This morning, Bill and I braved the rain to go to Ludwigsburg to pick up some wine we ordered from Le Clos du Breil. We became familiar with this small, family owned vintner when we lived in Germany the first time. We happened to run into them at the Tuebingen Saturday market. At that time, no one in the family seemed to speak much English. When Bill tried to speak German with them, one of them held up a French/German dictionary!
Anyway, we became fans of their wines and used to order them in bulk all the time when we lived here from 2007-09. When we were back in the States, I used to get emails from them and wish I could pick up another case. A few weeks ago, I got an email from them out of the blue, passed it on to Bill, and he ordered twelve bottles. We had to search a bit to find them today, but once Bill did, the guy recognized him immediately, even though it had been seven years since our last order.
Gray skies in Ludwigsburg… as usual.
Bill pays for our vino. I thought it was pretty cool that the wine guy remembered us. Bill didn’t even have to pull out his order form or tell them who we were. He addressed Bill by name.
The vintner told us that there’s a French doctor who lives in the area and brings cheese whenever Le Clos du Breil comes to town. He brings an entourage with him and they have a tasting. That was going on when Bill showed up to pick up our wine.
We picked up our wine with an extra two gratis, bought a couple of Italian reds from another vendor, and decided it was time for lunch. Today, we tried a place we’ve never been to before, Towers Irish Pub. Tucked into a corner in Ludwigsburg’s big market square, the pub has a pleasant outdoor area where people can sit if they want to. Bill and I decided to go inside because it looked like it was going to start raining any second. I’m glad we went inside because the pub is actually really nice. It turns out all of the beautiful oak woodwork in the pub came from churches in England.
An accordion player was performing some impressive classical pieces nearby.
A pleasant woman was behind the bar. She must have spoken English fluently, because I noticed a Help Wanted sign asking for fluent English speakers. But she only spoke German to us until it was time to pay the bill.
Funny sign.
I took an opportunity to steal a few photos while no one was in the bar. A few folks were sitting outside despite the clouds and stiff breeze.
The pub is full of impressive woodwork and carving, as well as some cool art.
I catch Bill looking like he’s plotting trouble.
We had a round of Guinness.
The menu at Towers is pretty much straightforward bar food. They have nachos, mozzarella sticks, spare ribs, burgers, wraps, chili, and fish and chips. There are a number of Irish and German beers, cocktails, and some interesting shooters on the menu. They also have plenty of non-alcoholic drinks. Irish music is piped in to the dining room, but we could barely hear it. Too bad.
I decided to try the fish and chips, which came with a big tub of tartar sauce. The fish and chips were excellent. The batter was not too heavy or greasy.
Bill had a cheeseburger. It wasn’t bad, though I have definitely had better. It came with a “hamburger sauce”, which was probably akin to Thousand Island dressing. Bill liked his burger, but I’m glad I had the fish and chips.
A photo of the front. Funny how such an unassuming looking facade can hide such a delightfully ornate inside. I think this pub is worth a visit if only for the beautiful English carved wood.
With the tip, I think we paid about thirty euros for lunch. A children’s menu is available. We will definitely go back again. It’s always a pleasure to visit Ludwigsburg.
Our haul from France!
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