One Monday with nothing specific planned we both had a craving for German food. Where do you go in Central Florida when this hits?
Hollerbach’s! For us, this is not a place you casually head towards – it is a destination being 47 miles and a 52 minute drive. The plan was a leisurely drive that would include a bit of eating and a bit of shopping, with a few errands thrown in.
Let’s start with the eating (and drinking). Covid-19 is still a concern and when possible we like to eat outside when (1) covered and/or protected from the sun (2) air movement or fans keeps the temps enjoyable and (3) safe distances between patrons. All of these conditions were easily met.
Hollerbach’s Willow Tree now has a beer on draft that is being made locally (at least in the states).
Always have to start with the pretzel before our sausages and accompanying sides arrived.
The restaurant has been remodeling for a number of years and (unfortunately) opened the weekend the state was shut down for Covid. With the social distancing required, this extra room has allowed their patrons to still enjoy their food. Here is one of their new areas.
Some of their numerous awards are now able to be displayed.
They have most of the city block and on one corner is their German market. After a few food purchases, we finished our errands and headed home.
The title mentions German food x 2. Our second meal was one that Eric prepared at home. The following week we made good use of our recent purchases. Let’s start with the sides.
One important German side dish is red cabbage. After cutting 1/2 head of red cabbage, throwing in a few spices (cloves, allspice) slipping in a key ingredient (apple slices for sweetness) you get the end result………a nice tasty, colorful red cabbage side dish.
Add a nice refreshing chilled gherkin (cucumber & red onion) salad seasoned with dill in a sour cream & vinegar sauce.
Something new in our household was the potato pancakes. Eric grated potatoes – squeezing out all the water possible – threw in some onion and bound the ingredients together with an egg. A tasty fried potato pancake, topped with apple sauce and sour cream (if desired – and I do!) was a nice accompaniment.
Now, one of the key parts of any German meal………….the sausages. We grilled two types: metwurst (3) and nuremburger (6) sausages. Hard to decide which I liked best. I had leftovers for lunch the coming week – always a plus. Man – I can almost hear the sizzling of the sausages.
What goes best with German food? German beer. One item I could not take to work. Ha!
One more new food item in the Darden household was this German dessert. I picked up this dessert mix at their German deli and prepared it after our meal. It was okay. Full disclosure – mine looked nothing like theirs. 😦 The one that likes dessert best (me) was the least impressed. Both Adrienne and Eric enjoyed it. It was a little better the following day. I probably don’t need to purchase this again.
I love German food, Eric not quite so much. When we visited Germany several years ago, tasting their sausages was a big plus for me. If we can’t fly to Germany (and we can’t right now) at least I can enjoy a taste of German food at home.
It’s been 9+ weeks since ‘I got the call’ and went back to work. Can I just say, these are interesting times. I’ve got some photos to share since I’ve been back and a few thoughts.
This first shot is literally, the first day that Epcot opened to guests on July 15, 2020 after a +17 week closure. Kind of odd wearing a face mask (and photographing it) but it is my current world.
Most guests missed Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival this Spring due to the closure – less than 3 weeks after opening. It usually ends the first week of June.
Epcot’s big draw is our festivals – I don’t think that’s a secret (and we have some r.e.a.l.l.y cool ones)! Covid-19 has turned that up-side down. We’re kind of doing a ‘festival blend’ at this moment in time. We have Flower & Garden merchandise, but the theme is ‘Taste of Epcot International Food & Wine Festival 2020′. Notice the ’25’ near the bottom of the right photo? This year was the 25th anniversary.
Like a normal (Epcot) festival, there are a number of food booths, situated mostly around the lake. Although it is super hot, muggy, sunny, hot, muggy, sunny – you get the picture – a girl’s got to eat. Adrienne met me for lunch one day to sample some food offerings. First stop was the Hawaii kiosk, choosing the pork slider with pineapple chutney. Definitely sounds weird, but it works.
Next stop was World Showplace – great idea since it’s covered, it’s inside and there was seating!
Remember, hot, muggy, hot, muggy……oops forgot the sunny. We found a few selections that gained our interest. I got the charcuterie plate with Adrianne bringing back a pierogi dish and a seafood shepherd’s pie. There was plenty to share.
