Sunday, 26 June 2022
Ever wanted to stay in a bicycle-friendly hotel that produces its electricity itself with its own water power plant? Surrounded by
the Esslingen university campus on the entrance side and the Hammerkanal, a side channel of the Neckar river, at the back the
EcoInn makes a perfect over-night stop for cyclists on the Neckar valley bicycle route running from Mannheim to Villingen-Schwenningen. It is not only a sustainably driven hotel (with many certificates and memberships in organisations for the common good), but, for groups and families, also offers its services as a eco hostel at special conditions on request.
For my stay I got a
basic, easy to (steam-)clean room in the part of the house which probably is given to hostel guests, painted with organic colours and decorated with a climate-neutral photo wallpaper. Despite its austerity the room, among others due to the absence of synthetic carpets and cushions and the use of healthy, sustainable materials felt comfy and welcoming. The towels are made from organic cotton.
Unfortunately the breakfast is not fully organic: You can have organic eggs, tea (though no green variety), chocolate and fruit spread, bread, milk and soy yoghurt, inside or on an outdoor terrace over the Neckar channel.
The hotel does not have a regular restaurant but welcomes external guests for breakfast and opens a pop-up buffet restaurant every third Friday of a month: The vegetarian Delicantina partially uses organic ingredients, though the overall focus is on regional produce.
In general city life seems to begin on Wednesdays in Esslingen: When I came hereMonday through Tuesday with a small itinerary of partially organic (day) cafes,
I found most of them closed, so unfortunately all descriptions below (except for one) are based on upfront research and a view from the outside, confirming the existance and general appearance of the place.
Prior to arrival, I was especially looking forward to have organic coffee and cake or tart at
Fräulein Margot, and indeed, on another day of the week it would probably have been fun to watch passers-by in the pedestrian area.
Second on my list was the day cafe
Entenmanns on Rathausplatz, an
organically certified place offering salads, bowls, and Swabian Maultaschen.
This filled local pasta originally is a vegetarian dish, at times using left-overs of Sunday meat. Locals lovingly refer to it as "Herrgottsb'scheißerle" ("little Lord God's fuck over"). The name refers to when the meat-containing version was eaten during the meat-prohibit of lent.
I would have loved to have this dish here,
simply to do justice to it as its inferior (and throughout Germany omnipresent) industrial version comes with highly processed usually industry-meat based fillings.
Much of the ingredients they use at Entenmanns are produce of their
own market garden which currently is in the conversion period to certified organic agriculture.
To the rescue on Mondays and Tuesdays comes
Brot & Cafe. However, don't expect
gourmet coffee from this self-service eatery
to the right of the Naturgut: Despite the separate entrance it also serves as the supermarket's bakery till. Given the vicinity to the university campus I expected to see a lot of students, but as the campus itself seemed deserted (probably due to pandemic online courses) the cafe was, too.
Since the reason of my stay didn't leave me with the opportunity to eat out on my own I did not have time to try one of the first organically certified restaurants in the greater Stuttgart region, simply dubbed
Kitchen. Wholeheartedly catering to both, omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans using predominantly regional produce according to the season, they also describe themselves as zero-waste supporters. So I really would have loved to eat out here (or in their
sister restaurant in Böblingen) – if you have the chance let me know about what you think.
2022-06-26 11:30:01
[Esslingen, Boeblingen, Neckartal-Radweg, organic, vegan, vegetarian, breakfast, lunch, dinner, restaurant, eatery, hotel, accommodation, cafe, coffee]
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Saturday, 25 June 2022
An hours' bicycle ride from Padua (optional with an ice-cream or coffee break in Selvazzano Dentro) or one and a half hours from Vicenza
gets you to La Buona Terra near the village of Cervarese Santa Croce, an organic farmstay, popular party location with families, educational farm for kindergardens and farm restaurant. You can stay either in one of the clean, rustic guest rooms and holiday homes located inside various farm buildings (advanced booking required), or on the camping site on the farm. A popular place with children -- there are not only cows, chicken, horses, donkeys, dogs (no cats), and frogs here, but also a spacious swimming pool. (Less popular among the kids: to ask the farmers, Luisa and Domenico, to remove the cleaning robot in the mornings.)
After breakfast (organic with a few exceptions, and usually with freshly home-made cakes made with the farm's own organic flour) you may pre-order lunch and/or dinner (around 8 pm), except on Mondays. Expect hearty home-made farmer's kitchen, home-made pasta, left-over soups, a grilled chunk of home-made bread topped with olive oil and an equally thick slice of sopressa salami from the farm's own pigs, freshly grilled vegetables, rustic meat courses from the farm (you may even be served a hearty stew of chicken necks) and (often) organic wines from nearby wineries. On weekends the farm restaurant is open to the public, but you are asked to phone in in advance (+39 328 077 0977). Vegetarians are gladly catered for with the four-courses "menu verde" while the omnivore one is dubbed "menu rosso", and as the farmers' daughter is a vegan, do not hesitate to mention if you are, too. Children are equally welcome and pay less. On summer weekends dinner is often served in an informal garden party style with antipasti plates and pizza-style foccachia bread, often accompagnied by life music.
