For as long as I can remember I’ve dreamt of visiting Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany, the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Cinderella Castle at Disneyland.  Tomorrow my dream comes true for Neuschwanstein will be our pit stop, but tonight our resting point was Füssen, located only a few miles away from the castle.  I had chosen a restaurant (Tannheimer Stube) for the evening which looked somewhat interesting. Its website suggested an Alpine-styled setting, leaving me with visions of Maria bursting into song about the hills, and men in lederhosen yodelling away.

“It’s thirty kilometres away, you know” I told my friend.  “Is that ok?” “Yeah sure” he said.  It was only after I made the reservation at the restaurant that he uttered something about it being in Austria and had I realised?  Nope.  It had all looked German to me.  So today, after having driven some seven hours from Munster, France, to Füssen, Germany, we drove to a restaurant in Tannheim, Austria for dinner.  How many people would ever do that?

On route to Tannheimer Stube Restaurant

The drive to Tannheimer Stube, a Michelin one-star, made the effort worthwhile. With green hills and lush fields lining the route, it was beset by a mystical, magical quality with the onset of a light mist and the fading of the evening light.  We pulled into the restaurant, and it was just as the website suggested, an alpine hut in an alpine setting (where was Maria?).  We walked through the entrance into a Laura Ashley-like pastel coloured drawing room and were greeted by Heidi, who directed us to the dining room.  Warm and inviting, it was the picture of charm!  Pine throughout, there were many touches of homeliness and romance everywhere; the beautiful red rose on the table, the candle shaped lights fitted to the walls, the cushions fashioned with love hearts and similarly matched table runners.

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