Aromatique

 

Erfurt, 11/8/2020 – The capital of Thuringia is a lively city with over 500 000 inhabitants and a university dating back to 1379. You feel the young vibe when you walk around the town. Covid-19 does not stop the youth from sitting outside on the terraces, joking and looking ahead with confidence. How different from Gotha yesterday. We arrived late, the ride was hot, and we have a late lunch at Pavarotti’s, Italians are working 24/7. In the courtyard we have a salad, Italian finesse, German portion. There is beer to wash it down. The restaurant is a tribute to the Italian tenor, paintings and pictures decorate the walls, the master himself delicately fills the room and courtyard through the audio system. We walk towards the Cathedral, where Luther was ordained as a priest and admire the vast, almost empty building. The late afternoon sun throws interesting shadows on the floor. We stay inside longer than we want to avoid the downpour, soaked people seek refuge in the church. The sun takes over and dries the streets, turning the rain into vapour. We go to the Krämerbrücke, a foot bridge over the Gera. Buidlings line both sides of it. We walk on the bridge and wade barefoot through the Gera under it. We find a nice terrace in ‘Zum goldenen Schwan’ and indulge in Thuringian comfort food and drink a very enjoyable Müller-Thurgau from nearby Saale-Unstrut. I finish the meal with an ‘Aromatique’, a local liqueur full of healthy herbs. I drink it as a tribute to Régis, our clubmate, who beat the cream of the GDR-decathletes here in 1971. 

Krämerbrücke Erfurt, dating back to the 12th century


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