Italian food in Würzburg… part four

Featured photo was spotted in Würzburg… but it could apply to a number of other things… like my stomach after a big meal.

Thursday morning, we woke up to more rain in Würzburg. I was thinking maybe it would be a good day for us to visit the Residenz. However, we never got around to committing to that plan. I think it was because we were all a bit distracted by that big “issue” I mentioned at the beginning of this series.

My husband’s younger daughter was pregnant with her fourth baby, and she had elected to induce labor on Thursday, February 8th. She had hoped the labor would occur naturally, and because her other three babies had come early, she assumed this one might, too. I believe her due date was actually February 14th, but for whatever reason, she and her doctor decided that the baby needed to be born sooner than that. So naturally, we were excited about the new arrival– a baby girl– who would be joining two brothers and a sister.

We were sitting around talking about the baby, who hadn’t been born yet. Younger daughter lives in Utah, so she’s eight hours behind us in Germany. I think I was also getting a bit grumpy. Physically, I wasn’t feeling particularly well, and although I truly do love Bill’s mom, I’m not used to being around people anymore and was feeling a little company “fatigued”. So, because of that, my mood was a little bit off kilter, too. And then there was the incessant rain!

The upshot is, by the time we left the guest house, it was getting close to lunchtime. Parker also wanted to shop for souvenirs for her friends in Texas who hadn’t already benefited from her shopping trip in Bamberg. We drove back to Würzburg intent on having Italian food at Le Candele, a restaurant Bill found that was in another area of town.

I was looking forward to having some Italian food. I love German food, too, but we ate a lot of it during our trip to Bavaria. It can be kind of heavy, and since lately my stomach has been giving me problems, I thought I’d prefer something else. Le Candele did offer good food and rightfully earned their high ratings on Google. We had a nice, long, leisurely lunch…

It was a really nice lunch. Service was professional; prices were fair; and everything tasted good. The only thing I didn’t particularly like was the pop music that was blaring from a speaker over my head. But that’s just a personal quibble of mine. Le Candele appears to be yet another local gem in Würzburg.

The only problem with such a luxurious lunch is that it can lead to indigestion and having to go to the bathroom, which can be problematic in public places. And, sure enough, shortly after we left the restaurant, I needed to go to the toilet. Parker wanted to buy some fridge magnets, so we went into the Euro Shop, which looked kind of like a store on par with The Dollar Tree in the US. We found some magnets for her friends back home, and noted the the weather, which was getting worse.

I started to feel like I’d rather just go back to the guest house, put on something comfortable, and be near the bathroom, since I figured I’d have some “processing” to do, plus I kind of wanted some peace and quiet. I tend to be kind of introverted, and sometimes I need a little alone time. This is especially true when I have an upset stomach. I don’t blame this on the restaurant, by the way. I have been having some stomach issues for awhile.

I told Bill he should just take me back and he and his mom could go out and do something together. But Parker didn’t like that idea… She also wanted to buy some soaps for her friends. So we headed back toward the Old Main Bridge, where I remembered there was a public toilet.

I was actually a little scared to go into the public WC. It was underground and didn’t look particularly clean. And, truth be told, the area around it was pretty gross. It looked like there was a pile of something right by the door, along with trash. Fortunately, the toilet itself was clean, if not kind of akin to the free roadside toilets on the Autobahn. At least I didn’t have to pay to use it.

Once I had gone to the bathroom, I felt a little better, so Bill went to the Edeka to pick up some snacks and wine for the evening. Then we decided to head back to the car. Parker was reassuring me that she could just buy soap at the airport. But then I noticed a shop that had homemade soap displayed in the window. I told her she should go pick some up for her friends. She protested– obviously not wanting to inconvenience me– but I was getting annoyed, because she had mentioned wanting to buy soap more than once, and there it was, right there! I’m afraid I got a little short tempered and snapped, “Just go get the soap! It’s right there! It’s not a problem for me to wait a few minutes.”

Bill and his mom went to buy the beeswax/honey soap while I took a few more photos of the Neumünster. I considered going in there for a few photos, while Bill and his mom were picking up souvenirs. I noticed people were going in and out of there, so it was obviously open. But then I thought I shouldn’t do that, because then they’d come out and wonder where I was.

So I waited, and Bill and Parker came out with the goods. We went back to the car and drove back to the guest house. I was a little sad… because I would have liked to have done more. I was just feeling icky… both physically, because of the big meal, and mentally, because I felt a little like a third wheel, and because I just needed a couple of hours to relax by myself.

When we got back to the house, I decided to close the door to the bedroom take a nap, which helped my mood. I appreciated that the rooms in the house had thick doors, so it was very quiet in the room. By the time I woke up, I felt better in all ways. I joined Bill and his mom for wine, snacks, and German television shows about the police and paramedics.

