Although our trip to Bad Wörishofen was fairly mundane, I did learn some new things on our most recent trip to Bavaria. So… in the interest of keeping things regular, here’s my usual ten things I learned list about our most recent road trip.
10. Bad Wörishofen is a place where older people like to go and have a rest. Self-explanatory… although I guess Bill and I are approaching the status of “older people.” We noticed a lot of older folks visiting, but we also saw a lot of senior residences.
9. Sebastian Kneipp was a German Catholic priest who discovered the Kneipp Cure. I had heard of Kneipp therapy before we visited Bad Wörishofen, as I encountered a Kneipp pool when we lived near Stuttgart. But this therapy, which involves a balanced diet, exercise, fresh air, and walking in cold water was discovered by Kneipp in Bad Wörishofen. And if you visit there, you won’t be able to forget it.
8. Bad Wörishofen looks like maybe it’s losing popularity… I’m sure there’s an explanation as to why there were so many empty storefronts in Bad Wörishofen. Maybe it has nothing to do with waning popularity in the spa town. Still, Bill and I both noticed that there were a lot of empty rental spaces there.
7. If you get bored in Bad Wörishofen, you can easily visit other places.
We weren’t in Bad Wörishofen long enough to venture out of the spa town, but if we’d wanted to, we could have easily visited several well known German cities. That means it might make for a good base for those who want a small town feel and access to cities like Augsburg, Lindau, and Munich.
6. Five star hotels don’t always offer five star service.
I already knew this before we visit Hotel Fontenay. Five star hotels in Europe can be perfectly mediocre, as the star rating is more about the amenities offered, rather than extraordinary service. Hotel Fontenay is technically a five star hotel, but although the facility is nice, and the people are friendly, there was definitely room for improvement.
5. In Bad Wörishofen, you can try the water cure by simply walking into the old town.
I was surprised to see a Kneipp station in a pavilion in the old town in Bad Wörishofen. Anyone can go there, roll up their pants, take off their shoes, and walk in the water. The town has Kneipp stations all over it, allowing visitors to try the water cure.
4. But if you want more professional spa treatments, you can easily find them. We noticed many places where professionally administered Kneipp therapy cures were offered. Maybe we should have done more research about them before our arrival on Thursday.
3. If you get hungry, head for the train station… This was where we found the excellent restaurant, Unsere Liebhaberei, which offers unique dishes, good wines, and friendly service. I think visiting this restaurant was the highlight of our trip.
2. There’s a free bike repair station in Bad Wörishofen. Seriously… if you happen to be riding a bike and break down in this spa town, you can head to a helpful bike repair station with tools that are connected by a sturdy wire. I don’t know how many people have availed themselves of the station, but it was the first time I’d ever seen anything like that. However, I do remember seeing a tire pump station in Jettingen, where we lived before we moved to Wiesbaden.
1. People take All Saints’ Day seriously in Bad Wörishofen. I’m sure they take it seriously in other parts of Germany, too. But this Bavarian town really seemed to observe the religious holiday. Even our hotel had hymns playing over the sound system!
I’m not sorry we went to Bad Wörishofen. I thought it was a very pleasant town. I enjoyed learning more about Sebastian Kneipp, although I will confess that I didn’t try the water cure during our visit, because it was just too chilly for me. I did notice some people tried it, though, as there were always wet footprints by the pool in the Dorfplatz. I wouldn’t necessarily mind going back to this spa town, maybe at a different time of year. I would choose a different hotel, though.
That about does it for my series on Bad Wörishofen. Now I’m off to have a good cry.
Friday morning was the first day of November. It was also All Saints’ Day, which is a religious holiday in parts of Germany. On this day, Christian Germans honor the lives of every saint. They also remember deceased friends and loved ones and visit their graves.
We were getting ready to go to breakfast on the morning of All Saints’ Day, when the door to our room suddenly opened. It was the housekeeper who, for some reason, didn’t knock before opening the door. It wasn’t a huge deal, since we were a minute away from leaving for breakfast, anyway. However, it did kind of reinforce the fact that the hotel may not be on par with what most people would consider “five star”. It has a lot of amenities, but some of the staff might need a refresher course on courtesy and delivering proper service. The housekeeper did apologize profusely. I’m just glad I was dressed!
Bavaria is a part of Germany where there are still many religious people, so many folks were definitely celebrating the holiday. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised, but I noticed as we were having breakfast that the hotel was playing several hymns over their sound system. I didn’t count how many hymns they chose, but it seemed like there were maybe four or five that played on a loop as we enjoyed breakfast. Hotel Fontenay has the usual buffet, and egg dishes are also available. If you want fresh juice, there’s an additional charge. The staff was so nervous about our lack of German fluency that they hunted down a room service menu for us that was in English. That was not necessary, as Bill and I can certainly speak restaurant English! But I give them an A for effort.
We both decided to have egg dishes on our first morning. I had “Spiegelei”– sunny side up eggs, with a side of ham. Bill had “Rührei”– scrambled eggs, with a side of bacon. I might have gone for the bacon, but I don’t like the way Germans usually cut it. It’s very thin and crisp. I like my bacon thicker and not crunchy. We also had fresh squeezed orange juice, which I could have sworn was priced at 3 euros in the menu. But the next day, we got a bill for 14 euros. The juice was 7 euros a glass! Oh well… at least it tasted good.
Breakfast:
After breakfast, we stepped outside to see what the weather was like. It was just slightly brisk and the sun was out, so I decided to ditch my cardigan. I didn’t even take my purse with me as we walked and talked, noticing all of the places offering Kneippen treatments and other spa services. Bad Wörishofen also has a salt grotto, where one can go and sit enjoy the health benefits of salt.
The Kneippen therapy is based on the benefits of exercise, good nutrition, and walking knee deep in cold water to stimulate the circulation. There are also baths meant for soaking one’s arms. Sebastian Kneipp’s philosophy was that good health requires us to create harmony between mind, body and soul. Bad Wörishofen has Kneippen stations all over the town which allow visitors to tread water and enjoy the health promoting benefits of the therapy. I did try soaking one of my arms at one of the public stations, but it was too chilly for me to consider walking in the pool!
Below are some photos from our first look at the town. As you can see, Kneipp is big business there:
View from our balcony…Glad we had sunshine!A public Kneipp station.Arm bathLearn about the history!This pond was teeming with life!So pretty!
As we rounded a block, I noticed the Sebastian Kneipp Museum. It was late morning as we passed it, but the museum didn’t open until 3:00. Maybe we should have tried to get back there to visit the museum. I do like to visit museums and learn about things about which I know nothing. But we ended up otherwise engaged.
