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Sud Tyrol and beyond… part six

Our “Milinski” moment and the menu from Hell!

Tuesday morning got off to a somewhat bad start. We went down to the restaurant for breakfast, put on our masks and disinfected our hands, then got our usual fruits, cold cuts, and breads. I can’t complain about the breakfast at Klein Fein Hotel Anderlahn. There’s plenty to choose from, although I missed the Zumo machine at Hotel Kristall. As I was enjoying a pretzel roll, Bill took a look at the evening’s menu. He looked a bit concerned and said, “I don’t think you’re going to like this.”

He handed me the menu, and sure enough, the side vegetable of the day was mushrooms. Anyone who has read my blogs for any length of time probably already knows how much I hate mushrooms. I hate them to the point of having a phobia. I’m serious. I know it’s an irrational fear– which is what makes it a phobia– but I have a lifetime aversion to mushrooms and I can’t eat them at all. I wrote about the “menu from Hell” on my main blog, so anyone who is interested can read that piece.

Fortunately, the hotel does offer alternatives for those who don’t like what’s being offered. One can have an entrecote (rib eye steak) or a schnitzel (breaded pork cutlet) with fries. That’s what I ended up ordering for Tuesday night’s dinner. We also signed up for a Schnapps tasting, which was offered by a lady who runs a winery within walking distance of the hotel.

After breakfast, we got in the trusty Volvo and headed west and I started taking pictures of all the apple and pear orchards. We had no agenda. We just wanted to see what we could find. After about forty–five minutes of beautiful scenery, we came across a curious looking roadside attraction. It’s run by an artist named Lorenz Kuntner, who asks for a one euro “free will” donation to look at his massive “open air” museum. Mr. Kuntner strongly identifies with Native Americans and he has many works of art on his property, which also happens to be next to a swiftly running brook.

It wasn’t long until Bill and I encountered the very friendly man himself. Kuntner speaks German, Italian, and perfect English. He left his day job– not sure what it was– and opened this museum, where people are welcome to stop and look at his many works of creativity. He has everything from sculptures to paintings on the side of the mountain, and all he asks for is one euro per person. But many people tried to skip out on paying. He has no qualms about confronting them, either. He talked to Bill for about 45 minutes or so, while I patiently waited for the opportunity to pee. The chance to whiz wasn’t immediately forthcoming, but I did get a lot of pictures of the artist’s unusual creations.

The artist reminded Bill and me a little bit of another artist we met in Poland back in 2008 named Dariusz Milinski. Actually, I don’t think Mr. Milinski’s art is that much like Mr. Kuntner’s, but they were similarly eccentric in terms of their personalities. Kuntner was speaking to us in rapid fire German and English as he spoke about how small Hitler’s penis was and how Donald Trump is ruining the world (can’t disagree with that). He also showed us a photo of Geronimo. Mr. Kuntner very much identifies with the spirit of Native Americans and he spoke to us at length about it, in English and German. Below is a video Lorenz Kuntner posted. It’s in German. Again, in this part of Italy, most people speak German before they speak Italian!

Bill was pretty fascinated by the shaman, Lorenz Kuntner. He loves talking to artists. I like them too, except for when I need to use the bathroom. So after we visited the artist, we headed back east, and made our way to Merano. There’s a big spa there. I kept thinking maybe we’d go there, but we never made it. Merano is a charming little city, with drinking fountains all around that offer fresh drinking water. The only other place I’d ever seen like that was Yerevan, Armenia. Water fountains are all over Yerevan, and they are really helpful in the hot sun! Here are some pictures I took on the way to Merano, where we had lunch and enjoyed some local beers.

We had lunch at a place called RÖMERKELLER. I see now that it’s a chain restaurant, which doesn’t surprise me. Still, the food was very good and the service was fine.

I got a kick out of this sign at a bar. We ended up stopping and drinking there after lunch.

We enjoyed several drinks at the Kloster Keller. Or, at least I did. Bill got a kick out of a realization I made. I married Black Beauty and he married Ginger. If you’ve read the book, you might understand what that means… Bill is very well-mannered and kind-hearted and was taught well by his mama. I’m kind of a high-mettled, angry bitch who doesn’t tolerate abuse. Sometimes, anyway… Black Beauty was very helpful when an elderly couple wanted to sit down. There were umbrellas in the way, so Bill was quick to move one of them. Another man, much younger and probably less astute, jumped up to help with the other one. I was proud of Bill and his teaching by example moment.

We could have had a light lunch at the Kloster Keller instead of the other place.

