Visiting Albrecht Dürer's Home in Nürnberg, Germany by Ruth Paget

Visiting the Albrecht Dürer House in Nürnberg, Germany by Ruth Paget 

My husband Laurent and I visited the Deutsches Museum in Nürnberg, Germany several times when we lived in Stuttgart, Germany for several years. 

On our first visit, we made a beeline for the Albrecht Dürer (1471 – 1528) galleries. Dürer was the Leonardo da Vinci of the Northern Renaissance, who was equally at home in art and science. 

The most striking artwork in these galleries for me was Dürer’s self-portrait with his head full of flowing chestnut curls that are outlined in real gold. This portrait must have shimmered in candlelight in a Renaissance home. 

After our museum visit, we set out for Albrecht Dürer’s house. We had visited Leonardo da Vinci’s home that he lived in at the end of his life, the Clos-Lucé at the foot of Amboise Castle in France, and wanted to see if we could find any clues for genius in Dürer’s home like we did in da Vinci’s. (I learned from da Vinci’s home in France that knowing how to cater for a king is a good job skill.) 

Dürer’s house was about a mile away from the museum. We passed three- and four- storey homes where I imagined wealthy burghers would like portraits painted by Dürer that also had hair locks outlined in real gold to shimmer in candlelight as well. 

Dürer’s home was on a corner. It was small with a printmaking press on the second floor. Dürer employed commission agents who would sell his drawing prints to aspiring artists. The agents would send Dürer part of the sale money once a sale was made. This arrangement was a Renaissance gig job. 

Dürer probably walked across the street to the horse stables in the fort wall to collect mail that might have some money in it. (The stables are now an indoor market.) 

The educational prints also advertised his ability to do larger, pricy portraits for customers worldwide. 

I enjoyed learning about Renaissance artistic marketing at Albrecht Dürer’s home in Nürnberg, Germany. It is worth the walk to get there from the museum. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Italian Frittata Omelet at First Awakenings in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget

Italian Frittata Omelet at First Awakenings in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget 

Italian frittata omelets are claimed to have been around since the time of ancient Rome. I do not know if that is true, but I certainly like them. 

When I saw the Heartland Frittata on the menu at First Awakenings in Salinas, California, I told the server, “That dish is talking to me. I have to have it.” 

Frittatas are beautiful “ladies who lunch” dishes. They are omelets that are baked not cooked on the stovetop. At First Awakenings, the final dish comes to the table in a round ceramic baking dish with hash browns served next to it. 

The Heartland Frittata is what I would have called “fancy” as a child. The omelet is thick with sautéed spinach and 1-inch strips of cooked and chopped bacon. Once the frittata is baked golden, First Awakenings blankets the top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and places it back in the oven till it melts. Then, chopped and seeded tomatoes are scattered on top of the melted cheese.  

The spinach-cheese-tomato flavor dominates with an occasional salty burst of bacon. This frittata was delicious with coffee and real cream and side of bacon. (About $30 per person) 

The reason I said the dish was talking to me was all the nutrients I could get in this nice breakfast: 

-eggs – protein and Vitamins A and D 

-cheese – calcium and protein 

-spinach – Vitamin C and potassium 

-bacon – protein and selenium 

-tomatoes – antioxidant lycopene and Vitamin A 

(Nutrition information source: Verywell.com) 

For the flavor and nutrition, I thought the Heartland Frittata at First Awakenings in Salinas, California was a good buy for me.  Other diners might like it as well for the same reasons.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Fried Apples with French Toast at Cracker Barrel in Augusta, Georgia by Ruth Paget

Fried Apples with French Toast at Cracker Barrel in Augusta, Georgia by Ruth Paget 

The fried apples with French toast at Cracker Barrel in Augusta (Grovetown), Georgia tie together foods from both ends of Tennessee, where the company’s headquarters are located outside Nashville. 

Apples come from eastern Tennessee in abundance thanks to Johnny Appleseed (1774 – 1845) and his associates, who had apples planted from Massachusetts to Indiana. Apples keep well over winter after a fall harvest and offer a fiber boost and a good amount of Vitamin C. For these reasons, apples are a great partner for French toast. 

French toast comes from western Tennessee, which lies on the Mississippi River upstream from New Orleans. In New Orleans, French toast is called “pain perdu” or “lost bread.” The French say the bread is ‘’lost,” because it is dunked till soaking in a mixture of egg, milk, and vanilla before frying it. 

At Cracker Barrel, they fry apple wedges in butter, sugar, and cinnamon. For the final presentation of the French toast, Cracker Barrel cuts the French toast into fourths and stands them in a pyramid surrounded by standing apple wedges for a real diner 3-D effect with a cup of warm syrup on the side for dipping or pouring. 

