European Travel Journal: May/June 2024

I took a few days off to celebrate father’s 85th birthday with my family and meet with a few friends in Germany and Switzerland.

This is a travel journal with a few iPhone pictures and descriptions of some of the excellent meals I enjoyed during my visit.

Unfortunately, I only recovered slowly from a very bad flu I caught a week before I left South Africa, and I had to cancel quite a few of my planned excursions and lunches/dinners with friends as I was not fit enough to adhere to my original schedule. But when I wrote this text, I realized it still looks like a very enjoyable eating marathon, which it was!

I am now back at Thanda Safari to resume my regular wildlife posts.

28 May

After a very early morning arrival by plane from South Africa in Switzerland, I traveled by train to the German border to meet my brother and had a quiet day at my parents’ home with my family.

29 May

Today was my dad’s 85th birthday. Together with my mum, my brother, nephews, nieces, and their boyfriends/girlfriends, we celebrated at ‘NOIDUE im Schlössle’, a very nice restaurant in Laufenburg, a town on both sides of the river Rhine (Germany/Switzerland).

Lunch: Beef Carpaccio, Saffron Risotto, Birthday Cake made by my nephews and nieces.

30 May

Another quiet day. I had lunch with a very good friend who I have known since my school days. We took a short walk in Bad Säckingen, the town I grew up in (and had some delicious Yogurt Ice Cream).

Lunch: Asparagus Soup, Veal Schnitzel with Spätzle (Restaurant Schützengarten, Bad Säckingen, Germany).

31 May

With my oldest nephew and his girlfriend, I visited my youngest niece, who is finishing her apprenticeship as a nurse in Titisee-Neustadt, a beautiful town located at a mountain lake in the Black Forest. We had an early dinner together.

Dinner: Butter Chicken (Indian Palace, Titisee-Neustadt, Germany).

1 June/2 June

These were the wettest days of all the rainy days during my stay. Many areas in Germany experienced very bad floods. The area I stayed in was not much affected, but the Rhine flooded the river promenade for a few days. And I had another enjoyable Chinese dinner at a friend’s home.

3 June

A fabulous lunch at a very good friend’s place in Switzerland.

Lunch: White and Green Asparagus with Dried Tomatoes, Veal Steak with Saffron Risotto, Strawberries on a Special Cream, and a Linzer Torte.

4 June

The Federal is a superb restaurant very close to the house I lived in for 8 years in Zofingen, Switzerland. Long-time friends of mine invited me to an outstanding dinner.

Dinner: Beef Carpaccio, Symphony of Duck Liver, Sour Cream Ice Cream.

5 June

Another rest day at my parents’ home and a quiet dinner with a friend and ex-work colleague at The Fuchshöhle in Bad Säckingen, Germany.

Dinner: Asparagus Soup, Beef Steak with Spätzle and Mushroom/Cream Sauce with a Mixed Salad.

6 June

More time spent with my parents and a lunch with an old friend from school.

Lunch: Greek Gyros Plate (Akropolis Greek Restaurant, Bad Säckingen, Germany).

7 June

Today I had a ‘traditional’ dinner with my two brothers at my favorite restaurant in my hometown, The Fuchshöhle (see above/similar menu).

8 June

Another family lunch at a local Chinese restaurant which specializes in its superb duck dishes.

Lunch: Vegetable Soup, Crispy Duck with Eight Different Vegetables, and Fried Rice (Konfuzius Chinese Restaurant, Murg, Germany).

9 June

We celebrated my older brother’s birthday with another ‘Brothers’ Dinner’!

Dinner: Flädle-Soup, Beef-Steak with Spätzle and Salad, Vanilla Ice Cream with Bananas and Whipped Cream. (Restaurant Zur Eiche, Binzgen, Germany)

10 June

My last full day in Europe, and we celebrated my younger nephew’s 27th birthday. This was a real birthday trip celebrating with three generations!

11 June

My stay ended with a train ride back to the airport in Zürich, Switzerland, and an uneventful flight back to South Africa.

Last Dinner in Switzerland: Bruschetta, Swiss Sausage Salad, Bircher Müsli Dessert (Mövenpick Marché, Zürich Airport, Switzerland).

I arrived back in Johannesburg on the 12th, drove to Durban on the 13th, and returned to Thanda via Richards Bay on the 15th. All shopping done and ready for work!