There's also a farmshop selling the farm's home-made products: eggs, sopressa, preserves and liquors. Officially it keeps open on weekends between 15:30 and 19:30, but unless there's a bigger party of visitors around take this with a grain of salt and ask Luisa or an employee if you want to buy something.
One of the bicycle tours may lead you to the South-Western slopes of the Euganean Hills, to
Ca' Orologio in Baone. Among vineyards and olive groves you will find Maria Gioia Rosellini's dedicated organic winery, producing natural wines of exclusive taste. You may enter the 16th century Venetian villa to taste and buy, or decide to rather stay in these magical surrondings and make use of the bed-and-breakfast
offer (better book in advance, though). The breakfast itself is only partially organic, depending on the availability of organic products in the village supermarket (which is rather limited). You have the opportunity to cook lunch and dinner yourself, and serve it with a glass of Ca'Orologio wines.
2022-06-25 17:30:00
[Italy, Veneto, Colli_Euganei, Euganean_Hills, Padova, Padua, Cervarese, Baone, organic, biologico, accommodation, farms, agriturismo, camping, cycling, wine, breakfast, lunch, dinner, restaurant]
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Monday, 20 June 2022
To no surprise Padua has branches of the
artisanal ice-cream parlour chain
Grom in the very city centre. They are located at Piazza dei Signori and in Via Roma. But since the formerly Italian chain was acquired by Unilever in 2015 and turned into their natural ice-cream brand all promises to organic ingredients have disappeared.
Fortunately there's an alternative: About 50 meters to the right from the Grom at Piazza dei Signori you'll find the city's only fully organic ice-cream parlour,
Gelateria Gnam Gnam, and in 2022 it was definitevely more frequented by locals than the Grom next door!
It is amazing how much delight one can add to natural artisanal ice-cream when restricting oneself to 100 percent organic ingredients. The Gnam Gnam fare is extremely delicate, with a lot of (changing) surprising flavours such as grappa or "cookies and cream", about one third of them vegan. For an extra surplus you can choose the flavour of your wafer cone: plain of course, or perhaps ginger, cinnamon, liquorice...?
The (vegan) slush goes under the name Venetian ghiacciate, and can be had in surprisingly many different flavours. The one dubbed "exotic" with peach and mint was extremely delicate and not overly sweet. The coffee ghiacciate is a deliciously melting dream, ways better than the extremely tasty one I had many years ago at a Grom branch in Florence. In 2022 the large ghiacciate serving comes at 6 EUR.
Apart from this you can also have freshly pressed fruit juices or chocolate-coated ghiaccioli (iced lollies). The coffee for the caffe affogato (espresso with ice-cream) unfortunately is made from coffee capsules and -- like the ghiacciate -- served in one-way paper cups.
If you find it difficult to part buy a package of organic meringues or a small glass of the organic spices they use (like cinnamon, liquorice, curcuma or ginger) for you or as a small gift.
For a change you may also try ICream.it north of Prato della Valle. Their ice-cream is hidden in locked containers instead of openly presented, an important sign for high quality ingredients and no fuzz processing. Flavouring ingredients like basil or matcha often are organic and play the most important part in extremely smooth non-diary ice-creams (I had an intense yet delicate lemon-basil which unfortunately isn't always available). The milk used in the non-vegan flavours is not organic, but feel free to enquire about the origin of the ingredients: When I was there the staff was both friendly and knowlegeable. In 2018 a single scoop went for 2 EUR, and I did not have the time to check whether the place still exists in 2022. Let me know if you do.
No longer organic or no longer existing
2022-06-20 15:00:00
[Padua, Padova, biologico, organic, vegan, ice-cream, gifts]
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Sunday, 12 June 2022
Those with a sweet tooth may feel in heaven when coming to the comparatively ugly urban sprawl which comprises the municipality of Selvazzano Dentro south-west of Padua and north of Abano Terme: In the neighbourhoods of San Domenico and Tencarola, devided by the crossing of the river Bacchiglione you will find a confectioner's shop cum day bar, an ice-cream parlour and finally a supermarket serving customers preferring organic food and delights.
When entering the municipality from the west following Via Euganea your first stop should be at a roundabout with
an Italian day bar cum Viennese-style cafe cum confectioner's shop where the main ingredients are organic.
