Chez Norbert (5/31/1983)

Monday, May 30, 1983

Found a 6-leaf clover on my way back from Stern im Ried.

Six-leaf clover

Marsha C and her parents arrived back in Biel today. Marsha came down to help out at aerobics! I was invited to have salad and raclette with them, and Mr. C also had pork chops.

Tuesday, May 31, 1983

Elisabeth J showed Marsha C a notice on the wall of the CP Station, announcing that Jan B had been made the chief P.T. I had assumed Elisabeth knew about it, since she was working that week, while both Marsha and I were gone. But Elisabeth learned about even after I did, and only by having read the notice! We got ourselves worked up, since we were the most effected by the decision but were the last to know about it. And then to learn about it from a notice on the wall!

I was invited to go out to dinner with Marsha C and her parents. I was very surprised to hear we were going to Chez Norbert in Saint-Blaise near Neuchâtel. It is the second best restaurant in all of Switzerland, according to the Gault et Millau restaurant guide, which gave it 15/20 points, good for two toques or stars.

Chez Norbert brochure front and back

Chez Norbert brochure inside

We got all dressed up and left at 19:30 to drive along the Bielersee/Lake Biel. We arrived on the dot at 20:00, Marsha told the maître d’ in German that we had a reservation, but he heard the rest of us speaking English, and spoke to us in English. We were seated under a framed golden key given to the restaurant on May 19, 1983 by Gault & Millau. The linen tablecloth and napkins embroidered with the name, and real silverware are sure signs of a good restaurant. The front area had a ceiling made with Chianti bottle bottoms and straw mats. Our area had a plain Swiss painted ceiling.

We decided on the 45 CHF/$22 Petit Menu, except for Mr. C who went with the 65 CHF/$32 menu. Marsha asked for wine recommendations, and we started with a chilled white Neuchâtel wine. Mr. C did the wine tasting, and after everyone was served we had a toast. I had my sip, but later Marsha finished my wine for me. A girl came with a basket of rolls, and the girls each took a poppy seed roll. Mr. C took a darker roll, that he claimed was chocolate and was better than ours! There was a round china butter tub on the table. The waiter brought the “whet your appetites” of a small Petri dish of marinated mushrooms. Yum! Everything was so exquisitely done, The service surpassed any other restaurant I have ever been to. Mr. Cotter was served his Tartare de saumon, accompanied by two tiny round toasts wrapped in a napkin on its own plate. The food was always on a plate or in a bowl sitting on a doily on another plate. The chopped raw salmon (we all had a taste!) appeared to be in a tartar mayonnaise. Then we were served soup; the girls’ cream of ratatouille came in bowls with tops. Two waiters set down the bowls, and on the count of three they lifted all three tops and took them away. Mr. C got a ceramic cup of cream of endive soup, that tasted like a chowder and had pomegranate seeds/fruits floating in it. Our next course was served with funny flat spoons. Mr. C got a little ceramic pot with chunks of rabbit, and the rest of us got agnolotti/like ravioli in a cream sauce. Meanwhile they had changed to a red wine from France, which came in a bottle chained into an iron holder. Now Mr. C was given a small scoop of sherbet covered with poppy seeds in a neat goblet where the top was cut at an angle. More rolls were served to us with tongs from the girl’s basket. Now for the main course! Mr. C had a butterflied lamb chop and a side dish of a few grins of rice in a folded crêpe. We all had side salads. Marsha had a rabbit leg (looked like a fat chicken leg), and Mrs. C and I had thin slices of veal in a light sauce. We each had two round slices of Tartalettes du Mais/cornmeal tarts that were a gluey consistency of dumplings. We had a long time between courses, all the better to make room for the next!

The group at the back of the restaurant had a huge fish, which the waiter then skinned and filleted in front of them before serving it, along with several bottles of wine followed by champagne. Several of the tables had the cognac cart wheeled up so they could choose from a wide array of bottles. The table at the back bought several whole bottles from the cognac cart. They also were offered cigars, and they bought not just a couple boxes, but a plastic case of them! That group went outside for fresh air after the first round of cognac.

The chef, Norbert Ziörjen, came through to greet everyone, and later came out to visit with people he knew. As he sat at one table, when the waiter poured the cognac to the marked line, the chef added a dash more!

The cheese cart came for Mr. C, and the choice of cheeses was diminishing and were widely spread out with a couple pears and a few bunches of grapes. We teased that we should ask the waiter for a pear. Mr. C chose Gruyère, gorgonzola, and brie (which he gave to Marsha). The waiter then offered him grapes, and cut them from the bunch with tiny scissors! Later we did see a man get a pear. The waiter cut it for him and gave him a quarter of it.

Dessert was two scoops of sherbet, one lemon and one grapefruit, served in great sorbet goblets. Mr. C got the surprise dessert, which was a strawberry purée with three whole strawberries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The Cs all had coffee, and we shared the petit fours: four tiny cookies and four rolled pizzelles. It was 23:00 when we got the bill, a whopping 320 CHF/$160! The surprises were the red wine at 65 CHF/$32 (the white was 29 CHF/$14) and the tiny bottles of Henniez were 4 CHF/$2 each! (You can get a liter of Henniez for 50 Rappen/25 cents!) Mr. C asked for matchbooks, and was given 5 match boxes, plus four brochures on the restaurant. When we got up to leave the waiter and chef came over to shake our hands and say goodbye. We drove home fully sated! Marsha’s parents headed home the next day.

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.

