there's one thing this small relatively poor town in east germany is known for: the original…read morebaumkuchen, or tree cake. because of the way it's made, when the cake is cut there are rings like a tree visible that formed within the cake as it was baked. it's really a kind of cake doughnut formed by pouring dough in layers over a rotating stainless spindle that sits beside an open gas flame, and as each layer bakes there's a thin layer of toasted cake that forms on the outside of the cake before another layer is laid down. bit of a mess of course and in a way it's kind of a spit roasted cake, like a bbq with the new layer of dough acting as the bbq sauce, but then that's just this western outsider's warped view. at the end the entire log is coated with dark or white chocolate. while this dessert has been duplicated and modified in other towns in northern germany, as well as in scandinavia, salzwedel claims to have originated the idea. little else as this town's people have to say for themselves i'm willing to give this prize to them. it is of course very delicious. i don't know how long this video will be allowed to remain but it is really worth a watch just to see how ingenious and unique is the methodology. youtube.com/watch?v=ALxaT5V1cAA i'd been here immediately after the reunification, visiting relatives, so we stayed here en route somewhere else in the best hotel in town, the union by name, and in the unlikely event you're headed this way i suggest staying here. i also suggest you revisit your german capability as the degree of english spoken declines rapidly even today once you cross the elbe river which was the western boundary between post war east and west. needless to say the soviets reversed the development of the east in the 20th century and most people spoke russian as a second language. in my way of seeing things, you have the more genuine experience of germany in these former eastern states, especially in towns like salzwedel. the hotels may not be the finest, and you have to work at communication, but the people are actually very friendly and want to be part of today's world. little do they know what they're getting into if they get there, but as the saying goes the grass is always greener on the other side... until you climb over the fence.

Five years I lived next door to Die kleine Konditorei. I could have had these great rolls every…read moreday. Every morning and every evening. I could have had But I didn't have them every day. Not even weekly. The rolls are okay, but in my opinion it's not the manifestation of rolls worldwide there. Standing in line can be fun, I don't have to tell you. But standing in line over the street for rolls ? Only if you need buying rolls as your first event on a sunny sunday morning. So, dear English-Qype-Community, toast is all right and breakfast without rolls is all right too, even in Germany. But if you are homesick and you want to stand in queue you are welcome!

I went here for take-away coffee a few times when I was looking for an apartment in the area. I…read moreliked that they have outdoor seating so I could sit outside in the sun between apartment visitings in order to drink coffee and read comic books. Coffee was just okay, though, but service was rather exceptionally cheery. Never got an apartment in the area, but if I would have, I'd hop in here from time to time.