The Organic Traveller
Friday, 20 May 2022

Venice: Organic supermarkets, delicatessen, and groceries

Going wild in the maze of Venice in search for organic food, drinks, or the forgotten natural sun screen can be a real downer, so it's best to know where to head.

Fortunately the odd Coop supermarket has a reasonable selection of organic (though usually pre-packaged) fruit and veges, drinks, cookies and food. This may save your life, especially since they usually keep open on Sundays.

NaturaSi Rialto

To spot one of the three long-established independent organic convenience stores in the maze of the city's beautiful old houses may be more difficult. Two of them are now affiliated under the Cuore Bio label of Italian organic supermarkets, and the one formerly known as Rialto Biocenter is now a NaturaSi branch. Here you will also find organic bodycare, sun blockers, eco-friendly detergents and more. The NaturaSi near Rialto also stocks fresh bread and other sweet and savoury bakery items as well as unpackaged fruit and veges, sufficient to provide you with a decent picnic supply. On the other hand the Naturalia shop in Dorsoduro not far from the train station isn't suitable if you really are in the need for food.

Pantagruelica

If you're looking for an eatable or drinkable souvenir pay a visit to Pantagruelica, a crammed delicatessen at the Western end of Campo San Barnaba. It stocks mainly certified organic items and food at least partially produced adhering to organic principles. If departing the waterbus at Ca' Rezzonico stop you can't miss it when following the only way into the open of the square and keep an eye on the left side. The shopkeeper can be a little annoying with his ever almost identical rants on the quality of his products, but he doesn't mind being cut short, and instead being drawn into a real chat.

More to try

2022-05-20 13:00:00 [Venice, Venezia, biologico, organic, deli, supermarkets, grocery] Link

Creative Commons Licence

This work by trish is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. For commercial use contact the author: E-mail · Mastodon · Vero · Ello.

Wednesday, 11 May 2022

Esslingen: Zero Waste and Supermarkets

Ohne Ebbes

A serious university city Esslingen sports a small package-free self-service supermarket where you can fill your boxes, bottles, bags and jars yourself, and any pre-packaged item either comes in glass or paper packaging. Ohne Ebbes (the Swabian dialect word "ebbes" refers to "anything", hence the name can be translated as "without anything") is located near Hafenmarkt, with its entrance facing Milchstraße. Missing a glossy window front it can appear nearly invisible. The clean and welcoming shop offers dry food, sweets, cleaning detergents, household items, and sustainable body care. All non-packaged items are organic, but since the shop is missing an organic certification it is not allowed to advertise this. Only some pre-bottled regional beverages are not organic. The shop follows a German tradition among organic shops in university cities to offer a 10 percent discount to students on Thursdays.

Weltladen Esslingen

For fairly produced gifts, fashion and dried food fair-trade world shops always are a good bet. But the Weltladen in Esslingen is even better: At its left-hand site it has a small zero-waste shop-in-shop with gravity bins containing nuts, cereals, pasta, sweets, coffee and more, not all of them certified organic, though. Bring your own jars, boxes or re-use clean paper bags from previous shoppings. As long as covid-19 requires stricter hygiene ask one of the helpful volunteers who are running the shop to fill them for you – and use the time for a chat. The shop also offers a small assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Tee Gschwendtner Esslingen

To buy loose weight tea take a stroll over Germany's next to oldest stone bridge, the Innere Brücke ("inner bridge") over the Neckar canals and the Maille park: In a beautiful pavilion integrated into the bridge you'll find Esslingen's branch of the Tee Gschwendtner franchise. If you present your tea box to the shop assistant before you decide on the tea of your choice they are happy to fill customer receptables.

A few steps north of the train station you'll find a branch of the nation-wide operating Alnatura supermarket chain inside the ES shopping mall. It's far from being dedicated zero-waste but offers a basic assortment of preserved food, wine, beer, juices and soft drinks, dairy products and vegetable alternatives in retour glasses or bottles as well as package-free bakery products (provided you sport a bag), fruits and veges.