Lager/Camp (5/23-28/1983)

Monday, May 23, 1983

Went to work at 8:30 for a supposed holiday. We were taking the CP Station kids to spring camp, and I was the physiotherapist assigned for the trip. I helped pack the cars while the Herr & Frau S packed the kids in the bus.

Helen packs her car

Herr S packs the bus

It was a tight fit, and no effort was made to take Ali’s prone board. Oh, well, it’s a vacation after all, and I am just an added attraction. When we took off at 9:00, I was in the car with Bernadette as we followed Jeanette who was taking Helen to pick up her bag in Mühlebrücke. After a gas station stop, we drove up through Sonceboz and Saint-Imier and just before La Chaux-de-Fonds we turned north. We crossed railroad tracks in the village of La Ferrière, where the station was a bus shelter-type shack. Turned on La Chaux-d’Abel and arrived at the vacation home for the handicapped. We had all three apartments in one of the buildings.

I am sharing a room on the ground floor in the back with Bernadette who has charge of Richard. Next door is Helen with Nadia, then Liliane with Ali. Above us are Sylviane with Tanya and Ruth with Andi. Then there is Vreni with Philippe and Sylvia with Patrick. In the apartment next door is Sonia with Mopsi, and Jeanette with Ruth the Praktikantin/student nurse. I started hand pumping air into the therapy balls, but took a break for lunch of vegetable soup and greasy Wurst/sausage. I worked with a couple of the kids as the others cleaned up.

We all went for a walk even though it hadn’t stopped raining all day.

Going for a walk

We followed the road back to the village and stopped at the restaurant. The proprietor opened the rusty double door to allow the wheelchairs to enter. We sat at a corner table in the smoky tavern and ordered drinks. After purchasing cheese, we returned to the vacation home. Dinner was cheese and bread, and Birchermuesli.

Dinnertime

The cheese was really good, but made me thirsty as I drank a lot of tea. I worked with Pädi as the others gathered around to sing songs as Sylvia played the guitar.

After the kids were put to bed, the adults gathered to drink wine, and I tried to drink some to help put me to sleep. I left the group to shower at 22:00. I was reading at 23:00 when Bernadette and Sonia came sneaking in with sheets over their heads to scare those who were already sleeping. Actually it was Sonia who was scared, as she locked her door and kept kitchen utensil weapons in bed with her! I went to bed at 23:30.

Tuesday, May 24, 1983

I noted at 1:30 that Bernadette still was not in bed. I slept through when she did come to bed, and I was told that Richard made a lot of noise. Kids started crying about 6:00. Breakfast was supposed to be available from 8:00-10:00, but the door was locked at 8:15. I first worked with Pädi at 8:30, then had breakfast of orange juice and bread with butter and jam. Continued working with kids as it continued to rain outside, with some snow mixed in. Some spring vacation!

The high point of the morning was when Tanya bit Nadia’s finger, although fortunately not hard enough to break the skin. Had a late lunch of spaghetti with a good garlic sauce and salad with a good dressing. Jeanette is doing great as the cook. I also had strawberry ice cream and coffee. I found that the coffee is making my chest ache. I helped clean up, and then everyone disappeared to take naps, I guess. I wrote postcards, then went to the post office with Bernadette driving and Sonia. We tried the post office in at Le Cerneux-Veusil, but it was closed. A lady did come out to say she had not received an express package. We went back to La Ferrière and there we found the package for Pädi. It turned out to be two pairs of Strumpfhosen/tights! Back at camp, most of the kids were painting. I got a telephone call! It was Jan calling about the weekend and rescheduling of kids.

I fed Nadia and we had the singing circle. After putting the kids to bed, the adults had a raclette dinner with salad. Ruth and Vreni went to check on the kids and were gone a looong time. Then we had dessert of apricots baked with an amaretti cookie in the hollow where the pit was, with whipped cream on top. There was white wine with the meal and afterwards Kirsch to help the digestion. My digestion was going to have to work on its own! I helped clean up and 23:30 I went down to the room to find my nightgown tied in knots. Apparently Ruth and Vreni did that to everyone! It was snowing and the others were having a snowball fight and putting snow down each other’s necks. Supposedly they also put a bra on Pädi, as well. Ha, ha, we are at camp!

Wednesday, May 25, 1983

It was quiet outside and fairly bright at 8:00. No more rain! We opened the shades to see a couple inches of snow on the ground.

Snow on the playground

Went up to breakfast at 8:30, but the door was locked. I went next door to find Pädi was ready, and I brought him back to the all-purpose room for therapy. Then breakfast, this time with the addition of cheese. While I treated kids all morning, the others disappeared for long stretches of time (going off to smoke, I think). Lunch of ragout beef, mashed potatoes, and carrots. Nadia’s mother and two sisters came to visit and they brought a coffee cake we had for dessert. I helped to shovel snow this afternoon. It snowed continuously all day. Today we had 25-30 cm/nearly a foot of snow. Some spring camp!

Lager/camp apartments

Some of the kids were dressed to go out in the snow, and built a snowman. I took a walk with Vreni and Phippi towards the swimming pool, past some playground equipment, and back around to the house.

Nadia and Helen

Before dinner I worked with Nadia. Dinner was bread with butter and jam, cheese, hard boiled eggs, tomato wedges, ham slices, and pickles. The kids were put to bed, and I helped with the bathing of Richard. Later we had dessert of fruit salad. My left knee aches. It has been hurting for over a week now when it is in full flexion. Now it just aches.

