This morning began on a low note. The burial of the Queen is today and I was glad to be in the same time zone so I could get glimpses of it through the day. I won’t see a Queen again in my lifetime nor several generations to come. I think we all find we have a bit of interest in the Royal family and if nothing else, an appreciation for her dedication and service. I can’t imagine she was a cuddly woman, but she never wavered in her duty or faith. Leading in a time where there were not many female leaders, I’m certain she prayed a lot for guidance and altho she always looked perfectly poised, I’m certain some tears were shed behind closed doors.
Breakfast was quite good today. Everything you could want. Cheese, hams, eggs, bacon, sausages, cereals, yogurts, and more. The seating area is the same part of the hotel we ate dinner in last night and it’s really like being in a house as there are several small rooms you could be seated in. Breakfast was in a much tighter space than dinner last night but we sat by the window and enjoyed the sun coming in. I made a waffle and topped it with powdered sugar that came in a large cardboard container with a sifter top. I didn’t get a photo of it, but it’s in pretty genius packaging. Topped with some of the yummy sauce they put on the apple strudel, it was a pretty tasty breakfast!
After breakfast we did laundry and I came back to the room to watch the funeral procession as Guy stayed back to finish up the folding. Since the weather looks to be unexpectedly clear today, we decided to walk the path up to the gorge and check that out. Parking near the start of the walk, the gift shop and restaurant were closed (where we thought we were supposed to buy our tickets), so we asked a younger couple, who looked as if they had just come from that way, if they spoke english. “A little bit” replied the man, but he went on to perfectly explain the walk was about 20 or so minutes to the entrance of the gorge, you could buy your ticket once you were there, it was very wet inside the gorge like a rainy day and said “go enjoy” as he extended his arm in the direction of the path. So donning my new gloves (quite German looking if I say so myself) off we went for the lovely hike to the gorge, soaking up hints of passing sunshine and breathing in the brisk mountain air. Along the way we passed lots of people and I just happened to have my camera out to snap an older gentleman in traditional clothes going by. He was cute. Soon after, I heard little bells and looked over to see some sheep nibbling the grass with bells around their necks. Their breakfast was treating us to such a happy noise that if it didn’t make you smile, you must certainly be dead. I stopped to video them and I could have sat there for some time enjoying the simple pleasure of watching and listening.
Near the entrance to the gorge we passed an adorable coffee shop and then later a hotel and restaurant that we thought might be calling us after our adventure. Guy bought the tickets and we scanned them and entered through the turnstile. I didn’t really know what I was about to see, and if I did, I might have been hesitant to go. Tunnels carved through the mountainside led you along the wet walkway that was roped off to keep us from certain death if we fell in the rushing water below. Only wide enough for one person, we’d have to stop to let people pass by. As we walked further and further into the gorge, the tunnels got longer and longer. Luckily there were holes occasionally letting in fresh air and a view outside of the tunnel which is helpful for those of us who tend to be more on the claustrophobic side. I videoed Guy as he walked in front of me and that helped to distract my nervousness. Once we made it all the way through to the other side (about 15 or 20 minutes along the path) I could see that the water rushing through the small gap between the mountains was coming from a smallish and not-so-scary river. So I actually didn’t dread going back through, but instead stopped and got as many photos as I could. Heading in, you had the fear of unexpected flash flooding that you hear kills tourists who walk through such places, but alas, this would not be the case here. I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like it. It was a memorable and WET experience. Going into the gorge my hair was straight. Coming out of the gorge my hair was curly and wet, but I considered it my own personal badge of courage and sported it proudly. As we exited the gorge, you had to scan your ticket again to get out of the turnstile. Guy had already gone through, but I didn’t hear mine beep so I was waving it under the scanner when suddenly the German man behind me says is a loud abrupt tone, “Go, Get Out”. So I pushed on the gate and it was indeed open. Yikes. Sorry dude. Don’t you know I was just traumatized back there by the gorge?? 🤣
Guy stopped at the restroom just outside the entrance but the self-locking doors were a “nope” for me as most of my good nerves still remained back in the gorge. I’d have to hold it for a bit longer. A German lady assured me there was a button to push on the inside to get out, but I wasn’t taking any chances. We made our way down to the restaurant and after ordering a hot macchiato and apple strudel (aka: survival reward) I used a proper restroom and considered myself lucky there was one so close by. Guy ordered what he thought was a sausage and pretzel and that’s exactly what it was, but it was the same exact short and fat white sausages floating in broth that I saw at breakfast and purposely avoided. Hot in temperature and mild in flavor, the not-so-appetizing looking links were actually quite yummy. Guy put a nice dent in his order, gobbling up the warm pretzel as the sun popped out and warmed our damp faces. My strudel was quite amazing and very possibly the best I’ve had so far. But also loving it was a little family of bees that after several attempts of swatting and waving them away, I gave up and just let them enjoy themselves.
We enjoyed the leisure walk back down to the car and were once again serenaded by our bell-clad sheep. This time there were even more eating, so the music they made put an even bigger smile on my face. How fun. Perhaps the local people are used to such a site, because people were walking past them paying absolutely no attention to the joyful sounds.
We were going to drive to a nearby lake that was on the list of “things to see nearby” per the internet, but stopped by the room for a quick break. We sat down for just a minute to watch the Queen entering Windsor Palace, and before we knew it, we were once again mesmerized by the Royal event and decided to just stay in. We’ll sit here and try to work up an appetite again for tonight. Lucky for us it is only going to be 4 courses instead of 6!
Oh boy. Dinner tonight did not disappoint. Only four measly courses…🤣
•Spring rolls in a sweet chili sauce (to die for)
•Truffled kohlrabi (some kind of root vegetable) cream soup with croutons
•Salad bar
•Guy had Poached Cod and I had Roasted Veal
•Caramelized Kaiserschmarn with vanilla ice cream (donut/pancake)
We are so full we can hardly move. We sat in yet another room of the dining area tonight and it was nice. The only thing missing were the two dogs that were in our room last night. Every table had a dog but ours. I forgot to mention last night that the ladies next to us got up mid-meal and either took the dog out or went out for a smoke break, but when they returned the dog quietly went up to Guy, licked his hand, then went to go get back under the table. A gorgeous dog, too, which we were later told was some kind of German hunting dog. He was only 2 ½ years old, but extremely well behaved and she said a friend of hers takes him hunting. I was a little disappointed I didn’t get licked, but oh well. No dogs tonight, but our room was quite full of well-dressed dining guests and it was another lovely evening.
Hopefully tonight I don’t dream about getting swept away in the currents of a gigantic gorge…
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