Ken and I barely arrived home from a wonderful time with IMD friends in Singapore when another IMD friend invited us for a weekend at her place in Germany. After IMD graduation, Paru ended up within a 15 minute walk from our place giving us an instant friend in Brussels. However, a year ago she moved to the Heidelberg area of Germany. With some free time on our hands, we sped down the autobahn on a road trip to reconnect with our friend.
Since Germany is known for its castles, we naturally visited a couple during our stay. The opulent manicured gardens and sumptuous gilded interiors left us awe struck as we imagined the lives of the elite while, at the same time, the peek behind the secret doors into the gloomy passageways and dismal quarters of the servants made us grateful for the lives we lead.
Our trip brought a couple of fun surprises with it. We happened to time our visit for Walldorf’s traditional Spargelfest, a celebration of the asparagus including music, a parade, food booths (many of which served various recipes using asparagus), and even a Spargelfest princess. Besides that, Paru invited another IMD alum, Lars, and his wife, Urlike, to join us from Frankfurt for dinner. They volunteered to make dessert, and their 3 year old daughter had a ball scooping muffin batter into the tins…and licking the tasty, gooey mix from her fingers as she went along.
Along with touring castles, we decided to travel to a charming little town along the winding Rhein River called Rüdesheim am Rhein. One of its claims to fame comes from a type of German brandy made by Asbach, so we popped in to see the distillery and learn about the production process. Afterwards, we enjoyed window shopping down the old narrow streets of town before stopping for a regular German fare lunch at an outdoor restaurant. Once again, a fantastic treat to enjoy a fabulous part of the globe with friends who make the journey extra special!
Since Germany is known for its castles, we naturally visited a couple during our stay. The opulent manicured gardens and sumptuous gilded interiors left us awe struck as we imagined the lives of the elite while, at the same time, the peek behind the secret doors into the gloomy passageways and dismal quarters of the servants made us grateful for the lives we lead.
Our trip brought a couple of fun surprises with it. We happened to time our visit for Walldorf’s traditional Spargelfest, a celebration of the asparagus including music, a parade, food booths (many of which served various recipes using asparagus), and even a Spargelfest princess. Besides that, Paru invited another IMD alum, Lars, and his wife, Urlike, to join us from Frankfurt for dinner. They volunteered to make dessert, and their 3 year old daughter had a ball scooping muffin batter into the tins…and licking the tasty, gooey mix from her fingers as she went along.
Along with touring castles, we decided to travel to a charming little town along the winding Rhein River called Rüdesheim am Rhein. One of its claims to fame comes from a type of German brandy made by Asbach, so we popped in to see the distillery and learn about the production process. Afterwards, we enjoyed window shopping down the old narrow streets of town before stopping for a regular German fare lunch at an outdoor restaurant. Once again, a fantastic treat to enjoy a fabulous part of the globe with friends who make the journey extra special!
No comments:
Post a Comment