We enjoyed one last night at the guest house, and on the morning of February 9th, awoke to the news that Bill had a brand new granddaughter who weighed a respectable 7 pounds 12 ounces! The baby was born at 4:15 PM on February 8th and is very beautiful and healthy.

Friday morning, we packed up, and Bill went to check out of the house. He paid for the wine we enjoyed, and bought a six pack of wines to enjoy at home. Kudos to the wine tasting guide, who remembered that we prefer wines that are less sweet. He replaced the “halb-trocken” wine in the pack with a Riesling.

All in all, we enjoyed our time in Bavaria. I would love to go back to Würzburg and Bamberg when the weather is better. I think next time, maybe Bill and I would stay in a hotel in Bamberg… although I also truly enjoyed Würzburg. You can’t really go wrong in either place; they’re both very nice cities.

This trip was marred mostly by the German weather which, unfortunately, tends to suck in February. Also, the guest house’s location wasn’t conducive to being able to walk downtown easily. That last day could have been saved if I could have just gone to a hotel room for a short rest while Bill and his mom walked around some more. But Bill didn’t really want to drop me off and then go out again… and his mom was very worried about inconveniencing us. If we’d had more sunshine, I think it would have been a better visit… but then, that kind of goes without saying. And the fact that we were anticipating a new family member also kind of added to the stress.

I was eager to go home, too, because I missed Noyzi. He’s my baby. He had to go back to the Hundepension again today, though, because we’re going to Stuttgart today for an overnight. It’s time to see Dr. Blair for a dental cleaning and exam, after we missed him in October. We might have stayed two nights, but Bill has a big work project going on, and frankly, Stuttgart isn’t all that exciting in February, either. Ah well… at least we’re staying at the Wald Hotel, which is my favorite Stuttgart area hotel.

Anyway, so ends another series… Time for my ten things I learned post.

Bavaria, churches, holidays

A glimpse of Würzburg… part two

On our first morning in Würzburg, we woke up to clouds and rain. It wasn’t a surprise, since it’s February in Germany. I was kind of sad about it, though, because I don’t enjoy walking around in the rain. Fortunately, we had a wine tasting scheduled for 3:00 PM, so that kind of limited our time in the great outdoors.

We enjoyed a breakfast of locally made Brötchen and pastries from the bakery. Bill said the lady at the bakery was kind of a character. He’d order something and she’d prompt him to buy more by saying “Und?” after he made a request. The bakery also had eggs for sale, so Bill bought a few and cooked them for our morning repast.

After drinking coffee and sharing our opinions about the morning news (King Charles’s cancer and Toby Keith’s death), we all piled into the Volvo and headed for Würzburg. Bill easily found another spot at the Residenz, and we retraced the path we’d taken the night before, when we had dinner at Wirtshaus am Dom.

I smelled pizza as we rounded the bend into the center of Würzburg. It was already late morning, which meant we’d be having lunch soon. I did mention that this was a leisurely trip, focused more on time spent with Bill’s mom in unfamiliar surroundings, than actually seeing a lot of tourist attractions. I pulled out my phone to take some photos and immediately noticed a bright, colorful ramp at a business.

On closer inspection, I could see that the ramp was made entirely of Legos! I’d never seen one of these before, but apparently they’re a thing. There’s even a firm that builds them for businesses and cafes in the city. The organization that builds these Lego ramps are trying to bring attention to the many physical barriers that still exist in public spaces, making it difficult for people who have disabilities. According to the link I provided, ten Lego ramps were built from August 2020 until January 2022, with the help of local primary school children! I had no idea, and I think this is a great project to help bring awareness to the needs of people with disabilities. I love how the people of Germany are so community minded toward everyone!

*This ramp isn’t just cool looking. It serves an important cause!*

As we continued down the main drag, I took note of the colorful trams that were providing service into the inner city. Then we made our way to the Dom– a Roman Catholic cathedral that dates back to 1075, and is dedicated to Saint Kilian. This cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Würzburg, and has served as the burial place for the Prince-Bishops of Würzburg for hundreds of years.

After helping Parker climb the steps, we got some photos of the interior– full of art and colored white and gold. I always marvel at the beauty of cathedrals, and notice how no two are ever the same. I am not a very religious person myself, but I do enjoy the beauty and craftsmanship that God inspires in the people who build holy places.

Just down the street from the Dom is the Neumünster. I wanted to go in there, too, but there were a number of steps to reach it, and it appeared to be closed when we were visiting. I did get a few photos of the outside, though. The Neumünster is a former collegiate church that dates from the 11th century. If we manage to visit Würzburg again, I’ll make a point of venturing inside and taking my own photos. For now, Internet pictures will have to suffice!

We rounded another bend and found ourselves at Maria Chapel, another Roman Catholic church on the Marktplatz in Würzburg. The Maria Chapel is a Gothic church that dates to the 14th century. It’s considered large for a chapel, but is named such because it doesn’t have a parish. I’m not Catholic, so I don’t know much about the ins and outs of Catholic church structures. I just like to see the insides of the churches– especially the windows and the pipe organs. My mom was a church organist for over 50 years, so organs are kind of special to me. She didn’t play pipe organs, but I’ve grown to love the sound of pipe organs.

