In part three, I tried to tell you about visiting Haguenau. Unfortunately, the software for this blog is wonky, and messes up my photos. I have to wait until I’m finished writing before I can upload them, because they slow down my typing so much. And then, if I try to upload a big batch, the whole thing turns to shit. It really irritates me, since I actually pay for WordPress. Blogger, back in the day, was a lot easier to use, even with its issues. Anyway, I’ll see what I can do with this post. I hope I don’t have to write many little sections, because people get bored and don’t always finish the series. There’s no point in writing this stuff if people don’t want to read it. So… with that written, on with part four.
On the way to Soufflenheim…
Hagenau has a lot of sites for those who want to take them in. We were just there for a few hours, mainly just to get a feel for the city and have some lunch. The weather was sunny and chilly, but after so many weeks of rain and clouds, it was great to see the sun. One thing we did do, though, was visit St. George’s Church, a gorgeous and very old Roman Catholic parish church that dates from 1143. Every time I visit one of these old churches, I’m amazed by what human beings were able to do hundreds of years ago, without the benefit of modern equipment. Wikipedia tells me that St. George’s Church recalls the architecture of Hirsau Abbey a Benedictine abbey in Calw, very near our old stomping grounds in Germany.
Very old water/oil mill.Obligatory carousel. They seem to be in almost every French town!The office of tourism, museum, and former chancellery…I relate to the name of this store.
We didn’t spend much time in the church. We were in there just long enough for Bill to light a candle for his dad, and for me to take some photos. I am grateful, though, that churches in France are open for visitors. I always think about how welcoming European churches are… Tourists are allowed to come in and look around at the beautiful stained glass windows and architecture. The same is very rarely true in the United States. I mean, I don’t recall anyone coming to the church I was raised in and wandering around like we do in Europe… except, of course, on Sundays.
Bill says a prayer for his dad.
We also got a look at the ancient water mill downtown, as well as the facade of the tourism office and museum, which was originally the chancellery. It has a clock that reminded Bill and me of the famous astronomical clock in Prague. The clock for the tourism office is actually a copy of the one in Ulm, which was built in 1581 by a Swiss man named Isaac Habrecht. We have been to Ulm, but it was several years ago with our dogs in tow. I’m now thinking we should visit again, sans dogs.
We stopped in Le Comptoir de Mathilde, a gourmet/chocolate shop and did some shopping for Bill’s daughter, who is intrigued by our travels. We picked up some spices and chocolate, as well as some jam and caramels for ourselves. That Slovenian jam we bought in the fall is finally running out. We took the gifts back to the super cheap parking garage.
Sandwich anyone?St. George’s Church…Haguenau…A ceiling outside of the church.More of the mill…I could have spent more here.
After we walked around the town, we searched for lunch and found it Restaurant Côté Sud. I had rejected another place nearby, because it looked to be too full of people. I don’t like crowded restaurants even when there aren’t viruses around. We were lucky to find this Moroccan place, especially since it satisfied Bill’s love of exotic food, AND we were able to find something I liked, too!
After we showed the waitress our COVPass, we were allowed to unmask and enjoy the wonderful flavors of Morocco, a place I hope to visit someday. My sister, Betsy, lived there for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer back in the 80s. She probably has more of an appreciation for cous cous than I ever will, but I will admit to loving tajines. I even managed to get a short video to show everyone how hot and delicious my chicken tajine was. It came with a side of cous cous, and included potatoes, carrots, prunes, and lots of peas. It was delicious and filling, and pretty much took care of my food needs for the rest of the day.
Bill is very pleased… He likes his food spicy, like his women. Bill’s sausages. Note the harissa in the dish.And a pot of stew.My tajine.And cous cous.It was a tiny restaurant.Tiny, but mighty!
Bill had cous cous with beef sausages. It came with a stew made with carrots, chickpeas, potatoes, zucchini, and coriander. I think Bill impressed the very friendly and exotic looking waitress when he said “yes” to harissa. I tried a little of it and it was too spicy for me. Must be all that Scottish and English ancestry I have. 😉
I could tell the chef took a lot of pride in his work. He came out to wish us “Bon Appetit”… and I also noticed that the restaurant seems to have plenty of regulars. I can see why!
After lunch, we decided to go back to the hotel, stopping in Soufflenheim on the way, to pick up some pottery for Bill’s daughter and ourselves. We don’t really have a place to put the pottery, but I can’t help myself. I’ve been shopping deprived too long. 😉 We picked up a kugelhopf mold and backoeffa dish for her, in the requested shade of yellow. I got lots of blue stuff for me. 😉
Bakers everywhere…Hops Hall…Pottery in Soufflenheim…Some of what we bought.They had some great deals. We bought a few seconds for home.We spent less than a hundred euros.
Then, after we shopped, we were a bit tired. We decided to try out the sauna and jacuzzi in our room. My parents used to have a jacuzzi, so I sort of understood how that worked, although it was still a little confusing. The jacuzzi had lights, as well as well worn controls that were hard to read. The sauna’s directions were posted in French on the back of a closet door. We managed to figure them out eventually, and it was fun to try it out in lieu of going out to dinner. Luckily, there is an Aldi nearby, where Bill scored snacks and wine, and we watched French reality TV…
ETA: I had a real problem with uploading pictures for this post. The second set of photos is actually several galleries. If you notice “repeats” when you scroll through, just move to the next gallery.
Before we went to sleep the first night, we were visited by one of the restaurant staffers. She bore a slight resemblance to the actress Elisabeth Moss, who plays June on The Handmaid’s Tale. That was how we found out that our room had a doorbell! She came bearing fresh baked treats from the kitchen, which were scrumptious. She came to ask us about our breakfast preferences and reconfirm our reservations at the restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights.
The breakfast at Auberge au Boeuf was absolutely something to behold. But as it was our first time visiting, we didn’t know what to expect and we were decidedly overfed on the first morning. The lady from the restaurant asked us what we wanted from the list of offerings, which included boiled eggs, ham, fruit salad, cheese, smoked fish, juice, coffee, tea, yogurt, jam, butter, Museli, and fresh baked pastries and bread. This breakfast, which costs 12 euros per person, is served “family style”. But we didn’t know that on Wednesday night, when we were asked when we wanted to eat, and whether we wanted breakfast at the big “Stammtisch” table, or in our room. So, we ordered two of some things, not knowing how big the portions were.
