Author: Christian Sperka

… a travel journal …

There are some aspects of life which almost make me a Hobbit. Not my size, though! I love my food, second breakfasts sound just right. I am not too fond of traveling any more, but I brave trips in a good mood if I must go. I enjoy meeting up with family and friends, preferably at a good meal. And I love some good entertainment, if I can get it. And last but not least I never leave the house without a freshly laundered handkerchief 😊

As promised this is a short picture report of my recent trip to Europe to celebrate my mum’s 83rd birthday and to spend time with family and friends.

I would have loved to visit more of my friends in Switzerland, but there was just not enough time.

Enjoy the picture journey (with a lot of food pics, as to be expected).

24 April | Departure into night from Johannesburg. Ten and a half hours flight across Africa in front of me!

25 April | A traditional breakfast dish after arrival in Zürich, Switzerland: A Birchermüsli. I enjoyed it it very much as long as I did not think about the Rand/Swiss Franc exchange rate!

26 April | My mum’s 83rd birthday. She, and all of us (husband, sons, granddaughters, grandsons, and their friends) , had a great day with a delicious lunch at Villa Martino. [My meal: Beef carpaccio, fresh salad, mushroom risotto, and crème brûlée] PS: My mum enjoyed her birthday roses very much.

27 April | A beautiful spring day in my old school town, Bad Säckingen. I went with my older brother for a light and very tasty lunch at a new restaurant called fine.wine.dine.

28 April | My older nephew and I indulged in a culinary delight. We had the world’s best Schnitzel (in our opinion!) at the Old Swiss House in Lucerne, Switzerland. [My meal: beef carpaccio, veal schnitzel with nudels, and home made chocolate mousse with whipped cream]

29 April | After a very pleasant lunch with my parents I was off to see one of my favorite operas: Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Stadttheater Basel. I introduced my nephew and his girlfriend to their first opera. They loved it, and so did I!

30 April | Sunday family lunch at a nearby restaurant and then I tried my luck at cards (a German game called Skat) with my younger brother, my nieces and nephews and their boy/girl friends. I lost big time, but I had fun! The video of the day: Swiss cow bell sounds!

1 May | Labor day holiday in Germany. I was invited for another superb lunch to a friends’ house. [The menu: White and green asparagus salad with home-backed bread, veal steak and saffron risotto, and my favorite cake a Linzertorte]

2 May | In the evening my two brothers and I had (our traditional) dinner together in one of our favorite places in Bad Säckingen, called the Fuchshöhle [My meal: Asparagus cream soup, another nice schnitzel, and some sour-cream-ice-cream of desert]

3 May | If you wondered what I did during the days (when I was not eating 😊) I took good photographs of my model train items which my younger brother and I are busy selling on Ebay (with quite a lot of success). In the evening I had dinner with a good friend.

4 May | What a day. I owned a 18 liter bottle of an excellent Italian wine for the last 21 years. It lay in the cellar of the restaurant where I had my – rather elaborate – 40th birthday party where my 140 guests enjoyed another one of these huge bottles (and more …). I had lunch at the Hirschen, Obererlinsbach [My meal: Asparagus soup, steak tartare, and lime ice cream] before loading the bottle into my car. And as luck had it, I sold the bottle to a very good friend a few hours later!

4 May | A former colleague and his wife, very good friends of mine, invited me to another dinner. Meals at their place are always one of the highlights for my trip. And I was not disappointed this time either. The conversation, the company, and the meal were excellent. [The dinner: Pea cream soup, home-made pasta with mushrooms, beef roast with green asparagus and sauce béarnaise, rhubarb bake and sour-cream-ice-cream (my favorite), followed by Läuderach chocolates]

5 May | My younger nephew, my younger brother, and I went to the Zürich Zoo. I love the African wilderness but I also understand the important role of good zoos. And the Zürich Zoo is one of the best in the world. We had a great day. And in the evening I met up with very good friends in Germany for another dinner.

6 May | Coronation day! I watched it all (while photographing model train stuff) only interrupted by a family light lunch. And another dinner with good friends in the evening. Check out my light desert (Meringue glacé with whipped cream)!

7 May | My last full day in Europe and we had family lunch at an excellent Chinese restaurant (with roasted duck!). A bit of a tradition by now! The picture of the day: Spring flowers.

8 May | Time to say goodbye until my return in December. I upgraded to ‘Premium Economy’ for the first time and I must say it was worth it (especially for my size).

Well, I am back!