Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Il pesciolino rosso

We spent a nice long Easter weekend in Stresa, Italy.......a nice small (albeit touristy) town on the shores of the Lago Maggiore.

The last lunch we had was at the restaurant called "Il pesciolino rosso", translated as the Goldfish. The clientele other than the two of us, were all Italian, and suffice it to say, the Pizza we ordered was the best traditional-style pizza we've ever eaten (Pizza con salame piccante).



Buon appetito!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Straußenwirtschaft in Gallenweiler

Another beautiful Sunday in Freiburg...April really is the nicest month here. This one was a bit cool, with a high of 17 degrees. We decided we would try the Markgräflerland once again, here are a couple of pictures with a view of the Black Forest from close to Bollschweil:





Gallenweiler (a really tiny village) is where we stopped for lunch at the Straußenwirtschaft called Belchenblick, named after one of the highest peaks in the Black Forest called Belchen.

Good stuff, I got the Schweinegulash with Spätzle.....


while Betty got the Schweinerückensteak.....


45 km on a bike, great scenery, and yummy food - too bad the weekend is only two days long!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Blanquette de Veau à Paris

French food.....mmmmm.....

At the Polidor in the Latin Quarter in Paris, you can dine for reasonable prices....here's a picture of a Blanquette de Veau which I enjoyed with a bit of Sauvignon Blanc from the Touraine region:


While in Paris, you might as well see some of the sides....

Here's a picture of the Palais de Luxembourg in the Luxembourg Gardens.


The Eiffel Tower is always a nice view at nighttime.




Of course, unfortunately, the main problem with Paris is the endless hordes of tourists.....

Sunday, April 03, 2011

2011: The year of the Straußwirtschaft!

I declare 2011 the year of the Straußwirtschaft.....

This weekend we had 27 degrees Celsius of bright, sunny weather....so we did a very nice 50 km ride:
Freiburg - Hexental - Staufen - Heitersheim - Kirchhöfen - Pfaffenweiler - Freiburg

And given that 2011 is the year of the Straußwirtschaft, we stopped by the Lorenz-Straußi for a nice lunch. These Straußwirtschaften are great - they make their own wine, and serve very nice dishes.

Here's a nice view of the Black Forest from between Staufen and Heitersheim:


And some good eats: Bärlauchpfannkuchen mit Schinken und Käse and a Mixteller (Wurstsalat, Brägele, Frischkäse)


A closer look at the Bärlauchpfannkuchen....

Friday, April 01, 2011

DELF B2: passed!

Well, I passed the DELF B2, with a score of 76/100.

Apparently though, I have a problem with listening....and no problems with speaking. Well those that know me shouldn't be surprised about that.

Listening 15/25
Reading 17/25
Speaking 21/25
Writing 23/25

I have no idea when I would try for a DALF C1, but my impression is that the gap between B2 and C1 is rather large!