Margaritas, mum & more!

I didn't mention that my dear Mum came with us to Salzburg. Dad can't bear the cold (he was born in the Southern Hemisphere & it still feels depressing to him!) so he stayed in the comparative warmth of home. But Mum, who loves Mozart very nearly as much as I do, loves the city & needed a break and she's great company. Here she is walking across the Mozart Bridge...it was so freezing that morning, and I think it shows in this picture!

One of my favourite 'special occasion' drinks is a Margarita....so I treated myself on our last evening. When my darling sister was still here, we lived together for a while and occasionally made up a pitcher of Margaritas to drink while we watched a favourite movie....usually 'The Full Monty' in those days! Happy memories.....x

This is the restaurant we ate in that last night (the bar was downstairs) . It's a gorgeous place with wonderful, contemporary food called Carpe Diem (which also happens to be my personal motto!) Highly recommended if you ever find yourself in Salzburg (& everyone should at least ONCE to my mind!)

One of the things I always order in Austria is Pumpkin Soup. The area of Styria is famed for it's healthy & delicious pumpkin seed oil, which is dark green & thick & so tasty. Thsi soup usually comes with a little drizzle of that nectar on top (this bowl did too but I'd stirred it in before I took the picture!) It's divine.....never tastes the same when I try & make it, but that makes it more special!

One of the things I love most about Europe is that, like the UK, it has such an ancient history. This restaurant for instance zum Eulenspiegel...the building dates from 1414 & it's been feeding people for over 100 years! It has a maze of little rooms, very dark & romantic and candlelit. Thick, thick walls & leaded windows that overlook the river on one side and Wolfie's house on the other. I like to think that he may have sat in his room and peeped in at the windows here.....and it's certainly possible with a place this age...

Having visited the city so often over the past 20 years, we've made many friends. One of them is the lovely Verena who owns a wonderful art deco jewellery shop (no website but it's called Deco Art if you're ever visiting!) We've known her for several years and she's great company. This time she invited us to her beautiful house, just outside the old town for the traditional Austrian kaffeejause. This is a little like English afternoon tea....but continental style. So there's a glass of prosecco to start, and then you sit at a table beautifully laid with a lace cloth & linen napkins...fine, bone china cups & saucers....polished antique silver teaspoons & knives...a huge plate of Austrian pastries (krapfen which are like jam-filled doughnuts, hazelnut linzertorte, dobosztorte...absolutely mouthwatering!) and little glasses of cold,cold water. Then you drink gorgeous coffee, EAT!! & talk over the day & life in general. I could certainly get used to kaffeejause....oh yes!

So that evening, to say thank you, we took her out to dinner. That's her on the left of the picture, my mum is beside me. Making friends in a country you love adds an extra dimension, makes you feel a part of it somehow and not just a tourist. And extra friends, as I've learnt through this blogging experience, are always wonderful and always welcome!

Enjoy your weekend, everyone. And thanks so much for visiting and leaving such heart warming comments. xoxo