The next morning at 8:00am sharp, a tiny lady who spoke French and German brought out tons of food for us… two servings of the things we both liked. I will admit, we were able to eat a lot of it, but some things went to waste. We had two big trays of smoked fish, two big trays of ham and salami, two of three kinds of pastries, and two butters… I was grateful we were the only ones eating at 8:00am, which is when breakfast starts. It was embarrassing to get that much food! We noticed a couple who ate later got less food. Now, we know better.
However… I must admit that the breakfast at Auberge au Boeuf was one of the best I have ever had anywhere. And, at twelve euros per person, it was very reasonably priced. The pastries alone were worth the price of admission, as it was obvious to me that they were very fresh and probably house made. They were exquisite! Below are some pictures from breakfast in the Stammtisch room.
The beautiful and obviously custom made Stammtisch!Some talented artisans made some serious bank!Wine!Stammtisch is served here.I never got tired of looking at this room.Our big breakfast.Cool coffee cups!Those pastries were delicious!This had milk chocolate filling and almonds.I loved the mini kugelhopfs.We noticed another couple with less food and adjusted accordingly the next morning.Bill is a fan.
The Stammtisch is something else I must mention. The restaurant offers less fancy and expensive meals at the big table in their gorgeous breakfast/dining room. We didn’t try the Stammtisch, since we didn’t know about it before we came and decided not to have dinner on Wednesday and Thursday nights. The food offered there is mostly beef and Alsatian– and looking at their menu, I might have had some issues with it, since there are many mushrooms! I see that the Stammtisch is offered for lunch and dinner on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. On the other hand, if we go back to that hotel, we may have to try it. The Stammtisch room has a very different vibe than the gourmet restaurant does. I think if I could have found something without fungus, I would have loved it.
The big “Stammtisch” table is made from a tree– in fact, I was blown away by how beautiful that room is. It looked like the plates, cups, saucers, and serving platters were all locally produced by a potter. They were very cool looking and original. They also have a cool wine cave, as well as a museum devoted to Goethe, that I didn’t see open during our visit.
After our first night at the hotel, we took a walk around the neighborhood. First, we passed a small market, where vendors were selling local produce, rotisserie chicken, and cheeses. I noticed that the hotel even had a kiosk set up, probably so people could pick up their catering orders. Patrons can order things via the restaurant’s Web site.
During our walk, I met a very sweet and social “European style” beagle who was super friendly and wanted to chat with us. He was so cute! I wanted to take him home with me, but I know if I bring another dog home, Arran will shit on my pillow! I have noticed that beagles are getting more popular in Europe, but they look a bit different than American beagles look. They’re a bit stockier, and have jaws that look kind of square. Whatever… I think they are adorable! Below are some scenes around Sessenheim.
Eglise Protestante de SessenheimInside…Goats!Kale!Our beagle friend.The outside of the Goethe Memorial. It’s free and open.
We also saw some pygmy goats who were hanging out in someone’s yard, enjoying the nice weather. And we visited Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s memorial, which is open and free to the public. If we’d wanted to, we could have planned a day’s activities around Goethe. There’s actually a lot around Sessenheim and its environs about Goethe, who fell in love with Frederique Brion, a French woman from Sessenheim, when he was studying law in Strasbourg. Goethe immortalized her in his memoirs.
We strolled through the neighborhoods, noticing a couple of places for sale. I started talking to Bill about whether we should look for a house in France when he retires. I noticed how beautifully the gardens are kept there, including someone’s well tended kale plants. Dr. Blair, the dentist, used to practice in the Black Forest, and he said a lot of Germans buy homes in Alsace, because it’s supposedly cheaper. And, as we can attest, it’s more laid back, too.
After we took a walk, we made our way to Haguenau, which is a small, pleasant city known for pottery. There are museums, spas, and churches, and even a microbrewery there. The city is located near the famous Maginot Line, so it attracts people who are interested in “Remembrance Tourism”. There is also a lot of Jewish history in Haguenau. There’s even a museum dedicated to baggage in Haguenau! There are also some interesting looking restaurants, bars, and retail establishments. Since we’re still a bit COVID wary, we kept our activities outdoors, with the exception of visiting one cathedral, where Bill lit a candle for his father, who was a devout Catholic and died in 2020.
For lunch, we visited a tiny Moroccan restaurant called Restaurant Côté Sud. We lucked into finding this place, which offered a few French items like faux filet, as well as tajines, cous cous, and some intriguing salads. I’ll write more about Haguenau and our Moroccan lunch in the next post. Uploading photos is problematic for some reason.
The featured photo is of a sign in a German restaurant… I share the sentiments of the person who drew the sad face. That’s why we went to France.
Ever since we moved to Wiesbaden in late November 2018, we have used visits to the dentist in Stuttgart as an excuse to get away for a few days. Or, at least that was the original plan, before COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the planet. Thanks to the pandemic, we haven’t been back as often as we had originally planned. We did combine a trip to Stuttgart to see the dentist in May 2019 with Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road concert. We went to the Spring festival, saw Elton, and got our teeth cleaned. We also stayed at the Wald Hotel, which is our favorite Stuttgart area lodging. We even brought our dogs down to stay with their Stuttgart area pet sitter.
Then COVID struck, and we couldn’t get back down there again until August 2021. I had planned another trip to the Wald Hotel, but it was totally booked during that period. So I decided we’d visit Baiersbronn, which is a little Black Forest town known for its excellent restaurants. We loved visiting Baiersbronn when we lived near Stuttgart, so it made sense to go stay in the area for a few days, see the doc, and eat some really excellent food for a few days.
A few weeks ago, Bill reminded me that it was time to see the dentist again. We had appointments for March 2. I thought maybe I’d find us a little rental home or a cute hotel in a different part of the Black Forest, since we had so much fun in August. There are still so many places we’d like to see there. But then I noticed how strict the COVID rules are, down in that part of Germany… and I realized that having been triple vaxxed and never venturing out much at all for months, I’m pretty damned sick of COVID rules.
