Mimi and Mac at the Cailler Chocolate Factory

My cousin is leaving Switzerland and we decided to have a weekend to remember with them.

Terry and Rich took us to the

 Swiss Cailler Chocolate Factory located in the

town of Broc in the region of Gruyère.

The Cailler Factory has a wonderful little show called

ONCE UPON A TIME....

It is about the history of chocolate, starting from the Cocoa bean seen here

to

how it was discovered and transported to Europe, where

it became popular. 

When the show ends you are dumped into an area where you can see the cocoa beans and nuts they use in the making of their confections.

You then follow how Cailler's Branche bars are made

and try a freshly made one for yourself.

Then it is on to my favorite part of the tour.

Sampling their amazing products.

These were fabulous and Mac and I did our best to taste each one.

I think these were my favorites though.

We then got to watch some people particpating in the

Atelier "Fun in the Chocolate Kitchen" where you can dream up your own chocolate creations as a team building exercise or as fun for your friends and family.

You will need a reservation for this class before you visit.

Finally you come to the chocolate store filled with all their

confections.

I spent a long time looking at their candy bar wall.

It was well worth the visit and Mac and I do want to go back for a chocolate making class in the future.

This is a MUST do if you are in the Gruyère region.

What a wonderful adventure we had, but Terry and Rich weren't done showing us around yet. 
He pointed the car in the direction of Gruyère the village and the ALIEN BAR.

Gordon Ramsey/Plane Food Picnics

Here's Gordon Ramsay, the Scottish chef with the "potty mouth" on all his 

television shows. I have never appreciated his choice of expletives but I do admire a man whose cooking has been awarded 13  Michelin stars in his career.

As Mac and I headed back to Germany from England last month we found that Terminal 5 boasts

PLANE FOOD,

a restaurant Mr. Ramsay opened to give weary travelers a better eating choice

than normal terminal fare. 

We thought we'd better try it just to see if that was true.

It was! 

We were happy we stopped in and had a meal before our flight left late afternoon.

But, what made us most happy was the picnic we bought for our flight home.

Mr. Ramsey has come up with a brilliant idea for travelers who are sick of the peanuts

and crackers offered by the flight attendants on your airplane in the economy section.

I'll admit that often I smell the food from FIRST CLASS and wish I was sitting up there and receiving what they were on the flight.

Now there's an answer.

Stop at PLANE FOOD and get yourself a picnic.

These picnic's boast 3 courses for 12 pound 95 p.

You may purchase them in this insulated container from the hours of 7am-9pm

You may choose from 4 starters,

1. Selection of mini breakfast pastries

2. Caesar salad with pancetta and soft boiled egg

3. Antipasti of salami and buffalo mozzarella

4.  Prawn and baby gem cocktail

4 Main Courses

1. Smoked Scottish salmon with an apple, celery and walnut salad

2. Honey-roasted beetroot, goat's cheese and rocket lettace

3. Roasted Hereford rump of beef with green bean salad and mustard

4. Cumbrian honey-roast and Parma ham with slow roast vine tomatos

4 Desserts

1. Fruit salad with vanilla yogurt

2. Chocolate and pecan brownies with creme Chantilly

3. Cheesecake tart with berries

4. English cheese selection with quince and biscuits

(that's crackers for us Americans)

When the steward came by and offered us the normal

PLANE FARE

Mac and I smiled at each other and took out our picnics.  They were just

PLANE WONDERFUL!

"Mac, how did you feel when all the other passengers around us craned their necks to see what we were eating," I asked.

He smiled and winked at me, "Very clever indeed!" he replied.

Do give this a try if you are ever at terminal 5 at Heathrow, unless of course

you are lucky enough to be seated in FIRST CLASS!

Silence Burghotel/Rothenburg ob der tauber

Silence Burghotel in Rothenburg ob der tauber stands in this

historic 12 century building. It's located in on the edge of the city walls and near to the medieval town center.

We were charmed by the entrance to the hotel.

A close-up of their beautiful winter window boxes.

The hotel lobby decorated for Christmas.

The charming sitting room where you can wait for you friends and family

or tickle the ivories.