Thursday, May 26, 1983

The shower was occupied this morning, so I washed up in the lavatory. It was still snowing. Chickadees and other little birds were at a bird feeder outside the dining room window. As usual, Pädi, then breakfast. For jams, we had homemade rhubarb and quince jellies, and apricot jam and honey. I manage to treat six kids before lunch, although a couple of them for a short period of time.

Lunch was soup from a mix with the leftover ragout beef, a salad, then a casserole made with the leftover mashed potatoes with Speck/bacon, and eggs on top. The mashed potatoes had been made with nutmeg in them. I helped clean up as the kids were put down for naps. We had dessert of Negerköpfe or Mohrenköpfe/um, black or Moor’s heads (chocolate covered marshmallow-like sweetened egg white foam) that were given to us by Sonia. As a group we gave chocolate hearts to Jeanette and Ruth the Praktikantin, who have been our cook and assistant.

The kids have been unbelievably livelier here at camp. Pädi laughs much more; he seems to enjoy all the noise around him, the lively conversations and singing. Philippe also laughs with all the stimulation, and he sleeps really well now. Ali is more alert, making more sounds and movement than I have ever seen from him. Mopsi and Pädi have had relatively clear lungs (knock on wood). Tanya has been calmer although she still trembles some. She is no longer all over the place and doesn’t cry as much. She also is eating more on her own, more than usual. I have never seen Nadia laugh and smile so much, and she is a smiler. She is getting more attention than usual and she shows her appreciation! Richard, Pädi, Philippe and Ali are getting the usual amount of attention, while Tanya may be getting less than on the CP Station. Sonia has been very conscientious with Mopsi, and with his mother there, he is getting more attention than usual. Andi is the only one who is showing his negative side, more whining, but he has less room to wander around. While I worked with Nadia, Pädi’s mother and her friend came to visit, and Tanya’s parents came.

Dinner was spaghetti leftovers and fruit tarts, one apple and one rhubarb. That evening Bernadette’s parents came with her boyfriend, and Liliane’s boyfriend came. I visited with Vreni, Ruth, and Sylviane in their apartment. We returned for dessert, having a sherbet cake, a nougat ice cream cake, and strawberries in a wine sauce with whipped cream and cookies. There was toasting with Cointreau. Gosh! I learned that the adults had each contributed something towards the food. Sylviane and Vreni bought the Cointreau, Ruth (the Praktikantin) the nougat ice cream cake, Helen and Sonia the raclette cheese, and Bernadette the Kirsch.

The snow let up, but then it started to rain.

Friday, May 27, 1983

I, myself, have been sleeping like a log; the fresh air or the altitude? Pädi and breakfast, worked with the kids. This time not only the adults disappeared, but sometimes their kids with them. Lunch was a tossed salad, rice and chicken cacciatore, somewhat spicy, and the chicken tasted like pork because bacon was laid across it.

When the kids were being put down for their naps, somehow a young German shepherd got into the house and bounded into the room where Bernadette was changing Richard. The dog was bouncing all around but was aiming to lick Richard’s face. Sylvia’s husband arrived and he dragged the dog back outside. Then Helen came and reported that the dog had gotten in her room and knocked over everything, but she admitted she had left the outside door open. I went down to check, and saw the dog coming out of Ali’s room! I went in and closed the outside door, and saw that Ali was completely turned around in his bed with his head hanging off. There were paw prints all over. Liliane came later to discover the dog had eaten 2/3 of a giant chocolate bar. Bernadette found Nadia in a similar position as Ali. We closed all the doors, but the rooms stank of dog, and all the sheets needed to be changed.

After naptime, we took a walk.

Going for a walk

Sylvia had gone home, so I had Pädi. The cook and her assistant stayed behind, and Mopsi’s mother went home. We walked up the hill to the hotel-pensione to have z’Vieri/afternoon snack in the restaurant. We had to carry the wheelchairs up the few stairs. We had hot chocolate or Ovomaltine. The z’Vieri was paid for by Richard’s parents. We have also gotten yogurt from the milkman and cheese from the fromagerie/cheese shop.

Dinner was pizza with tomatoes and bacon and other leftover things, then rice and chicken, and a Quarkkuchen/farmers’ cheese cake. There was also bread and cheese for those who were still hungry. We had singing circle and Uschi came to visit.

I helped bathe and dress Pädi for the night. After the kids went to bed, we had coffee and ice cream, and the cookies Uschi brought.

Saturday, May 28, 1983

I helped Bernadette get Richard ready for the day and to pack. Went to breakfast as scheduled at 8:30, but it wasn’t ready. Went to visit Pädi and Philippe, then got breakfast at 9:00. Helped do the final clean up of the dishes and the kitchen. Herr S arrived at 10:30 and the bus was loaded.

Last day of Lager/camp

We packed the cars and Bernadette and I left about 11:00, driving to the hospital via Tavannes. The lower we went, the less snow. Beyond the La Chaux-d’Abel community there is a stone bridge. You could see the typical Jura farmhouse, made of stone with the roof coming down to the almost the ground and with an arched doorway and usually whitewashed. Arrived in Biel about 11:45.

Just a pic of Pädi in the Standtisch/standing table

Jong Soon's Last Week (5/16-22/1983)

Monday, May 16, 1983

Another four-leaf clover.