Or, at least I’m sick of the super strict ones. Baden-Württemberg has been requiring people to use FFP2 masks, which I find very oppressive and obnoxious. I know… I know… they’re supposedly “better” masks, and all, but I still hate wearing them. I am not a rule breaker, but if I can go somewhere else where I don’t have to wear the fucking things, I’d prefer to do that.
I noticed as I searched for places in the Black Forest, I was also getting suggestions for Strasbourg, France, which is really close to the Black Forest. I didn’t really want to go to Strasbourg, though, because that was where we went during our last trip to France in February 2020. I enjoyed Strasbourg, but I wanted to go somewhere different, especially since the wine expo is set to go on at the end of March and we may end up going there for that. We haven’t yet decided if we will go.
It was at that point that I remembered Soufflenheim, which is a little French town known for its pottery. We have a few pieces from there that we bought in Ribeauville a few years ago, but we’d never actually been to the town itself. I realized that since it was just a little bit north of Strasbourg, it would be on the way back to Wiesbaden, anyway. And this would be a great chance for us to get pottery for ourselves, and Bill’s younger daughter, who is expecting a baby boy soon.
So I searched for a place in Soufflenheim, and soon noticed ads for a Michelin starred restaurant that also has four hotel rooms. Auberge au Boeuf is located in adorable Sessenheim, which is right next to Soufflenheim. A quick peek at the reviews on Google and Trip Advisor, as well as Booking.com, told me that this was a nice play to stay. Better yet, the cost of the room in France was about half of what I would have paid at the Wald Hotel, a nice hotel in a city I’ve been to many, many times, and will no doubt go to again at least once in the future… and probably more often than that. Maybe my next Wald Hotel visit should wait until I need a dental procedure.
Then I realized that France is not nearly as uptight about COVID-19 as Germany is… the latest rules changes in Germany notwithstanding. Those changed while we were away, plus I was booking before they were still being considered. I ran the idea of going to Sessenheim by Bill. Not surprisingly, he was all about it. The fact that the great German poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, spent so much time there clinched the deal. Bill and I are literature lovers, too… Bill is more so than I am, in spite of my English degree.
So I booked our room at Auberge au Boeuf for March 2-6. I also booked their restaurant for the third and fourth nights of our stay. I eagerly looked forward to the trip, as I warily watched Vladimir Putin’s increasing aggression toward Ukraine. I don’t normally do this for short trips that don’t involve flights or cruise ships, but I was nervous enough about Putin that I even booked travel insurance in case Bill had to cancel and go to work. Fortunately, that didn’t happen, and now I have lots to report!
Stay tuned for my latest multi-part series about the many wonders of France! Boy, was it great to be back there! But first, it’s time for lunch.
On March 2, 2022, Bill and I have an appointment to go to Stuttgart to see our dentist, the venerable Dr. Blair. It’s time for our cleanings, which we forewent for two years before we finally went to see him last August. Some readers may remember that we combined our last trip to Stuttgart with a visit to the Black Forest.
We went to the Black Forest for a few reasons. First, our usual go-to hotel in Stuttgart, the Wald Hotel, was fully booked when we needed a room. Second, it occurred to me that we’ve been to Stuttgart enough times that it’s no longer a very exciting place for us to be, even though we both love staying at the Wald Hotel. Third, we used to live at the edge of the Black Forest, and went there many times for day trips. We loved going there, and I thought it might be fun to stay a few days. And finally, it was a great opportunity to spend a long weekend in Baiersbronn, where there are several excellent Michelin starred restaurants. It beat hanging out in Stuttgart, where we’ve been many times.
Well, we did have fun in Baiersbronn last August. It was so much fun that I thought maybe we’d go back to the Black Forest and stay in another area we visited for a day and loved. I looked at visiting both Oppenau and Wolfach, both picturesque places that are in different parts of the Black Forest. But then I read about the strict COVID-19 requirements in Baden-Württemberg and decided that it wouldn’t be that much fun to hang out in a hotel, or even a guest house, dealing with those rules. Plus, I just want to get out of Germany for a few days, since we have that capability. When I searched for properties in Oppenau, I noticed that I was also getting results for Strasbourg, France. I didn’t want to go to Strasbourg, though. Our last trip to France was to Strasbourg, exactly two years ago this month. February is usually when Strasbourg hosts an annual wine expo. Last year, it was canceled. This year, it was postponed until late March.
Then it occurred to me that we’ve never been to Soufflenheim, which is a town near the German border, famous for its pottery. I went looking for a place to stay in Soufflenheim, and noticed that one of the choices was a small hotel in nearby Sessenheim, which is known for a museum dedicated to the German poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The hotel, Auberge au Boeuf, has a restaurant by the same name with a Michelin star. The place gets rave reviews, especially for the food, but also for the rooms. They had one room open for the time we were visiting. It would cost substantially less than the room I was thinking of booking at the Wald Hotel in Stuttgart, and, as it’s just inside the French border, does not impose the same onerous COVID rules and restrictions that Baden-Württemberg currently has.
It’s not so much that I’m an anti-vaxxer, or anything. I have been triple vaxxed, and I wear masks when I have to. But I HATE the FFP2 masks with a passion, and while they could be required in France, at least if we go there, it’ll be a change of scenery. At this writing, masks and vaccines are required in France, but they have done away with the rule requiring people to wear masks outside, and it’s my understanding that a simple medical mask will do. And we have MISSED France so much! Bill and I didn’t visit France much when we were here the first time, from 2007-09, but this time, we have gone a bunch of times. We have come to love it. It’s almost like a second home, since it’s not far from where we lived near Stuttgart, nor is it that far from Wiesbaden.
Yesterday, I made reservations at the hotel’s restaurant for dinner on Friday AND Saturday nights during our visit. It looks that special. Also, Bill and I have been to Alsace enough times to know that it pays to make reservations. Otherwise, you could end up having a really terrible time at a poorly rated restaurant where the waiter asks you if you’re pregnant. Of course, that happened to me in October 2014, when I still colored my hair and wasn’t as nearly close to menopause as I am today. It’s doubtful that would happen to me in 2022, even though my face is still pretty smooth and, in fact, still occasionally has zits. Thanks, hormones. On another note, damn, we have really been here a LONG time.