Our bedroom was room 15. It was delightful.  It have only a shower though so if you are in the market for a full bath, do tell them that at the time of booking.  The bed was beautiful and

very comfortable.

The attached sitting room was quaint and cosy.

This was a view over the Tauber valley from our window.

Another view from our window.

We highly recommend this very small hotel.  The personal care afforded here by the owners is second to none. Breakfast was lovely and for you American's that hate the normal meats and cheeses on offer as a German Breakfast, your hostess will cook you eggs any way you like. 

You will find this hotel located on

Klostergasse 1-3, 91541 Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Mac gives this hotel three thumbs up and says you won't regret your stay here!

Christmas Eve/ Markusturm, Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Romantic Hotel Markusturm

This old custom house owned and operated by

the Family Berger dates back to 1264.

You will find this located on Rödergasse 1

91541 Rothenburg ob der tauber.

Mac and I had heard that the Hotel Markusturm was hosting a

Christmas Eve Dinner with music and gourmet food. We'd also heard that

the dinners here are not to missed.

We assembled to wait to be placed at our tables while the hostess

served champagne to the guests.

Mac and I seated at our table.

Great pains were taken to make this meal very special by the hotel,even down to the presentation of the napkins.

We were told that we'd be seated with other English speaking guests, but we had no idea that

our table would turn out to be THE PLACE TO BE.  It was an international mix of good humor, good fun and some lovely new friends.

From the left, Eslan from the Lake District in England, and Patrick and Debbie

from Canada.

Of course, from the left is me and Mac, but this other gentleman is Eslan's husband

David, who was great fun.

As you can see, the room was filled, but what you can't see is there is

a room behind this one filled to the brim with folks as well.

The food was incredible.  We started with a Venison terrine with a Cumberland sauce.

Next up, the most exquisite soup. We all agreed it was amazing.

They called it Tomato Consomme with Ravioli.

Next a Dorade fish fillet grilled and served  with saffron sauce, creamed spinach

and rice.

Our main meal was Roasted Duck Breast served on a bed of red

cabbage with potato dumplings.

For dessert Gingerbread parfait with marinated plums.

OH MY, was this an amazing meal.

While Mac and I walked back to our hotel, we talked of how our fears of a very lonely Christmas were not realized. We made some new friends and shared a lovely meal together.

We were filled with love and gratitude that no matter where we are

God was smiling down on us.  Although we missed the children and the grandbabies

this was a very special Christmas!

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Facing our very first Christmas alone without the children, grandchildren or even some friends, Mac and I decided not to sit at home and pine away.  We were already disappointed that a heavy rain had swept away what we thought was going to be a WHITE CHRISTMAS. 

Nevermind that, we decided to head out to a favorite city of ours.  Rothenburg ob der tauber, a medieval walled village, full of charm and character.

Mac had promised I could go to the cozy little Christmas market.

Remember you may click on any of the pictures to enlarge and get a better view.

We started off  with a quick walk about the town to reacquaint ourselves.

Here is the market square with it's lovely Christmas tree.

We adore the old half-timbered houses in this village.

Here is part of the wall where the night watchman made his rounds.

In fact, he still makes his rounds to this day (in English and German)

and leads visitors on a mysterious winding tour through the back alleys and along the walls.

Mac and I decided it was time to head to the

Christmas Market.

But, first we had to stop and admire the SNOWBALLS, a confection

born here in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. 

This is a small but very old Christmas Market, certainly not on par with Stuttgart or Nurnberg

but nevertheless full of charm.

We love the paper stars that you put lights in.  So did all these people!

This booth was serving baked potatoes (jacket potatos for you Brits)

with a variety of toppings.

Tons of booths selling a variety of objects, everything from

candles

beeswax, honey and MORE candles,

 and Polish pottery.

Mac and I took a break from the

 Christmas Market to have a look at how the shops were decorated for

Christmas.

I loved the giant teddy bear and

the little teddy bears.

Mac and I both thought this huge cuckoo clock with it's Santa hat was stunning.

We realized it was now getting late as we walked past the

CHESTNUT VENDOR, so we thought we'd have a mulled wine

and head back to our lovely hotel. 

It was a wonderful day exploring the shops and Christmas market and

getting reacquainted with this amazing town.