vacation

Excited about Eating by Ernie Hiers

/ Dora Hiers / 5 Comments

During our recent trip to Germany we stopped over in Cologne. We stepped out of the central railway station (Koln Hauptbahnhof), and bam! The Cathedral was right there, in all its glory.

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Cologne Cathedral

 

And just a block or two away, we found Funkhaus Café. This recently renovated stylish café offers a variety of salads, sandwiches, and classic dishes along with cakes and pastries.

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Not many people inside because the weather’s so beautiful!

Dora here. Don’t forget breakfast and coffee! Just look at this place. Not many people sitting inside because the weather’s so beautiful! Try to spot my guy in the next picture. See him? ♥ 

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loads of outdoor seating

Back to Ernie…Since I had a large lunch, for dinner I ordered Lentil Soup with smoked duck breast. Outstanding, with the lentil being cooked just enough to have a little bite but not mushy, and the thinly sliced duck breast was tender, tasty, and the perfect accompaniment to the soup. This was just the right dish to end a very busy day.

lentil bean soup

Lentil Bean Soup with Duck Breast, outstanding!

Dora here. The Goulash Spätzle was calling my name. Rather loudly. 🙂

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Goulash Spatzle – yes, get it! You won’t be sorry.

 

Doesn’t that look oh-so-yummy? Well, my friends, it was! My first time ever eating Spätzle, and those noodles were so buttery and soft, the meat so tender…I want to go back to Cologne just for the goulash! And to gasp at that stunning cathedral. Oh, let’s not forget about the ice cream! Check this out.

We capped off an awesome day with ice cream from Eiscafe Brede. A walk-up with loads of outside seating and they offer almost any variety of ice cream that you can imagine. (Dora here. Not sure we ever could have imagined this! And if you’re walking from the train station, just a warning, it’s a bit of a trek. Phew!) We both chose the Spaghetti Ice Cream, mine with strawberries and Dora’s with chocolate, of course. Now this was definitely a different bowl of ice cream.  Just looking at it from a distance, it almost looks like real spaghetti. But as soon as you dig into this dessert, you soon realize that it is creamy delicious ice cream.

spagetti ice cream

Spaghetti Ice Cream…oh yeah! Good to the last noodle.

Dora here. It only took one bite for you to realize, Ernie? Took me the whole bowl. lol. Soooo good! People might’ve stared at me for licking the bowl. \o/

Definitely five forks out of five for both the restaurant and the ice cream!

When You Need to Recharge…

/ Dora Hiers / 4 Comments
Struggling to find a job? Feeling stomped on by co-workers? Going through marital problems? Family discord. Rebellious children. Financial challenges. Medical issues. Or maybe you just lost a precious family member or friend.
You name it, and we’ve probably all faced it at some point. Pressure gains momentum as a culmination of events and issues take turns with their punches. Or it could be one major incident that knocks us until we’re staggering backward like a fighter in a boxing ring, squeezing the breath from our lungs until our vision blurs, the voices around us fading into oblivion.
We each handle stress differently. Some people thrive on it. Others tug the blanket back over their head and sleep. I tend to…

Run! Not run away because we all know that doesn’t solve any problems. But run to the mountains. 


Peace speaks to my soul here. Whispers that everything’s going to be all right, that life is more than writing and books. That God is in control and that He’s infinitely greater than my paltry problems. Being here brings God more into focus, and the pressure lifts. I can breathe deep again, liberated from the chains of worry that squeeze my chest.
If we can’t break away for a weekend, then this is where I run…

Not quite the same, but it’s nice to escape my desk and the mountain of tasks demanding my attention and slip away for a few minutes.
This year has been crazy busy. While I’m beyond thrilled that four of my books released between May and September, that also meant long hours hunched over my laptop, trying to keep the momentum going with my current work-in-progress and the extra writing related to marketing four books. You know how, at times, events just keep piling on your calendar until suddenly you’ve lost control? That’s me this year, somewhere about April. I definitely needed a recharge, so we headed for the mountains over a long weekend.
It’s the same for hero Burk Harmon in Burk’s Surrender. As Deputy City Manager of fictional Harrison, NC, he deals with stress every day in his job, and as the oldest of the Harmon siblings, he’s been the glue that held his family together since their celebrity father’s tragic suicide. But he has a few weighty decisions to face. Like if he’s willing to risk his family’s emotional well-being with the increased visibility that accepting the City Manager’s position would demand, and moving beyond a decade of being “just friends” with Lacie. When she invites him to tag along with her and fifty elderly seniors to the mountains for a city event, he jumps on the chance to recharge. That, and spend time with her. 🙂

Where do you go to destress and recharge?
He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him,
whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! ~Isaiah 26:3 TLB

He’s my yesterday, my tomorrow, my today.
He’s my redeemer, my hiding place, my refuge.
He’s the grace who covers a multitude of wrongs, the beauty in my ugly, the bridge to forever.
He’s the restorer of my soul, the quiet in my storm, the still water of perfect peace.
He’s my champion, my hero, my rock.
He’s the sweet spot in my day, my reason for being,
my very next breath. ~Dora Hiers