The Proof of the Streudel

This morning we were on the road again – this time for Ansbach, a small village near Nuremburg – yes we went back in that direction again. It was a relatively short ride - only 2 hours. In Ansbach we are staying in a quaint old hotel called Hotel-Gasthof Zur Windmuhle (The Windmill.) We arrived just in time for lunch at the hotel restaurant, a family-run establishment with great care taken to make every dish special. I ate the Weiner Schnitzel (made of veal), which was very good and finished with their homemade apple streudel. This was truly the most sublime apple streudel I have ever eaten – a thin flaky crust, warm, cinnamony apples – just perfect! Eva is back with us and she seems to be fine. Her weakness, I found out, is ice cream. She was more than pleased with the sundae she got at The Windmill. The grandmother of the family was our server. She didn't speak a lick of English, but we managed to communicate quite well, anyway. Annette tells us she is there at every meal, every day of the year, working with her family. After lunch, a marching band began playing a series of tunes outside the hotel entrance. A crowd gathered to hear them.

Tonight’s play was Proof, by David Auburn. You know, the one about the math genius and his daughter who proves something extraordinary but noone believes she could have done it. Mary Louis Parker did it on Broadway; Gwyneth Paltrow was in the film. It’s a solid, well-made play and it holds up well. The show was early, 5 p.m., so we ate afterward at a second rate Italian restaurant where the pasta was overcooked (wouldn’t happen in Italy!), but the wine was good.

Tomorrow, back to Heidelberg for a bit of rest, a chance to regroup, talk with my clients, and prepare the Improv Workshop I will be doing the following week.