I think we’ll have a great time in France. I suspect Noyzi will be delighted to visit the Hunde Pension again. Arran will be annoyed, but it’s only for four nights. Then, we’ll come home, and he’ll be pampered again. Poor guy used to love going to France with us, when we still had Zane, and it was easier to travel with the dogs. Noyzi is a good traveler, but he’s huge, and takes up the whole back compartment of the car. And hotels and rentals aren’t as keen to rent to people with big dogs… although I’ll bet Yannick in Ribeauville would be cool with it. We’ve stayed at his place many times; the latest was in January 2020. Alsace never gets old, but we do want to see other areas than Riquewihr and Ribeauville, and the like. Sessenheim is also a little closer to Nancy, where we visited in 2009. Maybe we can go there on this trip. Nancy is a beautiful city. It’s about a two hour drive from where we’ll be staying, but what the hell? We have no agenda, other than eating at the hotel twice. Based on what I’ve read, we could end up eating there even more times.
I’m looking forward to our trip. Hopefully, nothing will fuck it up for us. That includes anything that happens because of Putin.
Moving on…
We didn’t do anything special yesterday, except for use our new fondue/raclette grill. I got a few photos. It really is fun to use this grill, and it offers a nice change of pace at dinner. Bill is quite the gourmand.
And then, this morning, Bill decided to get doughnuts from our neighborhood bakery again, like he did last week. I think it’s because we finally have some Peet’s Major Dickason’s coffee to drink. We’re big fans.
The heart shaped Valentine’s doughnuts were especially yummy! Raspberry! And sweeter than usual. No, we didn’t eat them all. I look forward to a snack later, or maybe breakfast tomorrow.
So things are looking up. It’s nice to look forward to a dentist appointment. I think we’ll have a great time in France. Knock on wood, nothing will screw this up… I’m looking at you, Russian dictator wannabe Putin. I think the Georgians sang it best…
Today is Easter, and we are going to be getting takeout from a favorite restaurant. I hope to write about that meal later today or tomorrow. But, for right now, I would like to repost this essay I wrote about the late Anthony Bourdain, just after he died in June 2018.It originally appeared on the Blogspot version of my Overeducated Housewife blog, when I was living in the Stuttgart area.I don’t have a specific reason for sharing this today, other than I think it’s a good post. Actually, it reminds me a bit of what we’ve lost since COVID-19 came along.I am so ready for another day trip somewhere… and new photos, especially for this blog. I miss travel and eating in restaurants.
Edited to add: Looking back at my original piece, I see it was preceded by another post I wrote just after Bourdain’s death (now reposted on my main blog). I had just discovered his show, Parts Unknown, about three weeks before he committed suicide. I had watched it because he visited Armenia, which is where I spent two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the 1990s.I was enthralledby Bourdain’s show and was looking forward to watching more episodes.But then, seemingly out of the blue, he killed himself. So did famed handbag designer Kate Spade.The post that preceded this one was about how depression really isn’t the “common cold” of mental illness. It can be very serious and even fatal.
A couple of weeks ago, Bill and I went to Ribeauville, France for Memorial Day weekend. Since January 2017, Bill and I have visited Ribeauville, in Alsace, four times. We’ve found a sympathetic apartment owner who doesn’t have a problem welcoming Zane and Arran. Aside from that, Alsace is a very beautiful area that isn’t too far from where we live. It makes for a convenient place to get a weekend away.
Last Friday, Anthony Bourdain killed himself in Alsace. He was staying in Kaysersberg, a town Bill and I had been hoping to see during our last visit. We never got around to going to Kaysersberg on our last trip, but it’s definitely a must see the next time we’re in Alsace. Especially since last night, Bill showed me Anthony Bourdain’s final Instagram post…
This is a screenshot of Anthony Bourdain’s last Instagram post. He put it up exactly one week ago.
I know a lot of people who read this blog regularly might not necessarily read my travel blog (although this is being reposted on my travel blog in 2021). Those who haven’t read the travel blog probably missed my recent tale about the dish pictured above, Choucroute Garnie.
Choucroute Garnie is a very popular dish in Alsace that includes Alsatian style sauerkraut, sausages, charcuterie, other salted meats, and potatoes. Many restaurants in Alsace serve it, and my husband, Bill, happily enjoys it. In fact, below is a picture of Choucroute Garnie he ate when we visited the quaint town of Eguisheim, France in February 2017.
Bill enjoyed Choucroute Garnie at Caveau Heuhaus in Eguisheim.
Although a lot of people like this particular dish, it’s not something I would voluntarily order. I don’t like sauerkraut very much. Actually, I don’t really like cabbage because it upsets my stomach and makes me fart a lot. I will eat cabbage to be polite, but I don’t care for it and would avoid ordering it in a restaurant. While I do like sausage and other pork products fine, I also wouldn’t necessarily order a big pile of them as pictured above. One sausage is fine for me. I don’t need to eat a big plate of pork.
On the first night of our most recent trip to Ribeauville, Bill and I decided to have dinner at a restaurant we had not yet tried. Our experience at this establishment was disappointing from the get go and continued to get worse. I had decided on an entrecôte (rib eye steak) for dinner, but our waiter somehow heard “choucroute” instead. I was a bit suspicious when he didn’t ask me what sauce I wanted or how I preferred the steak cooked. However, he took off before I’d had the chance to say anything and we didn’t see him again until his colleague tried to deliver the dish pictured below…
The Choucroute Garnie I didn’t order. Bill says it wasn’t as good as the one he had in Eguisheim.
Unfortunately for our waiter, I was tired, hungry, and way over the bumbling service we had already experienced at that point. He came over to argue with me about what I’d ordered and actually had the nerve to say, “You couldn’t have ordered entrecôte. If you had, I would have asked you what sauce you wanted and the temperature.”
My acid reply was, “That’s right. You didn’t ask and I wondered why.”
He scurried off with the choucroute, but then came back and tried to get me to take it, since cooking what I’d ordered would take time. I really didn’t want the choucroute, but I was especially exasperated that the waiter had accused me of lying about my order and was trying to sell me something I didn’t want.
