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A little lunch and shopping at Eselsmühle…

Some time ago, I read a review of what sounded like a great place to enjoy lunch. The man who wrote the review mentioned cute donkeys and low prices. He seemed the most impressed with the prices, but I was more interested in the donkeys. I bookmarked the site and then forgot about it, mainly due to the inclement weather that is so common in these parts. This morning, I realized we had a beautiful day in store, so I asked Bill if he wanted to try a new place.

All roads lead to the donkeys…

The donkeys and their pony friend were enjoying some time in their pasture. I had to use the zoom to get this photo.

Eselsmühle im Siebenmühlental (Donkey Mill) is located in Leinfelden, not too far from the Schwabengarten Biergarten and the airport. Bill had warned me that there’s construction being done on A8 (when isn’t there?), but we had no problems reaching it today. There’s a large, free parking lot at the end of the road leading to the cafe and shop, where you can buy fresh bread made in a wood oven, cakes pies, cheeses, and fresh fruits and vegetables, among other things. Below are some photos from our outing there today.

Charming, flat, paved walk to the cafe and shop. It’s maybe five minutes from the parking lot to get to the cafe, which feels far removed from the busy suburban area on the priority road going past here.

First glimpse of the yard. There’s a converted barn used for hosting events as well as a shop, geological museum, and the garden/cafe.

I was charmed by the Schweine… I probably should have taken one home.

There was lovely produce being offered…

And these were today’s specials. They also have a brief daily menu that includes typical items like schnitzels, sausages, and salads. I was kind of thinking this place should offer sandwiches made with their hearty wood oven baked breads. But then, I’m an American and I think about these things.

Cows napping in the paddock.

And a mama duck with her many ducklings lunching in the creek.

We were a little confused about what to do once we got to the cafe. There’s an outdoor bar area on first floor, where you would order if all you wanted was a drink and cake. If you want lunch, you go upstairs and order. It appeared that if you sat upstairs, they’d take your order and bring your food. If you want to eat in the garden, it appeared that you needed to order and pick up the food. They gave us a little beeper to tell us when our order was ready. We sat upstairs anyway and noticed that people up there were getting table service. Either way, we got fed. If you get a drink in the downstairs bar area, you have to return your glass to get your Pfand (deposit) returned.

Idyllic view from where we were sitting.

Upstairs cafe area. There’s limited indoor seating upstairs. We noticed this place is very dog and kid friendly An adorable retriever was sitting at the table in front of us.

We enjoyed Bio beers. The Donkey Mill is big on organic, fresh, and healthy… even in its beers!

I had a schnitzel. I liked it because it wasn’t huge. It came with fresh potato salad, a small green salad with a light mustard vinaigrette, and delicious cous cous flavored with red peppers. I think the cous cous might have been my favorite part of the meal. It was very interesting! The vegetables were very fresh, too.

Bill had sausages with sauerkraut. That kraut was really strong! Bill loved it, although the sausages reminded me of very large Slim Jims.

Large garden area… very pretty and casual. I really enjoyed our lunch here.

The drink area.

This is a picture of the donkeys and pony without the help of a zoom lens. They weren’t feeling very social today, but I did meet a very friendly cat.

The trucks came through… I think they were at the Saturday markets, selling their delicious wares.

Another shot of the area outside the barn, where it looks like they host private parties. This might be a good thing to keep in mind if you’re ever looking for a place to have an event.

After we ate lunch and looked at the donkeys, we went into the shop and picked up a few items. I was impressed with all that was available in the cute little shop, which had everything from fresh eggs and cheeses to soaps and shampoos. Below are some pictures of what you can find in there.

Lots of grains, including their own flour.

Baked goodies, breads, cookies shaped like donkeys, cheeses, and a very friendly shopkeeper who speaks excellent English!

Wines, mostly German but a few from Austria and Italy.

Eggs and dairy…

Pasta…

Jams galore and honey…

Teas, juices, soft drinks, and beers.

