The Beauty of Rest Areas

The view in the rest area

Traveling across Europe by land made me see things you don't see in the sky. By plane, we usually focused on the newest entertainment available on board or looking at the next meal menu. But by land, I got to see something else. Sure it was tiring but it's like seeing a postcard on your window. I traveled in a group of sixteen and embarked on a four to eight hours worth of driving a day. If it gets boring, there's a movie on the bus or getting down on your novels. But when the view is great, you won't take your eyes off it.

One of the exciting moments are actually the rest time. We have to pull up twice a day to use the restroom and the rest areas couldn't be more beautiful. I remember somewhere in Swiss when we were stopping, the rest area was surrounded by a beautiful range of the Swiss Alps. I couldn't wrap my mind around how beautiful it was.

They take rest areas very seriously around Europe because it's their distribution line. They are built to cater everything. Plus, they maintain a clean restroom (that's important!). We stopped several times at this chain rest area giant called Autogrill. The guide said it's pretty famous in Italy. I expect little stalls like they have back home but no. It was huge! They cook seriously. It is designed to be a self service restaurant. They have different stalls of pasta or grilled meat (pan fried chicken or seafood goods), provides a good selection of baked goods and dessert. It didn't feel like we were above a highway, in the middle of a four-five hour drive. But, it can result it taking too much food. We ended up doing exactly that :/

Tortellini Bolognese

Tiramisu

We tried to different Autogrill in two countries. I ordered the pan fried chicken with potatoes and a tiramisu for my dessert. The portion? Very European. Is it true that the Western eat bigger portions? It was overwhelmingly big but it tasted quite okay. I love the potatoes. I guess potatoes are a signature dish in the west. The tiramisu was also very good. Not too coffee-y, something I don't enjoy very much. My brother tried the tortellini, which is too hard for my tongue. Well, we have to remember it is Autogrill, not a fancy restaurant. Or is it the way people cook it originally? My mouth is used to soft things I guess.


The other time I ordered pizza, with cheese and peperoni. It was soooo good. Well, it was just cheese and peperoni, how could it be so tasty?

The rest areas are designed to be quick, with the self-service concept and all of that. But at the same time, designed with such an effort. They don't just make a building and restaurants in it, it was actually a good looking building, some has parks with lots of bench. They grasped the need to have a good place to put up your feet. Especially because they have a non driving policy for bigger vehicle like trucks containers on Sundays. They literally have to stop their journey and stop on Sundays. Most of these vehicles may also have a tight schedule so they will want something fast. Like my bus, we have a schedule. The bus musn't go over 12 hours a day of driving so it's pretty good for these people.

always,
Hana.

Viennese Delight

I was fortunate enough to go on a tour of Europe a few weeks ago. I started in Amsterdam, going south to Italy and up north again to London. We didn't really taste a lot of local food because it's a tour and the food are provided for us. And, it's almost always Chinese food. I swear I'm so sick of Chinese food. But it's interesting to me that the Chinese community exists in every country. From Innsbruck to Lucerne and Venice, you'll find a Chinese restaurant. But that's not what I'm talking about. I want to talk about a cake, from Austria.

It is called the Sarcher Torte. Sarcher is a family name who made this cake and torte means tart. It's originally created by accident, when Franz Sarcher needed to step into the chef's place (he was an apprentice) and created this chocolate tart with apricot filling. I was traveling to Innsbruck when our tour guide said this tart is pretty famous in Austria. We headed down to Cafe Sarcher to try this delight.

The Innsbruck Cafe

At first, I didn't feel right walking into the cafe. I'm a tourist, Asian, don't speak the local language. The cafe wasn't busy at the time so I went on and sat waiting to be served. I was immediately struck by the way they presented the menu book. It's hung in a little stick on the center of the table. It also described the story of the Sarcher Torte invention. Thankfully, the waitress understands English as I ordered the famous tart and a cup of hot chocolate.

While I waited, I soaked in the atmosphere. It's bright; they let the sun shines in through a typical European big window. The walls were lined with pictures of the famous people who dined at the place, both at the cafe and the hotel. (There is a Hotel Sarcher in Vienna and Salzburg).

The famous Sarcher Torte and Hot Chocolate

The moment of truth arrived and we were all very excited. It looked so good. I absolutely love the chocolate top. The apricot filling was terrific, if you love that kind of thing in your cake. I personally don't like a fruity ingredient on my chocolate. It is a fine cake, but it didn't make me crave for more. I do crave for more chocolate, which tasted heavenly in a form of my hot chocolate. I could drink that everyday and never get bored. It's rich; not too sweet. Just perfect.

One other thing. It's quite affordable, under 10 euros :)


always,
Hana

photos courtesy of Cafe Sarcher