After half successfully leading aerobics by myself with Marsha gone, I went to see Jong-Soon. It was rumored that she was fired and that she was leaving soon. Indeed, we were asked to find empty boxes for her. We had a long talk, and although she never said she was fired, she indicated she was leaving earlier than she planned (for June). It seemed to be a personality conflict with the head nurse in surgery. Jong-Soon said they complained that she wasn’t friendly because she didn’t gossip or talk about her personal life. Her plan was to go back too Korea next Sunday, where she would stay at least two months. She would spend time with a prospective fiancé whom she met through her pastor in New York. He was now visiting Korea. If she decided to marry him, she would then return with him to New York. If she didn’t marry him, and she got tired of Korea, then she apparently has a job back in Switzerland, in Aarberg. It was 21:30 when we realized the time, and I ran to take a shower before the 22:00 cut-off time. Jong-Soon made us Korean pancakes, a little flour and egg with strips of zucchini, onion and mushrooms, to be dipped in a sauce of soy sauce, sesame seed oil, sugar, and vinegar.

Tuesday, May 17, 1983

After work I tried to make brownies, but as tends to happen, the top got burned and the bottom barely got baked. But Jong-Soon and I took them anyway to the Chinese Burg Restaurant at 19:30. We went directly upstairs and into the kitchen, but everyone was busy. We started to go downstairs to eat, when the chef came out. He talked for quite a while before being interrupted by another cook. Jong-Soon and I went into the restaurant where she ordered won ton soup and ice cream because of her stomach problems. I had chicken Szechuan that was very spicy. Jong-Soon had some of my rice and greens. One by one, the other patrons left, and the chef and his brother came to sit and talk with us. When it was time to close up, we helped them to clean up. Then we sat to eat the brownies with the Vietnamese waiter and the French cook François. The younger brother asked what we should drink with the brownies, and I said milk. He really did go to get milk! Jong-Soon had white wine and the Vietnamese guy had red wine. We talked and joked long into the night. I showed them my name written in characters, and the read it as “tamiji” and translated it as “many beautiful children.” Close! We finally learned the names of our Chinese friends! The chef is Billy Land the younger brother is Carl.

Wednesday, May 18, 1983

After the Vietnamese guy and the French cook left, the two brothers locked up the restaurant. It was 1:15 when Jong-Soon and I walked up to the Personalhaus, and not all the streetlights were on.

At 11:50 I got a phone call from Jong-Soon asking if she could use my pot, and my room for a luncheon. I was able to run up to the Personalhaus to clean up my room while Jong-Soon cooked.  Fr Dr Jo D and the chief surgeon’s secretary Rosemarie Z arrived for lunch. We had rice and a spicy curry stew with potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, and chicken cooked with ginseng. It was delicious, but I had to get back to work at 13:00, while the others had coffee.

Found another four-leaf clover.

Thursday, May 19, 1983

Picked up at 20:15 by Hans Rüdi S. We sat outside for the French lesson and went indoors for the English lesson.

Saturday, May 21, 1983

Rain, rain, rain. Did the laundry, cleaned off my desk, and helped Jong-Soon to pack.

Sunday, May 22, 1983

Rain, rain, rain. At 7:45 we carried Jong-Soon’s bags downstairs. Fr Dr Jo D’s car was there, but she was not. She eventually came from the hospital, and drove us down to the train station. There Jong-Soon and I hauled the bags off to catch the 8:23 train to Zürich. Jong-Soon had a huge suitcase on wheels, a smaller suitcase on wheels, plus two handbags and a long umbrella. While on the train, she squatted between the seats and repacked one of the handbags. We arrived at the airport at 10:17 and got one of those carts you can take on the escalator. We headed right to check in. The luggage limit was 20 kilos/44 pounds. The largest suitcase by itself was nearly 20 kilos. The smaller suitcase was 9 kilos/20 pounds. Jong-Soon tried substituting a handbag, but one was 9 kilos and the other 7 kilos/15 pounds. Apparently there is some leeway, because the two checked suitcases together came to 23 kilos/50 pounds, so she “only” had to pay for 3 kilos in excess weight. “Only” 137 CHF/$68! And Jong-Soon had to break a 1000 CHF note to pay the fee. The girl said hand baggage was limited to two items and 10 kilos. Jong-Soon had 16 kilos, but the girl didn’t say anything more.

Next we had to find a telephone so that Jong-Soon could call her family since they didn’t know she was coming home! But the PTT wasn’t open. Jong-Soon bought two crème horns and an orange juice at a patisserie. It was nearing boarding time, so we went to passport control. Jong-Soon gave me one of the crème horns and we said our goodbyes. She now had to carry her two handbags and the umbrella herself!

I caught the 11:37 train to Biel, arriving at 13:30. Walked home, passing the new McDonald’s that opened this week. It was really crowded! Back at the Personalhaus, I cleaned up after Jong-Soon in the kitchen. I also spring-cleaned my room and packed for Lager/camp.

Gourmet Weekend Part II (5/15/1983)

Sunday, May 15, 1983

It was pouring rain outside. Jan had us vote on what we wanted to do that day, giving us the choices of seeing 1) grottos, 2) Pasteur’s house, or 3) walk in the woods. None of these received a vote, so I suggested seeing the waterfalls near Champagnole, and that was agreed upon. We got dressed, half dressy (our tops) and half casual (our pants). We paid the bill and drove back into Poligny. The Gourmet Magazine had tried the tea at the Hôtel de Paris here, so we inquired and found that breakfast was only for hotel patrons. The hotel was very luxurious, but the restaurant was cheaper than the one in Arbois (probably did not have a famous chef!). We walked to the main square and saw a pot store. Inside, Jan & Kirby saw the cocotte they were searching for, but of course the store was closed! We had a petit déjeuner complet/full breakfast for 15.50 FRF/$2. Hot chocolate, a baguette and a croissant. Plus butter and jam.

