Mulhouse (5/28-29/1983)

Saturday, May 28, 1983 continued

There was a note from Jan on my door, and I tried to call, but no answer. I had lunch and went to the hospital to pick up my bag and my mail. Later got a hold of Jan and arranged to meet at 13:15. Found a four-leaf clover.

Jan & Kirby picked me up at 13:30 and we drove off towards Basel. I heard all about their trip to Prague, and they wanted to know all about Lager/camp. Kirby mentioned in a “by the way” that Jan was named as the chief P.T. at Kinderspital Wildermeth.

We were waved through customs at Basel, entering France at Saint-Louis, and continued to Mulhouse, a very large city. It had modern buildings, and some very old ones in German Bavarian style (Baroque and wood-timbered). The city hall was having its façade repainted. We parked and went shopping, and Jan & Kirby finally got their Le Creuset cocotte/casserole dish. We found a Hallmark store and bought lots of cards! The people were speaking either French or a German dialect with a French accent!

We returned to the car at 17:30 and drove to the Parc zoologique and botanique/zoo and botanical gardens. The entrance fee was 14 FRF/$2 and the zoo was quite small. The plants were identified with markers, but the promised bulb flowers were long past blooming. We saw flamingoes in a grassy area, but water buffalo, zebras, leopards and bison in small cages. The storks, ducks, deer and llamas had larger areas to roam. We found a concrete playground with a few monkeys. One was pounding two rocks together on a metal surface, making a lot of noise. Kirby sat for a while as Jan and I went to see large (Poitou) donkeys, more deer, and birds. We saw a hawk lying on its stomach on a rock. We examined the botanical signs on our way back to Kirby. Most seemed to have been photographed in the U.S. We also saw a white peacock and a regular peacock. We left the zoo a bit disappointed.

We returned to the car where Jan changed her clothes. I only had to change my shoes. We drove out into the countryside. I liked the tree-lined roads. We arrived in the town of Steinbrunn, but the road to the restaurant was blocked off. We started following a deviation/detour sign, but only saw the one sign. We went on and on, down a gravel road, past a few houses, past a pasture of cows and horses, past a horse stable and almost into a barn! A dead end. We worked our way back to the blocked street and could see no reason why it was blocked. A short distance later we took a side road towards the woods, and came upon a neat wood-timbered building: Moulin de Kaegy.

Moulin du Kaegy

Moulin du Kaegy card front

Moulin du Kaegy card back

It was a romantic setting, set off by the blue skies and sunny weather, deep among the green trees. I walked on the soft ground around the kitchen to look at the water wheel. I then had to clean off my high heels!

We entered the restaurant and saw a neat timbered room to the left. However, we were led to the left to a whitewashed room. Kirby really wanted to sit in the first room, but when Jan inquired, they stated there were no available tables. So Kirby asked in English why couldn’t we sit in that room, because it was empty? It was reserved. Well, we had reservations, too. Next time, request the larger room…

Moulin du Kaegy interior

We were first brought the hors d’oeuvres, little cheese pies, then the menus. The hostess came to tell us there was a table by the kitchen door. Kirby said to forget it, but they went to check it our anyway, and decided they didn’t want it. Jan & Kirby got raspberry champagne apéritifs. We ordered the traditional menu, mine without the wine. Kirby ordered foie gras and asparagus. The foie gras came as two slices from a terrine, and Jan and I were allowed a taste. Jan and I received our salads with skinned tomato wedges, purple lettuce, onions, almond slivers, and greens. Exquisite! Kirby got his salad when he finished the foie gras. The asparagus was divided between the three of us, so we each had two small spears, a strip of carrot, and a small portion of spicy mushrooms. Next was mousseline of trout, the trout was made into a light mousse and surround a small mound of spinach with a rich green sauce with sorrels. I was stuffed! But we weren’t done yet!

Jan & Kirby changed from white wine to red wine as we were served the main course of strips of fatty lamb with mini French fries that looked like Chinese fried noodles, but tasted like fries. Next was the cheese course, but only Jan took some. Then came the dessert trolley. Oh, my! There were fresh cherries, strawberries, mangoes, watermelon, and prunes, an apple compote, peach tart, some cake, ice cream and sherbets, and rum babas (yeast cake soaked in rum). I had a plate of cream puffs with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce, and fresh strawberries with cream. Jan had mangoes, mousse and strawberry sherbet. Kirby had the cream puffs, mousse, strawberry sherbet, and grapefruit sherbet. We ended with petit fours: macarons and rolled up pizzelles. He then went to the restroom to throw up! Jan and I checked out the restroom that was as modern and had washcloth-sized towels to dry your hands and dispose of in a box. We returned to find Kirby had paid the bill. My share was 208 FRF/$30.

Jan & Kirby decided I should drive, because they had too much wine. We left about 22:30 or so. I managed okay, except I wasn’t downshifting enough. Once I think I made Jan jump because I was too close to the center line when a car passed in the opposite direction. I also had the brights on the whole time… In no time we were at the border and the French waved us through, but the Swiss wanted to look in the trunk. I meandered through Basel until I found the Autobahn, and took off. The moon was Halloween orange and just past being full. Kirby fell asleep in the back seat.

Sunday, May 29, 1983

Arrived in Biel about 1:30. I drove to the Personalhaus/staff residence, then Jan took over to drive home.