Taking a Break 2 - The Proof is in the Pudding

onceuponatime (72)in #life • 9 years ago (edited)

The proof is in the pudding

The original phrase is "The proof of the pudding is in the eating!" which means you have to eat the pudding to know what's inside of it. http://www.urbandictionary.com

The proof of the pudding is in the eating

(but The Old Dog, @kus-knee, seems to think it might be in a photo!)

"The proof of the pudding is in the eating" - not in a photo, Old Dog!

This proverb dates back at least to the 14th century......

A 1682 translation of Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux Le Lutrin (written between 1672 and 1674) renders it "The proof of th' pudding's seen i' the eating."[2]
The current phrasing is generally attributed to the 1701 translation by Peter Anthony Motteux[3] of a proverb Miguel de Cervantes used in Don Quixote (1615),[4] al freír de los huevos lo verá ‎(“you will see it when you fry the eggs”).[5]
The shorter form "the proof is in the pudding", which dates back to the 1920s and came into common use in the United States in the 1950s, is becoming increasingly common.[6][7]
en.wiktionary.org

In my previous post, called "Taking a Break"....

(if you haven't already, please read it before proceeding here)
https://steemit.com/life/@onceuponatime/taking-a-break

.... I left you with a cliffhanger (I did have you on the edge of your seats, didn't I?). The Old Dog ( @kus-knee ) and I had booked rooms at Kellner's Spa in Badenweiler. This despite the only review we could find in English being such a downer, describing Kellner's Spa as horrible. Indeed, as we pulled up in front of the building, it looked like something out of a Gothic horror movie.

But let's go inside to see just how we suffered through five days R&R :-)
(R&R, military slang for rest and recuperation - wikipedia)

What awaited inside?

Can't you just picture Dracula up on that top balcony?

But then just look at one of the many places inside:

As we stepped through into the lobby,

there was the feel of a bygone era. Everything, though clean, was very out of date - nothing modern in any sense of the word at all. Interesting things to look at were everywhere: old-style mirrors, pieces of art, candelabra, paintings, a suit of armor, even a grand piano! It seemed a place frozen in time.

The lobby was empty of people, as was the reception counter. But soon a distinguished looking lady stepped out of an office, behind the counter (the other side of which we now stood). We told her of our reservations. She looked a little annoyed (later on, she really warmed up after we made concerted efforts to be pleasant to her. I think that she might have had an emotional hangover from the previous English-speaking guest who had written that bad review and so was wary of us at first). There appeared to be not another living soul in the building.

She spoke with what I took to be a clipped British accent. Later, I asked her if she had studied in England (we were in Germany, after all. I had assumed she was German, and so wondered about her accent). I found out that her family was originally South African but had moved to Germany decades ago - presumably during South Africa's political transition. Hence what I took at first as a British accent actually turned out to be the remnants of her South African one.

A couple of the many paintings throughout the building.

The lady signed us in, then we went back out to the car to get our luggage. Right behind us came the South African "receptionist" who it appeared was now to to be our "bellhop". She wanted to carry our luggage up to the rooms! But the little remaining sense of chivalry I maintain refused to let her. So, despite a bad hip, I gathered my two cases and headed in. She took us in turn and showed us our rooms, small but clean and adequate. She informed us that dinner would be served starting at 5:00 and until 6:30, in the dining room, and left us.

The third floor (to be our Kingdom as there were no other occupants!)

Doors to our rooms

Below, I wait for a few minutes in a small salon off the lobby until the dining room opens.

The first thing that strikes us is the exquisite wallpaper in the dining room!

That's my nephew sitting with me in the photo below. He joined us from Ticino, by train, on the second day.

I guess we could have used the private dining room. But we're not stuck up. We wanted to mingle. Unfortunately, much of the time we seemed to be the only guests! We began, perhaps just a little nervously, to joke that maybe there was an ax-murderer in the building or something!

Most mornings a fantastic breakfast was served, to us alone, in the dining room. Once in a while there might be one, or at most two, other tables occupied. And remember, the rest of the town was fully booked up! It was delightful, but spooky.

Dinners were always gourment.

Although there was an excellent selection of wines........

.....it was, after all, Oktoberfest in Germany. We happily stuck to beer.

Very happily!

I don't know what to say....it looks like beer even goes with desserts during Oktoberfest.

I guess that "The Proof was in the Pudding" (and the beer!) lol

So much for the Dining Room.

I didn't get any pictures of the wet and dry saunas, the massage and physiotherapy rooms, or the balcony or garden sititng areas.
But I did get some great shots of the warm mineral pool which we almost always had all to ourselves! And some magnificent views of the old castle through floor to ceiling windows.