Fast forward to the Saturday evening. We left our house around 5pm for a 10 minute drive to Paolo’s and Markus’. We had already agreed to stay overnight; better safe than sorry, eh? They moved into their new house high up on a hill last summer which overlooks their small village.
Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by the boys and Tina, their sweet Jack Russell, and were taken to our room. It was filled with small details everywhere that just make you feel cozy: chocolates on the pillows, flowers, bathrobes, a bottle of San Pelligrino water and an Easter basket filled with goodies on the commode. What a welcome! We soon changed into our jogging pants and joined our hosts downstairs for a few glasses of Prossecco, chips and a delicious guacamole.
Tina however, preferred her snacks (given to her here by OrangeX).
After a bit of chatting and fun, we were told that they had heated up the sauna for us. We slipped into the bathrobes and were escorted by Markus to the sauna for a first round.
While we were enjoying the heat, the boys were preparing the next steps. After 20 minutes, we came out in our bathrobes and were taken to the balcony. A refreshing glass of orange juice, prossecco and a few warm snacks were served.
The evening was fresh, but not cold and we took in the pure air and enjoyed the beautiful view on th ruin of a neighbouring village. Unfortunaely, it was pretty foggy up there, but I think you still get a good idea.
We decided to go for a second round of sweating while the boys were fixing the second course. There’s nothing like cooling off in the shower after a sauna. After about 20 minutes on the balcony, we were wrapped in blankets. Mine sort of reminded of mink, so to top it off, I was even given a crown, too.
By then, we felt revitalized and were prepared for the yummy rutabaga carpaccio that Paolo had prepared with a bit of white balsmic vinegar, pepper and fresh parmesan.
Of course, Tina made sure she was getting enough attention.
The table was already set. I loved their idea of using hay as place mats. Luckily, none of us are allergic.
Next on the menu was a
satay fondue served with jasmine rice. That’s right, satay. It’s similar to a fondue chinoise, but instead of using only broth to cook your meat and veggies, you add satay sauce (a spicy peanut sauce) to the broth. We had a choice of
shrimps, chicken, pork and beef, and a diversity of fresh vegetables. It was by far the best fondue I ever had and can only recommend it (if you like it spicy oriental food!).
After all that food, it was time for a break. We chatted and laughed some more while clearing the table and finishing the wine. One of their cats, Tiggi, joined in to rest in front of the fireplace.
The desert consisted of fresh pinapple, quickly heated in a skillet with butter, some kind of
schnapps and spiced with (I think it was)
garam masala and served with vanilla ice cream. It was heaven!
We went to bed around 4 am and the church bells (and then Tina) woke us up again at 10am. To our surprise, the weather was beautiful and quite warm, so we decided to have breakfast on the terrasse. We soaked up the sun for another hour or so, before it started covering up again. Here are a few more picts. Markus, Paolo and Tina.
The time spent with Paolo and Markus was just absolutely fabulous. We simply adore them!
We said our goodbyes and left for home shortly before noon where we were greeted by a very annoyed black cat meowing something like: “Where have you been all night??” and “Where’s my food?”.
We gave Dale his late breakfast, let him out for a short run and then he cuddled up to us, purring like if there was no tomorrow. Ahhh. It’s also good to be back home.
