High speed or not, Paris is the height of romance and beauty.
If you have been there you already know that. If not, for goodness
sakes, what are you waiting for? Paris is great for walking – just be
sure to bring your umbrella. I always wondered what it would be
like to stroll in the rain or snow along the Seine, or through the
Latin Quarter or the Montparnasse neighborhoods. Well, we got to
find out. Paris had its heaviest snow in many years while we were
visiting. Apparently the city budget for snow removal is close to €0.
I’m not sure how you say “let it melt” en francais, but that must be
the city street department’s official motto.
Anyway, snow and rain be damned. We transversed many miles
on foot, both in sun and snow, and loved almost every minute of
it. The wonderful thing about Paris is that behind the next curve
on just about every narrow side street will be a quaint little café or
bakery, or both. The movies really do get that part right. Which
leads me to my impression of the French: how do they stay so darn
thin, eating all those éclairs, macaroons, fancy chocolates and all
that cheese? Come to think of it, their wine isn’t calorie free, either.
Scientists and dieticians have studied the European diet for
decades. I have a word or two of advice for all of them. If you live
in a land where you wear shoes out every few months, and where
you avoid consuming virtually all fried foods or “fast food”, you can
eat whatever else your heart desires, and not gain weight. Portion
control plays a part in this as well. There are no “super-sized” meals
to be had, and while our restaurant meals were universally filling, by
the time we were full there was nothing left to take home.
I have been back at home for a few months now since my
European adventure. You may be wondering whether I have since
adapted my diet to take into account the lessons learned in my
travels. Unfortunately not. Maybe I will just blame it on our
lousy weather!
fsmomaha.com
time in Europe). Like Frankfurt, we found the restaurants to be
predominantly family-owned. Being a university town, Heidelberg
is full of culinary options. Surprising to us was the number of
excellent Italian restaurants. There was even an American style Jazz
and BBQ restaurant. Well, that’s what it claimed to be anyway.
In five days in Heidelberg, we walked virtually everywhere we
went, along the famed Hauptstrasse (main pedestrian street), up
the hillside to the ancient Heidelberg Castle, and along the Neckar
River. We dined several times on classic German cuisine, including
a lunch at the historic Hotel Ritter in the Old City. The hotel and
restaurant date back to 1592. Yes, that is not a typo. I can now cross
“eating at a 400 year old restaurant” off my bucket list. We were
delighted, not only by the food (deer was included on the menu),
but by the fact that a few older gentlemen seated at the next table
wore suspenders and h