A rainy day in Antwerp { & stay at Boulevard Leopold }

After spending the past holidays at home, this winter we felt a sudden rather sentimental urge to hop across the pond for Christmas in the "old world" among family and friends.

And with the affordable last-minute airfares flying into Amsterdam, we decided to get on the plane a couple of days early for a pre-holiday detour ~ revisiting Amsterdam and Antwerp along the way.

After a chilly first day in Amsterdam and rainy day arrival in Antwerp, checking into Boulevard Leopold more than made up for gloomy skies, jet lag and tired eyes ...

An art filled barn in the Eifel {Thesi's birthday}

the location.

ralph & thesi's restored farmhouse & barn, eifel, germany

the menu.

"kaffee & kuchen" 

{apple & strawberry marzipan tarts, lemon roll, hefekranz & raspberry ricotta crostata}

A green oasis on a Cologne rooftop & summer night dinner

Visisting our friends Petra & Feli at their cool loft & roof top garden is always a favorite destination when in Cologne. This time it was a spontaneous get together, calling from the road, while driving on the Autobahn, to make plans for an impromptu rooftop dinner on a warm summer night ...

A farm dinner in Umbria {Fattoria di Titignano}

Following a recommendation by a friend of a friend {Grazie, Elisa & Patricia!}, we made reservations for our last dinner in Umbria at Castello di Titignano, heading to the hilltop village and castle we could see from Pergolaccio across the wide Tiber valley.

Endless views of Lago di Corbara and beyond and an amazing prix fixe* dinner made more than up for a long, winding detour to this 16th century castello turned agriturismo. We sat down in a massive medieval dining hall with stone fireplaces and frescoed walls to an amazing meal served with their own Salviano wines & eventually stopped counting the courses ...

Some simple cooking in Umbria {Pergolaccio}

Pergolaccio Umbria Villa Rental

Dolce far niete under the Umbrian sun. A 17th century farmhouse high up in the rolling hills, an amazing kitchen, shelves of beautiful Deruta ceramics and fresh produce from local markets inspired many simple home cooked meals - each with a different postcard view. 

A simple platter of fresh mozzarella, sweet tomatoes & basil from the garden never tasted better ...

A seafood dinner with endless Maremma views {Cucina di Andrea}

Cooking class Tuscany Maremma

While exploring the Maremma region, we got to enjoy an amazing seafood dinner with Clelia & Andrea, our hosts at the small agriturismo Il Baciarino in the Etruscan hill town of Vetulonia.
Cucina di Andrea offers private dinners and cooking classes, prepared in Andrea's rustic alfresco kitchen and served on a breathtaking terrace surrounded by groves of old olive and oak trees - with endless views of the surrounding Tuscan hills and the Tyrrhenian Sea in the distance. Coming from a family of local fishermen, Andrea specializes in Maremma seafood and other regional dishes, with the menu inspired by the daily catch.

Alfresco cooking with endless Maremma views

The perfect travel find while exploring the Maremma this spring, the remote coastal region of Tuscany: Il Baciarino's two minimalist cottages are nestled in an old olive and oak grove on the steep slopes of Vetulonia, an ancient Etruscan hill town with endless views of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the surrounding hills of the Maremma region. In theory, it would have made a great base to explore the region, but we opted to stay put around our little casetta to just relax, enjoy the views and cook a few meals in the alfresco kitchen {in the compnay of the two gentle resident donkeys, Gina & Stella} ...

Polpo. A Venetian Cookbook {Of Sorts} & many familiar places

Polpo: A Venetian Cookbook {Of Sorts}, a gorgeous new find at Omnivore Books, is more travel journal than cookbook and brings back fond memories of a winter trip to Venice two years ago - including many familiar places and vistas.
Loved browsing the book's gorgeous photo spreads capturing everyday life along the hidden backstreets of Venice while reviving travel memories with a list of favorite bàccari spots in the back of the book ...

Just wish I could hop across the pond for an aperitivo at Polpo or Spuntino

- Negroni Sbagliato, Americano or Aperol Spritz, anyone?

On the street ... a great sign in Vienna

My sister Cathrin took this photo a while ago in Vienna.
Last week I finally got around to making a print for the kitchen wall. I love sauerkraut  ...

A wild foraged dinner in Köln-Nippes

the location.

andrea & bernd's kitchen, cologne, germany

the menu.

✳ foraged porcini mushrooms with parmesan over fresh pasta

✳ braised veal with carrots and arugula salad

Ein Frühstück in Köln (a breakfast in Cologne)

the location.

petra & feli's loft, cologne, germany

the occasion.

a spontaneous birthday breakfast

the breakfast.

feli's famous omlette, brötchen & some really good coffee ...

Aperitivo & dinner with Cathrin in Hamburg ...

the location.

cathrin's balcony & kitchen, hamburg, germany

the menu.

✳ yellow peaches with mozzarella and fresh basil
✳ lamb loin marinated in garlic and herbs with ratatouille and roasted rosemary potatoes
✳ strawberries drizzled with chocolate balsamico over vanilla ice cream

dinners with friends: cheese fondue, raclette and croquet on the lawn ...

the location.

barbara's garden, königsforst, germany

the menu.

✳ tomini cheese with basil and fennel tarallini

✳ gruyere, emmental & fontina cheese fondue with roasted bread cubes

✳ raclette with fontina cheese, potatoes, cornichons & silver onions

✳ fresh berries with vanilla ice cream

Another market day : Markthalle in Zürich

While in Zürich, we stopped at the Markthalle im Viadukt, a new market and shop development under a classic train track. Local produce stands (loved the müsli bar!) and in- and outdoor dining ...

the location.

markthalle im viadukt, zürich, switzerland