Naturgut Esslingen

If you prefer a regional chain of organic supermarkets head for the Naturgut branch inside the old fire warden. Apart from diary products and beverages there's no focus on returnable deposit bottles and glasses, but you may of course buy package-free fruit and greens. For bakery items turn to the right at the entrance: The bakery counter is located inside the attached self-service day cafe, Brot & Cafe.

Although Germany's arguably largest organic bakery chain, Munich-based Hofpfisterei ("bakery with appointment to the (Bavarian) court") traditionally restricts its branches to Bavaria (and the German capital Berlin), there's a Hofpfisterei shop in the pedestrian area of Esslingen's old town, too. As in all Hofpfisterei branches, there's not need to argue with the shop assistants when you present a bag or box to take your breads, rolls and pastries home – they will happily comply.

Outside the city, in Sulzgries, you'll find the organic farmshop of the Eglisenhof farm, a grower of both, veges and grapewine. They also have a (local) delivery service. Unfortunately the vinification of their grapes by a local co-operative does not (yet?) seem to happen according to organic standards, at least I was not able to find any organic local wine and even met strong resistance when I asked for it at local wine specialists.

The farm also has a booth at the farmers' market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. However, you have to rise in time to get there as the market closes already around noon.

2022-05-11 20:00:00 [Esslingen, organic, coffee, vegan, zero_waste, fair, unverpackt, cafe, grocery, market, supermarkets, farms, bodycare, household, corona, covid] Link

Creative Commons Licence

This work by trish is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. For commercial use contact the author: E-mail · Mastodon · Vero · Ello.

Sunday, 27 March 2022

Stuttgart: Railway Terminus

Stuttgart 21, the German national railway company Deutsche Bahn's biggest and most controversial development project is the reason why the capital of Baden-Wurttemberg for many years will be missing a functional and representative station building worth a city of its size and importance. There are almost no shops and food stalls, but do not dispair: If you take the exit next to platform 16 through the historical Bonatzbau you will come to the urban surroundings of Arnulf-Klett-Platz instead of to a tree-less anonymous desert of a huge construction site bordered by faceless business buildings. At the southern end of Klett-Passage you will be able to shop for organic supplies, even on Sundays, and it takes only five minutes to come here from the tracks. So, even if you have only half an hour between connecting trains, you will get there and back in time unless you take the wrong (northern) exit.

Bio B

To find a Sunday-open source of organic products train stations are the best bet in Germany. So it is here in Stuttgart: At the exit of Klett-Passage, just before you proceed to ground level, there's Bio B, a well-assorted fully organic supermarket, offering both dry and fresh food including fruits, veges and dairy products, natural bodycare and household items. Definitely your best and fastest bet for travel provisions. There's a second Bio B branch cum cafe in Kirchheim unter Teck south-east of Stuttgart.

If you turn left here, take the stairs up, proceed to the next street corner and turn right there's a branch of the DM Drogeriemarkt drugstore chain. In principle a supermarket focussing on all you need in the household it stocks a good selection of reasonably priced organic dry and preserved food, sweets and (non-alcoholic) beverages as well as natural bodycare and sustainable household chemistry; with an increasing number of climate-neutral products. For non-food you have to be more picky as conventional, environment-unfriendly brands (still) prevail. As the shop its not located on the premises of the train station it is however closed on Sundays and public holidays.

2022-03-27 08:30:00 [Stuttgart, Kirchheim_Teck, organic, vegan, snacks, supermarkets, grocery, trainstation] Link

Creative Commons Licence

This work by trish is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. For commercial use contact the author: E-mail · Mastodon · Vero · Ello.

Thursday, 24 March 2022

Stuttgart-Möhringen

Few tourists will ever find their way to the Southern suburb of Möhringen. A settlement dating back to between 1100 and 1300 the place has a history, but is a mixture of urban sprawl, industrial area and lots of obese cars, combined with the remainders of an agricultural past and a village infrastructure with farm houses, workshops and house gardens.