Bad Wörishofen has a Kloster as well as a large Catholic cathedral in the middle of the town. Ordinarily, we might have ventured inside, but on Friday, there was a service going on. So Bill and I contented ourselves by taking some photos…
Bill was fascinated by this sculpture, which shows Jesus giving a blessing sign.This is the first time I’ve ever seen a handy bike repair station…I wonder how often it gets used.
We decided to go back to the hotel to check out the spa. In retrospect, I kind of wish we’d gone to the public Therme, since it’s huge and has lots of wellness areas. But I’d also seen some photos of Hotel Fontenay’s spa, and I wanted to try it. So we went in to see the spa, so we’d know what to expect. I took a few photos. It probably would have been a good time to visit there, since there were only a couple of people using it at that time of the day. But we decided to go have lunch, instead.
Kneipp pool…Lukewarm indoor pool. There’s another pool outside, but it was closed when I took this photo. They later opened it.Hot tub that wasn’t very hot.
The spa also has a steam room, various saunas that are not “textile free”, massage facilities, and other treatment rooms. There’s also a room where one can have tea and water. To be honest, the spa area could use a renovation, although I did enjoy the massage jets and rocks. We happened to visit later in the day and were joined by a family who brought their two very young children with them. While I remember what it was like to be a kid, I don’t think spas at expensive hotels are necessarily the best places for them to be. But that’s just me.
Anyway, I want to dish about our lunch… which was at a really nice restaurant by the train station. Originally, we thought we’d eat at a German restaurant that had opened its Biergarten, but the Biergarten was packed. So we kept walking until I spotted a place that had very good reviews on Google. It was also supposed to have a Biergarten, but it wasn’t open when we visited. It was called Unsere Liebhaberei (Our Hobby). We later ate at the German restaurant, and it was clear we made a better choice by walking further at lunchtime.
A friendly young man invited us in and we took a seat at a table at the back of the restaurant. I was immediately impressed by the creative menu. The waiter apologized that he didn’t have a menu in English, but again, that’s not really a problem for us. We’re pretty good at restaurant German. We sat near a group of four older folks who appeared to be having a great time being with each other. They seemed to be well educated, as they dressed well and I heard them speak several languages. The waiter joined in, speaking flawless Italian. I felt kind of embarrassed by our typical American foreign language skills… When the waiter asked us what we were doing in Bad Wörishofen, we explained that we live in Wiesbaden and were looking for a short break in a nice town. And the waiter said, “Yeah, this is a town where older people come to rest.” No doubt!
Below are some photos:
Bread with Schmaltz (bacon lard) and olive oil.This was so good… corn fed chicken with rice, avocado, crunchy balls, sprouts, and a light dressing.Bill had pasta with beef.Desserts! Lemon mousse, brownies, and chocolate wafers for me…Compote with vanilla sauce, almond cookie, and chocolate crispies for Bill.This restaurant is a gem!
After lunch, we walked around some more and found a whiskey shop. Unfortunately, it was closed, because of the holiday and someone being sick. The shop also had a bar that opened at 7:30 PM. We probably should have tried to visit after we had dinner at the German place.
The weather was so nice that we decided to stop for beer at a cafe. It was during the typical late afternoon German coffee and cake hour, so we were among a lot of people enjoying cake while we sipped Weizens. The wait staff was similarly scarce at the place where we stopped, so we just had one beer… It was also getting chilly.
Yikes! Wrinkles!
I’ve already mentioned the spa, which is what we did after our beer break. The spa was okay, but again, it looked a bit old and in need of renovation. And we were joined by shrieking urchins… I’m kidding. I do like kids. I just don’t love it when they’re hogging the hot tub. 😉
By the time we were finished with the spa, it was time for dinner. We decided to venture out to a restaurant, stopping first at a Greek place that looked and smelled promising. They were full, so we headed to Gasthof Rößle, which was also busy, but had a table for us. This was a typical German Gasthof, which a huge menu full of southern German delicacies. I ended up choosing a special– Wels Filet– a type of mild white fish that is well known in Wels, Austria. I knew that because we visited Wels in 2021, and learned about the fish there. I didn’t get to taste it during that visit, though, since it was during the pandemic. Bill had beef rouladden… and we drank lots of Augustiner beer!
I was afraid the Wels filet would taste like catfish, since I remember that was what it was compared to when I read about it. But it was actually very mild and pleasant. It reminded me more of trout or maybe flounder. I would order it again.
Wels filet… it was very good!Bill enjoyed his dish, too.I was sitting by this. If you know me, you know that was horrifying!An ad in the restroom.Charming interior.The Biergarten was hopping earlier.
The restaurant was winding down at about 9:30 PM or so. I got a kick out of some of the other patrons. There was a large family who came in with four older kids. They spoke accented English among each other, so I’m not sure where they were from. I noticed they had a rousing game of Uno going on, which is not something we’d often see in the United States. At one point, the oldest kid, who looked to be a young teenager, said in English “Did you know that cannibalism could solve overpopulation and world hunger at the same time?” I was astonished by that announcement. I had a good laugh!
After dinner, we went back to the hotel. It wasn’t long before we were asleep again on the hard mattress. I was glad I brought Advil PM, even if I didn’t bring my own pillow. We won’t make that mistake next week, when we head to Belgium!
Several weeks ago, Bill arranged to take Thursday and Friday off from work. As I mentioned in the first post in this series, he was planning to get his teeth cleaned by our Stuttgart area dentist, Dr. Blair. Wiesbaden does have good dentists. Bill even goes to one up here, because last year, he broke a tooth and needed treatment while Dr. Blair was on vacation. However, I am very picky about healthcare providers. If I find one I like, I’m willing to travel. I like Dr. Blair and trust him, and it’s fun to visit our old stomping grounds. We have spent six of our married years living in the Stuttgart area, so it will always have a place in my heart.
We took Noyzi and Charlie to the Hundepension. Noyzi was delighted to be there, as you can see in the video below. He’s probably one of their favorite clients, too… he’s so sweet and friendly, and never causes any trouble. I’m sure Charlie will love it, too. This was only his second time there.
If they hadn’t opened the gate when they did, I’ll bet Noyzi would have knocked!
Once we unloaded the dogs, we enjoyed a fairly uneventful trip down to Stuttgart. It was lunchtime when we arrived, so we visited the Paulaner am alte Postplatz, which is a German restaurant very close to Dr. Blair’s office. We’ve been there a few times over the years, and we’ve never been disappointed by the hearty food or the friendly service in this Paulaner themed bar that is situated in the old post office.
This time, Bill had fried sole, which was a special. I had the “Fitness Teller”, which was supposed to be healthy. I guess, in retrospect, it kind of was, although I washed it down with beer. The dish came with a small piece of chicken breast, a salad, and a baked potato with Schmand (German sour cream with herbs) on the side. I don’t really like sour cream that much, so that was good for me. Bill helped me eat the salad! His dish came with Spaetzle, which is a local favorite.
