Meißen, “cradle of Saxony,” is home to the famous porcelain (first outside of the Far East), or so I found out from my friend’s German husband after our visit. To be fair, we were only in Meissan for dinner – no time for sightseeing.
What we did see was completely unintentional. Quite accidental. The caravan of three cars stopped at the train station to bid farewell to our Russian friends. From there, we were heading to dinner at the top of the hill. I think we went the wrong way. We saw the Albrechtsburg castle. Twice. Beautiful against the soon-to-set sun. It was like deja vu or a double vision. Very dreamy.
We were blessed with a sunny and warm (hot actually) Sunday that day. My friend took the top off her husband’s convertible. The warm breeze was brilliant. Cruising in a Porsche was not a bad deal. Life is good.
Dinner was at Domkeller, the oldest restaurant in Meissan. Atop the castle hill in Cathedral Square, the view of the town and its red rooftops was AMAZING. Coincidentally another friend’s mother-in-law was living in a house within sight. Pretty cool.
We sat outside on the terrace (pre-book it!). About 20 of us, spread out over several tables, with the sun setting on the town behind us. A cacophony of languages blending beautifully. Excited as people are at the end of a workshop, sitting front row looking at incoming change.
Plus we were hungry!
The menu was thick, slightly confusing even for our German friends because of the Saxon German. And for the rest of us? A mix of Russian, Ukrainian, Israeli, Finnish, Australian, and Canadian? Yeah, you can imagine. The English translation was there, just not so noticeable. A fair number of us actually missed it. The menu, as a design project? Epic fail. The different fonts and stylings made reading not so enjoyable or enticing. Coupled that with impatience of a demanding tummy = frustration. Thankfully the waitress was pretty good with English, and used to handling big crowds.
After much careful deliberation, my friend Gin and I chose to share two fish – boiled trout (way more delicious than the name suggests) and salmon with a white asparagus vegetable mix. Something a little heavier to ground the energy after a workshop, and the cold, for me.
It was white asparagus season, with a special menu dedicated to it. A couple people had an asparagus salad – it looked good and they seemed happy about it. We also learned why the asparagus, which is harvested while still underground, was white. I was too distracted by de-boning my trout to take a photograph of the special asparagus.
Drinks? Of course. Celebration of our friend’s birthday and the conclusion of the workshop. Plus old friends and new friends. Lots of reasons to celebrate, really.
Most popular was beer – klein, not grosse. But many kleins. Apparently from the oldest private Saxon brewery. For me, overwhelmed by the menu, I chose a Riesling. Always a reliable choice in Germany.
Having mostly vegetarian or pescetarian friends, sitting at the table with an array of meat from ribs to meat towers was a little strange. It was serious traditional German fare. Some hearty meat for my new friends, after a weekend of vegetarian-only meals.
The dinner was fantastic – great location with a beautiful view, good food, flow of drinks, lots of chatter between new and old friends with a now-comfortable confusion of languages. The common language was English and there was a lot of translation and gesturing going on. To any outsider, it may have felt and seen as chaotic but it worked. Quite nicely. There is nothing patience, openness, and a bright smile cannot overcome. Especially when we were feasting.
