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"We are inspired of food - and so grows harmony.
The singular plates merge into one another. Taste, colour, and also
the seasonal adaptation are bearing this harmony." "Our kitchen
brigade, lead by Chef de cuisine Josef Siess will surprise you with an
exceptional dinner." And as the wonderful staff of Castel
Fragsburg proclaimed their inspiration of food on the evenings menu card,
allow me to share with you that which most inspires me. Life!
The drive from Verona on Thursday was quite nice,
cruising up the autostrade at exceptionally fast speeds. I must of
averaged nearly 80 to 100 miles per hour as I drove the two lane road,
yielding only to the faster cars, often Mercedes, Porsches, and BMW'S.
I have been told repeatedly by the locals that speeding is a major problem
in Italy. The speed limit of 130 km/hr is totally ignored. The
scenery, although covered with a haze, was still breathtaking. The
Dolomites are the mountains in northern Italy and they equal any mountains
I have seen in my travels, both in the states and elsewhere around the
world. With the exception of missing one exit in Bolzano, my trip
was flawless. I arrived in Merano just after 2 in the afternoon.
The town is a lovely town, with so much to offer tourist and locals alike.
Surrounded by mountain ranges, it has many shops, cathedrals, beautiful
flora, and other decorated buildings. I located the Castel Fragsburg
by following the "yellow" hotel route. The have so many hotels, that
they put them in colored zones. You pick up a map upon arrival, find
your hotel - which is numbered - and follow the colored arrows through
town to the respective "zone". I had visited Castel Fragsburg last
year so I was somewhat familiar with its location.
At one time, FRAGSBURG had been built for lodging the participants of the noble shooting-parties,
the feudal-lord's guests, owners of the neighboring castles. Even today this house,
full of tradition offers its guests something exceptional. There is an idyllic road leading
to the sunny hill where you can reach by car your panoramic destination. (ok,
ok, so that is the verbiage from their brochure...) But really, to
get there, you go up a very winding nearly one-lane country road until you
seemingly reach the top of a mountain.
There, perched high above the
valley below, is the Castel Fragsburg. The parking lot was scattered
with cars and as I sat there gathering my thoughts and belongings, I saw
the owner Alexander walk past with a wrench in one hand, and his other
guiding his little boy who must be all of 4. He glanced my way and
then kept on going, obviously not recognizing me. I got out and
followed him down to the lawn by the pool where he (and his boy) where
fixing the sprinkler head. It was hard to tell who was making more
of an effort, Alexander or his little boy who also had a wrench in hand
and was making his own attempt at fixing the problem. I greeted them
and Alexander quickly remembered me. After saying he was surprised I
was alone, he offered me to stay three nights instead of the scheduled
two. Wow I thought, if I could now get Castel Rundegg (wait til you
see that place) to push back my visit from Saturday night to Monday night,
as I had a reservation at another incredible place in Merano on Sunday
night, Hotel Tivoli. ( I can't wait for my visit there as well)
After I got settled in, the front desk called and
made the inquiry with Rundegg which they gladly accommodated. Now my
schedule was set for the next seven nights in Italy, including the home of
an Italian woodcarver and his lovely wife and son. I got settled in
to my room at Fragsburg and spent the rest of the day just relaxing by the
pool. This hotel is stunning. Recently remodeled, it is done
completely in wood with various animal trophies. (if you are a
left-wing-liberal-whacko who is into the animal rights movement, this
place is not for you!) Ok, now that I have gotten rid of the before
mentioned whackos from reading my journal, let me continue. The
evening came and went with a nice dinner followed by me retiring to my bed
somewhat early.
The next morning I found my way into tow for a
couple of hours to do laundry and then I came back and ironed for nearly 1
1/2 hours in the hotel basement. (irons are illegal in hotel rooms
in Italy) The rest of the day was spent doing some photos for the
hotel and then a lovely dinner on the terrace overlooking the valley.
I finished the night in a small building near the pool, which is always
locked and one must obtain the key from the desk to gain access.
Once inside, it is completely open on the side facing the valley and is
intended for (nude) sunning. I sat there well into the night with my
cigar and Van Morrison playing on my laptop. I lost my $200 digital
"walkman" so my laptop will have to suffice until I can replace it.
The night was heaven! I returned in the dark up the walkway to a
darkened hotel, seemingly the last one to retire for the night. One
of the nicer aspects of this hotel, is that all of the hallways are motion
sensitive, turning on the lights as you go. I fell asleep regretting
I had scheduled a six o'clock wake-up call so I could drive up to a nearby
waterfall. (which I ended up walking up to, but that is another
story) Before falling asleep, I called my good friend, "Dr. Michael
Chase" back in Santa Rosa CA. "Mike, got your browser open?" I
knew he was at work and probably on the internet. "Check out the
meal I just had tonight, as I just posted it on the internet." We
chatted for awhile and then I hung up the phone and went to sleep - with a
slight smile on my face knowing it had been a good day.
The next morning arrived and with it started a new
day. As mentioned, I went to a waterfall early. I couldn't
help but to think how I was the last one in, and the first one up - often
the case when I travel though. I then came back to the hotel for
breakfast and decided to go to town and a backtrack my steps yesterday to
find my walkman. (which I didn't find by the way)
I then came back
and Alexander and I had a two hour photo session which featured plate
after plate after plate of dishes prepared by the chef. Alexander
wanted some good food pictures. At one point the power went out as
my first "thunder and lightning" storm visited the valley.
Alexander's little boy kept running around saying things in German.
I asked a girl what he was so worked up about, and she told me he was
saying he was very worried as he couldn't work, no copy machine, no phone,
no lights, and on and on went his diatribe!
 When the
came back on I
told the same gal to tell him in German I had fixed them, and she said too
late, for the little boy had proclaimed his pointing his flashlight at the
lights the same moment the lights had come back on was why they were fixed.
Hmmmm I thought. I also showed Alexander a proposed new homepage for
his hotel developed by my designer Shook. He loved it!
So now with all that being said, I shall finish this
journal entry as it is late and I am going to actually go out to a
disco tonight, if only for an hour or so. I need to get out. ( I
think) Oh, and I definitely should share my day's highlight with
you. As I nestled under my "duvet" for an hour nap between finishing
work and having dinner, I got a call from Amanda. (remember her) It
was so nice hearing her voice from across the miles. She really is a
wonderful lady to whom I am most grateful for having met. I find
that when I see the counter on my site's homepage counting down the days
to what it says are the days til I get home, I like to think of them as
days until I will see her again...for I really miss very little about home
and am much more anxious to see her again. Ciao!
PS. Did you really think I'd leave you hanging
on the "surprise" dinner? Not a chance:
1st course: Tartar of Salmon on Red Lentils
2nd course: Cream Soup of White Cabbage with Chili
3rd course: Mussels Norman Style
4th course: Sorbet of lime with Fruits of the forest
5th course: Roasted Veal with potatoes and vegetables
6th course: Red-Orange Ice Cream (pictured above)
PSS.
I passed on the disco...
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