Then we drove in an unbelievable downpour to Champagnole, which turned out to be a huge city. There was a lot of traffic, including people on horseback. Apparently this is an equestrian center. We continued southwest to Doucier, following the l’Ain River valley, a valley so wide we never saw the river. We passed a lake and the scenery was really pretty despite the rain. In Doucier, Jan consulted a town map to determine where the waterfalls were located. We headed out of town on a narrow road that followed a flooded meandering stream. The valley narrowed and the cliffs got higher on either side. After a long drive, we came to a parking lot where two tour buses were just leaving! We hiked along the tumbling stream and despite the rain, it was a pleasant walk.

Swollen stream

Suddenly we came upon a huge waterfall, one of several of the Cascades du Hérisson/Hedgehog Falls. This one was bigger than we expected and was called Éventail/Fan Falls.

Éventail/Fan Falls

We climbed to the top of the falls where an overlook went right into the overflowing stream!

Jan & Kirby at the top of Éventail/Fan Falls

Gorge cliffs

Hérisson/Hedgehog River

Swollen stream

We continued to Grand Sault/Big Jump Falls, which were taller than the Fan Falls, but not as pretty.

Grand Sault/Big Jump Falls

We returned to the parking lot and had to inquire in the restaurant about the souvenir shop. A lady opened up the shop so we could buy postcards.

We backtracked to Doucier, and took the turnoff towards Châtillon. Just before we crossed the Ain River in a deep ravine, we found the country inn of Chez Yvonne. It had a terrace overlooking the river, but because of the rain we went inside. The décor was casual with a huge wardrobe lined with varying sizes of champagne bottles. Sayings about drinking hung on the walls. Like the Hôtel de Paris in Arbois, the tablecloth and napkins had the chef’s name embroidered on them. Unlike the Hôtel de Paris, the silverware was not real silver. However, the plates had Chez Yvonne decals on them. Jan & Kirby chose the 73 FRF/$10 menu and I the 83 FRF/$11.50 menu. Jan asked for a recommendation other than the Arbois blanc for wine, and we were given Cotes du Jura, which was only slightly better. Our first course was a country paté that was supposed to have truffles in it. Bread was served in a plastic basket and water was served in a funny ceramic pitcher. Next we had a whole trout to behead and filet, and it was dry despite lots of butter. Then morel mushrooms in a stock sauce with one tiny piece of toast for each of us. But lots of morels! Jan & Kirby each got a half chicken de Bresse (local breed), which was better than Kirby’s from the night before. They also had salad. I only got a tiny quail on a soaked piece of toast. It was very tasty, and I thought it tasted like chicken, until I tried a bite of the regular chicken, which then seemed to have relatively no taste! We had Crème caramels for dessert, and coffee.

I went to the restroom and passed through a cute back room with old furniture. The hotel rooms here were even cheaper. My share of the lunch bill was 100 FRF/$14. It was going on 15:00 when we left to head back to Champagnole, then Pontarlier. This time we followed the flooded Doubs River in another picturesque valley. We passed a sign for a grotto, and stopped at the next one we saw, the Chapel of Notre Dame de Remonot. Apparently a Mass had just finished. The front of the chapel was covered with glass in green iron frames, and a fancy altar and plaques and statues decorated the interior. Deeper behind the altar was a cave, but it was too dark to see. You could hear water dripping or splashing. They were turning out all the lights, so we left to go back to the first grotto we saw. We had to hike through the woods until we came to a large opening in a cliffside wall. We also searched for lilies of the valley because we saw a man climbing a nearby hillside carrying a bouquet of them.  Only found questionable plants!

French Jura countrysside

We continued to drive along the Doubs as the valley narrowed. At a grassy point under a cliff, Jan spotted deer. As we got closer, the thin curved horns identified them at chamois. We saw another on a ledge of a cliff. Also saw a heron.

Later we climbed through a narrow pass and entered Switzerland, being waved through customs. We came through the town of Le Locle that had high rises, which were a big change from France. We continued through La Chaux-de-Fonds, Sonceboz, and into Biel. After buying gas, it was determined that I owed 20 CHF/$10 for my share. I was deposited at the Personalhaus at 18:00.

After going to bed, I awoke with a stomachache. I figured I had eaten too much in the last two days. The next day Jan & Kirby reported they had stomachaches, too! A Gourmet Holiday!

Gourmet Weekend Part I (5/14/1983)

Saturday, May 14, 1983

Marsha and her parents left at 8:30 for a trip to Paris, the Cote d’Azur. Florence, Venice, and through Switzerland.

Jan & Kirby picked me up at 11:00 to drive along the Bielersee/Lake Biel to Neuchâtal, admiring the wisteria blossoms along the way. We headed up a valley to Pontarlier, where we did a lot of driving through green, green woods with spring flowers blooming everywhere. The view of the valley was not as spectacular as at night with snow as seen when we went to Paris by night train. But the landscape was typically Swiss: neat and clean. The hills of the Jura are mostly covered with trees, but one stark rock cliff stretched between two green hills looking like a dam. We also saw the edges of rock cliffs layered vertically. A single rock layer looked like a funicular track up to some buildings on a mountain top. It was getting cloudier the closer we got to France. At Les Verrières at the border, we were waved through Swiss and French customs. Upon entering France, we encountered buildings that looked like barracks or migrant worker housing. The landscape suddenly seemed uglier with barer trees and rock-strewn land. Junky areas could be seen around the towns. We came to Pontarlier, and signs seemed to direct us around the town, then back through it before leaving again to head to Dole. We saw the start of a bicycle race, and at one end of the street we saw a magnificent church-like façade that turned out to be a gate over the road. As we turned away, we passed by a smaller gate through a huge wall.