After awhile, we headed back to the hotel, where I faced the menu from hell… I’m not going to go into detail about it here, since I already wrote about it on my main blog. I did get some pictures of the meal, though, and lots of curious stares from the people sitting around us, who seemed baffled as to why I was having a steak. After dinner, we did the Schnapps tasting, which was where we let people know that we weren’t in Europe illegally.

This was the soup… it tasted a lot like the artichoke soup we had Monday night, only they added lots of smoked salmon, which made it very salty.

The Schnapps tasting was done in German, English, and Italian on account of the multinational crowd of six that signed up for it. We surprised the hostess by knowing some words in German that she didn’t know in English, although her English was way better than our German. We enjoyed the spirits, too, and she had a lot of interesting information to share about distilling spirits in Sud Tyrol. She had an Austrian license, which limited her ability to distill spirits. She said that the day she came to do the tasting was one day of sixteen per year she was allowed to make her Schapps. She also sells wine. I wish we’d visited her and picked up some wine to bring home, but she was only open from 5:00pm until 7:00pm and we were otherwise engaged during that time.

Anyway… Tuesday was a good day despite the fungus heavy menu and the gentle chastisement I got from the waitress for not cleaning my plate.

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Volvo, Mark Knopfler, and East German adventures… part six

Our second day in Rostock began with a big crowd. A large bus tour stayed in the hotel and they were all having breakfast at the same time, which made finding a seat challenging. However, one thing I will say about the Radisson Blu in Rostock is that their breakfast, while chaotic, was pretty plentiful. Yes, it was mostly buffet, though they would make certain dishes to order if we wanted them. But the buffet had a whole lot of choices– everything from traditional breakfast foods we eat in the United States, to the more typical German cheeses, cold cuts, breads, and vegetables.

Cool Methodist church which evidently doubles as a library. You can see the library books through the window.

It started raining pretty hard while we were eating, so we went back to the room and I did some writing. We later took a walk around the Rostock Klostergarten, then went searching for the Stasi Pre-trial Prison. We found it, but as I mentioned in a previous post, it’s currently closed. I got some pictures, anyway, then we walked around the town through gardens and shopping areas. There’s a lot going on in Rostock. It’s kind of hard to think of it as a bleak East German port city, known for its prison. Below are some pictures from our walk.

Klostergarten, bordered by an impressive wall and wooded area. They have plays in the garden. Unfortunately, there wasn’t one going on during our one full day in Rostock.

The yellow signs advertise shows.

A lovely rose garden.

Prime dog walking territory. We saw more than a few enjoying themselves here.

You can park your dog while you shop at Penny Markt, near the prison museum.

The little boy in this picture had a great time jumping in that puddle. His mom stood by and watched… probably glad he was wearing rain pants.

A maritime museum. We probably should have had a look at it, but I was too sad the prison museum was closed.

A government building. They have Stasi records there. Behind the building is the prison. Pictures are below.

This is where people who had been accused of crimes during the East German times were held before trial. Conditions at the prison, which was built in the 1950s and used until 1989, were brutal. People were brought there in tight, white vans and interrogated mercilessly until they confessed. If you look carefully at the pictures, you can see the bars on the windows. Have a look at this site for more information and interior photos. If we have a chance to go back to Rostock after the renovations are finished, we will make a point of visiting.

We stopped by a book store so Bill could pick up a new Moleskine. While we were in there, I noticed some interesting marketing… Actually, it’s kind of genius.

Beer, wine, and chocolate for sale!

By lunchtime, the weather had cleared up. We were going to go to a seafood restaurant Bill found. Unfortunately, although Google had said our first choice was open, it turned out they’d changed the hours. The other restaurant was across the street, but there was no handy crosswalk to get to it and jaywalking was out of the question, due to the heavy traffic. So we had lunch at Ritter Runkel Stuw, a hidden gem I had noticed advertised the day before. This restaurant is tucked away in an adorable courtyard. It would be very easy to miss it if you didn’t see the sign on the main shopping drag.

Don’t miss the sign! My German friend says that Ritter Runkel was a famous DDR (East German) cartoon character. Stuw is short for “Stube”, which means parlor. I usually see Stube in connection with wine.

Bill had fried rotbarsch, with homefries and vegetables. I think his fish was fried in a cornmeal mix.

I liked the set of armor.

I had fried zander filet, which was a house specialty, and came with herbal butter, fried potatoes, and a few fresh veggies. It was very good. I got a kick out of the friendly waiter. The restaurant appeared to be popular with cruise ship passengers.

