Merci, Germany, for your chocolate

Merci - when associated with chocolate - is supposed to mean the "finest Assortment of European Chocolates with a brand name that literally means thank you, there is no better way of expressing heartfelt gratitude." Merci is actually a brand of French chocolate manufactured by a German company.

Merci Milk Chocolate variety box came with 20 milk chocolate, hazelnut-almond, hazelnut cream, and praline cream sticks lined up in two rows. The cellophane and paper wrapper was easy to open and did not stick to the chocolate. Its simplicity made it elegant and not too fussy. In the hazelnut creme stick, the milk chocolate encased a small bar of light-colored hazelnut creme, which was silky and nutty, but the hazelnut flavor started to dissipate after the next few nibbles. I preferred the hazelnut-almond stick the most with bits of hazelnut and almond in the chocolate. The crunchy texture was complimented by the smooth milk chocolate, though highlighting the chocolate over the nut flavors. The milk chocolate was smooth, creamy, but too sweet in comparison with the others. The praline creme is dryer than the hazelnut creme and the flavor, again, is very subtle with only hints of caramelized sugar. The chocolate is very, very, smooth. This was the overarching characteristic of the chocolate sticks that I noticed. However, I am not really a fan of milk chocolate though, preferring the bitterness of cocoa nibs. Someone get me the Dark Chocolate variety!

Autostadt Currywurst

Among the museums and pavilions glorifying Volkswagen automobiles and other brands it owns such as Bugatti and Lamborghini is the coveted VW currywurst sitting in the TachoMeter within the walls of the Autostadt. A popular commodity of the German diet, the currywurst, best known for its presence in Berlin, is argued better outside the capital city in Wolfsburg, near Hannover. Often served on a roll of bread with a generous dousing of curry powder, the traditional sausage is set apart by the fact that it is made on-site with sausage machinery at the VW plant. Access to the VW wurst is only granted to company employees and visitors to the Autostadt.

At the Tachometer, currywurst is accompanied by a slathering of tangy tomato sauce, a small salad, and pommes frites. Curry powder is used to preference, though usually enough to cover a visible layer over the tomato sauce. The wurst is cooked on a flat grille slicked with vegetable oil until the skin is nicely roasted and caramelized. The size of the wurst is substantially larger and longer than wursts commonly found on Berlin street corners extending the length of the plate. The flavor of the wurst is not too strong, balancing out the curry powder and the sweet and tangy flavor of the ketchup or tomato sauce also supposedly made on-site.


While enjoying a traditional currywurst, diners can over look the KundenCenter or Customer Center and watch as buyers wait for their new Volkswagen delivered right to their feet from the glass storage towers across the way with an odometer reading of “0”. Indulgence of this German national food is only matched by famed German automotive engineering.