The ceiling in our dining room. I love how quaint this restaurant is.A shot of the sign…Calwer Strasse
When we got to Dr. Blair’s office, he was at the reception desk, talking to a couple about an implant for the wife. He let us in, and told us to take a seat, since he knows us very well. I waited about fifteen minutes for a hygienist to call me back. Unfortunately, she started the appointment by annoying me. She asked me to swish some very strong antiseptic for a minute. Usually, they have a timer so it’s easy to see how long you’ve held the very strong stuff in your mouth. This time, there was no timer. I spat it out when it started to burn my mouth. She scolded me for not swishing long enough and had me do it again. And again, she said I didn’t swish long enough, although I probably did, since I didn’t rinse after the first swishing.
Her scolding irritated me, so I told her that I spat it out because it was burning my mouth, and I don’t want to hold substances in my mouth if they burn. She might not know it, but a lot of women who are menopausal have problems with burning mouth syndrome, as I do sometimes. But honestly, if she’d just put up an egg timer, I would have tried to swish for as long as the sands were flowing through the glass. I do have an Apple Watch, but it wasn’t convenient to time myself with it. I probably sounded kind of bitchy, but if you read about my recent experiences with German medical care, you might know where that attitude comes from. Anyway, we’re paying for the treatment, and it’s my mouth. I figure I can spit if I want to.
I waited for awhile for Dr. Blair, but then had to change rooms because the hygienist needed to clean someone else’s teeth. When he came in, he was his usual friendly self. He asked why Bill wasn’t getting a cleaning. I told him he was originally supposed to, but the appointment was canceled because of a lack of hygienists. Dr. Blair apologized profusely, especially since he knows we travel to see him. It was no big deal, though. Even if Bill didn’t have a local guy, he’s got to visit Stuttgart again on business in a couple of months. He could always slip in to see Dr. Blair when he’s down there for his conference.
When we were finished with the dentist, we headed southeast toward Bad Wörishofen. It was a pretty easy drive, once we got out of Stuttgart. By the time we got to our destination, I was really glad I didn’t choose a destination that was further away. It was about 6:30 PM when we arrived, and pretty dark outside. Bill and I were definitely ready to relax with a drink. It would take awhile before that would happen.
As we drove into the spa town, Bill found his way to Hotel Fontenay, which has its own parking garage. He tried to turn into the garage, which was locked, of course. It was pretty awkward to back out of there, even with all the assistants on our Volvo. He finally managed to turn the car around and get us to the front door. A young woman behind the desk welcomed us and told us she’d park the car for us after we unloaded our bags. Then she came back with a trolley and took us to room 220.
I booked us a deluxe room with a balcony. It was a large room, and the balcony was very nice, as it looked over the hotel’s lovely backyard. The one thing it lacked was furniture. They probably don’t keep that outside when the weather turns cold. I did see a balcony that had chairs, but most of them seemed to be bare. As for the rest of the room, well… it looked kind of like a relic from the early 1990s. The bed was large, but the mattress was extremely firm. We neglected to bring our own pillows this time, because we figured such an expensive hotel would have decent pillows. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I suppose we could have asked for extras, though. We had split duvets, which was okay with me. I got a kick out of the upholstery on the couch and chair. It reminded me of the old arcade game, Q-bert.
If you were around in the 80s, you might know why this couch made me think of Q-bert!
The bathroom had a tub and a rather disappointing shower, although the water pressure was good. I did like that the bathroom was in its own room, rather than part of the room. The television was small and tucked into an armoire with a safe and the minibar. There was also a built in desk, which I might have appreciated if we had stayed longer than three nights. Below are some photos:
A nice snack for us. We ate most of the fruit last night for dinner.The toilet was in the back room.
There was a door in the room that could be closed, which separated the bathroom and closet from the bedroom. There was a bright light that operated by motion detector. It was a little annoying, as we would get up to go to the bathroom and get hit with a bright light. On the other hand, it made getting to the bathroom somewhat safer. The door had a window in it, so even with it closed, that light would shine in the room, which might wake up light sleepers.
We decided to have dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. It was here that I noticed some bumbling among the staff. I have sympathy for them because I used to wait tables myself, and people have to learn somewhere. But this was supposed to be a five star hotel… Granted five stars doesn’t necessarily mean excellence. The stars are awarded based on amenities. So you can go to a pretty mediocre five star hotel that has every amenity and service you could ever want. Or you could go to a one star place with stellar service.
Anyway, we were directed to a table in the corner. It wasn’t fully set, and the candle was never lit. I think we were the only ones in the restaurant without a lit candle. It’s not a huge deal, but I did notice it… as well as the lack of bread plates and silverware. The waiter spoke English, and mentioned that he’d only been at the hotel for about two months. He was working the whole room pretty much on his own, as the bartender was a shy young Asian woman who seemed quite inexperienced.
I got the sense that they don’t get too many Americans or English speakers at Hotel Fontenay, which would make sense to me, since it doesn’t seem that well known among English speakers. Most of the clientele appeared to be older than Bill and me, although we did see a couple of parties with younger folks… including one that had children.
I decided to have the turbot dish, which was priced at about 58 euros. Bill ordered shrimp and scallops, which was 49 euros. They had another fish dish that was priced according to the weight of the fish. We thought the restaurant was just expensive, given the price of the room. We also ordered wine and sparkling water.
The waiter brought us an amuse bouchée of duck ham, which I didn’t want to try until I had liquid. Sadly, we had to wait awhile for that to arrive. We tried to order sparkling water from the bartender who seemed to hear us, but apparently didn’t… and then it took the waiter a long time to get to it. The sparkling water and wine were finally delivered by the very friendly and enthusiastic manager (I think), an older German man who seemed intent on presenting a welcoming image. He was sweating a lot, and I was a little worried about his health at first. But he smiled and served the wine, and we started to relax… until the turbot came out.
It turned out the turbot, like the other fish on the menu, wasn’t parceled out into small portions. I had ordered a whole fish, and it was enough for two people! I was shocked as the manager cut the fish, wondering if the other portion was for someone else. No… it was all for me, and Bill had his own dinner! Thank God we didn’t order starters! It came with spinach and basmati rice.
The amuse I waited a long time to eat.No candlelight for us…I wondered if my fish was going to be deboned.Bill’s shrimp and scallops.The seconds…Bill ate the second portion.
Naturally, we didn’t have room for dessert, so we decided to have after dinner Irish Coffees. That too, was a bit bumbling. The bartender brought out the drinks with the cream on the side. The manager saw that, and apparently, that wouldn’t do. He swiped the drinks and had the kitchen put cream on them. The drinks were good, and by the end of dinner, I was really glad to have them.
