Antietam

On our way back to DC from Shepherdstown, we stopped at Antietam to tour the civil war battlefield.

The site of the bloodiest day in American history, the battlefield is remarkably peaceful now.

Food in West Virginia

In West Virginia, we weren't forced to resort to corn bread and beans n' franks. Contrary to what you might think, we had a rather culinary weekend.

Here are a couple of highlights from the weekend:

Watercress salad with a cider and honey vinaigrette, candied walnuts, Asian pears and Maytag bleu cheese.

A turkey and brie sandwich with golden heirloom tomatoes on a pretzel bun.

A (homemade) caprese salad with fat, ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil drizzled with a balsamic reduction.

Historical Artifacts

During our Saturday in Shepherdstown, WV, we checked out the local museum, a restored hotel stuffed chock-full of artifacts from the town's early history.

These tiny leather shoes were somehow disconcerting to me. Thinking of how many decades that baby has been dead and gone is a bit of a mind-screw.

Most interesting in the museum, however, was this bill of sale for a slave:

What is striking is the similarity between this bill of sale and a marriage ceremony. Notice the same language "to have and to hold."

Go ahead, enlarge the photo and read it. Interesting (and chilling) stuff how legal slavery was.

Bavarian Inn, Two Ways

This is the summer of weekend trips, and the month of July I don't think I've been home a single weekend night. Last weekend was no exception, with a trip to Shepherdstown, West Virginia, to take in the Contemporary American Theater Festival.

About 30 minutes after I arrived in town, we made our way across town (a 90 second commute) to the Bavarian Inn, an Alpine-style inn that serves up, you guessed it, Bavarian grub.

The inn was a very classy place, but I noticed a bit of a branding schizophrenia going on:

Regardless of font selection, the food was amazing. I tried out wienr schnitzel for the first time.

It seemed like a Bavarian thing for me to do, especially when paired with red cabbage and homemade spaetzle.

The Last of Switzerland

I've been back in Virginia for over a week now, so it's time to start thinking about fun of a more homegrown variety. Today I'm at Lake Monticello with friends from The Washington Chorus for a weekend of swimming, canoeing and games.

Votives from a church in Berne where we stopped in to listen to an organist's rehearsal.

Other than the Alien Museum, the Gruyere Castle was the star attraction of the town, filled to the brim with a variety of art exhibits.

An Alien in Switzerland

One of the coolest things I saw in Switzerland was located in the hilltop town of Gruyere. And no, it wasn't a cheese factory or castle. Rather, it was a museum exhibiting the collected works of HR Giger.

If you've heard of Giger (I hadn't) it would be because of his work for the blockbuster movie Alien. He created a complex world of alien beings, with very dark, sensual undertones.

Giger's art is pretty disturbing, which made it right up my alley. We saw several installations of baby faces, peppered with what look like leisions.

Giger admitted to playing with bones as a child, and his fascination with the skeleton is evident in the architecture of both the Giger museum and the small bar right next door.

Giger's Alien museum makes Gruyere well-worth a visit, if only to cozy up to the Alien bar for an afternoon drink.

Really good Swiss food

I didn't just subsist on horse flesh while I was in Switzerland. I was treated to delicious and home-cooked meals.

Berries and double cream (the perfect post-grilling desert).


On the hottest day in Switzerland, we had fondue, made from local cheeses. It made the stuff we cook in the U.S. taste like rubber.

Rather than use bread, we used boiled potatoes to scoop up as much of the cheesy concoction as possible. You could not ask for a better meal than hot cheese and potatoes.

Berne and Fribourg

The Swiss towns I visited were beautiful and ancient. Check out Berne:

Fribourg was also gorgeous:

Dinner countdown

Yum! Elmar cooked me Swiss food!

Delicious cut of meat, grilled to perfection on Elmar's porch.

Plated with risotto and eggplant.

Seasoning up dinner!

In it's original packaging:

Yes, you feared correct:

I ate horse in Switzerland. It wasn't all that different from beef (yes it was) and I knew after hearing Elmar rave about eating beautiful horses that I would have to try it myself at some point.

Gulp.

Swiss scenery

Switzerland is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, full of natural beauty and historical significance.

One day my Swiss friends took me on a hike in the mountains. The terrain is so raw and dramatic, and the water was such a beautiful turquoise.

On the hike we found huge snails inching their way along the trail.

We stopped at a nice hotel on the mountainside for lunch.

The lake was beautiful.

We rode an old steamboat to cross the lake.

Happy Friday

Exactly a week ago today, I was winding down from the stressful air show, relaxing at a street-side cafe with some Bordeaux wine and French cheese.

Have a great weekend!