Monday, January 16, 2012

Germany'Alsace-Lorraine Tour May 2012

A new tour leaving in May to visit southwestern Germany and Alsace Lorraine with our friends from Solvang. Lots of good food, wine and adventures! Look for future posts on intinery and future trips.
Brigitte

A whirlwind tour!

Aquaba, Jordan January 12/2012
Awaiting our departure to Nweiba, Egypt on a big ferry. Got here early with our guide Steve, but the early ferry was cancelled due to strong winds, so here we go. Alessia is not thrilled about ferry rides, but she’s a trooper. Everyone in Jordan is extremely friendly and helpful and most people speak at least some English.
We spent the day ion the ancient city of Petra yesterday, exploring ancient ruins with another guide. We also hiked up 2000 steps to get to the high ministry, a sight to behold. Along the way, Bedouin woman and their children try to sell their wares and tea, “happy hour” all day long. Below, the men follow tourists around wanting them to trek on their donkeys and camels. The camels look sort of mean and the donkeys get beaten a lot, so we opt to walk the way, except for the last 800 meters when Alessia just had to ride a horse on the last stretch up. Back at the hotel, just outside the visitor center’s gate, we devour a plate of Mezza, delicious Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Tabouleh Salad and bread, to be followed by a bowl of creamy Moevenpick Ice Cream. It had been cold and windy for most of the day, so a hot bath was in order. Later in the evening our guide took us to the Petra Kitchen where we prepared a delicious Jordanian dinner under the guidance of a local chef. This being the slower season, we were the only two there, warmly greeted, outfitted with an apron, offered beverages and put to work immediately. Lots of small cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs to be chopped. First course consisted of a warming soup made with chicken stock, small wheat kernels, seasoning and onions, followed by my favorite baba Ganoush, chopped tomato, onion, garlic, herbs, chili pepper, spices and smashed, cooked eggplant. Alessia prepared the Tahina Salad, with similar ingredients and the sesame paste added. The hosts favorite dish is roasted tomatoes with pine nuts to which he added a sauce made of cooked and pureed fava beans with a bit of the pungent Jordanian Olive Oil on top. All this accompanied by the traditional flat bread. The main course was a pan of cut uo chicken that had been cooked, sliced tomatoes and potatoes, onions and seasoning, baked in the oven, again delicious. Arabic food is fresh and healthy, in fact, a traditional Jordanian breakfast consists of beans with a bit of Olive Oil. Pastries are small and not too heavy, we were treated to a small puff pastry with a creamy, cheesy filling, topped with coconut, of course the mint tea is ever present and helpful with digestion, What a fun way to experience local food.
Quite different than our food experiences in Paris, just a few days before. Expecting cold and more qiet days there, we did get the cold, but Paris was overrun with tourists. We opted to take the double decker bus around, 26 euros per person for two days, a good deal. We rode it in the day, in the afternoon and in the evening. We weren’t willing to stand in the two hour line to get up the Eiffel Tower, but we were there to witness as the lights came on, a glorious site. Almost as glorious to watch were some of the cute French police officers at the bottom of the tower. I managed to get a picture of Alessia and her favorite.
Two and a half days is not much time in Paris, we spend the first evening at the Louvre with hundreds of other people. The next day jetlag finally caught up with us and we woke up at 2 pm, Oh well missed breakfast. After touring we wanted to go to a bistro next to the hotel which was recommended by a friend, but unfortunately nit was closed. So after a delicious salmon and less so duck dinner next door, we headed back to our tiny little room to plan the next day. One should know that many of the top restaurants in Paris close on the weekend and stores are closed on Sundays. After calling a dozen or so of recommended restaurants we settled for “Ma Bourgogne” at a table the size of a postage stamp. Fries, or pommes frites in French, are a staple bostro food they come with everything…..that’s why they call them French Fries! Alessia’s lamb chops were tasty but had lots of fat on them, my steak could have used a bit of marbeling. Still not having had a “great meal” we decided the next day to treat ourselves to lunch at the Four Seasons. When we arrived at 2 pm, we were told we could have a reservation at 3:30. After checking out the menu and realizing that we would have to shell out 86 euros (about $110) and similar prices for lunch items, we opted to head for CafĂ© “Angelina’s” famous hot chocolate instead. The line was to the door as we arrived mid-afternoon, once seated we decided to order a vegetable quiche and a Chicken Supreme before eyeing the beautiful pastries made on the premises. I loved my quiche, it was a sheet of flaky puff pastry with three perfectly molded scoups of vegetable mousses on top with a parmesan lollipop, very unique and very tasty, our best meal in Paris. Angelina’s uses dark African chococolate for their cocoas and desserts and it is extremely rich, “like drinking Ganache with whipped cream”, Alessia noted after only being able to finish one small cup. French pastries look rather elegant, but I find them prettier than they taste. The Hotel Britannique, where we stayed, is a charming small hotel just of the Seine, a 10 minute walk away from the Notre Dame and the Louvre. Nice amenities and furnishings, good bathrooms, friendly people, delicious breakfast (additional cost), free wireless, but very small rooms. I recommend to spend a bit more and get a junior suite so both of you can open your suitcase at the same time. and walk around the bed. Back on the train to Frankfurt the next morning, vowing to come back when the weather is warmer and hopefully a few less tourist are around, must visit more museums and go shopping…and definitely make a reservation ahead at “Tour d’Argent.
Trains, although increased in cost over recent years are still my favorite way to travel through Europe, comfortable, easy to get on and off and always on time. It only takes 4 hours from Germany to Paris. The train stations in larger cities are a virtual mekka of food, you can find almost every nationalitie’s favorite dish represented, dotted with coffee houses, shops and bookstores. Alessia couldn’t resist a Doener Kebob, of course, vertically roasted meat, thinly sliced, stuffed in flat half roll with lettuce, tomato and yogurt sauce, yummy, 5 euros for a huge sandwich!
Our flight to Amman was uneventful, unlike our original journey leaving from Los Angeles. Our plane had to make an unplanned stop in Toronto in the middle of the night, one of the passengers developed a serious medical problem. It took over 2 hours to get us back in the air.
It was great to see our friend Rudi at the airport who took us straight to Bad Kissingen where several of our old friends anxiously and with a beautifully decorated table, laden with homemade cakes and pastries, awaited us. German pastries may not look as fancy and elegant as the French, but they taste better, more flavor, less sugar. I would even venture to say that German bakeries are the best anywhere, the assortment of breads, baked fresh daily is amazing and bakeries are everywhere, also offering delicious sandwiches, great for traveling.
We enjoyed two wonderful dinners at local restaurants in Germany, Alessia’s favorite, the wild boar with browned potatoes, red cabbage.

to be continued................