At Pasticceria Da Angelo you will find organic and vegan options clearly marked, and the friendly staff will proudly and often even unasked point out what's organic. If you don't feel like a delicate ice-cream or a gorgeous pastry along with an organic coffee drink (with organic soy milk if you prefer) have
a tramezzino sandwich or toast together with a freshly made organic smoothie, or an organic soft drink. Vegan sandwich options are readily available, with organic "cold cuts", while the meat items on non-veg versions usually aren't organic. A serving of ice-cream comes at 1.40 EUR, with each additional scoop for 1.10 EUR. Vegan varieties aren't restricted to fruit flavours, you can also choose among a number of flavours made with rice or almond drink. Buy a bag of organic cookies to take home if you like, and if you're lucky there may be an organic lunch, dinner or ice-cream special during your stay. Advanced booking by phone is required for such an event.
Not enough ice-cream or arriving after half past nine in the evening? Well, you can be helped.
Gelateria Soleluna a few meters east opposite Hotel Piroga uses more than 80 percent organic, and predominantly locally sourced ingredients for their granite, gelati, and ice cakes. A delight not to be missed,
one ice-cream scoop goes for 1.40 EUR, each additional one adds approximately 1 EUR to your bill. Personally I prefer the delicate, creamy dairy flavours to the vegan fruit-based ones. The granite are available in two sizes, for 2.80 or 3.50 EUR – the refreshing lime-mint or coffee varieties will get you going in a minute on a warm summer day. Unfortunately the granite are served in one-way plastics cups, each with one-way teaspoon and straw, so you will produce a lot of waste.
On bank holidays the shop keeps open as on Sundays.
Groceries
To buy everything you need organic, from fruit and veges over dairy products and vegan alternatives to dry food, natural cosmetics, the forgotten towel or household detergents follow Via Euganea in eastern direction, cross both, the bridge over the river, and the street side. Here, on Via Padova (the street changes its name in Tencarola) you'll find a well assorted NaturaSi supermarket which also has a small section of self-service zero waste dispensers for grains and a few other dry foods and refill for most household detergents. This would also be the place you had to do most of your organic shopping when living in one of the villages in the vicinity – your next real options being the NaturaSi in Abano Terme or, naturally, the ones in the city of Padua.
Closed
- Come una volta, Montegalda,
Via Roma, 45 (neighbourhood grocery)
2022-06-12 10:00:00
[Padova, Padua, Selvazzano, Montegalda, organic, biologico, zero_waste, vegan, ice-cream, supermarkets, coffee, cafe, grocery, bodycare, household, confectioners]
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Monday, 30 May 2022
Window shopping in Esslingen's city center is fun – due to an abundance of lovingly curated boutiques and owner-run specialist shops. However, during off-work hours, the nice pedestrian areas and small streets seem almost deserted: Many of these shops do not have employees and, consequently close at 6 pm, many also for a lunch break. However, if you come here during work hours or on a Saturday morning til early afternoon, you will find a lot of assorted goods and handicraft that anonymous malls and stream-lined shopping districts wouldn't care to offer.
Take the Greek specialist shop in the Küferstraße shopping street, opened in autumn 2021 during the covid-19 pandemics:
Odysée Feinkost attracted my attention by presenting an assortment of organic pre-packaged snacks in its shop window. The day after I came around and found an owner who was both, knowlegeable about his goods and which of them were organic – and glad to have a chat. There are not enough organic preserves, herbs, wines, oils and dry food to satisfy all needs, so better come here for inspiration rather than with a fixed shopping list.
For fairly traded exotic dry food, spices and beverages walk a few steps to the Weltladen (almost) next door which also has a decent assortment of loose-weight food and sweets.
Opposite the fair-trade shop you'll find a real gem:
Die rote Zora is not just a
fair and slow fashion boutique, it's a small tailor start-up: The three young women working in the workshop in the back of the shop design and make the original and robust clothes that you can buy here or via their webshop. The feel of the garments and the quality of the seems should be sufficient to cure you from cheap fast fashion. The prices are really fair, too: good to make a living and absolutely affordable given the almost timeless, yet lively (to some probably: naughty) designs, repairability and longevity. For an air of Berlin in Swabia, I highly recommend both, the shop and the label, dubbed after the militant West-German feminist group – or their fictional name-giving character, a female leader of a gang of young orphans fighting injustice.
Interestingly, Esslingen has more than one local fashion designer cum tailor-shop cum fashion boutique:
Olly's
own label Aleksarah also focusses on natural and sustainable materials, with flowing and colourful, but more conventional designs. Also this shop is a female enterprise, but unlike the Zoras, offers a small selection of other fashion labels aside their own designs. Needless to say that all clothes will be adapted to your fit if necessary.
2022-05-30 18:00:00
[Esslingen, organic, fair, fashion, spices, deli, gifts, shopping, wine, Greek]
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