Cosmetics and even things for the home, like dishes.

In the back of the shop, there’s even a small geological museum. It costs nothing to see the collection of crystals and stones collected by the proprietor.

I only took a few photos because it’s not a very large museum. But it’s still pretty interesting, especially if you like rocks.

If you didn’t bring a bag with you, never fear. We did come prepared because I noticed on their Web site that they had a little store and figured we’d want to bring some stuff home.

Adorable donkey cookies made with hazelnuts or almonds.

We did buy a few pieces of cake and a loaf of bread, as well as strawberries and blueberries, cheese, wine, and soaps. The lady who waited on us spoke German until Bill started having trouble understanding, then, with a big smile, she said “We can speak English if you like!” I loved that she was willing to speak German at all. A lot of times, as soon as English speaking Germans hear the American accent, they switch to perfect English, dashing our hopes of practicing German! So kudos to her for indulging Bill and for being so pleasant and welcoming. She asked us if we were here “on holiday” and we said we live here. She said, “Oh, so that means you can come back!” I love that! Once we’d spent about 40 euros in the shop, we decided to go home. I made a quick stop in the ladies room first…

I got a kick out of this sign.

This place is also very bike friendly. If you wanted to, you could also take a hike. The area nearby offers many walking trails.

Geronimo!

I love these guys. I’d rather hang out with ponies and donkeys than most people.

We really enjoyed visiting Eselsmühle im Siebenmühlental today. I would recommend it especially for ladies who lunch and want to purchase high quality organic products. If you’re lucky, you might even get to pet one of the pet donkeys.

Baden-Württemberg

Lunch at La Meo in Nagold…

I was needing a couple of hours out of the house this afternoon. Originally, we were considering going further afield than Nagold, but then I took a look at the time and the fact that one place we were considering trying for lunch was only open for dinner. Since it was almost 1:00pm, we decided to go to Nagold, which is one of my favorite cute towns and super convenient to us. I had a restaurant in mind, La Meo, which is an Italian bar/cafe/bistro right next to Nagold’s big Edeka store and convenient to the nearby Ibis hotel. It’s open every day and does not take a pause in service.

As we approached the restaurant, I had a funny thought about the sign. The restaurant is called La Meo, but the sign says “Lameo”. That made me wonder how to pronounce it. Was it La-Meh-O? Or Lame-oh? But I see when I look it up on Google, it’s actually two words– La Meo. And Google Translate doesn’t tell me what La Meo means. Oh well.

Lame-o?

The first thing I noticed about this restaurant, besides its very contemporary ambiance, is that it smelled great. The air was permeated with the aromas of fresh bread and garlic. Indeed, since this is an Italian restaurant, you will find pizza, pasta, and other dishes that smell of garlic. We had a seat at a comfortable table on the lower level, affording us a good view of the open kitchen where a very good natured chef was at work. There’s also an upstairs dining area, should you want to take in Nagold’s fabulous views. I also noticed loud dance/pop music, which was a little annoying, but not surprising. The staff appeared to be young and hip.

Bill takes a look at the menu, which was sitting on the table.

This inexpensive eatery offers lots of pizzas, pastas, salads, and a full range of beverages. It appeared to be very kid friendly and casual. Naturally, since it’s next to the supermarket, plenty of people were stopping there before hitting the Edeka for their Saturday shopping chores. Service was okay, although the servers weren’t as attentive as they could have been. They were chatting with the bartender and not noticing when we were ready to order. Also, we ordered a bottle of sparkling water and they brought us one big glass instead. However, it was served with lemon and Bill was fine with forgoing water. We both had nice glasses of red wine.

Here’s a view of the window where food is picked up. The chef appeared to be very pleasant. He’d ring his bell and if one of the two servers didn’t answer, he’d deliver the dish himself with a smile on his face. When I dropped my napkin, he kindly brought me a clean one and disposed of the one that fell.

