Pharma Museum

The day started with a ride on the Funicular up to the top of a hill overlooking Heidelberg. Some 2000 feet and some gradients being an eye popping 43 degrees. Great fun and great views. On the way down we went to the Heidelberg Castle. Mostly in ruins but some very nice parts. There is a Pharmacy Museum inside which was quite nice.  A walk down and we were bang in the centre of town.

The weather got a bit threatening so we retreated to our hotel to arm ourselves with rain gear and set out again on a climb on the hill opposite the Heidelberg Castle. This is mostly high-end residences. Very nice houses. We walked alongside the river and reached our hotel.

The rain caused the temperature to drop quite drastically. Thank God for that. It was quite warm thru the day.

Dinner was at a lovely sophisticated restaurant we chanced upon during our previous walkabout. We had requested a reservation. Once again the sheer hard work of people is amazing. It’s a 50 seater reasonably `fine dine’, it had white tablecloths. Just 2 people in front of house. A 65 year old man and his wife/sister who must have been 67. Everything, order taking, billing, serving, clearing, chatting, wine service, just everything by these two. Obviously they were the owners. Yes they did have a full fledged kitchen brigade behind them. We had a great meal. I had asparagus with Hollandaise sauce. Yes again. Where can one get a hollandaise sauce in Mumbai? Such a simple delicious sauce. Heidelberg is the asparagus capital of Germany so you get it literally everywhere. Arti had a green salad. For mains Arti had a Boff Boff steak which is the restaurants speciality and is copyrighted. It’s a fillet, bashed with a mallet [the poky side of the mallet] flash cooked in a truffle/cream sauce. This was served with Gnocchi. Superb. Arti takes photos much like heroes shoot villains in a Hindi film. All hand action, so the photos are blurred. I am trying to teach her the Clint Eastwood style, just pull the trigger gently. It may take some time. Back to food. I had a saltimbocca. Lovely and tasty. These Swiss/German guys really know how to treat these thinly processed meats. Quick breeze thru a hot really hot pan. Desert was an English Rhubarb and ice-cream for me and a stewed fig with a plum coulis for Arti. Delicious meal.

Today we have a brunch on the Hotel boat while sailing up and down the river. This is unusual for us as lunch/brunch chews up the day and drinking in the afternoon is now something we find fairly sickening. Anyway we will do our best `rich mumbaikars going to Alibaug’ imitations while on the boat. Unfortunately we don’t have the obligatory oversized goggles into which you are fitted [and not the other way around], so the entire Alibaug set looks like it’s been made with a cookie cutter, but I am sure we will manage and come out not too blinded by the sun.