The Lindquist’s (Jaana and Thomas) home

Friday, April 19:The Lindquist’s (Jaana and Thomas) home

(Steve)After breakfast, we had plenty of time to enjoy the Freiburg daily market, which surrounds the cathedral.  There are many stands selling local handicrafts, some very attractive.  All the vegetable stands featured that seasonal favorite; white asparagus or “spargel”.  The flower stands had

lovely displays of tulips.  And there were multiple sausage stands (often side by side) selling every variety of sausage one could imagine.  And people were gorging (at 10 o’clock in the morning!). 

We tore ourselves away and took the short ride to Luxembourg. Along both sides of the freeway (autobahn) were miles and miles of white asparagus fields. White asparagus is grown in long mounds of soil, covered entirely in black plastic – which apparently prevents the asparagus from turning green from sun exposure. Interesting!

 As we drove up to Thomas and Janna’s residence, we saw Thomas playing with their dog, Yahtsie. He is a lovely collie, but quite eccentric and, at times, not very people friendly.  He obviously objects to sharing Thomas and Jaana with other people…quite amusing. He enjoys being friendly, but only on his terms!

We had a wonderful visit catching up on what had been going on in the lives of the four of us since our last trip.

As is so typical of Scandinavians Steve has known, there is never a moment when one doesn’t have a snack and/or drink pressed on one. The Lindquists are true to form.  You have to be careful or you will gain several pounds daily.  

We went to dinner at Mousel, a cozy old restaurant in the remains of an old brewery.  The atmosphere is exceptionally welcoming and boisterous.  We remembered from our visit in the past, there were groups of people having a grand time, drinking and stuffing themselves.  So it was this time, too. The food is traditional and served in huge portions.  Margo had schweinhaxe (roasted pork leg) and I had baurenschmaus, which was described in the English menu as “sauerkraut with six different meats” What a gorge!  We rolled home and fell into bed satiated.       

                          

Saturday, April 20: Jaana & Thomas Lindquist’s home

(Steve) We spent the day socializing until we went out for dinner.  The destination was Auberge de la Klauss, a lovely inn and restaurant, south of Luxembourg, in the village of Montenach, France. The drive was lengthy, passing through absolutely lovely countryside.  We drove along the beautiful Mosel River, through Germany into France.  The drive was well worth the effort – the scenery was delightful.

The Michelin Red Guide simply fails to do justice to the place.  It describes the restaurant as being a good value, but totally fails to reflect on the rustic charm, ambience, fabulous food and great service. Upon entering the restaurant, we discovered just how large the place is - the rooms are at odd angles to one another; the dominant décor in each dining area is a display of countless dozens of clocks (none working!).  The menu was a bit difficult to sort out.  There were a series of set menus, each priced differently according to the number of courses, and each with a different central food specialty. One choice, which we almost chose, was about a five- or six-course meal. We would have been there until well after midnight had we chosen that one!  The waiter pressed us to order one of the shorter combinations…how right he was!

(Margo) For an appetizer, we all chose the Terrine of Wild Boar, served with thick, crusty peasant bread. Jaana was also inquiring about the appetizer of sautéed duck liver, so the waiter obligingly brought us a small serving for four. It was absolutely, sinfully delicious!

Thankfully, there were long pauses between courses, which gave our digestive systems a chance to get prepared for the next course!

The main course consisted of roast wild boar accompanied by the crispest fried potatoes you could ever imagine.

The waiter suggested a good red wine to accompany the meal, and we had fun watching him slowly decant the wine into a lovely old pewter decanter, gently holding a lighted candle under the neck of the bottle as he did so. We later learned (from our friend Luc) that the purpose of the candle is that any sediment in the wine will be visible before the wine is poured into the decanter.

  

The meal lasted well over two-and-a-half hours.  It was fabulous!  The image, below shows some of the dozens of clocks…none working!

Thomas took the motorway home, cutting the driving time less than half. Margo and I dozed most of the way.  Again, we fell into bed.