Stopping in here was a nice chance to cool down. After a bit of noshing, we braved the heat and continued walking around the lake. One more booth drew us in – the kiosk at Germany. We couldn’t resist the bratwurst on a pretzel roll and the apple strudel. Man – just seeing this photo makes me want to go back for another (both!).
Okay, okay. Enough about food – for the moment.
There’s another thing different going on this summer – Character Calvalades. Mickey and Minnie are escorted around the lake with Goofy leading the way.
There is also a princess calvalade with the footman leading the way.
You know, it’s a little bit different but it works for the time we are in.
I heard someone say ‘Embrace this moment. Things will change and get better.’ I’m still learning how to embrace this. I absolutely believe we will find new ways to showcase the Disney brand and be better for it. I absolutely believe the Safety measures we’re going through are making an impact. We’re forging new paths for this challenge.
However, there’s something that hasn’t changed……………..Disney’s colorful landscape! Summer in Central Florida is a tough season to grow flowers. Caladiums make great colorful addition to flower beds. Did you know that Lake Placid, Florida is the Caladium Capital of the World, growing 95% of the world’s caladiums? They grow from a bulb and come up a number of years, until something eats the bulb or it finally degrades. There are a number of flower beds planted with these bulbs and they bring a shot of color. There are hundreds and hundreds of varieties, types & sizes.
Every day I walk the park and eventually pass by this pair of flower beds, it makes me smile. Love the colors, love the flowers. Check out the bee in one of the photos.
Just when I thought I was done talking about food, I came across this shot. One way to combat those hot, muggy, sunny days (besides finding A/C) is ice cream! Throughout the year this food booth will offer different flavors. At the present, it is a strawberry soft-serve ice cream. Full disclosure……….it usually comes with a waffle cone, dipped and embellished with sprinkles, but after the first time, I only needed the ice cream.
Since I didn’t want the waffle cone, the cast member offered to add some sprinkles to my dish – guess I’m not the first one to request this.
So, how is life back at work?
It’s good.
It’s different.
It’s interesting.
It’s occasionally frustrating.
It is the place where I’ve spent the majority of my adult life. My last shot is where my life at Disney started, The Land.
We got a call from a friend mid-week and quickly made plans for a weekend of scalloping & fishing. The only unfortunate thing is we don’t get to stay at King’s Bay Lodge – they’re full. We stayed at another local favorite Plantation on Crystal River.
They don’t have kitchenettes so every meal has to be eaten out and it doesn’t give us the opportunity to cook our day’s catch. Regardless, we like the rooms and the ability to secure our boat right outside of the room along the seawall is a bonus.
This visit their ‘new’ fountain is working.
It’s not a ‘fan favorite’ with us. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with it, but I’m not sure it really fits in. Driving in, this was a nice shot with the trees providing a pretty canopy.
Once you get closer, you can see how they tried to incorporate local flavor…………..by adding manatees. Maybe that’s the reason I’m not a fan. They’re just kind of a big blob. Ok, enough about the fountain.
Rich and Connor stopped by our house Friday night and headed over (taking our boat) Saturday morning. Adrienne drove over mid-afternoon Saturday to join us. Eric and I arrived in time to find our room, freshen up and gather up the gang before heading over to Peck’s Old Port Cove Seafood Restaurant for our 7pm reservation.
Notice the very bottom section of the sign? ‘Blue Crab Farm’ At the back of their place, you can see some of their holding tanks. This guy was not shy. Guy? Girl? I’m not going to pick the crab up to find out!
Ultimately we ended up sitting outside (which did not require a reservation) but allowed us plenty of physical distancing and the added benefit of open-air seating. Service was a bit hap-hazard and we ended up bussing the table before the waitress stopped by. She did bring our drinks fairly quickly and then it was time for a photo.
Although everyone – but me – started with clam chowder, I (somewhat patiently) waited for the fish net onions appetizer – super yummy and crunchy!
Four of us got the catch of the day – surprisingly all different (1-fried, 1-broiled, 1-blackened) with my choice being the ‘cajun’ seasoning. It had a red pepper kick in the seasoning
Eric came for the crabs. When he placed his order…………….they were out and he had to reluctantly find something else to eat from the menu. We went in, understanding service would be slow and that really worked in Eric’s favor. Low and behold, as our appetizer arrived a boat came up to their back dock and dropped off more crabs. Eric found our waitress and was quickly able to modify his order. His crabs arrived, steamed & sauted with garlic.