A couple of Rostock’s local brews. They taste just like other brews.

Super cute courtyard. After the rain stopped, it was a nice day. We could have hung out outside and enjoyed the weather.

More interesting decor.

After we had lunch, we decided to stop by an Eis Cafe and have some ice cream. Ice cream is a big production in Germany, as you can plainly see!

Bill didn’t want to get one… but he made room.

This place takes dollars! That’s not a sign one sees often in Germany.

Purple flowers. I had to take a picture because they were so pretty.

Rostock is surrounded by towers, gates, and fortifications. This gate is one of the best known in the city.

We made it an early day because Bill wanted to Skype with his daughter, who was heavily pregnant. She was scheduled to be induced on July 9th, but as Bill was talking to her, he could see she was exhausted. When he finished his call, he said he wouldn’t be surprised if she had her baby earlier than the 9th. Bill’s older daughter was born on July 4th, and Bill was born on July 7th. I thought the odds were good the new baby would share a birthday with another family member.

I ended up watching a program about naturopathic remedies for everything from type two diabetes to foot fungus. I happen to have a phobia of fungus, so when they showed this on the program, I had to take a picture. This is exactly what my mean spirited older sisters used to draw in my coloring books when I was a little kid. They thought it was funny to torment me. We lived in England, where mushrooms grow huge, and it was fun for them to chase me with them. I sent my sister a message on Facebook and she laughed about what a “pip” she was back then. Indeed… my traumatized inner child is laughing with her now.

I had to share this with a friend who thought the idea of my being horrified by shark teeth on mushrooms in coloring books was funny… I guess it is kind of funny, even thought those pictures still make me want to scream.

This show aired in the USA from 1986-90. I wasn’t a fan. Apparently, they like it in Germany.

I also watched Alf in German. I don’t remember watching Alf when it was on the air. And we had McDonald’s for dinner, although they gave Bill the wrong order. I had Chicken McNuggets for the first time since the early 80s, and they didn’t even give me any sauce. Well… at least there was only one more night on the rock hard bed before we’d finally be heading to Leipzig for the original planned part of our trip!

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Top flight cuisine at Stuttgart’s Airport…

Please note: Top Air has since closed. 🙁

Believe it or not, until Friday afternoon of this past week, Bill and I had tentative plans to go back to Wiesbaden for more househunting. We found a few more contenders in our housing search and had contacted potential landlords about showings. But when a couple of them were late getting back to us, we decided not to leave town. That left us with no plans for Saturday.

We also got up later than usual and, as the day wore on, I decided not to get dressed. That’s not unusual. I often hang around the house in my nightie if I’ve got nothing to do and no one to see. That’s one reason why I hate it when people drop by unexpectedly.

At about 1:00pm, I asked Bill if he’d like to go out to dinner somewhere. He was up for it, so I started searching OpenTable for restaurants. Then, I noticed the restaurant Top Air was listed and had availability at 6:00pm. I had been curious about Stuttgart Airport’s fancy restaurant for ages, and it had also been ages since Bill and I last had any haute cuisine. Bill was game for a Saturday night visit to the airport, so I made the reservation.

Smart casual dress is suggested for Top Air. I needed a new selfie anyway, so I got all dolled up in my trusty black dress, jewelry, and a shawl. Bill put on a nice shirt and a jacket. We noticed other patrons also dressed up a little to visit this restaurant, though several were in casual clothes. No one was turned away for dressing down, though, so if you decide to try Top Air, feel free to wear jeans and sneakers if it pleases you.

We arrived at the airport at about 5:45pm and parked in P4, one of the suggested parking garages. Top Air will validate your parking ticket so you don’t have to pay. That’s a nice touch. The restaurant is in Terminal One, on the second level, right next to the much more casual Red Baron restaurant. I remember eating there when we lived here the first time. I didn’t know about Top Air in those days, but apparently Top Air has been putting out top flight food for twenty-six years and has a Michelin star to prove it.

Below are some pictures and commentary about our “top flight” cuisine at Top Air!

You don’t have to go into the main entrance at the airport to access this restaurant. There’s a side door up a couple of flights of stairs to the right of the first revolving door in Terminal One. Climb those steps and you can avoid the ticket counters and luggage drop off booths.

Here’s the main entrance… We were warmly welcomed by a very pretty young server who was dressed in a sleek black dress with a jacket. She invited us to our table, a four top that had a ticket with our name on it.