Bill, prince of a man that he is, took the choucroute and I took his dish, which was potato pancakes with smoked salmon. I had actually been eyeing the potato pancakes anyway, so it was initially no big deal. But then I realized that one of the potato pancakes was very scorched. I didn’t bother to complain because, at that point, I just wanted to get the hell out of there. But I did turn the experience into a snarky blog post and a few people in my local food and wine group thought it was funny. When I saw Bourdain’s final Instagram post last night, I was reminded of my own recent experience with Choucroute Garnie. It was just something else, besides depression, I’ve had in common with the late chef.
People who read this blog and those who know me personally may know that I have suffered from depression for years. It’s not nearly as bad now as it once was. I no longer take medications for it and I don’t have the same distressing symptoms I used to have. However, I do sometimes get very pessimistic and “down”. I think about suicide often, although never to the point of making plans or carrying them out. It’s more like fleeting thoughts of how life is kind of wasted on me, since I don’t really enjoy it much. I see people with warm, loving families who are dealing with life threatening illnesses or injuries and they just want to live. Here I am feeling kind of apathetic about my existence. Although I do enjoy many aspects of living, I don’t necessarily have a zest for life.
A lot of people probably think I have a pretty charmed life. If I were looking at me, I might think the same thing. I have a wonderful, patient, indulgent husband; I’m basically healthy; and I get to travel a lot. While I don’t really make money, I do have a vocation that I’m free to pursue with no hassles with editors or people paying me to create content. I don’t know if anyone cares about my writing or music, particularly on this blog, which doesn’t bring the hits it used to. However, writing it gives me something to do with my mind and a reason to get up in the morning. It gives me reasons to read books so I can review them. Believe me, although I’m frequently bored and sometimes depressed and anxious, it’s not lost on me that some people might envy my freedom and ability to see the world. I agree, those are wonderful things.
I really don’t know why I have these deep seated feelings of shittiness. I think there are probably a lot of factors, some of which are hereditary and some that are situational. I usually feel worse when I express something negative and someone tries to be “helpful” by telling me how wonderful my life is. I probably ought to keep my negativity to myself, but that’s not necessarily helpful, either. Whenever someone, especially a person like Anthony Bourdain, takes his or her life, people are shocked and wonder why they never “reached out”. I have found that reaching out often annoys other people, most of whom would prefer it if you’d just get over yourself and didn’t involve them in your problems.
I do want to express one thing that I’ve recently realized. Despite feeling insignificant most of the time, I know I have made a difference to a few folks. When we moved here in 2014, I decided to promote my travel blog in the local community. I’ve gotten some negative feedback from a few people, but for the most part, my posts are well tolerated or even outright appreciated. I notice the ones I write about things to do locally and/or local restaurants are especially popular. I recently wrote one post about places to go to “beat the heat” in Stuttgart. That one has really taken off. I’ve seen a number of people come back to it repeatedly, since it offers enough suggestions to last a good portion of the summer. It makes me feel productive when I see that people are inspired by my experiences.
It occurred to me the other day that while I may never know who has been affected by my writing, in a way, I will have helped some people make priceless memories of their time in Europe. The people who read my posts about obscure places like Ruine Mandelberg, Glaswaldsee, or the Burgbach Wasserfall, especially if they take the time to see them for themselves, will have memories that, in a small way, I helped them make.
I know that may sound like an egotistical statement to some people, especially since I have also been affected by other people’s writing. However, knowing that a few people are taking my suggestions and making memories of their own does give me another reason to keep writing and going to new places on the weekends. It gives me a purpose for being here, other than just to wash Bill’s underwear and make him laugh. I’m always looking for new things to see and write about. In the process of visiting and writing about different places, my own experiences in Europe are also enhanced. I’m never sorry after having explored somewhere, even when something goes wrong.
When I lived in Armenia in the mid 1990s, I often felt like I was wasting my time. I got a lot of negative feedback from my Peace Corps bosses as well as my local counterpart, who felt I wasn’t doing enough. I was in my early 20s, hampered by depression, and kind of overwhelmed by what I was supposed to be doing. I didn’t feel assertive enough to start, say, an English club or hang out with the kids. I remember the summer of 1997, as I was planning to finish my assignment, going through some rough times all around. I couldn’t wait to leave Armenia, and yet the prospect of going home was very scary.
When I did finally get home, the homecoming I had eagerly anticipated was pretty much ruined by my dad’s entrance into rehab. As bad as I felt in Armenia, I felt even worse in the year after I returned home. I felt like such a burden to my parents, especially since I wasn’t even sure my time in Armenia had been productive. I started becoming very despondent and hopeless. That was when I finally got treatment for depression.
Things gradually got better. I learned how to wait tables and about fine dining. I studied voice and attended to my depression for the first time. I made some friends. Finally, I landed in graduate school at the University of South Carolina, which was fulfilling, although it didn’t lead where I thought it would. I earned an MPH, an MSW, and ultimately an Mrs….
Before I decided to go to USC, I remember interviewing at Western Illinois University and telling the director of a Peace Corps Fellows program that I knew that I’d made a difference simply by going to Armenia. He visibly recoiled at that statement. I think he thought it was an arrogant thing to say. Actually, it was a statement of fact. I was in Armenia at a time when there were few Americans there. There were people I met there who had never seen an American in person before. I know a lot of them still remember me and always will. Even knowing that, though, didn’t erase my feelings that I hadn’t done enough and that my time in Armenia didn’t amount to much.
It wasn’t until almost twenty years after I left Armenia that I found out that– for real– I actually had made a difference. Facebook put me in touch with my very first Armenian teacher, who still works for the Peace Corps, as well as one of my best former students, who is now a high ranking director in the Peace Corps Armenia office. I didn’t have anything to do with his decision to work for the Peace Corps, but the fact that my former student remembered me and I didn’t permanently turn him off of Americans means that my time in Armenia was well spent. Maybe I wasn’t the most hardworking or dedicated Volunteer, but I still made a difference. And maybe people in Stuttgart think I’m annoying, obnoxious, and arrogant, but there are people who like what I do, and it’s affected their experience here in a good way. So that keeps me going… at least for now.
