A delicious tradition
It is a tradition: when we are on holiday in the mountains of Bavaria or Tyrol, we have to eat Käsebrot or Speckbrot. This does not involve ordering it on a terrace somewhere at a restaurant. No, "such a hearty sandwich" is eaten at the end of a long, strenuous hike at a mountain hut.
The tradition began some 30 years ago when we went to the Wildschönau in Tyrol every year. There we had become acquainted with a friendly couple on an alpine farm, who welcomed us warmly every time. We made it our annual outing. At the time, we saw many changes there. The toilet, for instance: from an old-fashioned open-air 'poop box', it became a neat water closet with lockable door. Electricity was installed and we could sit on a terrace behind the hut in recent years. We watched the couple's children grow up, and met their grandchildren. All sorts of things changed, only the welcome remained the same. As soon as we arrived, the greeting was most cordial and the man quietly disappeared inside, only to return a moment later with several glasses filled with obstler. We had to drink to 'Freundschaft'. Afterwards we could get beer or soft drinks. When our stomachs started rumbling, there was Käsebrot or Speckbrot and nothing is more delicious than one of those dark sandwiches, thickly topped with creamy cheese or smoked bacon, preferably accompanied by a glass of fresh milk or buttermilk. We have continued that tradition. The couple no longer spend summers on the mountain pasture, we take holidays in other locations, but that Käsebrot has to be eaten. When we then sit sweaty from the walk behind one of those wooden boards with bread, there is nothing left to wish for. That's the moment for a photo! Not of us, but of the Käse- or Speckbrot. For the people back home. So that they are really convinced that we are enjoying a wonderful vacation.
