Ninedragons
Fantastic photos, your DD is gorgeous, no wonder she has so many admirers.
Also very at the Toronto Islands
Eidsvold
How annoying. Hope the rest of your trip is better.
We slept a little longer than usual today, before DH set off to the baker for fresh rolls. It is common here in Germany to buy fresh rolls for breakfast, if not every day several times a week and always at weekends. Most Germans continue to buy their bread at a bakery rather than in the supermarket.
In recent years it has become more difficult for the small bakers to survive, they compete against the supermarkets who often have their own "Grossbäcker" chain of bakers. Added to this is the advent of the "Billigbäcker" the cheap or discount bakeries.
Traditionally, a baker would arrive at the Backstube at 5am to start work. By the time the first customers arrived at 6.30 am they were greeted by the smell of freshly baked Brot und Brötchen. The baker would make the bread and rolls using his own recipes and they were generally filling and of a high quality.
Nowadays, the market pressure is so strong that many bakers import "Rohlinge" from Eastern Europe, half baked rolls that are merely finished off in the bakers shop.
So the bakery itself is no longer needed, just a shop with a big oven to heat up the Rohlinge. Some companies have gone so far as to remove the friendly bakery sales assisant who would greet the customers, chat to the old ladies and give the DCs a roll gratis, free of charge. The rolls languish in plastic tubs, the customers serve themselves and a cashier tots up the amount to be paid.
The consequences are the loss of the cosy old Bäckerei. The rolls seem to be mainly made out of fresh air, and have no substance to them unlike the yummy crusty rolls that we love.
DH drives to the bakers in the next village as they are one of the few in this area who still have their own Backstübe and do not rely on imported dough. There he buys the most delicious Vollkornbrötchen (Wholemeal rolls) that I have ever tasted and Stütchen or Milchbrötchen (a sort of sweet roll that tastes wonderful with apricot jam).
We enjoyed our breakfast, substiting the normal German breakfast Kaffee with a pot of Tetley tea. DH has come over to the other side and rarely drinks coffee now.