Pause

After three hectic - though wonderful - weeks in the US and a fairly quick turn to a big Thanksgiving dinner here in Germany, also wonderful but work, we thought a little pause would be, well, desperately necessary!  So, as plan-ahead folks, we had planned ahead for a three-night stay at our very favorite place to relax and do nothing but whatever we want to do, Bösehof Romantik Hotel in Bad Bederkesa.

It was only 4:30 in the afternoon when we arrived, but we do dark early here.  And they were already decked out in Christmas.  We felt festively welcomed!

There was little time to do much other than unpack, have a cup of coffee (and a piece of cake, shared), and head to the sauna.  How do you say ahhhh in letters?  Yes, we relaxed.

And then it was time for dinner.  The arrangement is room, breakfast, dinner.  Really, you don't need any lunch.  Dinner is lovely.  We make sure to tell the server to order the small portion.  Even then, it's sometimes too much.

Breakfast is expansive, at least waist-wise.  There's smoked fish, all kinds of cold cuts, eggs every way, breads, müsli, fruit, cheeses, desserts.  And it's generous in time, too; they let us come till 10:30.  We were never that late, but ….

There are no food pics here. NOBODY had phones out taking pictures of food.

We took the walk around the Bederkesa Lake again. The brochure says it's a 7K walk, but it's a good bit more in our humble opinions.  Besides being out of shape, the weather was horrid - gray and sometimes rainly - but we made it around.

Leafy paths.

Rustic bridges.

And amazingly green moss around a tree.

We sheltered in an observation tower to snack on a sandwich, but it wasn't so very sheltery, what with the wind and the rain and all the droppings from the birds who wanted to shelter there as well!

When we finally reached the hotel, we hung up our coats on the radiator to dry out, took a breath, and headed for the sauna.  Ahhhh.

Another dinner of the delicious variety and a quiet evening.

The next day was even worser!  More wet, more gray.  Werner: We could visit the History Museum in Bremerhaven.  Me:  No. Don't want to get in the car. Werner:  We could take a walk. Me:  OK, but short.  Don't want to be wet and cold. Werner: We could read and nap and then go to the sauna.  Me:  Sounds like a plan.

So we did.  A short walk in the nearby wood where the leaves were interesting.

and where the drops were waiting to drip.

Then it was time for a last visit to the sauna and preparation for the 6-course festive last night dinner.

Aperitif. A teaser from the chef. Truffled liver paté with quince chutney; wild mushroom soup; fish roulade with saffron sauce, fresh spinach and noodles; sorbet; filet with oxen ragout, potatoes and small veggies (artistically arranged); spiced crème brûlée with walnut ice cream and poached pear.

All that followed by a grappa and (decaf) espresso. Roll me out the door.

If we do this again, and I suspect we will, the next six-course festive final dinner will be: each have the soup and after that we will share a small portion of each dish.

I did ask the server at the end: How many folks who have this special meal order the full meal and actually finish it?  Oh, he said, for sure 90%.  He can't be telling the truth.

Packing up the next morning (after our extravagant breakfast) was pretty easy, and driving 45 minutes to home was a drive back to a cute little place where we put away our suitcases for a while and up our fairy lights for Christmas.

What a luxury.  Thank you, dear Werner, for indulging us.