If you’ve managed to read this whole post… which is a lot longer than I’d intended it to be… I want to thank you. Thanks for giving me a reason to get up in the morning. Thanks for reading about how Anthony Bourdain and I tenuously have a couple of things in common, even if it’s just being served Choucroute Garnie in Alsace and visiting a few of the same places, like Alsace and Armenia. Knowing that even a few people like what I’m doing means a lot more to me than you’ll ever know. And maybe someday, in Bourdain’s honor, I’ll order the Choucroute Garnie in Kaysersberg… But I’ll be sure to take Gas-X, too.
On Tuesday, we were blessed with more sunshine, although the weather was still pretty chilly. After another breakfast starring Ribeauville’s flakiest croissants, we headed south toward Eguisheim. Bill and I last visited there in February 2017, the trip Parker was supposed to join us on, but missed due to a sudden injury. That trip in 2017 was followed by a few days in Burgundy, and remains one of my favorite France jaunts to date. One of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was because of the lunch we had at Caveau Heuhaus in Eguisheim, where I enjoyed creme brûlée lit at the table.
As it turned out, Caveau Heuhaus was one of the few restaurants open in Eguisheim during our visit on Tuesday. So, after we strolled around the old city, which is notable for being a well-preserved medieval village that consists of concentric streets, and visited a couple of churches where Bill had a good cry (sometimes churches move him to tears), we stopped by very gay friendly Caveau Heuhaus for lunch. Here are some photos from before our fantastic midday repast.
Decorations were coming down on Tuesday…
Calw’s flag. We’ve been there.
A handy map of the town.
One of the concentric streets of Eguisheim… land of good wine.
I enjoyed this church, not so much because it was the most beautiful I’ve ever seen…
but because ethereal music was playing, adding to the ambiance.
Bill was affected too. He was positively misty-eyed.
These are all around the town and have information in German, French, and English. You can also scan for info.
We passed this cool old car on the way to the chapel…
Again, lovely music in the chapel…
This was a lot more ornate than the church was…
But Bill wasn’t as moved by it.
It was a nice place to stop and reflect for a few moments… and check email.
We headed to the restaurant after we visited the churches, where we were looked after by a very professional, friendly, English speaking waiter. He seemed to be handling the whole dining room himself and Bill said he remembered him from our visit in February 2017, too, although that time, we had a female server. Bill had a gratin made with the stinky local cheese, Munster. He said it was amazing, though to me, it smelled a bit like ass. Parker had the baeckeoffe (baker’s oven), a casserole popular in Alsace. It typically includes a mix of sliced potatoes, sliced onions, cubed mutton, beef, and pork which have been marinated overnight in Alsatian white wine and juniper berries and slow-cooked in a bread-dough sealed ceramic casserole dish. I went with potato pancakes and salad.
Very gay friendly place!
And the menu… it’s small, but good.
Cute dining room.
I hope they don’t try to dust all of that stuff.
Bill’s gratin… he said it was delicious, and since it was loaded with potatoes and bacon, it probably was… but I can’t abide stinky cheese.
Parker’s casserole. She was it was good, but very filling!
I was happy with my vegetarian selection!
We washed lunch down with a lovely local Riesling… I have come to love Rieslings, as long as they come from these parts.
Bill had a lava cake for dessert… I had ice cream with Bailey’s… and see the video below for Parker’s choice!
Then I had cognac while Parker had coffee.
Love this little place!
The first part of the video is Parker seeing Arran for the first time since 2017… then you see her enjoying creme brûlée flaming at the table!
After lunch, we took a leisurely stroll back to the parking lot, which has a very clean, well appointed public toilet that costs nothing to use. Germans should take note, although the Germans very kindly offer their Autobahn for free (for now, anyway).
God love the French for recognizing that when you gotta go, you gotta go!
Our next stop was Colmar, a lovely city that Bill and I visited for the first time in October 2014. Unfortunately, that was a place where I was asked a very embarrassing question in a restaurant. We hadn’t been back to Colmar since that visit for Columbus Day weekend in 2014. It was good to be back, if only to see Little Venice and allow Parker the chance to pick up some gifts for her friends back home in Texas. Here are quite a few photos from our brief visit. I actually learned something new during our couple of hours in Colmar. As I walked around the town, I noticed a lot of references to the Statue of Liberty. It turns out that Colmar is where the sculptor, Auguste Bartholdi, was born. We could have and should have spent more time in Colmar, so I could erase that memory of being asked if I was pregnant by an obtuse waiter back in 2014.
Look carefully, and you’ll see a tank…
A mime.
I got a shot of this same chapellerie in 2014. I did a better job capturing the moment, though.
Ditto with this shot… much prettier in 2014!
These were all over the place.
Another cock on display!
Not sure about those gondolas.
Little Venice.
A very highly esteemed restaurant with equally high prices!
A delightful indoor food market…
We came home with some delightful honey from here.
Keeping me dry since 40 years?
A view of the cathedral while using the public WC.
Lady Liberty shows us her ass on the way out of town…
I was a little sad, realizing that we’d be leaving Alsace yesterday… but I was missing Arran and ready to do some writing. We spent our last night in Ribeauville drinking wine and watching Dirty Dancing on Netflix. Since MIL was a competitive ballroom dancer back in the day, it was a fun movie to watch with her. But it also made me feel ancient, since I was 15 years old when it came out, and I am over three times that old now. 🙁 Time flies!
Prior to Monday, I had never heard of Soultzmatt, another cute town in Alsace where wonderful locally produced wines are turned out every year. My friend, Ellen, said that she’d been buying wines from Klein René et Michel for years. As I mentioned in my previous post, I knew Ellen from Facebook. Before Monday, I had never met Ellen in person, though we have been interacting for a few years now. She and her friend, Louise, were about a half an hour behind us, so we had originally planned to visit Eguisheim. But the lure of wine was too strong to resist, and we soon found ourselves on the was to 5 Rue Ingold in Soultzmatt.
Bill was a little confused at first, once we found the winery. We weren’t sure where to park, or where to go. As luck would have it, another couple pulled up at about the same time we did, only they were French and spoke no English. Ellen had asked us to wait, but since the lady was already opening the tasting room for the French couple, we decided to go ahead… We knew we’d still be tasting wines when Ellen and Louise showed up. Sure enough, we were!
