for emergencies. Find opportunities to walk if you can, and bank calories by eating a little under your limit when you're in town.

    And enjoy your trip!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,843 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Katmary71 wrote: »
    Is there a freezer in the hotel room? You could use one of those freezer packs to pack food in for the day. Sounds like an interesting trip!

    No freezer, like I mentioned. No cool drinks, no yoghurt, nothing i can store to put on my breat during the day :(

    I know this is the second time you mentioned no frig/freezer - have you already asked the hotel if there is a mini frig they can put in your room?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,329 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    Katmary71 wrote: »
    Is there a freezer in the hotel room? You could use one of those freezer packs to pack food in for the day. Sounds like an interesting trip!

    No freezer, like I mentioned. No cool drinks, no yoghurt, nothing i can store to put on my breat during the day :(

    I know this is the second time you mentioned no frig/freezer - have you already asked the hotel if there is a mini frig they can put in your room?

    Yes. No don't have any and for food safety reasons they aren't allowed to store anything from me, neither food nor freezer packs. Oh well, it will still be an interesting trip :smile:
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,329 Member
    Have you stayed at this particular country hotel before? Could you email them and ask about lower calorie meals or dietary accommodations? Many Germans are health and diet conscious too, so you may get some good tips from the locals about where to eat.

    In my travels I've found that even small hotels often offer muesli and yogurt or quark (or at least milk) alongside the usual meats and cheeses at breakfast. If not, you could at least pick up some muesli and fresh fruit in town. The Aldi and Lidl grocery chains are relatively inexpensive. You could also pack some of your favorite protein bars for emergencies. Find opportunities to walk if you can, and bank calories by eating a little under your limit when you're in town.

    And enjoy your trip!

    I'm sure I'll be fine. Worst case I'll buy a cup of skyr twice (that's my goto breakfast stuff, together with oats, raisins and fruit) for each stay and leave it in the room. Even without cooling it should be fine for a few days. Dinner: my budget only allows for their daily special, which will probably be big and heavy to cater for travelling workers and other big guys who need lots of energy. But lets see what it is. I can of course ask for more veggies and less meat, and avoid fried food.
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
    Sometimes I hang food or drinks wrapped well in plastic bags outside the window to keep cool, in the absence of a fridge. Depends on the climate of course, but it works reasonably!
  • Mominajourney
    Mominajourney Posts: 26 Member
    I lived in Germany for 3 years...dinner tended to be small, while lunch was heavy, and breakfast, well, lets just say I was starving by lunch time! The worst for me is how difficult it is to get just plain cold water that isn't "bubbly"
  • tequila5000
    tequila5000 Posts: 128 Member
    I learned this tip from my uncle. If u will be at a hotel without a fridge...as soon as u arrive, take one of the empty waste paper baskets in the room, and fill it up with ice from the ice machine at your hotel. I would put the ice in a clean plastic bag. Then put the items into the plastic bag filled with ice, put th plastic bag into the waste paper basket. And add more ice onto the top. Lay a blanket over the top to try to hold in the cold. Your stuff will still be cool in the morning. Maybe not refrigerator cold, but cool. Then before you leave, dump the ice and water into the tub because the housekeeper shouldn’t have to empty a plastic bag filled with melty ice. Repeat when u come back with more items to keep cold.
    Obviously I wouldn’t do this if the waste paper basket is visibly filthy and disgusting, because even with a plastic bag barrier that would totally be gross.
    It’s worth a try.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    Do they sell styrofoam coolers in Germany?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,329 Member
    No ice coolers and nore ice machines.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,342 Member
    We just got back yesterday from four weeks in Eastern Europe, where they take pride in feeding guests well, and their faces fall if you don’t stuff yourself. The food was very heavy and bread based (lots of meat and cheese stuffed breads), lots of sunflower oil on vegetables, and plates and plates of various homemade cheeses. And we won’t even discuss Roshen chocolates.

    I went totally off diet, stuffed and enjoyed myself while I pissed and moaned to my husband the whole time about all the weight I’d put on. Weighed myself this morning, and surprisingly, the damage was less than six pounds. I am more than happy and grateful with that, because I’ve learned here how to get it back off, and am confident I can. Have already been to the grocery this morning and loaded up in fruits and veggies.

    As others told me. “Go, have a good time, enjoy the food”.

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,329 Member
    I realize I still need to give feedback. Weight-wise I'm not sure yet. Might have gained 1kg, but I've just returned home and am still on travel waterweight, thus can't say yet whether it's more.

    Food was difficult with 20 Euro per day. I usually ignored hotel breakfasts as those clocked in at 8-12 Euro already but bought pretzels plus sandwiches or precut fruit, and some candy. Lunch was mostly the same plus a sweet drink for some energy on long working days. Leaves about 12 Euro for dinner, which wasn't really feasible unless I bought a doener, currywurst or pan-friend potatoes. At a hotel location in a bigger town I stayed twice I could get poke bowls (yucky! Full of mayonnaise, sugar, more mayonnaise, marinades and more sweet stuff. Or tasteless without as ingredients were of poor quality) just on budget, or fast food. Other restaurants were too far away for very long working days. In the second village where I also stayed twice it was also fastfood as dinners in restaurants started at around 16 Euro, and went up to wherever with a Michelin Star restaurant around the corner.

    So I guess it worked, kind of. I probably didn't gain more because I don't digest fats well. On the other hand, this very fatty food got me into hospital where they found that my gallbladder looks like a shingle beach and seems to be close to useless. Happy happy joy joy! Have to make an appointment with my GP tomorrow.