*The door under the stairs to the Neumünster*

Bill’s mom, Parker, needed some more euros, so she and Bill went to an ATM, while I took a few more pictures of the Marktplatz and Maria Chapel. We walked past the Rathaus and over the Old Main Bridge, which offers great views of the Marienberg Fortress. The Old Main Bridge crosses the Main River, and was built in the 16th century. It was built in a combination of Gothic and Renaissance styles and completed in 1543. There are rows of statues on either side of the bridge, which reminded me a bit of the Charles Bridge in Prague.

Realizing that we had a three o’clock appointment, we decided it was about time for lunch. We headed back toward the Dom, passing a few restaurants that looked cozy and inviting. Then I noticed a cool looking building and a sign that read Sternbäck. Although I was kind of thinking maybe we’d have something less German for lunch, I couldn’t resist the charm of this “Würzburger Original”. As soon as we walked in, I could tell it’s a very popular spot with the locals. It’s actually lucky that we arrived when we did, as the place filled up soon after we sat down.

It looked like they were doing some renovation, perhaps to the kitchen area. I noticed the waitress kept going outside to pick up her orders. There was a food truck parked next to the restaurant, and I could see craftsmen hard at work from where I was sitting. But the location of the kitchen didn’t affect the excellent quality of the food we ordered, which happened to be the special of the day– Bratwurst with either potato salad or sauerkraut. We enjoyed local draft beers and really excellent music, too. The prices were very reasonable, and the service was friendly and competent. I would definitely go back! Maybe I’d even bring Noyzi; as you can see, it’s also a dog friendly place!

After a leisurely lunch at Sternbäck, we started to make our way back to the car so we could be back at Weingut am Stein in time for our wine tasting at 3:00 PM. The wine tasting also turned out to be surprisingly interesting, as Weingut am Stein specializes in Sylvaners. I mentioned in part one that it was our first time trying German Sylvaners– a type of grape that isn’t as popular as, say, Riesling.

The guy who did our tasting spoke perfect English and came from Hamburg. We really enjoyed learning about the wines offered at Weingut am Stein and just chatting about life in Germany… and of course, American politics. We tried a whole range of wines, each one better than the last, and surprisingly different. We had Sylvaners, Rieslings, and I think we might have had a Pinot… but my memory is a little fuzzy.

After the tasting, we went down to the room where wines were being aged in egg-like structures that were based on Georgian qvevris. Having spent two years in neighboring Armenia, I am delighted to see how Georgian winemaking is catching on in Europe. In that room, there is also a beautiful table that was made from an old tree on the property. I was really admiring it.

We learned more about the history of the winery, including the construction of the degustation room and the guest house. They were built 20 years ago after an architectural competition. I really liked the design of the tasting room, which offered beautiful views, as well as interesting sunlight through the slatted windows. Our guide also told us that most of the vineyards by the winery don’t belong the winery, but are actually owned by the city. I noticed a lot of people walking around in them, and the guide said it was because that was the closest thing to a nature park in the area. It’s definitely not too shabby of a “nature” area for walks!

The wine tasting lasted about two hours, and by then, we were ready to call it a day. So we offered our thanks to the guide and went back to the house for some rest and relaxation. The next day, we were planning our day trip to Bamberg. More on that in the next post!

Bavaria, holidays

A few days in Bavaria… part one

Over the past week, Bill, his mother, Parker, and I have been hanging out in Würzburg, a beautiful town in the Franconia region of Bavaria. When Parker comes to visit us from Texas, we typically spend a few nights at home, then go somewhere for a few days. It gives Parker a chance to see more of Europe, and me a chance to write some content for my travel blog. Since we moved back to Germany in 2014, Parker has visited three times. The first time was in 2017, and we took a “blind booking” flight to Berlin from Stuttgart. The second time was in January 2020, and we went to Alsace, France. This time, it was Würzburg.

I had originally meant for us to go to Bamberg, another beautiful town in Franconia, known for its architecture and Rauchbier. It took a long time to come to that decision, only to change my mind, because I couldn’t find the right accommodations. I could have booked two hotel rooms at one of Bamberg’s hotels, or I could have booked an apartment. But most of what I found during my searches had some major drawbacks, such as a lack of parking or lots of stairs. Parker has had both hips replaced, so it’s not ideal for her to have to climb a lot of stairs.

I thought maybe we’d do better in Nuremberg, a city I’ve never seen, but Bill and Parker had both visited in the 80s. But then I realized that I’d get bogged down in Nuremberg, as there are a lot of museums there that I thought we’d want to visit. I really wanted to visit Bamberg, even if it was just for a day.