The lady who was running the tasting didn’t speak any English at all, so things were a little awkward at first. But then Bill told her he speaks a little German and, lo and behold, she spoke German, too! We’ve found that a lot of people in Alsace speak German, especially among the older folks. There’s a guy in Ribeauville who sells liqueurs and wines who speaks no English, but has happily carried on conversations with Bill, despite Bill’s limited German proficiency.
By the time Ellen and Louise showed up, the French couple had left with three boxes of wine– probably about 18 bottles worth. And Bill, Parker, and I had already tried about three… Ellen speaks French and German, so things got a lot easier after that! We left with twelve bottles of wine ourselves.
On the way into town…Here’s the city hall, just steps away from the winery.Parker checks out the list…So does Bill.Heading back to Ribeauville.
Ellen did manage to get a nice shot of us enjoying our wine…
This was a very successful stop!
It’s always a pleasure to meet online acquaintances offline. After all, that’s how Bill and I came together. We used to be strictly online friends. Ellen and Louise were delightful company. It turns out we have some things in common, too. Louise is a horse person, and I was a horse person for years before I grew up… and out. Louise lives in Mobile, Alabama, which was where my horse lived after his very first owner in Baton Rouge, Louisiana sold him with his mom. Louise is also the name of my former riding instructor. 😉 And Ellen was especially great company, especially since we lived in the same community and have husbands who do somewhat similar work. I was most impressed by her ability to speak French and German. Time for me to get back on the stick, I guess.
After we tasted and bought our wine, we headed back to Ribeauville. Parker stayed in while Bill and I went searching for dinner. We found only one open restaurant, though it was one we’d never tried before… Restaurant Le Ribeaupierre. I see it gets pretty low Trip Advisor ratings, although I can honestly say I have legitimately had worse dining experiences in Ribeauville. We were the only ones in the restaurant, but the waiter was still very pleasant and the food wasn’t bad.
We had never tried the Restaurant Le Ribeaupierre before…I had lasagne. It was lukewarm and, sadly, had two mushrooms in it. Bill took them away for me. The lasagne was otherwise alright.Bill had salmon with sauerkraut and citron sauce.A delightful Irish Coffee for me…AnAnd a “colonel” for my retired Lieutenant Colonel…
Restaurant Le Ribeaupierre is quaintly decorated and seems like a somewhat popular lunch spot, despite its low ratings on Trip Advisor. It looks like they mostly serve pizzas. I had some trouble choosing what I was going to have, mainly because the presence of mushrooms pretty much spoil my meals (not that I can’t afford to have some spoiled). Lasagne is one of those items that is hit or miss. Sometimes people use mushrooms in them. Sometimes they don’t. Anyway, this meal was alright. The Irish Coffee made up for it, and Bill enjoyed his “colonel”– lemon sorbet with a shot of vodka. We noticed that the waiter locked up right after we left, at about 8:00pm. Like I said, Ribeauville is dead in January, but plenty of fun can still be had if you look hard enough.
On Monday morning, we awoke to sunshine and chilly weather. Bill and I had decided that we wanted to visit Kaysersberg, since we didn’t have a chance to go there during our last visit over Memorial Day weekend in May 2018.
Before we drove to Kaysersberg, Bill and I dropped off some empty wine bottles at the bottle drop on the edge of town. Then we picked up a few items at the grocery store and took a short walk through a part of Ribeauville that we missed on prior visits. I don’t know how we missed the northwestern part of the main drag, but I’m glad we visited it a couple of days ago. I was rewarded with a few nice photos of the ruined chateaus that overlook the town…
Bill flaring his nostrils at breakfast, because I told him to “get to fixin’!”
A morning view of Ribeauville…
Dropping off bottles…
Still some Christmas decorations.
These were all over the northern part of the town…
Your chance to be someone else.
I might have tried this…
to look slimmer for a change…
A zoomed in shot of Château de Saint-Ulrich, one of three castles that overlook Ribeauville.
There is a third castle, Château du Girsberg, but I didn’t have a good shot of it…
Château du Haut-Ribeaupierre… perhaps in fitter days, I would have tried walking up there.
It’s easier to photograph the tower on a rare sunny day…
Some might recall that Kaysersberg has the distinction of being the quaint French town where famed chef and food writer Anthony Bourdain committed suicide in June of 2018. Bill and I were rather mystified that we had been so close to where Bourdain was at the end of his life; but the truth is, we had wanted to go there during that previous visit. We’d heard it was a quaint town with good restaurants. So this time, since we didn’t have dogs with us, we decided we’d go to Kaysersberg. It was very easy to visit in January; we practically had the whole parking lot to ourselves.
The town was pretty much dead when we arrived, but I still managed to get some beautiful photos thanks to the splendid sunny weather. Yes, it was cold outside, but everything was still very inviting and pretty… and in a different month, I imagine Kaysersberg is hopping with tourists.
On the way into town…
Albert Schweitzer, famed physician, was born in Kaysersberg…
The town was dead…
But I still found a lot of photo ops…
It really is a cute place.
I heard the rushing water and was sad that someone threw a plastic bottle into the river.
The Kaysersberg Tower peeks over the ridge.
A shot made for Instagram.
This was in German, French, and English.
You can’t kill the fish here.
But you can enjoy baked goods…
A better shot of Kaysersberg Tower… perhaps on a warmer day, we might have visited the chateau.
We decided to stop for lunch at a hotel restaurant called L’Art is Show. It was one of two restaurants we saw operating in Kaysersberg on Monday, although I’m sure at least one or two more were serving. I’ve noticed that this time of year, some businesses close while others stay open, then they seem to switch in February. Art is Show gets very good ratings on Trip Advisor and, indeed, had a pretty decent lunch crowd. Our waitress spoke a bare minimum of English, but we still managed to order lunch. They had a lunch special, which included a trip to a very generous looking salad bar, but we opted to order a la carte.
Despite all the signs, Bill still tried to enter through the wrong door…
I really enjoyed this wine, which was composed of some of my favorite grapes…
Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvedre make a delightful red…
Parker changed her mind against getting a entrecote and went with the bouillabaisse…
Bill had carpaccio… thinly sliced, raw, beef…
I had the entrecote, but after seeing so many get burgers, I kind of wish I’d gone for that.