Before cream…After cream…
The bar at Hotel Fontenay isn’t exactly hopping, or at least it wasn’t when we were there, so we decided to go to bed after we ate. My gums were hurting after the dental visit anyway. Before we left the dining room, the waiter, who seemed kind of nervous about us, told us that when we arrived for breakfast, we should sit at the same table in the corner. I’m not sure why some hotels do the assigned seating thing, but I find it kind of annoying. I’m sure there’s a good reason for it, though.
I took a shower and a couple of Advil PMs. Soon, I was fast asleep.
The featured photo is of a public Kneipp station in Bad Wörishofen, where anyone can take to the waters for free…
Bill and I just got home from our latest long weekend, which we decided to take after finally getting in to see our Stuttgart area dentist. Originally, we were both scheduled to have cleanings done, but two hygienists were out sick, so they could only do one of us. When Bill got an email from Dr. Blair’s office advising him of the issue, he told them I would take the appointment. He already has a dentist in Wiesbaden, thanks to the tooth fracture he suffered last year and the need for an implant.
This time, we spent our time in a spa town called Bad Wörishofen, in Bavaria. I had never heard of the place before a few weeks ago, but apparently it is very popular among older Germans, as it’s where the Kneippen treatment method was invented by Sebastian Kneipp in 1890. I have no particular love for the Kneippen method, although I had heard of it before we decided to visit Bad Wörishofen. The number one reason we went to this sleepy spa town was because I was looking for a nice place to spend the weekend that wasn’t too far from Stuttgart.
Last weekend, we changed the clocks here in Germany. It now gets dark at about 5:30 PM or so. My dental appointment was at 2:00, but we couldn’t get on the road to our destination until about 3:30. I know how tired Bill gets as it gets dark, so I decided to look for a place that wouldn’t require sitting in traffic for too long… or be too challenging to get to from downtown Stuttgart.
Originally, I had considered cities like Ulm, Schwabisch Hall, and Augsburg, and places down near Lake Constance. But, for some reason, I couldn’t find a place that really called to me. I like spa towns, though, and Bad Wörishofen looked like it had a lot of nice hotels. So we decided to book three nights at the five star Hotel Fontenay. This hotel is also known as “le petit château.” The place got good reviews and the photos made it look promising, so I booked it through Expedia.com. It was definitely not cheap; I think it was about $365 a night. Now that I’ve stayed there, I think it’s a bit overpriced. But I’ll get to that in a future post.
Overall, we did have a good time in Bad Wörishofen. It is a good place to get some fresh air, eat good food, and enjoy some peace and quiet. There’s also a lot to do in the area, if you are inclined to venture out. Augsburg is not too far, nor is Lake Constance, or Füssen, which is close to where the famous Neuschwanstein Castle is. On separate trips, Bill and I have already been to Mad King Ludwig’s famous unfinished castle, which inspires the Disney castles. It is a beautiful place, but we both felt like it is the kind of attraction that one only needs to see once. I wouldn’t turn down a return visit to Neuschwanstein Castle, but I also wouldn’t go out of my way to go there. On the other hand, maybe it would be fun to go there with Bill. He went in the 80s, and I went in 2008.
Of course, if you want to stay in town, you can do that, too. There is a big Therme there— a huge indoor water spa. Most days, the main parts of the Therme are only open to people over age 16. Saturdays are family days. I thought we might visit there, but we decided to just use the hotel’s spa facilities. I now wish we had visited the Therme on Friday, but we had beautiful weather on Friday that I wanted to enjoy, and it was also All Saints Day, which is a holiday. The spa was open, but I wanted to be outside. Maybe we’ll get an opportunity to go there, if we have a chance to visit again.
There’s also the Allgäu Skyline Park, an amusement park near the town of Bad Wörishofen. You can also visit the Sebastian Kneipp museum, visit churches, shop, or take in spa treatments at any of the many places that offer them. We probably should have arranged to do that ourselves.
As it was, we had a fairly quiet, restful, somewhat boring weekend. I took some photos and we wandered around this previously unfamiliar sleepy spa town where Americans seem to fear to tread. 😉 I’m glad we visited Bad Wörishofen, although I can think of other towns I found more interesting.
This series should be fairly short, so I hope a few folks will come along with me on this trip to the Allgäu, where the Kneipp spa treatment method came to be.
I’m not sure Bill was remembering what today is, when he decided he wanted to go out for lunch. It’s Mother’s Day in Germany, just as it is in the USA. Having been a waitress in a prior life, I knew what that could mean for those who wanted to go out to eat. But Bill was gone for eight nights, and we were hankering for a date somewhere, so he decided to book us lunch at Rocco’s Italian Grill & Bar in Bad Soden.
We’ve been to this restaurant a few times, having discovered it, and the wonderful spa town it’s in, a few years ago on OpenTable.de. We love the bar in this restaurant, and when it’s nice outside, it’s pleasant to sit outdoors and people watch. Today, because of the clouds, I determined that I wanted to sit inside. I figured it would be packed… and it was very busy, but not fully booked.
Parking in Bad Soden is generally difficult. We made a few passes before Bill finally let me out so he could find a spot. He remembered where the relatively hidden parkdeck was. That was a blessing, as there were several spots open there. Lots of other people were trying to park at the same time we were and having no success. Bill said he saw a sign indicating that the parkdeck would be closed starting tomorrow through July. Guess we won’t be back to Bad Soden for awhile! 😉 We made today count, anyway…
We decided to eat indoors, mainly because I didn’t want it to rain on my new wool dress. Bill got dressed up, which meant I had to dress up, too. He wanted to see how his injured foot would do in dress shoes, since he’s going back to the office tomorrow. He seemed to do fine in his business casual attire.
As I mentioned up post, the restaurant was busy, but not totally full. Lots of families were out with their kids. A table near us was loaded with kids and a dog who protested a few times from under the table. At another table near us, I watched the young girl go to the bathroom about a half dozen times within the span of an hour. A couple of times, she took her mom with her. I won’t lie. That made me a little nervous, but it turns out there was no need. As usual, the food was top notch.
I had a 300 gram U.S. Prime Rib-Eye steak with a side of mashed potatoes. It was cooked to a perfect medium, and topped with rosemary. Bill went with veal spare ribs, which came with barbecue sauce and fries. We had a lovely Malbec and a bottle of sparkling water to help wash things down. Before we got out main courses, we had wonderful, hot, fresh olive bread with aioli and huge green olives with peppers.
If we’d wanted to, we could have had pizza or pasta, fish, burgers, or something vegan or vegetarian. But Rocco’s really seems to specialize in steaks and ribs. On prior visits, we’ve had other choices of ribs and steaks. They’re always outstanding.
