celiac travel

We're preparing for a 3-week jaunt through Europe (leaving in 2 days!) and while I'm very excited, naturally I'm a tad apprehensive about the gluten-free situation. I've stocked up on breakfast bars and hot cereals. I'm confident I'll be able to find plain fruits and vegetables wherever I go. I'll be relieved to get to the UK, where I'll be able to read the food menues and labels. (I've heard of a pizza place in Edinburgh that serves gluten-free pizza and beer!)

But for Poland, Austria, and Germany, I've turned to the help of Celiac Travel.com. While the website itself isn't terribly impressive or informational, there is one gem there. Restaurant cards in over 30 languages that you can download for free. I sent the Polish one to the cousin we're staying with in Poland and he said it's an excellent explanation that makes it very clear. So I'm hoping that I won't have any more trouble than I would in an English-speaking restaurant. My cousin also gave me the words for some foods I definitely can eat and some I definitely cannot. (PANIEROWANY means "breaded," for instance.) Mike speaks German and is familiar with a lot of the food we'll find in Germany and Austria, so with him plus my restaurant card I should be in good shape. (I've also already learned that reformhaus mean health food store in German, and if I see one I should be able to find gluten-free food there, just like a health food store in the U.S.)

Now as long as the airline got my gluten-free meals right, there should be no problem. Right?