Wirtschaft zum Wiesengrund

I did not think I will dine at  "Wirtschaft zum Wiesengrund" Saturday night because we had reservations for Petermann's Kunstuben.  I had been at Petermann's once previously and enjoyed it tremendously so we were happy return to celebrate  the addition of "Dr." to my husband's name.  Unfortunately, upon arrival at the restaurant, we were told that our table was given to other people.  I was really disappointed.  Somehow it is not acceptable that a place with 2 Michelin Stars and 19 Gault Millau points would mess up a reservation.  Anyway, Frau Petermann nicely offered us free champagne for the big oversight  and to book us that evening at Wirtschaft zum Wiesengrund.  Not wanting to destroy our evening we accepted and off we went to Uetikon.

We dine at Michelin starred places 4 times a year maximum.  For me, it is an anticipated event.  We like to keep special places for special occasions otherwise it won't be special anymore.Well, ahem, it is also a little bit expensive to do frequently (maybe if I win the lotto). At this point, because of the reservation mix-up, my mood has turned for the worse.  Anyway, I was telling myself, Wirtschaft zum Wiesengrund have 2 Michelin Stars and 18 Gault Millau so it should not be so bad.   I did not wear a little black dress and super high heels to eat at Burger King.

The great service at Wiesengrund managed to uplift my mood.  I was positively impressed by the hostess and her team who catered to our every need.  The food was great too.  The combination of flavors that the chef created were subtle but it didn't fail in teasing the taste buds.  Each plate has a theme so one can explore the different possibilities a certain ingredient can be molded into.  At the end, I have to admit, what captured my heart was the crispy pork skin of the main course. Again, this is a testament to the great service team.  At the beginning of the service I mentioned in passing to the hostess that I like my crispy pork skin and then tahdah that was exactly what I got (the chef mentioned at the end of the service that he did that specially because I said I like it).

I am happy to have found (unexpectedly) a great dining address in Zurich.

and it's mine....

Some dreams come true...

Paris

Probably I'm insane. I didn't fall in love with Paris at all. I even could say that I didn't like it. Yes, it's grand but there was that undefinable extra something missing. No, I didn't fall in love with Paris. Maybe I have to go back in summer when it is warm and one can sit outside a cafe watching people walk by which of course is part of the city's legendary charm.

The Louvre is the biggest museum in the world. It houses more than 380,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art from Egyptian antiquities to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. I did not enjoy the Louvre. When we visited there were so many people. I really couldn't see anything because the place was packed with people. The Mona Lisa you can forget because there was a big hysterical crowd gathered just in front of it. It is not a very big painting and there is a protective glass in front of it so basically it was impossible to see much less appreciate. So, we gave up. The whole place was packed with people and crying children. In the circumstances in which we visited, it was not possible to appreciate anything. I was sad because there were so many things I wanted to see.

The Palace of Versaille was the worst. It was packed. It was not possible to stop and look at anything because of the crowd which was elbow to elbow and sometimes cheek to cheek. I basically just got dragged through the whole palace.

 Dragged through Versaille.

The city itself is not the cleanest. It is a big city so basically one spends half the holiday inside the metro. The metro in Paris was efficient but it is not the most charming place on earth. The city can clean it a little bit sometimes. Paris also has a dog shit problem which is quite obvious even in the most expensive shopping streets. Probably, I have lived in Zürich for too long.

I will probably give Paris a second chance but for now I will say that I didn't fall in love with it at all.

Paris Louvre France

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Blogs of Note: The Island Explorer

Today while surfing the web for information about my next trip to the Philippines, I came across "The Island Explorer". RJ Samson through his blog confirms my belief that there are definitely still more beautiful beaches to explore in the Philippines other than the usual suspects. Come on, the Philippines is the second largest archipelago in the world, we should have more dream islands more than any other country except Indonesia.  Unfortunately (or fortunately), we still have have a lot to discover about the Philippines and I thank RJ for tickling my imagination with pictures of unspoiled little paradises.

I particularly like the series of posts on Pangasinan and the post on Calagua Island in Camarines Norte. Great to know that there are Boracay-like beaches near Manila.

Photo of Calagua Island from The Island Explorer

So, if you are tired of going to Boracay, visit "The Island Explorer" for new travel ideas.

PS
More information about Calaguas Island can be found at "The Gridcrosser Files". It also contains contact numbers of people who can help plan your camping trip.

I like: Maarten van Severen LCP Lounge Chair

I am severely lusting for Maarten van Severen's LCP Lounge Chair which is manufactured by Kartell. These chairs are crazy expensive. According to www.stardust.com from where I took the photos, these chairs retail for about 2000USD (on sale)! Hayyy. I want one!!!!

According to the Kartell website "The LCP is a lounge chair is formed from a single mould of clear acrylic plastic which folds back on itself in a spiral to create a radically innovative lounge chair. Only exclusive technology has allowed such flexibility, thus preserving the purity of the article’s shape. LCP is elastic, soft and resistant even if it exudes an intangible and evanescent quality."

Maybe one day....

Adam Carolla

Quotes from Adam Carolla, red italics are my comments:

“Here's how you know your country doesn’t have a lot going for it—when everything is about Manny Pacquiao,” he went on. “Get a f****n’ life as a country, all you’ve f****n’ got is this illiterate guy who won't give up blood who happens to smash other guys in the head better than other people, that's all you have as the Philippines?”

I agree. Sad but true.

“Really, you want some guy with brain damage running your country? Why don't you get your sh*t together?”

In fairness, he lost last elections. Maybe we are getting starting to get our sh*t together.

“They got this and sex tours, that's all they have over there. Get your sh*t together Philippines. Jesus Christ. I mean, again, it's fine to be proud of your countrymen. But that's it? That's all you got?”

No comment.