I got some photos of our lunch, which culminated in delightful desserts. I had a red velvet lava cake with cream cheese frosting. Bill had an almond and cherry ice cream parfait. I normally don’t like lava cakes, but this one was different, as it wasn’t the usual chocolate.
Someone pulled the shirt up on the mannequin at Jeans Boss.Sweet bearded Bill…He looks like a shrink…An unexpectedly nice photo of me.That bread was insanely good.The wine… it was different than what Bill had ordered. They were out of his choice.My steak was perfect. I brought home leftovers.The potatoes were also good.Bill loved the spare ribs. I might have liked them, too, but they were veal and I try not to eat that.My Red Velvet Lava Cake…I was surprised when I cut it.Bill’s parfait. It was very nice with the almond cookies.Lots of people were at Rocco’s!In Bad Soden, you can literally take the waters…There’s something very “Melrose Place” about Bad Soden.I wonder if the neighbors hang out…A very nice spa town.
I’d like to spend more time in Bad Soden. It’s a beautiful town, with nice restaurants and a lovely park. Parking can be quite a pain there, though, as we were reminded of again today.
I think lunch ran about 200 euros or so. We paid with a card. It was pretty noisy, mainly because of the young children who were dining. When the families near us left, the decibel level went down by about half. But everybody seemed to be having a very nice time. As usual, I can only recommend Rocco’s, although there are some other restaurants in Bad Soden I’m hoping to try.
Some time ago, I started following a Facebook group dedicated to sharing pictures of Hessen and day trip ideas. People were sharing photos that reminded me of how much fun Bill and I used to have pre-COVID, visiting different places, eating in restaurants, and enjoying our weekends. Bad Homburg, which is a spa town just north of Frankfurt, is about a half hour drive for us. People in the Hessen Facebook group often share pictures of it, making me think it was a place I wanted to see.
Today was the perfect day for a visit, as we had beautiful, sunny weather, and pleasant temperatures. So, off we went this afternoon, after Bill had confirmed there were restaurants that didn’t take a pause after lunch. As usual, we got a late start that put us at our destination after prime lunch hours. He also found a well-rated parking garage. This was important, as when he arrived at the garage, he found it pretty hard to maneuver our SUV into a spot without parking over the line! He tried several spots before he finally got the car in without encroaching. I shudder to think about the poorly rated garages in Bad Homburg!
Just outside of the garage, I could tell we were in for a treat. Just coming into the city, you pass imposing looking tower gates. I also noticed that the Christmas market stalls were already going up, and they were all over town! I bet this will be a great destination when the markets open for the holiday season! I loved the tower on the Schloss grounds, and the saying at the gate “Walk in like you mean it.” I also loved the awesome cedar tree outside the gate. This castle dates from the 12th century, although all but the keep were demolished by Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg. The castle that exists today was built in the 1680s.
First, we walked up to the Schloss, which offered beautiful views and finally, some fall foliage, which I feel like I’ve missed since summer ended. Not only did I get some pretty photos, I also got a chance to use the bathroom, and it was FREE! That was lucky! Below are some photos from around the Schloss. We could have toured it if we’d wanted to, but we were short on time and needed lunch.
After the Schloss, we visited a couple of churches– Erlöserkirche, a Protestant church that dates from 1908, and the Church of St. Mary, a Catholic church. Both were beautiful in their own rights, but I also loved the gay friendly vibe at the Catholic church. I liked how the inside of the Protestant church glittered as if it was studded with gold. The Catholic church was a little more modern looking, but still very welcoming and comfortable, with the smell of incense in the air. The town itself, especially near the churches, reminded me a lot of France.
Bill lit a candle for his father, and then we made our way to a restaurant called Pane e Vino, an Italian place with a full menu and bar, and no afternoon pause! I had grilled salmon with potatoes and spinach, while Bill had veal scallopini with potatoes and pea pods. We washed it down with Primitivo and San Pellegrino, and enjoyed the convivial mood of the place, then finished with a glass of Merlot for me, and an espresso for Bill. We also had complimentary limoncellos as digestives! Check out the cool mural on the ceiling in the restaurant! Lunch came to about 65 euros, before the tip, but we had a couple of the pricier dishes.
We walked around a bit more, stopping to tip a violin busker, who was playing Mozart and Vivaldi, enhancing the European ambiance with his talents. Then we went to the Kurpark for a short stroll, as the sun was starting to set. I got a kick out of the statue of Dostoyevsky, who looked like he was thinking real hard. I found myself wishing we had gotten going earlier in the day. Bad Homburg has a lot to see. Next time, we’ll come on a Saturday, and I’ll get a better shot of the potted tree on the way in. I want to come back just to check out that Feinkost!
We will definitely have to go back for a longer visit. This is a really lovely, elegant, classy town with a different feel. I’m glad we didn’t miss it after living here for four years. I want to see more!
Bill and I never managed to venture out yesterday, because I was waiting for a package from Amazon. I decided I wanted to get an ultrasonic cleaner for my jewelry, glasses, and dentures… Actually, I only have one implant, rather than dentures. But if I had false teeth, the ultrasonic cleaner could clean them for me. The package didn’t arrive until 2:00pm and by then, Bill was already firing up the grill for lunch. So we stayed home, listened to music, and drank beer.
Today, however, we were determined to get out for lunch. Bill made a 1:30 OpenTable reservation for lunch at Rocco’s Italian Grill & Bar in Bad Soden, a spa town near Frankfurt. We have been there before. Once, we ate inside, near their fabulous bar. The other time, Bill got takeout. Today, we sat outside, although the sky was overcast and it was a little chilly.
Before we went to the restaurant, we took a short stroll around the park, where a natural spring provides mineral water to all comers. Here are some photos from our stroll.
“Love will tear us apart… again.”
Someone’s rock painted like a ladybug.
Richard Wagner wuz here.
Bill and I were struck by this building near the dance school. It looked like Gaudi’s work.
Maybe it’s an apartment building? It sure is unusual.
Gay pride?
Here, you can get yourself some mineral water.
Here’s an explanation of all of the health benefits…
The water runs continuously.
My German friend says I was right about the Gaudi looking building. It is an apartment building, and the work of Hundertwasser, who was influenced by Gaudi.
The water runs! Bring a bottle.
At about 1:30pm, we showed up at Rocco’s and were invited to take a seat by the servers, most of whom speak English. We decided to sit outside, despite the clouds and occasional raindrops. Sitting outside was not a bad decision on our part. Most people were sitting outside, since the temperature was agreeable. Bill and I both decided to have beef, which we’ve always gotten at Rocco’s. Pizzas, pastas, fish, and Italian specialties like burrata and vitello am tonnato are available, as are salads. But they seem to specialize in beef and barbecue, so that’s what we’ve always had so far. We did see someone with a pizza that looked excellent. Maybe next time.