Now the land was gently rolling hills, considerably flatter than Switzerland. There were cows everywhere, most of them lying down. I saw a couple chapels sitting on top of bared hills with cows all around. The streams seemed to be overflowing their banks and some fields were flooded. Kirby began telling me the sad story of his best friend who was separated from his wife and it looked like it would end up in a divorce. Kirby somehow thought if I were to become his friend’s pen pal, it would help his loneliness and his need for “female companionship.” I would like to help, but I don’t think a pen pal is the answer!

We came to a valley with a waterfall coming over a cliff on the far side. We drove into the town of Salins-les-Bains and decided to stop. It was a cute little French town. Jan bought three pastries from a patisserie and we sat on a bench near the salt baths to try the croissant, the apricot tart, and the rolled pastry with custard. The last one was voted the best. The salt baths had tours only at certain times, and we would have to wait until 15:00 for the next one. Jan translated a sign about the baths for us. Apparently there are saline streams in the area and salt was produced here, as well as there being curative salt baths. As we left town, we saw an old building that might still be in business, with a sign for “Bains, Douches.”

We drove through flat open country. We saw a Loire valley-type château (Château de Clairvans à Chamblay) sitting among trees in a raised area behind a field of yellow rapeseed.

Château de Clairvans à Chamblay

It looked out of place like a movie set, but also striking, romantic, etc. As we continued on, we decided to follow signs to a “picturesque village.” We were then taken several kilometers out of our way to enter a small town with a couple buildings, one side road, and a restaurant with a few plants and knick-knacks. The road then left civilization. We returned to the side road and followed that past a few insignificant houses and a school. We were not impressed if this was the picturesque village. We found our way back to the main road, passing through a “newer” town which may have been the picturesque one with its old farmhouses. We passed a lot of old men walking with canes and farmers wearing berets. We also passed through a pine forest.

We drove into the city of Dole at 15:30 and it was pouring rain. We found a parking space on a terrace over the river, looking across at a château-like building that turned out to be a school. We looked down to see a lone tree on a mini-peninsula with a half-sunken Monet boat (a rowboat that is squared at both ends). We headed up Grand Rue into the old town and immediately saw signs for the birthplace of Louis Pasteur. We turned onto the narrow cobblestoned Rue Pasteur and first stopped at an antique shop before visiting the Pasteur house. We paid the 8 FRF/$1 admission.

Pasteur House ticket

The first room had cases of books, reading glasses, a few test tubes, photos, etc. A front room had a desk and a bassinet, more books, and photos. There was a taped commentary playing over a loud speaker. We were actually in Pasteur’s father’s house. He was a tanner.

We went out back to a terrace overlooking the canalized river and saw a couple fishermen with their long poles. The tanner’s workshop was off the terrace to the right with a display of tools and “cowboy” boots. Back in the house, we were sent past a room with stairs into what seemed to be the neighboring house. There in a room of chairs set up as if a lecture room, we saw extensive memorabilia in cases along the walls. Medals, stamps, news articles, photos, papers, nooks, cartoons, even ships named after Pasteur were noted. Plus family trees and histories. Upstairs to see maps of the Pasteur institutes around the world, and scientific articles, photos of his luxurious Paris apartment, more test tubes and laboratory tools. Pasteur apparently did more than come up with pasteurization! He studied sheep and other animal diseases, developed the rabies vaccine, studied silkworm diseases, and the process of beer and wine making.

We left and returned to the main street. Someone asked directions to “la gare.” Jan & Kirby checked out a couple china shops, but their china pattern was not available. They went into a department store to look for pans and a Le Creuset cocotte/casserole dish, but the store didn’t have any. Next we walked up an interesting alley with new shops in old buildings, a cheese shop and a butcher, a fruit market with great looking produce, and clothing boutiques. We came out on a large square, Place Nationale, with the 16C Collégiale Notre-Dame/Collegiate Church of Our Lady at one end and a building with a copper roof at the other that reminded me of a covered market (Les Halles, Marché Couvert)

Dôle General view with church bell tower

Inside the church, children seemed to be preparing for confirmation. It was fairly dark for seeing the paintings by Lawrence Pécheux along the aisles. The organ seemed too fancy for this church, and it is supposed to be one of the finest in France.

We continued to another square, Place Jules Grevy facing a huge park of trees and landscaped gardens. We went to a tourist information office where Jan & Kirby got directions to a Le Creuset shop. We walked up the indicated street, but didn’t find the shop, although we did pass the new post office and old city hall. We arrived at the train station to use the restroom. At information at the station, Jan asked again about Le Creuset. We returned down the same street and entered a hardware store. No Le Creuset. The clerk explained there used to be a Le Creuset store there two years ago! She gave us new directions.

We returned to the collegiate church and went behind it to find a little lady’s shop on a little street. We ended up finding a man in a good-sized but cute shop. He did not have the cocotte Jan & Kirby wanted. We returned to the business district and walked up another main street, ending up in Place aux Fleurs with the little fountain (Baby Bacchus by Claude François Attiret) you see in the postcards with the tower of the church behind it.