Bill decided to have Romana Pizza, which was made with ham and cheese. The crust on this pizza was really good. It was probably among the best I’ve had in this area. I don’t like German pizza as a rule, but this wasn’t bad at all.

I had Penne alla Vodka. To be honest, this wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. Vodka sauce, to me, is kind of like a creamy tomato concoction. This tasted more like plain old tomato sauce that was a little heavy on the onion. It had little bits of bacon in it. I would have appreciated some Parmesan cheese and noticed they had some in the fridge by the chef’s window. The waitress never asked, though, and I decided not to trouble her.

Bill was hungry and ate most of his pizza. Unfortunately, I feel like I might be coming down with something and only managed about a third of my dish. They gladly packed up our leftovers for us. Total damage was about 28 euros before the tip. I probably wouldn’t order the pasta dish again, but I would get a pizza there or try one of the other pasta dishes. Overall, it was a good experience. When the weather warms up, they’ll offer seating outdoors, which will make for good people watching. We’ll go back and try it again another time.

After we ate, we decided to go to Edeka. Bill wanted to find some barley because he wants to try to replicate that insane garlic soup we had in the Czech Republic a couple of weeks ago. We didn’t know the word for barley, so I consulted Google and learned that the German word for barley is “Gerste”. We went looking for Gerste, but never did manage to find it. However, I did find something else…

Oh why did I have to find chocolate sandwich spreads? Talk about a present for my ass!

This stuff was a thing twenty years ago. Deadly! It needs a warning on its label!

Before anyone asks, yes, I know all about Nutella. In fact, I know about those deadly chocolate candy bar spreads, too. When I lived in Armenia in the 90s, I used to be able to find both Snickers Bar and PB Max spreads. I’m pretty sure PB Max has been discontinued. Snickers bars are still made, of course, but their devilish spread is no longer. That’s good thing, because that stuff was the devil! It contained about 50 grams of fat per serving! However, nothing was better for slaying the onset of PMS. As it was, today I did pick up a jar of the Twix spread, which I haven’t tried yet. We also got some other fattening treats, just in case I am coming down with whatever crud is going around.

When Bill spotted these bottles in the line to pay for our stuff, he thought it was motor oil. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that these plastic bottles are full of some kind of liqueur. Marketing is a funny thing!

When we go to Edeka, I usually get a kick taking pictures of the cigarette packages. Here in Germany, the warnings include pictures and cover the whole package. I didn’t take any pictures today, but did notice one funny warning that showed a crestfallen shirtless man looking down, along with a stern warning that smoking causes impotency. Leave it to the Germans to pull no punches! I think they should put warnings on candy bar spreads, too, because eating that stuff will make your posterior spread in short order!

Anyway, I hope to get to a more mainstream restaurant soon. Hopefully, tomorrow I won’t be laid out with an illness and there will be a fresh review.

Sundays

Vienna, Austria Part 5… a long walk around Vienna!

Saturday morning we had glorious weather. I donned my Keen sandals, which are the most comfortable shoes I own, and we walked back to Vienna for some breakfast. On the way there, I took lots of photos of graffiti and signs.

Sex shop near our hotel…

I got a kick out of these signs. Bill says the dog picture instructs people to put dog crap in a bag.

Apparently, there is a band in Vienna called Catpiss.

Good advice.

SCUBA store…

Interesting place for beverages?

I took a picture of this ad for an insanely decadent spa… Who needs a TV in the jacuzzi?

We ended up at Cafe Museum, yet another delightful cafe, which had a lot of tempting looking desserts. Again, the waiters all wore tuxes.

A very nice breakfast for about 27 euros (for both of us). One of my Facebook friends declared European breakfasts better than American ones. Frankly, I kind of agree.

My hot chocolate was delicious!

After breakfast, we took a very long walk around Vienna. Originally, we were going to go to the Albertina art museum, but we were a little too early. So we headed back to the Rathaus and rose garden areas, where I took a whole lot of photos. There was some kind of race going on, so the Rathaus area was teeming with people and more than a few dogs.