The grand entrance.
Checking out the menu…
We had some black olive bread that came with hummus, garlic aioli, and olive tapenade, which they called “pate”. The garlic aioli was a hit!
We loved this Barbera wine from Italy. It tasted of red fruits– plums, cherries, a little vanilla, and alcohol, since it was 15% ABV.
I had the 300 gram sized US Angus beef ribeye (35 euros) and pommes. They also had a 400 gram version for nine euros more. Bill had the Waygu hanger steak with roasted potatoes and a red wine reduction.
After a very leisurely and satisfying lunch, we had dessert. I had the tiramisu cipriani, which was almost like a drink.
Bill had the Valrhona chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream. We joked that it would be a lava cake, but it was really more of a flourless torte.
On our way out of town, I noticed this art gallery…
And this cool fountain/sculpture near the Croatian Biergarten.
Total damage for lunch was 133 euros. Bill paid with a card, including the “Trinkgeld” tip. It was a really nice, relaxing, leisurely lunch, with no fuss, no muss, and no stress. Bad Soden is a nice town anyway. I’d like to spend more time there, now that things are opening up more. We’ll see how long it lasts. COVID-19 infections are slightly higher this week at five infections per 100,000 as opposed to 4.9 infections per 100,000 a week ago. Since people are starting to travel, they may go up again.
I still need a vacation, though, so I’m looking for where we might go… Looks like this year, it could be Croatia, at long last. But we’ll see… it all depends. I’m definitely chomping at the bit to get out of here and enjoy a change of scenery for a week or so. For now, I’m glad we have spa towns like Bad Soden to visit, and nice restaurants that serve different food than what we usually eat at home.
Although we had wonderful weather again yesterday, Bill and I never managed to venture out anywhere. Instead, we stayed home and enjoyed our usual backyard wine and music. Bill also made a “savory cheesecake”, which was something I used to serve when I worked lunch shifts at The Trellis in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Trellis was started in 1980 and run by Marcel Desaulniers, John Curtis, and for some years, the late Tom Powers. Mr. Powers eventually divested himself of his share of the restaurant and opened a competitor, The Fat Canary, which is still running and very popular. When I worked at The Trellis, Mr. Powers was already out of the partnership.
Anyway, a savory cheesecake is a cheese based pastry… but it’s “savory”. It’s a cheesecake made with cream cheese and some other kind of cheese. In our case, we used Monterrey Jack and Cheddar cheese, but in Marcel’s cookbook, it calls for Dry Jack and Gruyeres cheeses and at the restaurant, they made it with cream cheese and Swiss.
Bill tries his hand at cheesecake. Yes, it looks like a sweet cheesecake, but it’s not… and it’s not a quiche, either. It’s cheese based, not egg based.
While we were enjoying the cheesecake, Bill asked me if I would like to go out to lunch today. I said that would be fine, so we made reservations at Mangia, Mangia, an Italian eatery in Kronberg im Taunus, which is just on the outskirts of Frankfurt. Kronberg is right next to Koenigstein, which is where I had my birthday lunch in June, and not at all far from Bad Soden, a spa town that also has an Italian steak house and rib joint called Rocco’s Italian Grill.
Our reservation was at 1:00pm. We live about twenty-five minutes or so from Kronberg, so I had to hastily wrap up my guitar practice so we could get there on time. We needn’t have been so concerned. Although the terrace was bustling when we arrived, there were many tables available indoors. We decided to sit outside and enjoy the last days of summer before the weather turns to shit. There’s a parking garage very close to the restaurant, as well as an outdoor lot right by the restaurant itself.
Here are some photos from our visit.
Not the greatest view… and someone used the planter as a trash can.Bill fills out our contract tracing form…I looked the at the menu, which included pizzas, pasta, salads, burgers, fish, and beef.Bill enjoys a glass of primitivo.And we had a discussion about “Save Sex on the Beach”… I guess the “f” sound is a lot like the “v” sound. “Save Sex on the Beach” is alcohol free, which is probably what makes it “save”.Bill ordered La Bestia, fuscilli pasta with a spicy red sauce, piquant peppers, and sausage.I had the Smokey Avo Burger. It had a bun made with pizza bread… The burger reminded me a little of sausage.It had an Angus patty, cheese, bacon, avocado, rucola, and jalapeno mayo (which was barely noticeable)… as well as delicious pommes that were the best part of the meal. Yes, a lot of people eat mayo with fries. I don’t.For dessert, Bill had the warm pistachio torte with vanilla sauce.I had Oreo cheesecake with raspberry sauce. It was really delicious and not too sweet or too much…
Lunch was very good, although I probably wouldn’t get the Smokey Avo Burger again. I’m pretty picky about my burgers. Bill loved it, though, and ate what I didn’t want, as well as his own pasta dish. I think next time, I’ll go for a pasta dish or maybe grilled dorade or salmon. The pizzas also looked great, but they’re always too big for me. Despite appearances to the contrary, I don’t generally eat that much. I just drink too much. 😉
Service was a little slow, but basically friendly. I enjoyed watching and listening to the people around us. I noticed a lot of people who were there were Italians, which is always a good sign in an Italian restaurant. On Sundays, they offer non-stop service, though they take a pause on other days of the week. The inside of the restaurant is very modern and kind of glam. It looked a little like it was influenced somewhat by American tastes. The pizza bread burger buns are unique.
I noticed a young couple who appeared to be on a first or early date. They looked like they might be teenagers. It reminded Bill and me of when we had our first date, although we were well beyond the teen years when that happened. It’s hard to believe that this year, we’re going to celebrate our 18th anniversary.
After we ate, we decided to take a walk through the very quaint town, which reminded me a little of Ribeauville in Alsace, France. There are many beautiful half-timbered buildings and interesting architecture. I guess Kronberg was not too badly decimated during World War II. Here are some photos…
Super quaint old town…A place perhaps we should visit when it’s not Sunday…They have wine and whisky.As we were really just burning off a little bit of lunch…I didn’t have much of a chance to find out what everything was.But I was struck by how pretty the town is. It’s not far from where we live.And it reminds us that we’re still in Germany…This is the Apotheke (drug store). It’s very grand!Evangelist church… probably Lutheran.We don’t have many buildings like this near us.It was nice to see them.Looks like a Schloss, but it was hard to see from the street level.There are even a couple of nice views.The residential area beyond this reminded me of a set for an 80s era John Hughes film.At the bottom of the hill leading to the Schloss…We will need to come back and explore more.There are some other nice looking cafes and restaurants there that remind you that you’re in Europe.