Then, I noticed Würzburg mentioned on a travel Web site. Located roughly halfway between Nuremberg and Frankfurt, it, too, has a lot to offer. The city, which is the third largest in Franconia, is also located relatively close to our home of Wiesbaden. It only takes about 90 minutes to get there from Wiesbaden by car, if traffic isn’t too heavy. There’s also an easy train connection from Frankfurt.

When I saw the winery, Weingut am Stein, offering a rental house on the edge of a vineyard, I decided to book it. For about what I would have paid for four nights of two hotel rooms, breakfast, and parking, I got a 1100 square foot house with a fireplace, kitchen, parking, and a beautiful view of the city. Adding to the appeal was the included wine tasting in the winery’s degustation room. With Bill’s approval, I booked the house through Expedia.com, and was delighted when the transaction went through smoothly. As I’ve discovered over the years, booking lodging sometimes results in fraud alerts on my credit cards.

I would have probably chosen to go further afield, but again– I needed a special place to stay. I also would have preferred to visit during a different month, but February was when Parker could visit us. I’m sure Würzburg is even better during the other seasons, when the weather is much more agreeable than it was during our visit.

Bill, Parker, and I set off for Würzburg on the afternoon of February 5th. It was sunny and mild, and Bill had already taken Noyzi to the Birkenhof Tierpension, which is one of his favorite places to visit. It would have been nice to bring Noyzi with us, but he takes up the whole back end of our Volvo, and the rental house didn’t allow pets. We stopped at a rest area to have lunch at Nordsee, and arrived in Würzburg at about 3:30 PM, right in line with the 3 PM check in time at the house.

*Seen in the ladies room at the Rastplatz… if your pee burns, there’s a medication that can help.* *I’ll keep this in mind… along with the word “Pippipausen”.*

A strikingly pretty young woman greeted us and showed us the house, then booked our wine tasting, which was included in the rental fee. Then she invited us to come back to the tasting room for a welcome glass of wine. Weingut am Stein’s tasting room is very impressive, and the winery itself is on a hillside, which offers arresting views of Würzburg’s many landmarks. Bill and Parker tried Sylvaner wines, while I enjoyed a Riesling. We later found out at our wine tasting that Weingut am Stein specializes in Sylvaners, which is a somewhat less popular style in these parts. Bill and I had tried them before at wine tastings when we lived near Stuttgart. But those Sylvaners had come from France, not Germany.

Below are some photos I took after our arrival. Unfortunately, the weather was not nearly as nice during the rest of our stay in Würzburg, but we made the best of it…

I forgot to take photos of the two bathrooms in the house. Both are located upstairs. Only one of the bathrooms has a shower. The house also has a basement, but there was nothing in it but firewood for the small fireplace, which we never got around to trying. The fridges were stocked with Gerolsteiner water and a variety of wines from the winery. There were a couple of reds, several whites, and a couple of sparkling wines, all of which could be purchased and paid for at checkout. I think the water was complimentary.

Located nearby is a bakery, that Bill said also offered some basic incidentals like eggs, jam, and milk. He had to walk up and down stairs to get to the bakery. The train station is very close, but I wouldn’t recommend trying to walk there from the house, as it’s near a rather busy roadway without sidewalks. I would recommend having a car if you wish to book this house. The winery is very close to downtown Würzburg, but it’s not very safe or convenient to walk there from Weingut am Stein.

I spent about $1700 four comfortable nights at Weingut am Stein’s guest house. We did not have to pay a deposit or any other fees, other than for the many bottles of wine we consumed over our four night stay. The house was also fully equipped with sheets, towels, and other basic essentials.

After we got settled at the guest house, Bill, Parker, and I went into Würzburg for dinner. Bill found a restaurant called Wirtshaus am Dom, which is located right next to the cathedral. Although the restaurant is listed on OpenTable.de, Bill decided to just walk in, after we parked at Würzburg’s impressive Residenz.

As you might have guessed, Wirtshaus am Dom specializes in hearty Bavarian fare and beer. Right next door is L’Ostreria, an Italian chain restaurant, for those who would rather have pizza or pasta. Or, you could just keep walking, where you’ll encounter lots of other restaurants. There are lots of choices in Würzburg, and plenty of young people, as Würzburg is a college town.

We sat down at a comfortable table and enjoyed a delicious dinner, consisting mostly of pork… and excellent Bavarian draft beers. Below are a few photos. We all agreed the highlight of dinner was the dessert, which we all shared with Parker, as we were too stuffed to each order desserts for ourselves. I think Bill spent about 90 euros for the three of us. The entrees each ran around 20 euros, give or take a euro, plus we had four beers, two espressos, and dessert.

*I had pork with a crispy crust, dark beer gravy, and potato dumplings*

After dinner, we walked back to our parking spot at the Residenz. I was struck by how majestic the building is, and how much went into building it. This city is impressive, day or night…

Not only is the Residenz incredibly beautiful, but it also offers convenient parking near the downtown area. I wish I could tell you we toured it, but we never got around to visiting the Residenz, partly because we were preoccupied by other major life events, which I’ll explain in a forthcoming post. Anyway, Bill and I live somewhat close to Würzburg, and I think we’ll visit the region again. I hope we’ll have a chance to tour the Residenz then.