Place aux Fleurs fountain

There was also an interesting modern sculpture of three bronzed-over chairs holding a body with four heads and two pairs of legs (Les commères/The gossips by Jens Böettcher in 1982). We continued looking for cocottes and found a pan in a hardware store. It cost less than $10, so Jan & Kirby bought it, not necessarily because they needed it! We took the pan to the car, then crossed the river to the Hôtel Dieu/hospital to see the courtyard with a flowering pink chestnut tree. We returned to the car and drove off, making one more stop at a pot store.

Next we drove southwest to Arbois. In one village we encountered several herds of cows on their way home. We had to stop to let them pass to either side of us. The cows were all muddy and had runny noses! The cowhereder rode bikes or velos, and the dogs kept the cows moving.

After entering Arbois, we passed the ivy-covered house of Louis Pasteur. We parked in the square, Place de la Liberté, with the four-lion fountain in the center. We went to a pot shop, then another down Rue de Courcelles. Back at the square we went into Pâtisserie-Chocolaterie Hirsinger. According to the Gourmet Magazine, we were to try the little chocolates with a dab of gold leaf on top (le Palet d’or). We bought 100 g/3.5 ounces of the nutty tasting chocolates. We went to another pot shop, then back to the square, passing the Henri Maire wine shop with its wine tasting rooms. We found the recommended restaurant of the Hôtel de Paris. Although it was still early, we checked the menu. We explored some more of the streets in town, seeing a mansion with an arbor-type greenhouse. The 14-18C Collégiale Notre-Dame/Collegiate Church of Our Lady had the typical church tower of the region, with a sort of bell cap. Stopped at tourist information next to the church.

We returned to the car to get our bags, and went to check in at the Hôtel de Paris. The receptionist checked the book for a reservation for Bragg, and saw we had room #3. The girl got the key and led us upstairs. She unlocked the door and was shocked to see suitcases and things strewn all over the room. She took us back downstairs and found the hotel was full. Jan & Kirby wondered why they didn’t evict the people in our room. They were part of a wedding being held that day. The girl called several other hotels before finding an available room. The room in Hôtel de Paris was to cost 126 FRF/$18 and the new one would be 160 FRF/$22.50. A chef, who turned out to be the son Jean-Paul, came out to apologize. The father, the famous chef André Jeunet, came out to see what was happening.

We decided to check out the other hotel before eating. It was in the next town of Poligny. The Nouvel Hôtel was a sort of modern hotel situated over a bar, but slightly shabby inside. We had room #8 in the front over the bar with a balcony. Jan & Kirby closed the shutters because it was noisy on the street. The toilet was down the hall and had no toilet paper. We were missing some pillows. We changed in the bathroom that had a tub, sink, and bidet. Sort of musty smelling, There were two double beds. When we left, Jan requested toilet paper and pillows, and asked how long the outside door would be open. The lady said, it depends! She would leave the side door open and the key in our room door. Jan decided to take the room key.

Hôtel de Paris brochure front

Hôtel de Paris brochure back

Hôtel Restaurant de Paris card front

Hôtel Restaurant de Paris card front

We drove back to Arbois, and at the Hôtel de Paris restaurant, we were welcomed back as “our three friends!” For our troubles we were offered an apéritif, but none of us wanted one. The large dining room had a lot of Germans! The room was decorated with stuffed birds and deer heads, and copper utensils. Our waiter was a buck-toothed fellow who smilingly answered all Jan’s questions. There was a 100FRF/$14 menu, a 150 FRF/$21 menu, and a 200FRF/$28 menu. Jan and I ordered the 150 FRF, and Kirby the 200 FRF, and they ordered an asparagus dish. We started with hors d’oeuvre: three little chicken legs with meat folded over on one end, breaded and fried. We ordered an Arbois blanc wine that wasn’t any good, even to Jan & Kirby. We only had a demi-liter, plus a liter of mineral water. Kirby wanted to try the vin de paille/straw wine; made from frost-nipped grapes that are dried on straw before being made into wine. But one bottle cost 220 FRF/$31. Then Jan received the green-tipped asparagus. White asparagus is grown with dirt around it so that it never sees the sun and develops green chlorophyll. In Switzerland, they harvest the asparagus before the tips emerge from the dirt, but here they harvest after the tip come through and turn green. The sauce (a mousseline) was light and herb-y. I had 2/3 of one spear, and Kirby had half of the total. Jan and I received our first course of a soufflé of pike, a very light eggy ball with a slight fish taste, in a sauce. Kirby got a very fine paté with toast. Kirby received his second course of salmon with sorrel. Jan and I enjoyed tastes of Kirby’s menu! Jan and I got our plates of thin slices of duck leg in a rich dark sauce, and potatoes Grandma’s style. The potatoes were sliced and very subtlely au gratined. Kirby had a highly liqueured sherbet as a palate cleanser before his main course of a whole chicken leg with a morel mushroom sauce and rice. For the cheese course, Jan and I had Normandie and an Emmentaler type cheese. Kirby had both of those plus a goat cheese (?). Jan and I had nougat ice cream for dessert. Kirby traded in his strawberry dessert for a slice of the celebrated gâteau au chocolat. I had a taste, and although it was soaked in Cointreau, it was delicious! Very chocolate with chocolate icing between the layers. We declined coffee. We voted Kirby’s as the best all around meal. With the bill we received a plate of goodies, a lacy fried pizzelles, sugared grapefruit rind, almond cookies, and chocolate ganache rolled in cocoa powder. During dinner, I looked at Jan & Kirby’s slides from the Netherlands.