I guess this is one reason why you shouldn’t walk into Top Air. They had pre-printed a “boarding pass” for us. When they realized we were English speakers, they whisked this one away and brought one back in English. It wasn’t necessary, but we appreciated the effort.

We were the first ones to arrive for dinner at Top Air last night. It turned out they booked every table, though most people tend to come later than we did. Bill and I don’t like to stay out really late anymore, so early reservations are good for us. I think you’re more likely to get a table if you go earlier, although to be honest, I’m not sure if Top Air always books every table. I counted just eight tables in the dining room, though, so if you want to eat during prime time, you should plan ahead. Also, plan to spend at least a couple of hours. We were there for about three hours and we only did three courses.

The head waiter/sommelier was a very proper German man who spoke perfect English. He struck me as being kind of nervous. After he poured aperitifs for us, he started compulsively walking around the dining room, as if he was pacing. It made me a little nervous, too. I watched him pace a bit and listened to the smooth jazz piped in over the sound system.

I had a lovely glass of rose Champagne. Bill had a Campari with soda. I liked the dining room, which allows prime viewing of planes landing.

Top Air offers a tasting menu, as well as a la carte dishes. You can have between 3 and 5 courses if you order the tasting menu. They had a suggested menu that I wasn’t going to go for because several courses had either mushrooms or goose liver in them. I may enjoy high class food sometimes, but there are a few items I just can’t abide. I’d sooner eat the liver than the mushrooms, though.

I told the head waiter/sommelier that I don’t eat mushrooms, and this sort of turned into a big deal… To be honest, it was a little embarrassing. He gave me the third degree about whether or not I have an allergy or I just don’t like mushrooms. I don’t have an allergy to mushrooms; however, I do have a phobia of them, which makes me extremely averse to having them on my plate. I won’t run screaming from the dining room (anymore, anyway), but I’d really rather not have to deal with them. If we’re paying 50 euros or more a head for dinner, I expect that not to be a problem.

The sommelier was very concerned about my dislike of mushrooms and kept questioning me about it. I really didn’t want to have to explain to him that what I have is mycophobia, which is a real thing… but it’s very embarrassing to talk about because it’s irrational and ridiculous. The fact that it’s irrational and ridiculous is, of course, what makes it a phobia. Suffice to say, my dislike of fungus goes way beyond not enjoying the flavor of them. However, having once worked as a server myself, I understood the waiter’s concern. The last thing he wants to deal with is anaphylactic shock during dinner service. (Edited to add: My German friend Susanne tells me that many years ago, the sommelier/head waiter, Ralf Pinzenscham, got his training at Ente, a Michelin starred restaurant in Wiesbaden. One more clue we were destined to move there eventually, right?)

Anyway… once we established and thoroughly discussed my psychotic hatred of mushrooms, we got on with dinner, which turned out to be pretty special… Before we started this course, a group of three showed up. They appeared to be the head waiter’s long lost friends, as all three of them gave him a hug and he warmly welcomed them. I noticed they had what appeared to be all five courses. And, like me, the man in the group was taking a lot of photos! I always worry I’m going to look tacky when I photograph food in a restaurant. I suppose that behavior is the least of my tacky behavior, though, so it’s no big deal.

The amuse– a little gift from the kitchen, which consisted of sushi of arctic char with soy sauce and algae, tartar of Blackmore Waygu beef with beet root and horseradish, and tuna with lettuce, celery, green apple and cucumber.

Then, the bread arrived, with butter, salt, and olive oil.

Bill studied the wine list and chose a lovely French red made of grenache…

The food at Top Air is probably among the most beautiful I’ve seen, and I have been to quite a few Michelin starred restaurants in Europe. Chef Marco Akuzun is truly as much of an artist as he is a culinary expert. I noticed that other tables were getting little cards with pictures on them placed in the little stand where our boarding card was. We didn’t get the cards. It might have been because we were having different items and/or the explanations were in German. We didn’t mind, though. It was just fun to watch the other people.

A lovely Bouillabaisse– fish stew, which came with every meal. This one had a little heat to it, as well as salmon that melted in my mouth.

My first course was the tuna, which was served two ways. I started with this tiny, yet exquisite tuna bite.

While Bill started with the goose liver pate. I hadn’t noticed at first…

This was a skull! And it was filled with goose liver pate and presented on a plate that made me think of a stage. Notice the balsamic vinegar dots, forming a star like decoration. That skull was the star! Bill doesn’t usually go for liver, but he said it tasted like candy.