Excellent frites!
Bouillabaisse was a hit… perfectly seasoned broth with lots of fresh fish and crustaceans.
I wish I had taken a photo of the funny signs in the bathroom advising that garbage cans must be worn. Google Translate fail!
More Kaysersberg scenes…
Another gite possibility… this one is right over the river.
This is where Anthony Bourdain ended his life…
They were on vacation.
As we were leaving Kaysersberg, I got a private Facebook message from Ellen Stillman Thomas, an American who lived in Esslingen (and Heidelberg) for years and is very involved in arranging tours for Esslingen, a cute town near Stuttgart. I have been corresponding with her via Facebook and the Stuttgart area Facebook groups since about 2014 or 2015. She happened to be in Kaysersberg on Monday, with her friend, Louise, and had plans to visit a nearby winery. She asked if we wanted to join her… and we did. More on that in the next post!
It’s been about two years since Bill’s mom, Parker, last visited us. Parker lives in Texas and has very generous friends who used to work for United Airlines. It’s through their generosity that she gets to see us in Germany. Every time Parker visits, we have some kind of adventure.
Last time she was here was in December 2017, when we still lived near Stuttgart. Before that, she was here in June 2009, also when we lived near Stuttgart. In 2017, we took her on a blind booking trip to Berlin. In 2009, we took a roadtrip to Oberstaufen, Germany, down in Bavaria. That trip turned into a day trip to Italy, whereupon we got temporarily trapped due to flooding. I have written about those trips and they can be found in this blog, although I still need to fix the formatting on them. She also visited Bill when he was posted in Bavaria back in the 1980s, but that was way before my time.
Anyway, back to 2020… It was nice to be able to get Parker in Frankfurt and only have to drive about twenty minutes rather than a few hours. Arran, the dog, was quite happy to see his grandma again. He hadn’t forgotten her from the last time and gave her an adorable welcome. Bill had to work all last week, so Parker and I hung around the house and talked. Bill had asked me to arrange a short trip for us, since Parker hasn’t had the chance to see as much of Europe as she’d like. When she visited us in 2009, we did take the briefest of detours into France so we could have lunch and Parker could say she’d been there. Other than that, she’d never been to France before.
Regular readers of my travel blog might recall that back in 2017, Bill and I discovered beautiful Ribeauville, a little town in Alsace right next to the much more touristy Riquewihr, which is supposedly one of France’s most beautiful villages. In 2017, Bill and I visited Ribeauville three times, which should really say something, given how many awesome places there are to visit in Europe. We found a great gite (vacation home in France) there, and it was so easy, since we only lived about 2.5 hours away and the owner of the gite was so pet friendly.
Our last visit to Ribeauville was in May 2018, but then we had to move to Wiesbaden. Last year was a bit of a cluster fuck in terms of getting settled and making some decisions about the future. We never made it back to Alsace in 2019. When I saw that Yannick, our faithful Ribeauville host, had availability in his largest gite– called Riesling– I jumped on it. We spent four nights visiting Ribeauville during the dead off season. We had a wonderful time, too! Ribeauville is a place we completely missed the first time we lived in Europe, but it’s now one of our go to locations whenever we need a break from Germany.
Yannick Kopff has several gites for rent. He’s got four studio sized apartments, a one room place, and an apartment with three rooms. Bill, Parker, and I stayed in his largest apartment at the wine house he converted into super convenient lodging in Ribeauville. I usually book his places through Booking.com, but he’s also listed on other sites, including reservation-gite.alsace. I would link to it, but at the moment, it does not appear that the site is working yet.
For four nights, I paid about 425 euros, and that was without a discount. Booking through Booking.com results in higher prices because Booking gets paid for reservations made through their site. I also have Yannick’s number, though, so next time we need an Alsatian break, I’ll just send him a text.
We usually bring our dog(s) with us when we go to Ribeauville, but since we had Parker and there were some places Bill and I specifically wanted to visit, this time we put him up at the Tierpension Birkenhof. We look forward to having him home tonight. I always miss our pooches when we go on trips, even if they’re relatively short.
This was probably one of the best trips to Alsace we’ve had yet, although I did miss having the dogs with us… especially Zane, who has now been gone for just over four months. I kept expecting to see them there, and remembering the times Bill and I have visited Ribeauville alone and brought both dogs with us. Sigh… well, maybe soon we’ll find a dog who needs a home. For now, here’s my latest series on Ribeauville and its environs, truly one of my favorite places in France that spoils everyone for choice in how much there is to do there, even during the off season! Stay tuned for part two!
So we have another trip to France planned for next weekend, which is Martin Luther King weekend. We’re going back to Ribeauville, in Alsace. We’ve been there four times already, but not since we moved to Wiesbaden. Bill and I like to go there because it’s not too far, and the owner of the apartments we book there is very laid back and pet friendly.
This time, we will not be bringing Arran with us. He’s a good traveler, but he doesn’t like to be left alone. When we had Zane, he’d stay more or less quiet, but without Zane to comfort him, he makes too much noise. We also want to show Bill’s mom some places and explore some areas we’ve missed on previous trips, like Kaysersberg, which is the city where Anthony Bourdain died a couple of years ago. We were actually in Alsace just before he committed suicide. I wasn’t the biggest Anthony Bourdain fan… and Kaysersberg is worth seeing for reasons other than the fact that it was where Anthony Bourdain departed this life.
We look forward to picking up some more wine and goodies, and showing Bill’s mom this charming part of France that a lot of Americans miss, but has become a second home for us when we need a break from Deutschland. I don’t feel like we need a break from Germany yet, especially in France, which we just left a couple of weeks ago… but I do always enjoy Ribeauville, even if it’s pretty dead there in January. Besides, we’ve stayed in the gite we’re renting twice before, and it’s a pretty comfortable place to be.
Maybe next month, if there’s time, we’ll start looking for a new companion for me… and for Arran, if he’ll tolerate another dog around. He does need a playmate, and I need someone to snuggle when Arran is pouring on the charm for Bill every night. We just have to find someone that will let us adopt.
Stay tuned for more new travel posts… maybe even today! Depends on how tired our guest is after her long flight from Texas!
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