Bavaria, blog news

Yes, I spell like an American… Have you got a problem with that?

Today, Bill’s mom is coming to visit us for a week. Bill is about to leave the house to go pick her up from the airport, as her flight will arrive in about an hour. Her last visit was in 2020, so it’s been awhile. I genuinely like Bill’s mom, so this should be a good time.

Monday, we’re going to be heading out of town for the work week, but we’re not going far. I’ve booked us a rental house at a winery in Würzburg, which is only about a 90 minute drive from Wiesbaden. But we will be in Bavaria (Bayern), rather than Hesse.

I don’t have a lot to report about this trip right now, except to say that we’re probably also going to take a day trip to Bamberg, which is an hour away by train. Or, maybe we’ll drive there. I would have liked to stay there, but the lodging in Würzburg is better suited to bringing along a guest. We could have gotten two hotel rooms for the same cost of renting a small house. Both cities are noted for their beautiful architecture. I expect we’ll enjoy some Rauchbier (smoked beer), too.

Today, I want to very briefly address something I noticed when I was dumping the (very full) spam folder this morning. Someone with a British Web (spam) address left a spam comment that they “enjoyed my content”, but it’s “rife with spelling errors” that makes it hard for them to read. My guess is that this person didn’t read much more than the title of the blog, which is indeed, spelled correctly with just one “l” in “traveling”. Why? Because I am an AMERICAN, and I spell like an AMERICAN. Or maybe this person just wants to be an asshole.

Do not criticize my spelling. There’s nothing wrong with it. I’m just not a British subject. You cringe when you see me leave out letters and use a z instead of an s. I cringe when you use an s instead of a z and use more letters than you really need. It is what it is. If you don’t like my American spelling, you’re free to read or SPAM a British person’s blog. I don’t mind criticism where criticism is warranted. But there is nothing wrong with an American person using American spelling on a personal blog. In fact, if my American spelling really makes it harder for spammers to leave annoying trash comments, so much the better. ;)

And please don’t spam my blog, either… because it’s a complete waste of time. :D

That’s all.

Champagne Bucket trips, trip planning

De-Christmasified… and planning our next getaway…

Featured photo is of the only trees around us now…

This morning, Bill and I were roused out of bed by Noyzi, the Kosovar wonder pup. We fed him, ate breakfast, and took down all the Christmas decorations. It took a couple of hours to get everything taken down and packed away until next year. I took the opportunity to run the vacuum in the basement, which I rarely do. Bill’s mom is coming to visit us in early February, and the basement is where our guest room is.

Because Bill’s mom is coming to Germany to see us, we’re thinking about taking a short trip during her visit. This is something we usually do when she visits. In December 2017, we went to Berlin with her. In January 2020, we took her to Alsace, in France. When she visited us in the summer of 2009, we took her to Oberstaufen, a mountain resort area in Bavaria, where we proceeded to take a day trip to Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein, which eventually turned into an overnight odyssey when we got trapped in Italy.

I have a few places in mind for this year’s trip. One place I would like to visit is Bamberg, which is a really cool looking beer town in Bavaria. I’d also like to go to Freiburg, which is a city near the borders with France and Switzerland. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is also a good bet, as it’s a beautiful Alpine town with lots to do. On the other hand, we like to get out of Germany when we can.

*I found this somewhere on the Internet… if it’s yours and you want me to remove it, drop me a comment.*

Bill is grocery shopping right now, because he has to leave town on business tomorrow. When he gets back, we’ll probably make a decision about where we’ll go, if we can book Noyzi at the Hundepension. I doubt it’ll be a problem, since it won’t be a holiday week. I’d be all for taking him with us, but he takes up the whole back end of the car, and we’ll need that space for luggage. Besides, Noyzi loves going to the Hundepension. It’s a chance for him to play with other dogs. This will probably be his last time going there alone, since we’re planning to take in one of his Kosovar buddies from back in the day in March or so…

My German friend says we should save Freiburg for the spring or summer. She’s from Frieburg, so her advice is probably spot on. We’ll probably end up going to Bamberg… but I need to think about it some more. This is a good opportunity to see another German town we’ve been meaning to see since 2014 or so… but it’s also a good chance to visit somewhere else. We’ll see. Hopefully, COVID won’t mess anything up. I have heard that cases are on the rise.

Time to haul out the champagne bucket again… Or maybe we’ll just stay here and do day trips.

Uncategorized

Parker goes to France, part one…

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!

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My mother-in-law is coming today…

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!

short breaks

Blind booking #4: Berlin! Part 1

My husband’s mother, Parker, has been visiting us for the past ten days. While she’s here, my husband, Bill, wanted to do something special. The last time she visited us in Germany, we got trapped in Italy. We decided that this time, we would do something different… something not involving a car or driving through the Alps.

