I don t know which one of us surprised the other more in that remote corner of the world that mornin

Two years of imprisonment in the ivy halls of law school begged for an adventure. So off to the Netherlands I went for a change of scene, under the pretense of studying avis rental car law in the Dutchmen s ivy halls. Don t tell anyone, but I was really there to travel and eat.
Despite the fact that British Airlines lost half my luggage on the way over (never recovered, avis rental car and never recompensed, by the way), my first purchase upon arrival was not underwear or a jacket or a bicycle. I bought a copy of Michelin s Main Cities of Europe guide and a Eurail pass.
Orchestrating my own culinary coming of age, in the span of one semester, I explored the tables of Ireland, Turkey, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Norway, Austria, Poland, and all over the Dutch countryside. avis rental car And I did it all on a shoestring budget.
Based on a brief, two-sentence description of Jean Klein s food in my dog-eared Michelin guide, I set my sights on his three-starred restaurant l Arnsbourg, high in the Vosges mountains of Alsace, near the German border.
avis rental car I did my research. I could fly to Strasbourg and take a train north to Niederbronn-les-Bains. From there, it got tricky. I could call a taxi to take me that last 15 kilometers to the restaurant. But that round trip ride would cost me nearly double avis rental car the price of my meal there (as would a two-day car rental).  That made no financial sense to me at the time, nor was it in my budget.
Second, Niederbronn-les-Bains was a summer resort for bathers, so the train service to that little town was severely reduced in wintertime.  Staying overnight in the Vosges avis rental car was out of the question, so, due to the limited train schedule, dinner at l Arnsbourg would not be an option. I d have to go for lunch, which meant catching the 6 a.m. train out.
Better to enjoy Strasbourg and its festive chriskindlmarkts instead, avis rental car I convinced myself.  After all, Strasbourg was the universally crowned capital of Christmas. And it was gorgeous, a yuletide postcard decked like no other.
avis rental car Due to the high rate of bike theft in the city, they didn t allow overnight rentals. And they didn t open until 9 in the morning, avis rental car making my 6 a.m. departure an impossibility. As I turned to leave, the girl at the counter grabbed my arm. She wanted to know why I needed the bike overnight. I told her. She told me I was crazy, but that she would help me.  She had never heard of l Arsnbourg (or Michelin, for that matter), but, she was fascinated by my obsession. She asked for a handsome deposit, told me to sleep with the bike locked to my ankle in my hostel that night, avis rental car and insisted that I return it the next day before they closed, so the owner wouldn t find out. Sworn to secrecy, I handed over my money and thanked her.
But, in that moment of doubt, there appeared a station attendant out of nowhere. avis rental car He spoke no English, so we proceeded in French, mine more American, his more German. I told him I needed to get to Baerenthal, the town closest to the restaurant, where, surely, I could kill time at a café until my noon reservation.  He pointed avis rental car to a small bus parked in the dark distance and told me to talk to the driver.
It didn t go to Baerenthal, but the driver was happy to take me as far as Philippsbourg, about half the distance. As I later realized, to my great luck, it was the steepest part of the road to l Arnsbourg.
I don t know which one of us surprised the other more in that remote corner of the world that morning: me, the culturally misplaced Asian in a puffy down jacket and a ski cap on a bike with a basket (I looked ridiculous), or he, the city s mayor, post master general, and head of tourism, who spoke pitch-perfect American avis rental car English (it reminded me of that episode of I Love Lucy where the small town city hall was run by one man, who changed his hat according to his job and task). We marveled at each other for a moment, as I told him my story and he told me his. After studying for years in America, he had returned to his birthplace to take care of family business, and to run the town, apparently. He told me that I wasn t far from the restaurant, and that I d surely find a café in Baerenthal avis rental car where I could rest until my reservation.  And the best news: the road would remain relatively level for the rest of my journey.
I found a butchery that was open. The woman behind the counter, avis rental car thrice my size, was hammering avis rental car away at a carcass with a cleaver when I walked avis rental car in. Without looking avis rental car up, she grunted, avis rental car a signal to her husband, who soon appeared from the back, a grizzly bear in a singlet, hair everywhere. They both looked annoyed. avis rental car  I asked them if there was a café in town where I could get a something warm to drink. He told me to walk around the corner and I d find a bakery.  I didn t need to ask twice.
