Gluten Free

For each language you'll be using, have a native speaker write down something to give to the waiter/salesperson. Trying to say what you mean in a foreign language may not always get the true meaning across. Something like "may wife cannot eat wheat, etc etc" "My wife is allergic to......." A local community college usually has native speakers for Turkish, Magyar (Hungarian), etc. We have a family member with a severe food allergy and every place we've been (Turkey, all around mainland Europe, etc.) they're very accommodating once they learn it's an allergy.

If you cannot find a native speaker locally (or via e-mail) to help you make your own cards, there are companies that will sell you cards with professional translations of allergy or medical conditions that you need to communicate. Google "food allergy translation" and you should get several hits.

You will find GF items in Germany (my sister told me this), but I am not sure about the other places. Maybe someone else will chime in. There are cards online you can print up in different languages. Both my daughter and I have Celiac and we travel quite a bit. There were more options this time around in Paris, but my advise is to still take GF items she knows works for her. I had access to a kitchen so this made it easier for me. Do some research online before you leave and try to see if you can find a Celiac.org in those countries you listed. If you can "hook" up with a Celiac local, that would help a lot. PM me if you have any other questions. Eli

Gluten intolerance (celiac) is well known in Europe. You can find printable restaurant cards in many languages to show waiters at www.celiac travel.com. I have found Switzerland to be particularly accommodating in this respect, but mainly I am careful with my menu choices, rather than relying on the waiter to know whether flour has been used to thicken the sauce, or dust the grilled chicken.

Here's a website that has sheets of translation for allergies including gluten intolerance. Just highlight all the items that concerning gluten including items that have it in it like flour and soy sauce. Make sure that not only to let the server know you can't have wheat but also anything that has flour in it...folks have a hard time understanding what things are made of. I have no problems traveling through Europe with these sheets as gluten free. http://www.food-info.net/allergy.htm

As others have alluded to, often the problem is less avoiding obvious gluten foods - like bread or pizza, and more little things like how the food is prepared or cross contamination. Especially when the foods are different that you're used to and with language barriers. The key is to have cards that are clear about any wheat or flour products used in preparation and have plenty of appropriate snacks with you.

Be sure to find a way to explain that whatever is being prepared for your wife does not come in contact with wheat/gluten. Example. I had fish and chips at a lovely restaurant that had a gf menu, and was assured that every precaution would be taken. They fried my fish in the same oil as regular, battered fish! The kitchen staff thought that boiling oil would kill whatever it was that could harm me. I've also had pasta in Italy that made me sick. Sure it was rice pasta, but they used the same "wheat" pasta water to cook my gf pasta. Cross contamination has been an issue, even in this country where we speak English! Best of luck. Try your best to get them to understand the precautions and she should be fine. Personally, I try to stay in places where I can cook my own food, or if in a hotel, I buy whatever I know is safe and have a picnic lunch/dinner.

This hotel in Garmisch might interest you, totally gluten free. http://www.glutenfreehotel.co.uk/

http://glutenfreepassport.com/airlines-tips/translation-cards/ http://glutenfreepassport.com/ Handy PDFs for various languages.