At first, we considered taking the train to Paris. It seemed like the perfect solution. Parker has not been to Paris and it’s a really interesting city with plenty to do. But then it occurred to us that we were just in France last month. I’ve been kind of hankering to do something different. So then I suggested a blind booking on Eurowings.

Blind booking is not a new concept for Bill and me. When we were living in Germany last time, we did it twice. Basically, it involves buying a cheap plane ticket for a secret destination. The first two times we tried blind booking, we scored excellent and super cheap trips to London, England and Barcelona, Spain. Both trips were in 2009, when Eurowings was still Germanwings. Prices were significantly lower than they are today and more services were included. For instance, I don’t remember paying for luggage or even the paltry snacks they give you.

The next time we tried blind booking was in May 2012. We had taken a Space A hop from Baltimore to Ramstein. I was still crazy about the mystique of blind booking, so we went to Cologne, visited the city, then did another blind booking from Cologne. That time, we got Munich. I was slightly disappointed, since I had been to Munich. On the other hand, we had a great time! On that trip, we bought train tickets that were good for all of Germany and certain border cities. We ended up going to Trier, Salzburg, and Luxembourg City, in addition to Munich and Cologne.

Although blind booking is not as exciting to me as it used to be, it had been five years since our last one. And when we pitched the idea to Parker, she was excited about it. The decision was made. About ten days ago, I went on the Eurowings Web site, selected Stuttgart as our airport, input the days we wanted to travel, and chose which group of cities we wanted. I know there are ways to “game” the system. Checking to see what days certain cities are offered is one way to improve your odds of going somewhere “exotic”. You can also pay a little extra to exclude certain cities, which we have done in the past. This time, I wanted to leave it up to fate. Besides, there weren’t any cities in the “Culture” group that I wouldn’t mind visiting, even if I’d already been there.

We got Berlin. I had kind of mixed feelings about it. On one hand, neither Bill nor I had ever been to Berlin, despite having spent a lot of time in Europe. On the other hand, I was kind of liking the idea of getting out of Germany for a few days. But then I realized that I told myself I couldn’t leave Germany again until I saw its capital city. Now that’s done, so we can focus on going to some truly different places… provided we can board our dogs. 😉

Parker was pretty happy about going to Berlin. The three of us are old enough to remember when Berlin was much harder to visit than it is today. When I was in sixth grade, I wrote a paper about Germany. As I researched the topic, I learned about its history. It was the first I’d ever heard of East and West Germany. I remember being shocked that the country was divided; one side was a “free” part of western Europe. The other side was “communist”, like the Soviet Union and the satellite countries. I read about how the people in East Germany weren’t allowed to leave at will. I learned about the huge wall that once separated Berlin. One side was “free” and the other side was not.

A look at what life was like in Berlin, back in the 1970s…

As an eleven year old in the early 80s, I had no idea that one day I’d live in the former Soviet Union and get to visit a lot of those “forbidden” eastern European countries. I didn’t know then that I’d eventually live in Germany twice and visit its eastern side with ease. I didn’t know that one day, I’d stay in what used to be East Berlin.

I’m truly surprised it took me so long to finally see Berlin, although I did visit its airport once before when Bill and I took a Baltic cruise originating in Oslo, Norway. We did have a great trip. If I’ve piqued your interest with this first part, I hope you’ll read on as I lay out yet another exciting travel story.

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Luz Bistro for dinner!

Last night, Bill and I decided to take his mom, Parker, to Luz Bar & Bistro in Nagold. I have written about Luz Bistro at the Alte Post in Nagold several times. We usually go there for lunch on the weekends, but last night we decided to have dinner there. I chose Luz because I knew the food and service would be excellent. I also had a feeling we wouldn’t need reservations.

We arrived at the restaurant at about 7:00pm. The bar area was pretty busy, as was the small dining room to the right. I had never seen that dining room full. Fortunately, there were still a few empty tables in the dining room to the left, which is where we usually sit if we aren’t outside enjoying Nagold’s city scenes while we drink wine. Bill, Parker, and I took a seat at a four top and Bill ordered a bottle of Rioja and our usual sparkling water.

I was intrigued by a couple of the choices on Luz’s dinner menu last night, but I needed Google translate for a few things. For instance, I had forgotten the word “Topinambur”, which is Jerusalem artichoke. I also didn’t know the word “Saibling”, which is German for “char (a type of trout)”. Parker chose a trout dish that was served with a citrusy pickle cream sauce. I don’t know how I stood being in Germany without Google Translate. It’s saved me a few times. Anyway, below are the dishes we enjoyed last night.