My share of the bill was 200 FRF/$28. We were given the wine and water for our troubles. The chef came to our table to apologize again, and if we were ever in Arbois again, we should ask for him personally and he would assure us a room, Gee, thanks! We left about 22:30 and drove through pouring rain to the hotel. The hotel was completely dark, and the key did not fit in either the side or front door. Fortunately the landlady drove up, and her son jumped out and told us to come through the side door that was unlocked! There was a giant roll of toilet paper in the bathroom, and one more pillow in the room. I used a bolster as my pillow.

Rapperswil (5/8/1983)

Sunday, May 8, 1983

Sunny this morning as I went to catch the 9:23 train to Zürich. There seemed to be a lot of specially dressed ladies out today, for Mothers’ Day! Here they give the mothers flowers and/or chocolates. No Hallmark cards!

Changed to the 11:04 train towards Chur and got off at Pfäffikon about 11:35. Ach! Pouring rain! I ran over to the single-car train leaving at 11:47 to Rapperswil, arriving there five minutes later. Rapperswil is on a peninsula on the north shore of Lake Zürich and has been connected to the south shore by an ugly causeway carrying the railroad and a highway, basically cutting Lake Zürich in half.

Causeway

Otherwise Rapperswil is a very nice town with chestnut trees beginning to bloom along its quai, its neat little harbor, and its medieval old town with the imposing castle behind it.

General view

I walked out along the harbor, then into the old town passing a building with a fancy mosaic façade, the Curti-Haus (16C with 1894 mosaics). I turned left to the Rosengarten/Rose Garden, a very small walled-in area with rosebushes just beginning to leaf. Went up stairs past the Kloster/cloister gate to the Lindenhof/terrace of Schloss/Castle Rapperswil (1200-1220). Here I could see down on the town, harbor, causeway, and lake, but no view of the Alps today.

View from the castle

Continued to the castle and its deer park behind the wall on the left. One deer was braying as if with a sore throat. I never heard a deer make any noise before. Outside the castle was a memorial column, the Polish Freedom pillar. I entered the courtyard, but couldn’t go any farther. Inside the castle is a Polish Museum, but I didn’t go in. I walked around to the other side, past the Stadtpfarrkirche St Johann/City Parish Church of St John, and began going up and down the narrow medieval streets.

Narrow street

Returned to the train station to get the 12:32 regional train to Zürich, arriving about 13:20. Went to the Sprüngli chocolaterie and bought 100 g/3.5 ounces of noci/walnut candies for 5.20 CHF/$2.50.

While waiting for the 14:00 train to Bern, I saw a guy with a camera with a huge lens. The camera was hanging at his stomach, and he was intensely studying the top of the camera. Then “kichung,” he snapped a picture. I sidled around to get a closer look to see that he had a conventional viewfinder that was somehow rigged so that he could look down on it from above. No one would realize he was taking pictures unless they recognized the “kichung.” He took several pictures, but I couldn’t figure out what he was finding so interesting. People? His best trick was to tuck the lens under his arm so that the camera pointed behind him. He would study the top of the camera, turn slightly left and right, then “kichung!”

I arrived in Bern at 15:15 and there it was sunny. Had a bite at McDonald’s, then caught the 15:53 train to Biel. It was raining in Lyss, but nice in Biel. All this weather in one small country! The rapeseed fields were in bloom, creating great patches of brilliant yellow. Walking up Nidaugasse, I saw McDonald’s signs peeking over a boarded up building. A McDonald’s in Biel!

Shortcut to the Kinderspital/Children's Hospital

Next to the Personalhaus, I found a mutant clover patch, netting five four-leaf clovers and a five-leafer.

Later Marsha and I left at 18:45 to walk the Parcours up the hill near Beaumont. It was about 2.5 km/1.5 miles long and wound up towards Evilard. We came back via Eichholzliweg/Oak Way, stopping to check out some new houses they are building.

Thursday, May 12, 1982

Today is Ascension Day and normally a holiday. But I worked because I used this day off during my Christmas vacation.

Hans Rüdi S picked me up with Mathieu in the new car. Had salad, cheese, cold cuts and bread with the grandparents. I made brownies to have with tea and our lesson.

Friday, May 13, 1983

Marsha C took the day off to meet her parents at the airport who were arriving that morning. They picked up a rental car ($500 for 2-1/2 weeks plus 17 CHF/$9 per day for insurance), a roomy Opel Kadett, and drove to Biel. I received a call about 16:00 to meet the parents. Marsha and I drove to Migros, and we made dinner while her parents napped. We had Nüssli salad with boiled egg and a white dressing. Marsha made geschnetzeltes veal Züricher-style, and I made the Rösti. Jong-Soon was also invited to dinner. Marsha’s parents are so nice and not as tall as I expected! I felt really comfortable with them. They spent the night at Fr Dr Jo D’s in Evilard.

Mutant Clovers (5/3,4,5,7/1983)

Tuesday, May 3, 1983

Found a four-leaf clover on the way home from grocery shopping.

Wednesday, May 4, 1983

Another four-leaf clover. I also saw a five-leaf clover, but let Marsha search for it and find it.

Thursday, May 5, 1983

To the Ss, having ice cream with whipped cream with our lessons.

Saturday, May 7, 1983

Found two four-leaf clovers right next to each other.

Pouring rain today, so did some shopping, sewing repairs, fixed the plug on the toaster, etc. Had polenta for dinner, which Marsha announced were grits!