The fried apples and French toast were all good and eggy sweet. I loved it and had a side of salty bacon to go with it. 

I was full and happy as I wandered through the store and really loved seeing Johnny Cash and Prince records for sale. I could not help but thinking of an Alan Jackson lyric “Well, they’re not as backward as they used to be.” 

That lyric is true of the customers and staff, too. Cracker Barrel in Augusta, Georgia serves people, who like American food and the restaurant has a store with products that reflect the United States. 

For a no-surprises, delicious breakfast, I like Cracker Barrel when I am visiting the southern United States.  

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Pecan Pancakes at Cracker Barrel in Augusta, Georgia by Ruth Paget

Pecan Pancakes at Cracker Barrel in Augusta, Georgia by Ruth Paget 

Pecan pancakes at Cracker Barrel are a seasonal treat. Pecans grow in the southern United States including Georgia where I was visiting in January 2025. 

When I saw pecan pancakes listed on the menu at Cracker Barrel in Augusta (Grovetown), I immediately ordered them. Pecans are harvested September through November, so I knew the January pecan pancakes would be made with fresh, flavorful pecans. 

About a cup of chopped pecans goes into pancake batter made with flour, eggs, butter, maybe some pecan oil, and buttermilk for a slight tang in the final golden product. At Cracker Barrel, the fluffy pecan pancakes arrive at your table with two warmed bottles of Cracker Barrel’s house brand maple syrup, so you can control the amount of calories on your pancakes. 

The pecan pancakes I ordered came with bacon, sunny side up eggs, and hash browns as sides. Everything was perfectly prepared. I just gobbled everything up and ate for the day. I also liked the strong coffee with cream. 

Another thing I like about Cracker Barrel is the store, which I go through after eating. I found a neat book published by Harvard Common Press entitled: Old Time Wisdom and Lore: 1000s of Traditional Skills for Simple Living by Jerry Mack Johnson. 

Among the book’s chapters, I found some useful skills that convinced me to buy it including: 

-predicting weather based on cloud type, wind direction, and barometer readings 

-gardening tips by season -tips for tapping maple trees for sap to make syrup 

-recipes for grilled venison with sauce to basic corn bread to maple syrup pie 

-patterns for sewing quilts 

-making handmade soaps 

-fishing secrets and scaling tips 

-making down-home toys -moon gazing notes 

This book is just full of activities to do with children and teens that are not too expensive. I recommend it for this reason. 

I was happy with this Cracker Barrel outing for the chance to eat pecans that are high in fiber, healthy fats, and protein and for finding a great book to read during my stay in Augusta, Georgia. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Salade Niçoise with the Works at La Parisienne Restaurant in Aiken, South Carolina by Ruth Paget

Salade Niçoise with the Works at La Parisienne Restaurant in Aiken, South Carolina by Ruth Paget 

After a morning of touring the Savannah River Site Museum where my husband Laurent and I learned about the physics and chemistry used in running a nuclear power plant, we set out for the La Parisienne Restaurant and Bakery located just off Chesterfield Street in downtown Aiken, South Carolina. 

The day was warm already in the 70s in January in Aiken. I ordered one of my favorite French lunches – a salade Niçoise, which comes with the works at La Parisienne. 

When Laurent and I lived in Stuttgart (Germany0, I made salade Niçoise every week to help fight colds. My easy version of the salad has tuna on top of a mound of baby greens. I place rinsed, canned green beans around the sides of the lettuce along with a few anchovies. 

On the bottom of the salad mound, I alternate boiled egg halves, tomato quarters, and large Greek Kalamata olives. We used Paul Newman vinaigrette most of the time in Germany. 

My salade Niçoise is good for everday, but La Parisienne’s version is really tops with all the garden fresh ingredients they use. La Parisienne places a generous helping of dandelion greens in the bottom of a large salad bowl as the foundation of their salade Niçoise. 

On top of the dandelions greens, they place the following ingredients:  

-flaked tuna -boiled potato halves 

-sliced small peppers of various colors 

-sliced red onions 

-sliced boiled eggs 

-small Niçoise black olives 

-sliced tomatoes 

-sliced radishes 

-thin green beans 

The small and thin vegetables are supposed to offer concentrated and distinct flavors, which is true of the layered flavors in the salade Niçoise at La Parisienne. It tasted great on a warm and humid day. 

The vinaigrette especially made the salad taste good. It was made with white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and sunflower oil. That flavor combination always reminds me of eating in the countryside in France. 

The salade Niçoise at La Parisienne Restaurant and Bakery in Aiken, South Carolina filled me up, but dessert lovers might like a piece of the lattice crusted pies that remind me of linzertortes from Linz, Austria. 