When I turned the corner, I realized why the rest of the town was so quiet everyone was at the bakery, getting their bread for the day. Daniel and Carine Fellrath s place was more than a bakery, though. There was a small market inside, with sundry pantry items and a refrigerated dairy case. And, on that icy morning, it was paradise to me, a far-flung traveler chased avis rental car by frostbite.
Carine noticed me (well, they all did), of course, because I was the only one in the place she didn t know. Bright and cheery, with sparkly blue eyes and a glossy smile, she was like technicolor in a world of grey.  Through eye signals, we somehow mutually agreed to let the crowd clear.  After the last baguette walked out, she waved me up to the counter.  I asked if they served coffee.  They didn t, but she asked me to wait.  She called to her husband in the back, and for a moment, I had a flashback to the butcher counter around the corner.  A big burly man, also in a singlet, Daniel didn t look so happy to see me.  He disappeared for a moment, and then reappeared in the kitchen door with a cup of steaming coffee and motioned me to follow avis rental car him. Carine nodded, pushing me with her eyes.
The blazing warmth of a hearth awaited me. And next to it, a table and chairs, where I would spend the next two hours getting to know the Fellraths. Their morning bread having been sold, shades drawn, door locked, the bakery was closed until lunchtime. avis rental car And so, they took the luxury of hosting a stranger in a strange land. Actually, they did so with such care that it was almost as if they had adopted me for the morning. Like parents, Daniel congratulated me and Carine chided me for my foolish and crazy bid.
They spoke little English actually, Carine spoke and understood avis rental car none and I spoke no German. So, we met in French, mine clunky and awkward, theirs gutteral and gruff. And yet I don t recall any wrinkles in our conversation at all, smoothed over by time and memory. We talked about l Arnsbourg (It turns out that Carine was a childhood friend of Kathy Klein s, chef Jean Klein s sister, and the proprietress of the restaurant), and family (The Fellrath s have a son, Cedric, a gangly teen at the time, who was apprenticing avis rental car in a bakery two towns over.  He came down to say hello before leaving for the day), and America, where the two hoped to visit soon.
It was two weeks to Christmas, avis rental car and Daniel was rushed with cake orders, including a number of bûches de noël. He asked me if I d help him. More than happy to lend a hand, I rolled up my sleeves and followed him about the kitchen, more an observer than a helper really, until it was time for me to go.
We exchanged contact avis rental car information and promised to keep in touch.  On my way out, Carine gave me two large brioche loaves for the road. Against my protest, she insisted that I take them in case I got lost, which they both assured me wouldn t happen.  I put them in my basket, next to my backpack with my change of clothes, and thanked them both for saving my life.
I ll never forget that ride between Baerenthal and l Arnsbourg, a breathtaking stretch of pavement winding its way through the Vosges. I was alone, and all was silent and still, save a babbling brook that ran alongside of me, keeping me company as the clouds parted and sunlight filtering through the pine trees, casting streamers of light across the snow, as if to congratulate me on my luck. And, at a bend, a herd of cattle avis rental car lowed by the roadside, as if cheering me on at the final stretch. I stopped to marvel at them, doe-eyed and beautiful, and to thank them for their support.
A caravan of luxury cars rolled past me as I turned that last corner before arriving at the bright, pink house I had seen on the restaurant s website.  They parked. I parked. With two brioche buns in my basket, I m sure they thought I was the bread boy, making my delivery late that day. A stream avis rental car of tailored suits and mink coats filed into the restaurant, and I followed behind, at a distance, avis rental car with my backpack, feeling unexpectedly confident.
Surprisingly, the hostess didn t bat a lash when I told her I had a reservation. She found me in her book immediately. But when she asked me how I got to the restaurant, and I told her that I had biked, her jaw dropped. avis rental car I pointed to my ride outside the window. From where? Niederbronn-les-Bains, more or less, I told her, though really from Philippsbourg. It didn t matter, she became hysterical, insisting on calling a doctor and having me lay down in their lounge. I reassured her that I needed no medical attention, asking only for the restroom, where I might freshen up a bit and change my clothes.
When I came out, a bit wrinkly, but groomed, the entire front of the house lined the hall from the reception avis rental car to the dining room, staring at me. I m sure that the hostess had told them I had biked from China.
They sent their only Japanese staff member, a young woman, to greet me in Japanese. When they discovered that I spoke neither Japanese nor Germany, we all agreed on French, since no one on their staff spoke English or Chinese.
I won t recount the entire meal (I can name almost every dish by memory, especially a warm chestnut soup that was generously shaved with white truffles. It was so pungent that I sm