The second half of the tuna course, which was very fresh raw tuna served with coriander, radish, and wasabi flavored ice cream. There was also this little white ball that resembled an unusually round boiled egg. It was not an egg, but some sort of gelatinous casing that contained tofu. It was very interesting in a good way. I don’t usually eat tofu.

This was the second part of the goose liver…

And this was the third part of the goose liver. I was amazed by how beautiful it was, even if I didn’t taste it. It was really too pretty to eat! Bill said he enjoyed it, although I don’t think goose liver rates any higher on his choice of cuisines.

To be clear, there were other choices available than goose liver, but Bill decided he wanted to break out of his comfort zone. I think he’s glad he did, even if it was just to be served such aesthetically pleasing food. It really was gorgeous… and priced accordingly!

We both had duck for our second courses. This was an exquisitely grilled piece of duck breast served with a little wonton of duck tongue (which tasted better than it sounds), bok choy, pineapple, kimchi, and sweet potato. Again, the sweet potato came in a perfectly round, egg like ball, which I am guessing was made with gelatin. I don’t usually eat a lot of sweet potato, but I really appreciated the way this was presented. The kimchi, on the other hand, had very strong flavors that momentarily upset my stomach a bit. After a moment composing myself in the restroom, I was okay.

This was the wine we enjoyed with our meal… I will have to find this to purchase, because it was very good. Bill is especially partial to grenache and Chateauneuf du Pape. This wine was very much like a Chateauneuf du Pape.

A couple of shots of the pre-dessert; again, it comes with the meal. This was mostly green apple, with cucumber and coriander. In the center was this heavenly explosion of vanilla goodness. I was really taken by surprise. The candy accents had a eucalyptus accent that reminded me– no lie– of cough drops. But somehow, it worked. And the little discs on the ends had tiny leaves of coriander within them.

And finally, dessert. I took a photo of mine and Bill’s, even though they were the same. Mine looked it it had a face. This was a white chocolate inspired dessert, with rosemary and lime…

But they weren’t finished. We were allowed to choose chocolates from this tray…

And then we were presented with this delightful tray of sweets that ranged from little ice cream cones to tiny cannoli. Dessert was quite the show stopper.

These were the chocolates I chose. I think I liked the gold one, which was a peanut candy, the best.

We happened to finish dinner right as the other diners were in full swing. Consequently, it took some time before we could settle the bill. I entertained myself by checking out the very fancy stiletto heels another guest was wearing. They were at least five inches and encrusted with rhinestones. I thought they were beautiful, but I can’t wear heels like that for longer than a minute. I was impressed by how comfortable and steady she appeared to be in those shoes. God bless her– I would have been crying uncle after a few steps!

The bill came to 253 euros. Bill was able to pay with a credit card and, after we got our parking ticket validated, we left feeling pretty great. All in all, I’d say it was a very interesting and mostly pleasant experience. I could have done without the huge deal made over my mushroom aversion. I truly wish I didn’t have this problem; it would make dining out so much easier. Unfortunately, mushroom hatred is my cross to bear. Good thing I abandoned my plans to become a chef.

This is what the Stuttgart airport looks like on Saturday night.

I took note of this interesting ad while I waited for Bill to pick me up.

We enjoyed visiting Top Air and I’m glad we made the effort to go, even if it didn’t quite top my favorite five star restaurant in these parts. That would be Alte Post in Nagold, which unfortunately closed because of a lack of qualified staff. We were lucky enough to have the formal tasting menu twice at Alte Post and it was both the most expensive and most exquisite meal either of us has had yet.

I will say, though, that I was truly impressed by how stunningly beautiful the food is at Top Air. Service is mostly very professional and attentive. I never wanted for wine or water and the staff was mostly very polished. If you like fancy cuisine and want to try Top Air, I would recommend it. I just hope you like mushrooms.

Europe, Germany, Military, military hops, Space A

France and Germany… a send off from the Army– Part 11

After two nights at Hotel Goldinger, Bill and I decided to get a room at Ramstein. We had actually been thinking we’d try to leave Germany on Friday, the 30th of May, but there weren’t any flights going out. The Air Force lodge at Ramstein is within walking distance of the passenger terminal, which makes it really convenient. We booked for two nights, hoping that we wouldn’t need both nights. This was my first time staying at the Air Force lodging at Ramstein and, I must say, I was impressed by how nice it was, especially considering that it only cost $55 a night. I did think it was funny that there was a check list for bomb threats by the phone.

