SchlossWartegg

 More Birthday

After leaving family and office, Better-Half and I drove eastward on even-more snowy highways with slow traffic. But eventually we got to our - SURPRISE  - destination. It was worth the effort. By then it was long since dark, so we were greeted by strings of lights and myriads of candles and lanterns. And we got a room. And had dinner. A very fine dinner. The place calls itself the Bio-SchlossHotel/organic castle hotel, and they delivered. The food was from their own garden or locally grown and produced. The wine we had was from a nearby village. The restaurant has a Michelin Star, well deserved. I can’t describe all the flavors, but here are some glimpses. 

Appetizer: tuna tartar with a pickled something and a subtle Wasabi sauce. The other a fennel and grapefruit soup. 

Main courses: roast pork and barbecued pork on Spätzli.

The other a vegetarian old variety “artichoke” with potatoes and an indescribable sauce.

A “cheese salad” of minced sharp cheeses, toasted seeds, onions, thyme leaves, and a dressing. 

Dessert of a chocolate mini cake with a wonderful caramel sauce, and ice cream. 

Those descriptions don’t quite do a very good cook justice.

A couple of views of the interior, note the woodwork - 

Birthday Fun and Not-Fun

 Not-Fun

It snowed the night before.Why, just when we need to hibernate, do we humans think we need to carry on activities as if it were still summer? Like, going driving up steep hills on unplowed, unsalted roads, and around a tiny sharp curve at a narrow bridge over a river at the same time as a postal bus is descending on said roads, with a car on the curve above that couldn’t make it up the slippery hills….? Did I say anything? Well, I tried not to. 

The highways were slippery and slow-going, too, which irritated my driver, but we eventually made it to Zürich. Then the day got better. Much better. I had Oma time with grandchildren. We made music, learned a song, did crafts, and more crafts, for Thanksgiving, and read a storybook. 

And that was just the start….

Mexican Culture

 Food and Things

Learning about a culture involves trying the food, of course, but the public art is also informative. 

This one was NOT Mexican. Japanese ramen. Always tasty. 

This one was very Mexican, but not like a taco I have ever eaten. Beef is seasoned and marinated with chili and herbs, then slow cooked in liquid. The broth, beef, and bits of vegetables are put in a bowl, topped with sour cream, crisp tortillas encircled, and avocados garnished. Then an egg, cooked to one’s choosing, is put on top. It is served with the ubiquitous cilantro and onions and limes, and hot sauce, to be added to one’s taste. And it is still called a taco. 

Walking to see Independence circle

All kinds of architecture is visible, from Spanish colonial houses, to baroque- style or Art Nouveau shops, to Bauhaus skyscrapers. And trees are everywhere. Very refreshing. 

A pretty fountain, though I don’t know its significance. 

And now my gizmo is refusing to add pictures, so more later.

Festivities 4

End of Parade

We didn’t stay for the full parade; it was very long.

We looked for a Mexican restaurant to go to for dinner, but they were very full. So we went to a French one. The food was exquisite.

Blue patterned China. Bread. Appetizer of breaded mushroom topped with red paste and a Pansy, on smoked provolone. Duck with black cherry sauce, and lemon chicken. Desserts of chocolate cake and apple tart. 

Festivities 3

 More Parade

To be continued….

Festivities 2

 The Parade

After squeezing through thousands of people, we slipped into a different church for some quiet. It was dark, peaceful, and glowing from candles here and there. 

As we were sitting in contemplation, we heard drums and cheers. Evidently there was a parade! 

We went out to look. Yes, but seeing it from behind ten rows of bodies was less than ideal. Eventually some moved, so we could get a little closer - not good, but better. Here is what we saw over heads.

To be continued…..