I was originally intrigued by a dish that featured shrimps, onions, bacon, and mashed potatoes. Since I was really hungry, I opted for a rib eye. Luz has several steaks, a couple of which come in a “lady’s cut”. The rib eye is one size only, 230 grams. I ordered a side of fries, although I probably should have had a salad. The fries at Luz are nothing special, although they arrived hot. The steak, on the other hand, was juicy and delicious and beautifully complimented by a chilled garlic spread that was delicious. It really married well with the beef.

Parker’s dish was trout with a pickle and cream sauce. I didn’t taste it, but she said the sauce was citrusy. This dish came with a simple preparation of potatoes and greens. I probably would have enjoyed it. Maybe next time.

Bill had a very hearty plate of goulash made with venison and served with cranberry sauce and spaetzle. I could tell he enjoyed this dish, based on how clean his plate was. It was very satisfying. I don’t routinely eat venison, but I might have liked this dish, too.

After our sumptuous main courses, Parker and I decided to have dessert. I think our waitress might have been a little “weeded”, handling the rest of the crowd in the bar area and the other dining room. She brought our desserts before she brought drinks. I could see the ice cream was melted, which makes me think it sat for a few minutes. But anyway, it still tasted good… especially Parker’s dessert. I must have it next time I go to Luz Bistro. It was a real hit!

My creme brulee came with red wine ice cream, blackberries and blueberries, and a crisp cookie. It was a pretty standard incarnation of creme brulee, which I would have liked more had the ice cream not been so soft. But… having waited tables myself, I am willing to cut the waitress a break. She was working hard. About halfway through the dessert, I had the prosecco I ordered.

Parker’s dessert was my favorite culinary treat of the evening. She had a dark chocolate tart with sea salt ice cream, berries, whipped cream, and a vanilla sauce. I swear… next time I have PMS, I hope I can get my hands on that dessert. It was absolutely delicious.

Last night’s dinner came to about 159 euros before the tip. I think had it not been a little busy last night, we would have had an almost flawless meal. The good news everything tasted great and we were together, enjoying each other’s company. Luz and the Alte Post remain another of my favorite local restaurants and it’s always a good bet for a weekend lunch of when company is around.

We are headed to Berlin later today, which excites me because it’s the first time any of us has been there. It’s a blind booking on Eurowings, which we haven’t done in the past five years. It should be fun. I look forward to seeing some sights and writing more travel articles. Berlin has been on my “must visit” list for a long time, especially since I’ve been to so many other European capitals in countries where I don’t actually live.

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The day we got trapped in Italy…

Not long ago, someone in one of the local Facebook groups asked for a travel itinerary that would involve having three meals in three different countries. Since Germany is surrounded by other European countries and those of us living near Stuttgart are within a couple of hours of France and Switzerland, it’s actually not that hard to have three meals in three countries. You don’t even have to spend the night in a hotel to accomplish this.

Anyway, when I was reading all of the suggestions, I was reminded of a crazy experience Bill and I had the last time we lived in Germany. It was June 2009 and Bill’s awesome mother, Parker, had flown here from San Antonio to visit us. Bill’s mom had last visited Europe during Bill’s first Germany tour in the late 1980s. That was way before I was in the picture; I was still in high school at the time. Bill was a young lieutenant with limited funds living in Ansbach. So they didn’t get to go to any countries outside of Germany (still known as West Germany in those days).

I came up with the bright idea for the three of us to rent a timeshare condo in Oberstaufen, Germany, which is right on the border with Austria. I figured we’d have the chance to show Parker some of Austria and maybe even Switzerland. At the time I came up with this plan, I had no idea that I would get a wild hair up my ass that would get us trapped in Italy.

We checked into the MONDI-Holiday hotel in Oberstaufen, had a nice dinner, and spent the night in the little condo, which slept four people. The next morning, we got up and enjoyed a nice breakfast in Germany, then set off for Austria, which was literally just a couple of miles away. As we were gassing up the car, I said, “Hey! We aren’t far from Liechtenstein. Why don’t we go there?”

Bill and Parker were game, so we drove to Liechtenstein and walked around. Parker got her passport stamped and we smelled lots of stinky cheeses in a local shop. We went into a gift shop so I could buy a coffee mug and a magnet. There, we got stuck behind an annoying group of Americans who were holding the shop proprietor’s attention hostage. The head of the family, wearing a t-shirt from Brigham Young University, was telling the shop keeper a very detailed story about his experiences as a Mormon missionary in Switzerland. While the proprietor was being very polite and listening intently, they seriously went on for several minutes, oblivious that there were people wanting to check out. Finally, we put the stuff back and went to a different store.

A beautiful cathedral in Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

After we were finished with our shopping and looking around, I said, “Well, this was cool. Let’s go have lunch in Switzerland!”

A stop at a Swiss rastplatz… Little did I know what was ahead of us.

Once again, Bill and Parker were game to visit another country. We headed into Switzerland and finally stopped in the city of Chur. Chur was pretty charming. We enjoyed walking around and I took a few pictures. I soon heard people speaking Italian, reminding me that we could show Parker Italy, too. After a lovely lunch in a Swiss/Italian restaurant called Obelisco, I made an ill-advised suggestion when I said, “Why don’t we go to Italy?”