We were given a room that reminded me of something I might see in a Hilton. There are American plugs in the rooms, which makes it easy to charge iPads, iPhones, and whatever else have you. There are laundry facilities that people can use free of charge. All you need is soap. The inn is also connected to the largest BX/PX I have ever seen. In fact, the BX/PX complex is like a big mall.

I was glad to be able to wash clothes and Bill went to Chili’s to get us some lunch. Later, after the clothes were washed and dried, we walked around the big AAFES complex and I was reminded of when we lived in Germany. There are a lot of local vendors/artisans there that make knick knacks and gifts.

It looked like there were going to be a couple of flights leaving Ramstein on Saturday, though neither of them were offering many seats for Space A travelers. I had a feeling we could be staying at Ramstein for two nights. We passed time at Chili’s and talked to a soldier who was living in Germany under sad circumstances. I posted about that on my main blog, so I won’t rehash it here.

The next morning, Bill picked up some pastries and coffee at a bakery and then we made our way to the pax terminal. There were lots of people there, many of whom had apparently been trying to get out of Germany for days. An airman announced that roll call for a flight to Hunter Airfield in Savannah, Georgia would be in 20 minutes. The flight to Georgia was a surprise. It wasn’t noted on Ramstein’s Facebook page; so it was a lucky thing that we were there at the right time.

We had been planning to go for a flight to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey, but when Bill heard the call for Georgia, he wanted to sign up. The flight had six seats available and, as Bill was a cat 3 who’d signed up for Space A when we first arrived in Germany two weeks earlier, he was at the top of the list. We easily made the flight and were soon on our way back to the States in a C-17 with four others.

One of the few places dogs aren’t allowed in Germany…

I much prefer military flights to chartered flights. Although you have to wear ear plugs to block out the noise and the flights are usually longer because the planes move slower, I enjoy seeing the Air Force at work. I also like not having someone reclining in my lap, kicking the back of my seat, or otherwise harshing my mellow. On a military flight, you can actually lie down on the floor and sleep if you want to. The airmen gave us blankets, which really came in handy because it was chilly on the plane.

Bill and I bought box lunches, mainly because it’s been my experience that the food served on military flights is actually edible. This was no exception… We had chicken, fruit salad, chips, a Rice Krispies Treat, water, and apple juice. I was glad we bought the lunch, too, because I eventually got hungry even after having eaten it.

I enjoyed meeting the others on our flight. One guy was once in the Honor Guard in Arlington and now works in Europe in counter intelligence. He was on his way to Oklahoma to see his new baby. Two were doctors, married to each other and getting ready to begin three year residencies in Washington, DC. The other guy sounded like he might have been from the West Indies. He was going to New York.

We landed in Savannah in the early afternoon and then spent some time trying to get taxis. It was very warm in Savannah, which was a shock given how chilly it was in Europe and on the plane. A lady with a mini van took Bill, me, the guy going to Oklahoma and the guy going to New York to the airport area. The doctors decided they would get a hotel downtown. The lady who drove us to the hotel was funny. She had a sign in her cab that read “No eating or drinking. Throw up fee $250”. One of the guys mentioned it and I immediately understood. I’m sure the puke fee mostly applies to drunks during festivals.

Bill happened to have enough HiltonHonors points to score us a free room at the Doubletree Inn near Savannah’s airport. We checked in and I got cleaned up. I was really craving a steak for dinner, but there weren’t many restaurants near the hotel and the Doubletree’s room service menu didn’t offer steak. Bill went out to get us fast food at Wendy’s, but then he spotted a restaurant that did offer steak. He went there and bought us dinner… and then when he brought it back, I opened the cartons and realized to my horror that the steaks were covered in mushrooms!

Now, this may not seem like a big deal, but I actually have a phobia of mushrooms. I don’t eat them. I don’t even like to look at them. No mention of mushrooms was mentioned on the restaurant’s menu. What was even weirder was that the steaks came with Caesar salads that were served with cheese and dressing on the side. I don’t know why the mushrooms weren’t served the same way. I mean, usually one who wants mushrooms has to request them and pay extra. Unfortunately, the mushrooms kind of ruined my appetite. I did eat a little after Bill scraped them off, but I was a bit traumatized by the fungus. Yes, I know it’s ridiculous… it’s just one of my quirks.

I booked us on an early flight on Delta going from Savannah to Houston because flying to San Antonio was outrageously expensive… more on that next.

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Tag Archives: mushrooms

Sud Tyrol and beyond… part six

Volvo, Mark Knopfler, and East German adventures… part six

Top flight cuisine at Stuttgart’s Airport…

France and Germany… a send off from the Army– Part 11