Directly located behind the old station building of Möhringen Filderbahn train station you'll find the main shop of a traditional artisanal bakery and confectioner's, Schrade. The family-run business dates back to 1902, and as many surviving bakeries of old, is organically certified. Most breads and many rolls are organic, made with Bioland-certified grains from the region and home-made sourdough if applicable.Unfortunately neither the pastries nor the artisanal chocolate truffles are made from organic ingredients (yet).

Reyerhof

Further south, in the nicer part of Möhringen-West with its still visible village structure you'll find the Reyerhof farm, a biodynamic co-operative and community supported agriculture. Its homely farm shop is open to the public and sells raw milk from the farm which you can tap yourself into your bottle. A pleasant way to buy food and daily necessities, there's also a cafe corner with tables to sit down and relax.

Naturgut

There's a second organic farm shop in Möhringen-Süd: Bauer Klaus shares its shop with the suburb's package-free supermarket, Umverpackt. Unfortunately it is open on Monday and Friday afternoons only.

To complete your shopping there are also two well-assorted organic supermarkets, Naturgut in Möhringen-Mitte, and Erdi in the large housing neighbourhood of Möhringen-Ost.

2022-03-24 17:30:00 [Stuttgart, Moehringen, organic, farms, supermarkets, bakeries, coffee, zero_waste, unverpackt, cafe] Link

Creative Commons Licence

This work by trish is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. For commercial use contact the author: E-mail · Mastodon · Vero · Ello.

Friday, 18 February 2022

Organic Copenhagen: A night (and a day) stop-over

If there is a European city where it's absolutely unnecessary to compromise on sustainability when travelling, this is most certainly the Danish capital. Even if you – like we on our train travel from Munich to Trondheim, on a one-night stop-over, with too little time for up-front research – are willing to take your usually organic diet with a grain of salt, relax! It's as simple as keeping in mind the following three brands: Irma when it comes to provisions and daily necessities, Emmerys for a coffee or lunch break and sandwiches, and the Guldsmeden Hotels for a comfortable night in style. All these three chains have sufficient branches within the city that you always will find one.

Where to stay

As long as your budget isn't really tight, thread yourself with a luxury night in one of the owner-run Guldsmeden hotels. The rooms in these design hotels are all carefully designed in a way that makes you feel to have much more space at hand than you actually have: The huge canopy bed is separated from the sitting area with a wall, the bath rooms are all equipped with both, (a small) bathtub, shower and sink, and since everything is decorated in a blend of Balinese and Danish design, with a focus on longevity and sustainability there's always a feel of tropical holiday over it, no matter what the weather is like.

As a guest you are encouraged to take with you your used vanity set, tooth brush, salt deodorant and other small bathroom items for prolonged use; the luxury natural bodycare which is provided in big dispensers at the bathroom can be bought from the hotel reception or from the webshop. Organic coffee and tea is provided on the room, including tiny pyramid packs with organic milk. Unfortunately one-way paper cups are provided instead of re-usable glasses or cups. This is justified as a fire protection measure which I – given the inflammability of paper compared with glass or steel – find hard to reasonably believe.

Babette Guldsmeden

This time we stayed at the Babette hotel at Esplanaden, opposite the Kastellet fortress and park, with its beautiful orangery-type entrance area and a branch of the famous Skagen seafood restaurant serving as the hotel's restaurant.Although the restaurant has a focus on sustainability it's not dedicated organic. While the food itself -- the luxury form of fish-based fast food -- was both, tasty and filling, their drinks menu did not include a single organic item, and the wine selection was outrageously disappointing. There's a 10 percent discount for hotel guests.

Breakfast at the Skagen facilities is a different affair: A 100 percent organic, tastefully arranged buffet where every single item is worth a try. Unfortunately they did not serve my favourite muesli from earlier stays in Oslo and Kopenhagen: toasted and caramelised cubes of yesterday's flavour-rich dark-brown bread, blended with seeds and nuts. Like other hotel commodities as bicycles and the entrance to the beautiful roof-top spa breakfast is not included in the price for the night.

