Weimar – the center of German culture – dinner…ouch!
Last Tuesday we arrived in Weimar in time for lunch. We checked into the Hotel Elephant that
was built in 1696 and has been remodeled and restored since German unification. It is now a 5 star hotel with a 5 star
restaurant, the Anna Amelia. Since
it a historic building, there is no air conditioning but even though the
weather was hot for Germany, the rooms were pleasantly cool. The renovations were influenced by the
Bauhaus movement that has a simple and clean style that reminds me of the
Shaker movement in its simplicity and clean lines, but with a slight decadent
touch with the extensive use of marble in the reception area and the modern
bathrooms. We had a quick lunch
after check in. Elfriede and I ate
outside on the piazza at the Black Boar adjacent to the hotel. Doris brought a bratwurst from a street
vendor next to the restaurant and had to walk around the piazza eating it since
there was a sign at the restaurant that no one could sit at the tables if they
bought food from the street vendors.
Doris joined us later for a beer after she finished her bratwurst – it was the best bratwurst that she had
eaten since arriving in Germany.
After lunch, Elfriede took a nap and we took a walk around town checking
out the cultural sites.
We decided to stop for the night in Weimar because Doris’
mother had stayed at the Elephant 22 years ago with her husband – Doris’ father,
Karl Heinz. When they stayed
there, the Elephant had not been restored to its former splendor and was at
that time a cheap inn for commercial travelers. At one time though, many of the great figures of German
culture and politics had stayed there or had lived in Weimar – Goethe, Schiller,
Bach, etc. After our walk, we went
upstairs for a nap before dinner.
Right before dinner I went out to the car to get Elfriede’s
coat. I got caught in a rain and hailstorm
on the way to the car – the hail was about the size of a peanut. I grab an umbrella from the car but I
was soaked and beaten by the hail on the way back to the hotel. Tough guy that I am I went to dinner soaked – much to the
horror of Doris and Elfriede – just can’t take a southern boy anywhere nice.
Dinner was in the hotel at the Anna Amelia. It was fine dinner at its best – china,
real silverware, linen napkins, candles and an endless supply of waiters
catering to your every need – even needs that you never knew you had. I lost count of the number of times the
silverware was changed. The food
was splendid but it was what they call “molecular cuisine” in Germany. The food was placed on a table size
plate with thimbles and eyedroppers and a waiter would explain in great detail
the complexity and subtlety of the cuisine before we were allowed to indulge in
this exquisite gourmet creation.
Six times we received a delight to our palate and eye from the kitchen –
not only was the food exquisite in its preparation but also in its presentation
on the plate – it was a work of art.
I wasn’t sure if I should eat it or hang it on a wall. We all had a marvelous time – we made
fun of the food, the waiters and the other patrons who ate as if at
worship. Elfriede said that one
should never come hungry to a “fine dining experience” but should come simply
to enjoy the total experience and ambience. We were fed on delightful tidbits and pampered like kings
and queens, but when I saw the bill, I had to think…ouch. Never has so few been feed so little
for so much.
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