On the way back to the car, I noticed the garage had a pay toilet. Since I drank water and wine at lunch, I decided to spring for a pee before hitting the road. The WC wasn’t too dirty, but there was a lot of graffiti. Since I know I have at least one German reader who enjoys reading the public’s thoughts on things, here’s what was written on the walls. Who says Germans can’t be crass?
Please don’t shit here. Thankfully, I didn’t need to.
Kronberg begs for a return visit and further exploration. As nice as Hofheim was last weekend, I think I might like Kronberg even more. It’s a very ritzy town. Too bad we couldn’t take the Mini. It needs gas and air in the tires, which Bill will take care of tomorrow. Then, he’s off to Stuttgart to attend to business for a few days. Whoopee. Guess I’ll play Sims 4 and watch more Call the Midwife.
Recently, I read and reviewed Mary Trump’s book, Too Much and Never Enough, a scathing expose about the Trump family, particularly her Uncle Donald Trump. I read in Mary’s book that the Trumps originated in Kallstadt, a wine producing hamlet located about an hour’s drive from where Bill and I currently live. Because we had nothing better to do today, and we’ve spent far too many weekends at home since the pandemic struck, Bill and I decided to drive to the village of Kallstadt to check it out.
We had the best intentions of actually getting out and walking around there once we arrived. Unfortunately, parking was in short supply today. We also brought Arran with us. I did get some photos, though, and we took a drive through nearby Bad Dürkheim, a nice looking spa town that’s a bit bigger than Trump’s grandparents’ stomping grounds. If we’d wanted to, we could have spent time trying and buying different wines produced in the area.
Kallstadt is currently in Rhineland-Palatinate (or Rheinland-Pfalz, if you prefer). When Trump’s grandparents, Friedrich and Elisabeth Trump, were living there, back in the 19th century, it was part of the Kingdom of Bavaria. Looking at a German map, it’s surprising to see just how far north Bavaria stretches. I guess I’m used to being down near Stuttgart, which is a couple of hours’ drive from the closest Bavarian border. Up here in Wiesbaden, we’re close to several other German states.
The weather didn’t turn out to be the best for walking around today. We’re about to reach Fall, which can be glorious in Germany, but can also be a bit “iffy” in terms of the weather. Anyway, I did get some photos, although that was pretty much all we got on today’s journey… I would definitely be up for another visit when the sun is out and maybe if we didn’t bring Arran. There are many Weinguts to try in the area, plus some tempting looking restaurants.
There are plenty of Weinguts…
And hotels…
The scenery is pretty, although I think Ingelsheim am Rhein is even prettier.
The main drag approaching tiny Kallstadt. There isn’t much to it, although there is a lot of wine…
This is the town that produced Trump’s ancestors.
The main attraction–
We parked near a Weingut, but it wasn’t the best place for walking.
Still, it’s very pretty country!
The next town.
I was a little enchanted by this narrow street, although walking on it would have been difficult.
Many people were walking through here, wine glasses in hand.
We should have stopped.
Bad Dürkheim had a ferris wheel and a market going on.
And more places to walk.
I was pleasantly surprised by the rest stops.
They were fairly clean, and they even had shower trailers for truckers.
But all in all, they’re very no frills. I think American rest stops are nicer, although German Autohofs are alright– you just have to pay to pee.
I truly meant to write more about this. I hoped we could walk around and see a lot more of the area. It just wasn’t the right day to explore Trump’s grandparents’ stomping grounds. We’ll have to go back and spend more time… and at least taste a few of the products of the region. I’d like to know Kallstadt for the products it can truly be proud of, rather than our current leader. Kallstadt is a really cute little town, though. I can see why people visit.
If you are a regular reader of my travel blog, you might know that Bill and I are big fans of Germany’s wonderful spa culture. We’ve gotten so into the spas here that we’ve even done a very unAmerican thing and indulged in the nude! Yes, that’s right… despite being decidedly middle aged and not having the best body images, Bill and I have both embraced being naked in front of other people. I don’t know how Bill feels about it, but personally, I think the nude spas are liberating and healthy, even though it took us years to finally take the plunge, so to speak.
So far, we have visited these spas:
Mineraltherme Böblingen (probably my favorite, because it has clothed and nude areas, was recently renovated, has a great restaurant, and has a lot to do)
Rhein-Main Therme in Hofheim (clothed everywhere but in the sauna and steam room area)
And finally, as of Sunday of last week, we visited the Vulkaneifel Therme in Bad Bertrich (clothed everywhere but the sauna and steam room). If you’re interested in my thoughts on and experiences at the other spas, you can easily find my posts about them in this blog. Just do a search or click the spa tags.
Because I love Germany’s decadent Thermes, I would have wanted to visit the Vulkaneifel Therme regardless of whether or not it was “special” in any way. But as I was researching the Eifel area, I came across ads for the Vulkaneifel Therme describing it as Germany’s only “Glauber’s salt” spa. What does that mean? Well, in English, Glauber’s salt is sodium sulfate, somewhat akin to what we call Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate). I used to use Epsom salt a lot when I had a horse. Applied topically in hot water, it’s great for reducing inflammation, soreness, and stiffness in muscles in horses and humans. Both salts are also used as laxatives, although Epsom salt is supposedly a better drying agent than sodium sulfate is. In any case, both salts are useful for soothing muscle pain, and apparently, the Vulkaneifel Therme naturally has sodium sulfate in its water, making it different from the other spas we’ve visited.
Bill and I decided to set off early for Bad Bertrich, since we weren’t wanting to be there when it was especially busy. Bad Bertrich is also not that close to Meerfeld; it’s maybe 35 kilometers away. I had actually considered staying in Bad Bertrich when I was looking for accommodations and, as we found out when we visited on Sunday, there are a number of appealing hotels in the area. However, now that we’ve been to the spa, I can say that I’m kind of glad we stayed in Meerfeld, again because it’s quiet and unique. Bad Bertrich is very much a spa town and it’s a bit touristy, although it’s also pretty.
We arrived at the Therme at about 10:00am and parked in the large garage right across the street from it. Additional parking is located to the side of the spa. The spa’s front door is contactless; it opens as you approach. The first thing to do is fill out the contract tracing information. There’s a station on the first floor, near the elevator, as well as hand sanitizer. Once you fill out the forms, either take the stairs or the elevator to the top floor, where you pay your admission fee. You can purchase entry to just the Therme or the Therme and sauna. Bill and I aren’t big on saunas, so we opted for three hours in the Therme. In retrospect, that was more time than we really needed, since this Therme isn’t very large. If we had eaten at the restaurant and spent at least five euros, we would have been entitled to an extra hour, anyway. The cashier station is also where you can rent towels, robes, and shower shoes if you need them.