He was happy.
This made me happy…………………key lime pie. There was enough to share for those that wanted a spoonful, or two.
This weather screenshot greeted us Sunday morning. It’s all north of us, coming straight onto land, shouldn’t really impact us. Right?
By the time we got everything packed in the boat, clouds had moved in. Notice that ‘spot’ in my photo below? Rain. it was barely sprinkling when we left our hotel, but that changed.
After picking up some shrimp from Pete’s Pier, rain was coming down harder, but there was a break in the clouds. It should be enough for us to motor out to the Gulf to fish. Let’s just say it was a ‘bear’ getting to the break in the clouds. Adrienne and I were sitting in the front of the boat, covered by a beach towel (soaking wet by now) to break the stinging rain. Yes, rain hurts.
The original intent of the quick weekend trip was to ‘scallop’. The (1) rainy weather, combined with (2) murky, churned up water, (3) local reports the scallops were deeper than normal, (4) along with not being plentiful, ultimately decided scalloping was out and that we were only going to fish.
We all caught some fish that day. At one point, Rich showed us one small little seatrout that he commented was his smallest seatrout ever caught (it got thrown back)…………until Eric hooked this guy. Yep, that is one tiny trout. I think the shrimp on the hook was almost the same size.
Adrienne had a great day. Here’s an action shot while she was bringing in her fish.
The fish was netted and added to the growing catch in the cooler. It’s her biggest fish yet – 23″. Hang tight, another shot is coming. We don’t want to lose the fish for a better photo.
Here’s a shot with everyone’s catch.
L to R. Eric – mangrove snapper and seatrout, Rich – seatrout, Connor – spanish mackerel, Adrienne – spanish mackerel.
Notice who’s missing? Me. 😦 I caught no keepers. After fishing almost 20 years, I can honestly say seeing Connor and Adrienne catch fish made the day a good day even for me. Some might say have a history of competiveness…………even with fishing.
The guys enjoyed the fish-cleaning table at this place. It is a step (or two) up from a lot of places. Dual cutting surfaces, water hoses nearby and another really nice feature…………….it was covered giving ample shade.
They had some friends eagerly waiting for the fish trimmings.
Since we (and I really mean Eric) can’t cook our catch, after cleaning up we headed our for dinner. Truly, it was not a typical choice for us.
Our first option was probably going to be a 1+hour wait and it was only 5:30pm. And we were hungry. Someone mentioned Chili’s and we headed that way. All it took was the words ‘chips & salsa’.
I love their hamburgers while Eric settled for a bowl of chili.
Naturally, you have to ‘fill in the cracks’ and ice cream does that nicely.
With Rich and Connor departing early the next morning, it was the three of us.
We probably fished 25 minutes in good weather – warm, sunny with a breeze. The fish were biting! In a matter of a few minutes, the wind picked up, waves started rolling, white caps could be seen and the air temp dropped noticeably. It was time to head in. Thank goodness we found a shortcut yesterday and using the GPS could safely traverse it.
I couldn’t watch and kept my gaze towards land. Eric had to do some ‘tacking’ to get us into the channel. He later told me some of his maneuvers had water pouring over the back gunnel. This trip back became an E-Ticket ride. If you’re not familiar with the term – Google it.
Since we were pushed off the water and leaving earlier than expected, we needed lunch. We found a seafood spot on the way home – Cedar River Seafood.
They had very tasty fried pickles. And I was told the clam chowder was very good.
My broiled flounder filets and Eric’s fried fisherman’s platter was filling enough that no supper was needed.
During the short time on the water, it was productive – for me. I finally ‘got on the board’ catching this 16″ seatrout.
Which turned into dinner the next night Greek-style: lemon-rice pilaf, Greek cucumber & tomato salad and seatrout sauted with herbs, topped with a squeeze of lemon.
Oh yeah, we saw one ‘interesting’ thing at our hotel. Our first night at the hotel we experienced a fairly fierce storm. This greeted the owner in the morning. You could consider this unlucky, or incredible good luck.
Stay tuned for the next post. I’ll share some photos from work.
Darden Travels 