Sunday 10 May 2015

Almost a Mini-Holiday

That's what my evening out with three of my girlfriends felt like on Friday. (If you click on the link in the first sentence, you'll land on my first post about our regular nights out.)

We like to try a different restaurant every month, and on Friday, we took a short drive (13 km) to Besigheim, a small town north of Ludwigsburg. Like nearly all places around my home town, it is much, much older, finding its first written mention in 1153. Famous for its well-preserved medieval town centre and surrounded by vineyards and wineries, Besigheim calls itself proudly "Germany's most beautiful wine town". Beautiful it certainly is:


The pictures above were taken from across the river, where we parked and then walked into town. The two below show the typical medieval street layout, so different from the symmetrical way Ludwigsburg was planned five centuries later.

Well preserved and cared for medieval houses. They are really nice to look at, but I doubt I'd want to live in one. Small windows and thick walls mean they are not as light and airy as I like to live.



The building with the clock is Besigheim's town hall. The restaurant is just next door on the ground floor of another well-kept timber framed building.
The "Olive" offers Eastern-Mediterranean food (I believe this style is called "levantine"), and the owner Ahmad Tanha and his team are doing a great job. The decor is nice, modern but not "artsy"; the place is clean, the food excellent and reasonably priced, and the staff friendly, witty and charming without being silly or slimy (as does happen every now and then when ladies dine out without male company).

Starters shared by the four of us - of course there is hummus, tabouleh, and several other delights. The carrots are glazed and spiced with cinnamom, cardamom and others (not sweet, just lovely and unusual).


One of my friends had this oven dish of aubergines and other vegetables. The size would have fed all of us!


My choice was this salad of avocado and tomato with cheese.

 Another of my friends had beefsteak with roast spuds...

 ...and the fourth had duck which looked delicious and very tender; also with spuds. (Sorry about the bad quality of these pictures. I did not use flash and took them very quickly, because a) I did not want the hot food to get cold for my friends, and b) did not want to disturb the other guests.)



We were all happy with what we had ordered - and so full up afterwards that nobody felt like dessert! By the time we left the restaurant, it was of course dark, but still warm like an early summer's night. All this combined - the short trip to this beautiful place, the great food, good company and warm evening - made it feel like a mini holiday for me. This was our first time there, but certainly won't be the last.

20 comments:

  1. Wish I could have been the 5th friend on this trip! It looks lovely!
    And if this is supposed to be Germany's most wonderful wine town, I am hoping that is German white wine that I see in one of the glasses! Cheers!

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    1. It is, Kay! (White wine in the glass.) And you would have been most welcome to be our 5th friend. By the way, you would not have been the only American; one of my friends (who also goes running with me regularly every week and lives only 2 streets away) is American, too.

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  2. Beautiful little town and the food looks delicious.

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  3. I second Kay G.'s comment; wish I could have been the 5th friend.
    It always makes me smile that you call potatoes "spuds!" And it always delights me to see the small towns/villages that surround your life ... so beautiful and so clean.

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    1. You would have been the 6th friend, Jill. We could have easily fitted you at our table, and then there would have been 3 German and 3 American ladies dining out. Sounds nice!
      Yes, most areas here are relatively well kept, but of course there are less clean spots here as well. Only I don't take pictures of these, unless for specific reasons.

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  4. What a beautiful village! And what a delicious dinner. It's wonderful getting together with your friends so often, and exploring different places together.

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    1. Yes, it's great, and we are all determined to stick to this regular way of getting together for many years to come.

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  5. If we ever get to your country, my Sweetie is going to want to go to Besigheim. He is a wine connoisseur.

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    1. Let me know when you plan your trip, and I'll be your guide for Ludwigsburg (if you want to see the palace and palace grounds, too).

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  6. I've never been out of my own country, unless you count our 'neighbor' Canada. It's difficult to imagine living in a place so rich in history! Everything looked so foreign; the architecture of the buildings, the narrow streets...until I saw the blooming Chestnut tree in your third picture! Our Chestnut trees are blooming right now as well. I guess the world isn't as big as I thought.

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    1. It's the same for me the other way round when I read other blogs, you know; their lives and the places where they live often seem very exotic to me, but then I spot something we have in common, and it makes me remember that this is, after all, ONE planet.
      Aren't blooming chestnut trees one of the most beautiful sights of spring? My hometown Ludwigsburg is famous for them.

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  7. I remembered your first 'girls night out' post very well Meike. Besigheim looks absolutely charming although, as you said, often these places are more enjoyed as a visitor than as a resident. Although on a cold winter's night I might easily be persuaded to do 'cosy'. As for the food I would love it and have made a note of the glazed carrots (I sometimes glaze them but not with spices - I particularly like the idea of cardamom).

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    1. True, cosy has a strong appeal in winter. But my flat can be cosy and warm in winter, too, and still get enough daylight not make it feel claustrophic.
      Those carrots were really very nice, I'd not eaten them spiced like that ever before.

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  8. I loved seeing all those different half-timbered houses (Fachwerkhäuser auf deutsch, nicht wahr?) Glad you enjoyed your night out.

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    1. Genau, Monica, es sind Fachwerkhäuser :-)
      Yesterday, I went running with one of the friends who was there, too, and we both reminisced about how nice the evening had been.

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  9. The meal looked delightful and was clearly prepared with tender care. The historic town. Your women friends. The weather. A special night. Thanks for sharing it with us.

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    1. You are welcome! For me, writing about such events, adding the photos and sharing it with whoever likes to read it means I can enjoy it a bit longer.

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  10. That sounds like such a lovely evening - good food and good company, the perfect meal out. I know what you mean about leaving a restaurant or bar in the evening and it still being warm, it's one of the nicest things about summer. It's been very cold at night here lately, but I can dream of summer nights still to come. x

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    1. It really was as lovely as it sounds, Gillian! Hopefully, those balmy spring and summer nights will be there for you soon.

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