After getting up early to pick up Gary and Aimee in Munich, I made a lovely picnic spread for the Biergarten at the English Garden. I ran out if time for breakfast at home. I made coffee and we hit the road.

We picked them up and headed strait to the English Garden. We had liter beers, sausage, cherries, pretzel, and fresh veggies (sorry not pictured). Delicious, odd, breakfast:)

Wurzburg was absolutely beautiful! Cobbled streets, Baroque and Rococo architecture all set against the stunning, vineyard-lined Main river valley- it really was romantic 🙂

We had dinner at an adorable restaurant located on one of the oldest bridges in Germany, dating back to Roman times. I had a delightful, bubbly white wine similar to prosecco that the waitress said came from the vineyard across the river. Adam had a cold, refreshing local brew. We shared the house-cured meats platter- liver wurst, blood sausage, salami, land jaeger, smoked ham, and cured ham with light rye bread, gherkins, mustard, horseradish, butter, and raw onion. It was all excellent. I loved the smoked ham and Adam preferred the land jaeger. So much for meatless Monday 😉

P.S. Gas was $8.51 per gallon today. OUCH!

We enjoyed a beautiful drive through the German country side along the “Romantic Road”. We drove from our home, Landsberg am Lech to Wurzburg, about a 3 hour drive.

We got a late start, so we fully missed the lunch hour. We opted for a healthy, high-class, gas station meal. Red bell pepper and chili chips, with pigs in a blanket, olives, and some weird sodas. Adam’s guarana soda tasted like bubble gum. Mine was much better- a lightly sweetened, herbal type tonic that tasted like mild elderflower and ginger ale. It was really delicious- so much better than super-sweet American sodas.

Today were headed to Wurzburg. The furthest city on the “Romantic Road”. It’s about 2 1/2 hours away on a route that is supposed to be exceptionally beautiful. There are many quaint, historic villages along the way. We plan to go to Wurzburg and work our way back towards home stopping wherever we please:)

I made a simple breakfast of toasted buttermilk bread with herbed cream cheese, smoked salmon, coffee, and super ripe apricots.

After a relaxing day reading and lounging Lech-side, we cleaned house and I made some local fare. I sautéed onions in a generous amount of butter until they were soft and starting to brown. Then I added thinly sliced apples, sauerkraut, and finally Bavarian brats. I simmered it all for about an hour and served it with toasty bread and a salad. We cuddled our new friends Franzi and Henri while watching Mad Men and the US vs Portugal game 🙂

We packed a light lunch and rode down to the river. I toasted some buttermilk bread with olive oil and garlic. We slathered on lentils and oh-so-creamy creme fraiche, with some tomatoes, sweet nectarine halves, and beers. What a gorgeous way to spend an afternoon!

We picked some sun-warmed berries when we got back home:)

In Germany Sundays are a day of rest- they take it very seriously. Children are shushed, lawns overgrow, laundry stays in the hamper, shops are closed. Don’t you dare vacuum! The noise could disrupt your neighbors rest.

I decided to indulge in this wonderful German tradition and stay in bed ’till… Well, I’m still in bed 🙂 Adam is super sweet and he continued our tradition- he always makes me breakfast in bed on Sundays!

First he brought me a rich cup of espresso, then a hearty, smokey hash of potatoes, smoked sausage, red bell pepper, onion, and garlic with a perfectly fried egg on top. Well done, love!

We rode our bikes into town to watch the Germany vs Ghana game. We planned to go to the Biergarten, but it was totally packed and the bouncer said we needed reservations 😦 Although we were disappointed, every restaurant, bar, ice cream
shop, and cafe was playing the game. We ended up at an Italian cafe on the river. We had a strange pizza with almost nothing on it but pepperoni and Tabasco sauce- weird, a salad, and of course, beer! It was cold outside, so we bundled up in the blankets the cafe had laid out at every table- how thoughtful!

Germany and Ghana tied. The locals celebrated as if they had won the World Cup 🙂 Firefighters set up fireworks over the river to celebrate!

We had a lovely lunch on our sun-filled patio 🙂 Toasted, sliced pretzel baguette with pork rillettes, sour cherries, sweet pickles, and a green salad. We paired a sweet, light and fruity Riesling with the meal to contrast the rich, potted meat. Yum!