Travelers will be well rewarded with a stop for lunch or dinner at La Parisienne in Aiken, South Carolina. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Mushroom - Cheese Pizza and Greek Salad from Marco's Pizza in Augusta, Georgia by Ruth Paget

Mushroom – Cheese Pizza and Greek Salad from Marco’s Pizza in Augusta, Georgia by Ruth Paget 

One of my travel rituals when I go to the East Coast of the US from California is to order a large mushroom – cheese pizza and a large Greek salad from a local pizzeria to perk up after several airline flights.

In Augusta (Georgia), the pizzeria my husband Laurent and I order from is Marco’s Pizza, a local Georgia chain. They use high quality ingredients and deliver late at night, which pleases a hungry traveler like me. 

While waiting on the pizza delivery, I open the room window for fresh air, put away clothes, wash my hands and face, and brush my teeth. 

When pizza delivery arrives, I start dinner with the Greek salad. I am a Californian from Salinas, who can tuck into a family-size salad and easily eat the whole thing. 

At Marco’s, they make their Greek salad with a combination of crunchy, chopped Romaine lettuce and baby greens. On top of the lettuce, they place about 1/3 cup chopped yellow banana peppers, 1/3 cup chopped tomatoes, 1/3 cup chopped red onion, 1/3 cup sliced black olives, and 2/3 cup of diced, salty feta cheese. 

I add tangy, Greek lemon-oregano vinaigrette on top of the vegetables and feta cheese and toss everything together. This tart and tonic salad chases away any germs I may have encountered on the plane it seems and gives me the strength to finish organizing the room and take a shower. 

Once I am all squeaky clean, I leisurely eat two or three slices of mushroom-cheese pizza. At Marco’s, they use a mozzarella cheese that melts yet is firm and salty, which I like. The tomato sauce is savory and tastes great with the meaty mushrooms that probably come from the forest around Augusta. 

Marco’s uses protein-rich semolina flour in their pizza crust, which I also like for the rough finish on the crust edges. 

With tip, delivery of our large artisanal pizza and large Greek salad was $36. We ordered Marco’s several times during our stay in August, especially on NBA game nights when we watched the New York Knicks play teams from around the country. (I love games decided by 2 or 3 points.) 

Marco’s Pizza was a delicious, enjoyable, and convenient part of our stay in Augusta, Georgia. If you like pizza, it is definitely worth a try. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Goat Cheese and Dandelion Greens at the La Parisienne Restaurant in Aiken, South Carolina by Ruth Paget

Goat Cheese and Dandelion Greens at La Parisienne Restaurant in Aiken, South Carolina by Ruth Paget 

The La Parisienne Restaurant and Bakery in Aiken, South Carolina is about 30 minutes away from Augusta, Georgia and offers visitors a relaxed atmosphere for lunch in small town America among its many touring options. 

Aiken is home to a campus of the University of South Carolina, the Savannah River Site nuclear facility, and an active polo club. Its English heritage is visible in its orange brick architecture and tree-lined boulevards downtown that promote businesses that elite Englishmen prefer like French restaurants and Belgian chocolate shops. 

One of Aiken’s busy restaurants is La Parisienne Restaurant and Bakery located just off Chesterfield Street downtown. The restaurant has its own parking lot. You order at the counter, take an arrondisement (Parisian district) marker to your table, and wait for your waiter to bring freshly made food to you. 

On our first visit to La Parisienne, I ordered the goat cheese salad served on a bed of dandelion greens. A thick slice of oven-baked toast sat in the center of the salad with a large ball of goat cheese to spread out over the dandelion greens and cherry tomato halves in the salad. The vinaigrette was made with a perky raspberry vinegar and olive oil. I could have eaten two of those delicious salads. 

My husband Laurent ordered me a lemon crêpe instead that was filled with powdered sugar and freshly pressed lemon juice. That dessert was perky as well and filled me up. Both of these items were perfect for the hot and sultry weather in our restaurant located by the Savannah River. 

La Parisienne has a wooden guillotine in the parking lot to remind diners that not all of French history is rosy. 

Laurent and I walked through the convenient gate behind the restaurant to the Belgian chocolate shop next door – La Bonboniere. The handmade chocolate comes in a variety of flavors. I like the lemon cream filled chocolates with the head of an Egyptian women imprinted on them. 

I also like the chocolate ganache filled white chocolates that have “Aiken” printed on them in chocolate. The cutest chocolates are the ones shaped like horse hooves for the polo lovers in town. 

Tourists interested in a nice lunch in a nice place will love the La Parisienne Restaurant and Bakery in Aiken, South Carolina. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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