A beautiful Swiss/Italian meal… (An interesting aside– I just looked up this building where the restaurant is and it shares its building with an integrative medical practice.)

So off we went to Italy, which wasn’t quite as close as I thought it would be. I think we reached the border at about 3:00pm or so. But we had sunny skies and perfect weather. I felt pretty sure we could joyride a bit and drive back to Germany, no problem.

As we headed south on the autostrada, Bill asked “Milan or Lake Como”? We had been to both areas and I thought Lake Como would be prettier and less crazy. So that’s where we went. By the way, driving in Italy is almost always crazy, especially when you’re driving on a narrow road around a lake. In retrospect, had we gone to Milan, we probably wouldn’t have gotten trapped.

Bill’s mom marveled at how beautiful Lake Como is and we spent the afternoon laughing and telling stories. Finally, it got to be dinner time. Bill continued driving until we got to Bergamo, where we found a parking spot and went looking for something to eat, ultimately landing in a restaurant that was open somewhat early for dinner. I remember Bill eating his very first oyster in that restaurant. They had served the oysters as amuses. I had been telling him for years that eating oysters is like eating a little bit of the ocean. I grew up near the ocean, so I’m a fan. Bill did not grow up near the ocean and needed a little breaking in. I am pleased to report that he enjoyed the oyster and would eat it again. I remember I had some kind of seafood meal that sat rather heavily in my stomach. While we were in the restaurant, there was a whole lot of rain. We were oblivious to just how much.

It was about nine o’clock when we headed back to our car, ready to make the journey back to Germany. The GPS had us getting in at about 1:00am or so. That was way past our bedtimes, but what the hell?

We started the drive back, but every time Bill tried to get on the autostrada, he was turned away by the Italian police or a barrier. The GPS kept recalculating, but with each recalculation, we found a closed road. It was incredibly frustrating, especially as we noticed the GPS adding more and more time to our journey. It turned out we couldn’t get on the autostrada because the roads leading to them were flooded from the rainstorm that had occurred while we were eating dinner in Bergamo. In a matter of a couple of hours, the rain had made most of the ancient Italian roads out of the area impassable.

At one point, we ended up on a winding road up the Alps. Bill stopped to get gas and that dinner that was sitting in my stomach suddenly decided it needed to be ejected. I remember leaning over a railing and throwing up all over someone’s flowers as I heard a bunch of rowdy Italians partying nearby. We were all dangerously drowsy. I never sleep in cars, but I fell asleep a couple of times to the point of snoring. I give Bill credit for not passing out on us.

We continued up the steep Alpine road until we finally reached an unguarded border with Switzerland. Yea! We were finally getting out of Italy! Alas! It, too, was closed! There was a low barrier that we could have easily gone around had we wanted to risk it. I could tell that Bill was seriously contemplating violating the barrier. He was frustrated and exhausted. It was about 1:00 in the morning and even though it was June, there was snow on the ground. I knew Bill just wanted to go to bed and he momentarily wondered if the border was closed for no good reason. We probably should have just found a hotel, but we were in rural Italy in the middle of the night and there weren’t a whole lot of them to be found.

After a few minutes of profuse swearing like a sailor at the Swiss border, Bill wisely got back into the driver’s seat and we headed back down the mountain. Finally, we ended up on a road that, after a couple of hours, took us to Italy’s border with St. Moritz. I think we may have been the only people on the road and the border guard was none too pleased to have to come out to us in the middle of the night. Spotting the German plates on our Toyota RAV 4, he angrily demanded our passports. He snatched them from Bill, grumpily checked them over, and snarled, “Arrivederci!” in a decidedly sarcastic tone of voice.

Sighing with relief that we were finally on our way, Bill quickly got us on a Swiss highway heading north and we eventually rolled into the parking lot at our German hotel at about 7:00am. We were incredibly tired, but we had breakfast. Then we all went to bed and slept until 3:00pm, which was when housekeeping demanded that we let them clean the unit. On the way back to Stuttgart the next day, we stopped in France for lunch.

I insisted on having a French lunch in Marckolsheim on the way to Stuttgart. Fortunately, we didn’t get trapped in France.

Bill’s mom is planning another visit for next month. She has already told us not to worry about showing her any European countries other than Germany. But we still talk about how she got to see Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Italy, and France in a matter of a couple of days. And I won’t be surprised if we sneak across the border once or twice, just for the fun of it.

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Tag Archives: mother-in-law

Italian food in Würzburg… part four

A few days in Bavaria… part one

Yes, I spell like an American… Have you got a problem with that?

De-Christmasified… and planning our next getaway…

Parker goes to France, part one…

My mother-in-law is coming today…

Blind booking #4: Berlin! Part 1

Luz Bistro for dinner!

The day we got trapped in Italy…