The Journal - Summer 2010 edition How to get to Eisenach:


If you are coming from abroad you should fly directly to Frankfurt International airport, where you would have an onward journey by road taking about two hours.


A closer airport is located at Erfurt where there are regular flights to and from a number of German destinations.


A convenient alternative mode of travel is to “let the train take the strain” and have a relaxing journey from major German cities or further afield directly to Eisenach’s mainline station.


For detailed information on Eisenach and the surrounding regions see the website of the local tourist office: www.eisenach.info


Elisabeth of Thuringia (St. Elisabeth) was also married here in 1221 to Ludwig IV. Martin Luther was a choirboy at the church and later became a preacher. The Baptism of Johann Sebastian Bach also took place at St. George’s on 21st March 1685, whilst for over 130 years (spanning four generations) a member of the Bach family was the church organist. You should time a visit to coincide with one of the quite short organ recitals that are played at regular intervals from Mondays to Saturdays, starting at 11 am. The Karlsplatz is Eisenach’s oldest market


square going back to the time when it was a trading settlement. This is also where St. Nicholas Church is located (St. Nicholas was the Patron Saint of Merchants).This triple nave basilica was originally part of a Benedictine convent, however since 1555 is has been used as a Protestant church. The St. Nicholas Gate, adjoining the church, is the only surviving town gate in Eisenach and is purported to be one of the oldest in Thuringia.


“Home from home” It is said that when Goethe, the acclaimed German novelist, poet, dramatist and scientist came to Eisenach in the 18th century, he became enamoured with what he discovered, namely the mediaeval arts and poetry which subsequently had a profound effect upon him. Goethe was also quoted as saying: “You arrive and, without a moment wasted, you feel you have settled in – a home from home!“


Where to stay: You can truly spoil yourself by booking


your accommodation at one of the loveliest five-star boutique hotels in Germany – the Hotel auf der Wartburg. Located on high ground with panoramic views overlooking Eisenach and the majestic countryside, the hotel’s close neighbour is the stately Wartburg Castle! In spite of its period appearance the hotel


was only built in the beginning of the 20th century in the Romanesque and late Gothic styles, opening its doors to guests in 1914. There are twenty-six double rooms and nine single ones, all delightfully furnished in traditional style with en-suite well- equipped bathrooms. For anyone sensible or silly enough to


18 FOOD AND DRINK


Wines and ales for balmy days Em Marshall tries out some summer tipples


I


nconsistent the great British summertime may be, but at least its inconstancy provides opportunities


for every drinking occasion – whether the fresh chilled whites and roses that one traditionally associates with summer, or deeper, warmer reds to turn to when it’s bucketing down outside! For those with something to celebrate,


Carrs Taylor – from a vineyard above the town of Hastings - is one of my top recommendations. Their classic Traditional Method Brut – a refreshing, classy sparkling, with gentle citrus taste and perfect bubbles, won a bronze medal at the 2009 French Challenge International Du Vin. Their invigorating Alexis Estate Selection table wine is very dry but wonderfully mineral-y. Almost colourless, it has a pleasingly floral nose, while the fresh, zingy and slightly tart taste is of lemon and gooseberry. For reasonably priced Fairtrade wines, Fairhills Sauvignon Blanc is another white I’d recommend. Pale straw in colour, and with fruity aromas of lychees, peaches, grass and hints of citrus, the taste is citrusy and of gooseberries – fresh and quite modern. Their 2009 South African Shiraz Merlot


has a good deep ruby colour, and a nose of blackberries and bramble fruits. Plummy, rich, heady, lusciously dark and fruity, with hints of oak, ash, leather and vanilla, it is an excellent wine for its age! Two other superb reds for those rainy days are Hix and Buck’s Vin de Pays des Coteaux de l’Ardeche Mas D’intra Syrah 2007 – a deep, thick, purple wine with a heady nose of dark berry fruits; rich, smooth and spicy in the mouth, with blackberries and tantalising hints of tar and leather (a superb wine for red meat or game), and Chateau Le Grand Verdus, 2006 Bordeaux Superieur. This has a lovely rich, deep ruby colour, a nose of ripe berry fruits and taste of brambles, tar, tobacco and dark woodlands. Amongst my more intriguing finds has


been Taylor & Shroff’s exciting range of fruit wines based on traditional Sussex


recipes. (Best chilled, and can also be used as a mixer for cocktails – though I prefer to drink them as wines). The Ginger wine has a golden colour, spicy nose and wonderfully fiery, hot, crisp bite, and rich, honeyed taste – almost like mead to begin with before the ginger kicks in. A truly unusual and interesting wine – the first taste causes one to pause, but then it becomes terribly moreish! The golden and fragrant Apricot is representative of its fruit in both aroma and taste – rich and luscious, sweet and sticky – also honeyed, but with a bit of a tang at the end of the taste. It is like a very rich dessert wine – summer in a glass! The Cherry, meanwhile, is truly addictive - a rich, sweet, syrup-y wine, with a hint of calpol. Powerful and bold in colour, it has a lovely cherry aroma and taste – superb! Beers I’m currently drinking include Innis and Gunn’s. The Original is a dark, oaky, woody ale with a smooth, rounded taste, rich and mature taste, whilst their IPA is oak-aged, with a gloriously rich taste - nutty, golden, with perfect balance of yeastiness, fruitiness and oak. Mature and full like a fine old wine, it tastes of woodland, toast and nuts. Brooklyn Local Beer is a new find


– a golden refermented ale, with a darker, richer and more complex taste than its colour implies - wonderfully hoppy, with a tangy bite and hints of spice – a true connoisseur’s beer, while the refreshing Duvel Belgian Golden Ale – in one of their classic tulip- shaped glasses – is perfect for the sun – when it emerges!


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