The cashier gave us the familiar “wristwatches” that one gets at almost every Therme in Germany. Strap it to your wrist. It’s your ticket for everything in the Therme, from entering and exiting the turnstiles, to locking and unlocking a locker, to paying for food and beverages or anything else that would ordinarily require money.
Next, go into the co-ed locker room. Not to worry… they have individual cubicles where you can get into your bathing suit in private. Once you’ve changed clothes, find an open locker and put your stuff in it. Close the locker door and use your watch to lock it. There are instructions in English on the inside of the locker doors at this spa. Take a quick shower, then you’re ready to go!
We enjoyed the Vulkaneifel Therme, probably because it wasn’t very crowded at all during our visit. It’s not a very big Therme, although it does offer a large soaking hot tub, an exercise pool with jets, and a large central pool with indoor and outdoor access and jets. I noticed that they didn’t turn on the external “waterfall” jets that are usually periodically turned on at Thermes for people wanting to stand under them. I guess that’s to prevent the potential spread of coronavirus. The water in the exercise pool and main pools is kind of lukewarm; both were about the same temperature. Bill and I liked the exercise pool because we had it to ourselves for almost an hour and there are several powerful waterjets in the pool that are great for massaging sore backs, feet, and legs.
There were signs everywhere to remind people to wear masks and be socially distant from one another. Most people were respecting the social distance rules, but it’s hard to wear a mask in a pool environment. I was glad to see people were being sensible about that, too. I noticed people cleaning surfaces while we were there, which was reassuring to see.
After about three hours in the pools, we were pretty wrinkly, but relaxed. We didn’t try the wellness area, so I’m not sure if massages are being offered right now. I doubt they are. Anyway, we have yet to try a massage at a Therme, although we’ve had them at other places. Maybe someday, when the coronavirus is hopefully no longer such a threat, we’ll get an opportunity. We took another shower, used the watches to get our clothes, and since we didn’t buy anything in the Therme, had no need to pay the machine (much like the ones you find in a parking garage) before we put the watches in the turnstile and exited.
We walked around Bad Bertrich looking for a place to have lunch. The town does have several restaurants, but none were especially appealing to me. I wanted to have Italian food and the Italian places didn’t appear to be open at lunchtime. Several places also appeared to be closed, although I did notice that some shops were open, even though it was Sunday. I guess it’s because Bad Bertich is a touristy area. I did take some pictures of the town, which is really attractive and worth consideration for anyone who is looking for a base in the Eifel area.
I took a morning shot of the castle ruins on our way to Bad Bertrich.The view from the parking garage, facing the town.The Therme.Another look at the town.Bad Bertrich’s main drag.Other direction.Don’t forget to check alleys and alcoves.A lovely sound…This hotel allows guests to be lulled to sleep by the sound of rushing water.Film and photo museum, and a cafe. Watch for ducks!A pretty pond near a hotel I almost booked. The little black thing in the water is a fountain, but they didn’t have it turned on when we visited.I would have liked to have visited this shop…especially since they like dogs…Looks like this runs water during normal times…A hotel garden.
Since we were unsuccessful in finding a place that appealed for lunch, we decided to leave Bad Bertrich. That turned out to be a good decision, even though it was after 1:00pm, and I was nervously eyeing the time. Remember, in Germany, a lot of places take an afternoon pause. If you don’t get to a restaurant before 2:00pm, you may be out of luck for lunch.
The GPS in our Volvo directed us to Christophorus, a pizzeria in a little town called Büchel, which was not too far from Bad Bertrich. We got there at about 1:30 or so, and two of the three outdoor tables were occupied. Christophorus is a roadside restaurant and, at first blush, doesn’t appear to be especially interesting. But we had a great lunch there, mainly because besides the good food offered, there was also exceptionally friendly service.
Bill decided to have a Bolognese Pizza, which came in three sizes– mini, mittel, and grande. He ordered the “mittel”, which was more than he could eat. I went with tortellini al forno. It wasn’t exactly low cal, but I was really in the mood for pasta. We each had a hefeweizen. As we were crying “uncle” at the end of the meal, a very pleasant and super friendly masked lady with extremely short hair came over to talk to us. I got the sense that she might have been the proprietor. We started out speaking German, but it turned out she spoke pretty good English, came to Büchel from Giessen (which used to host the U.S. military), and she was genuinely interested in how we were enjoying Germany and our trip. When she realized we are Americans, she shook her head sympathetically and said, “America is not so good right now.” Unfortunately, we agree… and we feel very lucky to get to be in Germany during this time.
Although it wasn’t the fanciest place we’ve ever eaten, I was really glad we stopped there instead of eating at a touristy place in Bad Bertrich or Cochem, which is where we went after lunch. Also, the inside of the restaurant is very nice. I loved the bar area, as well as the booths. It doesn’t look like a particularly special place if you’re just checking it out from the outside, but it really was a good stop. Other than Christophorus and another Italian roadside restaurant, there isn’t a lot to Büchel. But it is on the way to Cochem, which is a nice city with a beautiful castle. That’s where we headed after lunch.
Not your ordinary roadside restaurant…The view from where I sat.Bolognese pizza– meat sauce with cheese. This was the middle size. Too big for Bill.My huge helping of tortellini. I couldn’t finish it, but it sure tasted good. I wish we could have taken the leftovers.The sign.Outside…I took this Monday morning as we were on our way home.
It was mid afternoon by the time we were finished with lunch. I told Bill about Cochem, which I thought would be a good lunch stop if Christophorus Pizzeria didn’t pan out. Since we had nothing else to do, we headed down that way, about 10 kilometers from Büchel. Just as you approach Cochem, there is a place to pull off the road and take pictures in a very scenic spot. You can get a great view of Cochem Castle, as it’s situated by the Mosel River. We missed it on the way into town on Sunday. That was a pity, since the weather was beautiful and sunny, and a lot of people were taking advantage of it. We drove through Cochem, noticing how many people were out and about… it was a bit of a madhouse. However, if you want to take a boat cruise on the Mosel, this is a place to do it. There are also plenty of places to stay and eat, as well as visit the gorgeous castle on the hill.
Because it was so crowded and busy, Bill and I decided not to stop. However, we did make a note of it and perhaps might visit after the high season. It’s not that far from where we live, and it looks like a very nice base for exploring the Mosel area. Here are a few photos from our drive through Cochem.
Cochem Castle on a hill.Inviting riverside walk.You can take a cruise.Or stroll around and people watch.Cute village on the way back to Meerfeld.
The next post will be my last in this series. Sunday night was our final night in Meerfeld, and we were due to drive home to Wiesbaden on Monday morning. Stay tuned!
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