Schokolade by another name is still sweet!
Soon after arriving in Germany I crossed paths with Ritter Sport and since our introduction we have forged a beautiful friendship.
Now, don't worry. I'm not trading Tommy in for some guy named Ritter. Ritter Sport is a company based in Waldenbuch, just south of Stuttgart, and they are in the wonderfully delicious business of making Schokolade, aka CHOCOLATE!!!!!!
The Ritter Sport chocolate bars come in a beautiful array of flavors...one of my favorites is rum flavored chocolate with nuts and raisins. Yummy! I would hate to have to account for how many bars I have consumed since arriving here 6 weeks ago.
I may have heard this before but probably thought it was just a saying, but it is a scientific fact that there is something special about chocolate. In fact the Cacao plant's scientific name is 'Theobroma cacao' and Theobroma means "food of the gods." And, before I go any further, let me also add that the delectable sweet does have health benefits. That is of course when it is eaten in moderation. I'm working on the moderation thing but I'll get there...practice makes perfect, right?
The chocolate bars come in the shape of a square. This wonderfully tasty square-shaped chocolate bar made its debut in 1932 - the reasoning was it could fit in a jacket pocket, wouldn't break and delivered just as much chocolate as the traditional rectangular-shaped chocolate bars.
The company was founded by Alfred Eugen Ritter and Clara Göttle, and it is still family owned. They use only the finest ingredients. Their website states that Ritter Sport is sold in 80 countries but I can't say I've ever seen or noticed them in the U.S.A. Perhaps they have been blocked by the heavy-weight...Hershey's.
Today I went exploring with my co-worker Amanda, who is also staying here at the hotel. In fact she watched Bear and Smokey for me while I was visiting Tom in Malta. She recently found a house to rent and needed to go pick up some paperwork. Her car is not here yet so I offered that we just make a day of it and I drove her past the apartment that Tom and I will be renting, then we drove to her place.
Honestly, the house stuff was just a cover for the real reason we were out and about. We had been discussing all week how we should go visit the Ritter Sport museum and gift shop, located right next door to the factory, and less than 20 minutes from our hotel. We'd been told by several people that the company's store was the best place to buy the chocolate because it is cheaper than anywhere else, including German grocery stores and the military's commissary.
I saw people checking out with mounds of chocolate bars, baskets full. Amanda and I were wondering if people were getting ready for the holidays. Perhaps they were getting ready to celebrate Monday and will be handing out bars of chocolate to people on the street, celebrating the 20 year anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. How cool to say that I was in Germany when the country celebrated the 20th anniversary of that historic event.
So...anyways back to chocolate, or as the Germans call it 'schokolade.' We went through the little museum and then into the store. There were aisles of chocolate bars and several flavors I hadn't seen in the stores. I picked up a few new flavors...the most intriguing one is Jamaika Rum Truffel. Can't wait to try that one! I think I did pretty good....spent just over 9 euros and got 12 chocolate bars.
I'll have to be careful about making too many pilgrimages to the Ritter Sport store but I would be happy to accompany any visiting family and friends who want to make the trek.
So here's my delicious loot.
See how transparent I'm being on this blog. Practicing full disclosure. Now the true test is whether I will eat all of this before Tom arrives back in Germany, mid-December. Well, since I'm being honest, the answer is probably 'yes.'
I think I'll wrap it up for now. I've got chocolate to enjoy. I think I'll get comfy, curl up with the fuzzy kids, put in a movie, drink some hot chocolate and tear into my first Jamaika Rum Truffel candy bar. Life is good!
Now, don't worry. I'm not trading Tommy in for some guy named Ritter. Ritter Sport is a company based in Waldenbuch, just south of Stuttgart, and they are in the wonderfully delicious business of making Schokolade, aka CHOCOLATE!!!!!!
The Ritter Sport chocolate bars come in a beautiful array of flavors...one of my favorites is rum flavored chocolate with nuts and raisins. Yummy! I would hate to have to account for how many bars I have consumed since arriving here 6 weeks ago.
I may have heard this before but probably thought it was just a saying, but it is a scientific fact that there is something special about chocolate. In fact the Cacao plant's scientific name is 'Theobroma cacao' and Theobroma means "food of the gods." And, before I go any further, let me also add that the delectable sweet does have health benefits. That is of course when it is eaten in moderation. I'm working on the moderation thing but I'll get there...practice makes perfect, right?
The chocolate bars come in the shape of a square. This wonderfully tasty square-shaped chocolate bar made its debut in 1932 - the reasoning was it could fit in a jacket pocket, wouldn't break and delivered just as much chocolate as the traditional rectangular-shaped chocolate bars.
The company was founded by Alfred Eugen Ritter and Clara Göttle, and it is still family owned. They use only the finest ingredients. Their website states that Ritter Sport is sold in 80 countries but I can't say I've ever seen or noticed them in the U.S.A. Perhaps they have been blocked by the heavy-weight...Hershey's.
Today I went exploring with my co-worker Amanda, who is also staying here at the hotel. In fact she watched Bear and Smokey for me while I was visiting Tom in Malta. She recently found a house to rent and needed to go pick up some paperwork. Her car is not here yet so I offered that we just make a day of it and I drove her past the apartment that Tom and I will be renting, then we drove to her place.
Honestly, the house stuff was just a cover for the real reason we were out and about. We had been discussing all week how we should go visit the Ritter Sport museum and gift shop, located right next door to the factory, and less than 20 minutes from our hotel. We'd been told by several people that the company's store was the best place to buy the chocolate because it is cheaper than anywhere else, including German grocery stores and the military's commissary.
I saw people checking out with mounds of chocolate bars, baskets full. Amanda and I were wondering if people were getting ready for the holidays. Perhaps they were getting ready to celebrate Monday and will be handing out bars of chocolate to people on the street, celebrating the 20 year anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. How cool to say that I was in Germany when the country celebrated the 20th anniversary of that historic event.
So...anyways back to chocolate, or as the Germans call it 'schokolade.' We went through the little museum and then into the store. There were aisles of chocolate bars and several flavors I hadn't seen in the stores. I picked up a few new flavors...the most intriguing one is Jamaika Rum Truffel. Can't wait to try that one! I think I did pretty good....spent just over 9 euros and got 12 chocolate bars.
I'll have to be careful about making too many pilgrimages to the Ritter Sport store but I would be happy to accompany any visiting family and friends who want to make the trek.
So here's my delicious loot.
See how transparent I'm being on this blog. Practicing full disclosure. Now the true test is whether I will eat all of this before Tom arrives back in Germany, mid-December. Well, since I'm being honest, the answer is probably 'yes.'
I think I'll wrap it up for now. I've got chocolate to enjoy. I think I'll get comfy, curl up with the fuzzy kids, put in a movie, drink some hot chocolate and tear into my first Jamaika Rum Truffel candy bar. Life is good!
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