The bakeries in Weimar are superb, and we allowed ourselves to throw all dietary caution to the wind and visit more than one each morning. One needs no more justification than this: a person would have to consume a whole bag of German sweets to get the worthless calories in one American donut! American cereals even have more sugar than a typical German pastry with creamy or fruity goodness inside. No wonder the bakery is an important institution in German life, so much more than in ours. And, this fact makes the nostalgic trip back in time complete. We could be children again and let our innocent fancy choose our breakfast.

If we had forgotten to visit the bakeries, we would have been reminded as soon as we stepped out the hotel door, because everyone else in town carried their sheets of wax paper with treats exposed and half consumed. We hurried to our first tour but found a cherry torte on the way. An hour later, we got fruit-filled cookies on the way back to the hotel. This turned into a routine (tour/bakery) which culminated in the best find of all: our beloved bienenstich can be found at D. Reichenbach at the corner of the Markt! The egg yolk pudding in the middle was rich, but not very sweet. The cake was similar to the one we make, only cut in small square portions for one person. Like some other German sweets, the recipe calls for fine dry breadcrumbs soaked in milk, rather than flour, and the result is much more satisfying.

Reichenbach’s selection is good. We were so excited about finding our familiar favorite that we forgot to buy bread, but I remember they had a good selection of that, too. I also remember the crowds at every establishment we stopped at. Reichenbach bakery was full of patrons, and the wait required us to take a number. Bienenstich is worth it!