A few years ago we stayed at the smallest (and eldest) of all Guldsmeden hotels, the Carlton 66 in the former meat-packing district ("Kødbyen") of Vesterbro. This intimate bourgeois city villa with its narrow stairs is a truly romantic affair, but a word of advise if you come with heavy baggage: Unlike in other countries hotel staff in Scandinavia is treated equal. So -- while you may kindly ask for help if you are of delicate health -- do not expect them to carry your luggage.

The Carlton is only a short walk away from the Guldsmeden's business hotel, Axel. If you stay at the Carlton and fancy a drink at a hotel bar or wish to use their luxury spa, treat yourself with an evening stroll.

Where to eat (and have a coffee)

If the hotel breakfast at one of the Guldsmeden hotels doesn't match your budget, there's no need to dispair: Find one of the numerous branches of Emmerys cafes and bakery shops (There are so many I won't list them here) and treat yourself with their fully organic bakery items, both to have on the spot and to take away. In addition to classic Danish brown sourdough breads and rolls they also make interpretations of Italian and French white breads and rolls. While some places have special breakfast and lunch menus, you may always have different types of Danish smørrebrød and Italo-American-style sandwiches, both with and without meat and/or cheese.

Unfortunately salads and fruit drinks to take away are still prepared and sold in one-way plastic cups, and there's no deposit scheme for cups or bowls. If you have sufficient time, rather opt to take a seat and be served your drink in glass or earthenware. And be sure to add one of their gorgeous sweets to your coffee order -- if only a piece of their famous white brownies.

Where to buy provisions and daily necessities

Whether you are shopping for provisions or plan a picnic in a park, a branch of the nation-wide operating supermarket co-operative Irma is usually just around the corner. While other supermarket chains lately have started to advertise with their small selection of organic and fairly-traded goods as a cover-up for their generelly unfair and planet-threatening practises, this chain has truly been working towards a more sustainable lifestyle in Denmark for years: Although most items sold here still is conventional produce, you have clearly marked organic alternatives for almost all products at hand, placed in a way that makes it easy to choose the more sustainable alternative in the first place, without much reading. Still, also shopping here requires attention to organic labels and some abstinence if you want to reduce one-way plastic.

What to do

If you love tea and fancy a short travel in time, pay a visit to A. C. Perch's Thehandel from 1835. In the tiny shop of the royal warrant holder shop assistants with dark-green aprons measure high quality loose-weight tea into paper bags, needless to say using shiny brass mechanical scales. The bags are lettered by hand and closed with rubber bands. Not all of the teas are organic, but you have a great assortment to choose from, and you will also find organic ginger snaps.

A. C.Perch's Thehandel

If you have sufficient time and are in the mood for having tea of your choice (or organic fruit juice) in style enter A. C. Perch's Tea Room next door (it is advisable to book a table in advance). The food is not dedicated organic but do not hesitate to enquire about organic ingredients on the menu.

The entire venture is a small Scandinavian chain, with two more tea rooms in Aarhus and the Norwegian capital of Oslo, and tea shops at CPH Airport, in Aarhus, and in Oslo.

The Danish love sausages and hotdogs, and if you do, too, there's no reason to spend your money on mediocre conventional fare: Amid the pedestrian zone of Strøget, in front of Holy Ghost Church, you'll find a fully organic hotdog stall: Den økologiske pølsemand ("The organic sausage man"), offers vegetarian and beef or pork sausages with organic veges and condiments, in an organic roll, as well as organic soft drinks. You should find a second stall in Christianshavn, in front of the Round Tower, but I hadn't time to check this out.

2022-02-18 11:00:00 [Copenhagen, Kobenhavn, Kopenhagen, Oslo, Aarhus, organic, fair, vegetarian, vegan, cafe, takeaway, coffee, tea, snacks, breakfast, lunch, hotel, accommodation] Link

Creative Commons Licence

This work by trish is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. For commercial use contact the author: E-mail · Mastodon · Vero · Ello.