Some old stitching: circa 1950

I have been writing quite a bit about our recent vacation. It wasn't one of those strenuous touristy type vacations. We pretty much parked ourselves in one lovely spot and just opened ourselves up to all the little details that made the place so lovely.

Details like these old stamped cross stitch pieces hanging in one of the main stairwells. The wall decor in the restaurant included displays of steins, beer labels and memorabilia, postcards and photos from guests throughout the three generations of family ownership of the inn [a chronicle from the 1930s on]. Everywhere you went in the inn there were homey little touches to capture the attention: bookcases in the halls and rooms, filled with an eclectic mix of old and new books, a chess set in the seating area of the reception lobby, a wooden puzzle box in the shape of a turtle on the lobby counter. We were told that guests used the box for a variety of reasons, leaving messages or small objects to be retrieved later. The hunting chalet decor of the bar area might not have been to my taste: a bearskin, a deer head trophy, and a variety of antler racks ... but I guess it records a part of the history of the place. Even the ladies room by the bar had fin de siecle German language posters of young women [with very improbable figures] wearing the sportswear of the day: bloomers. There was also a collection of antique purses hung on the wall. Everywhere you turned there was something interesting to look at.

Here is a shot of my favorite lunch: potato pancakes with applesauce ... served with a side of spaetzle and a nice glass of wine.


All the meals were terrific and very German: saeurbrauten, schnitzels, wursts, spaetzle, potato dumplings, red cabbage, saeurkraut. Plenty of German wines and beers as well. The waitresses dressed in drindls and white peasant blouses with green and black vests. The restaurant is closed Mon-Wed but the kitchen opens for an hour every morning to serve a hearty breakfast to inn guests: choices include omelets with the fillings of your choice, a two or three egg [any style] with toast and bacon and/or sausage, pancakes, French toast, cold cereals or oatmeal. Every breakfast starts off with a fruit plate garnished with generous slices of the coffee cake of the day served with coffee or tea and juice. While we were there the coffee cakes were a yeast crumb cake, apple strudel and a blueberry crumb cake.