Paulchens FoodBlog?!

Where was I?

Oh yes, I already told you about how I happened to be a part of this very new hands-on workshop called Plate to Page which turned out to be the most fabulous and live changing experience of a lifetime.

In April 2011 I was all organized and ready to go – apart form having packed my suitcase of course. Nothing could possibly go wrong, no? Ha, you bet!

At the Beginning of May I got quite sick with a bacterial infection of my lungs, leaving me locked up at home coughing my lungs up. Very funny. SO Not. 1st round antibiotics: no effect. 2nd round antibiotics: slightly better. *sigh*

On Friday, the week before I was expected to hop on my train to Weimar.

Lady Doctor said to me: “You need to stay at home at least until Thursday.  Your infections marker  are still way to high. “ (dreaded blood tests)

I bravely replied (please keep in mind I had been locked at home for a total of 2 1/2 weeks by then and was really fed up with being ill) : “No ’cause on Thursday next week I WILL be traveling to Germany.”
Her face in utter disbelief: “By plane?”

Me: “No by train!”

The Lady Doctor relaxed a bit again and told me:  “Oh, ok because there is no way I would let you climb on a plane next week! By train…. hm, let’s see!”

I started kinda pegging: ” See there is a workshop there starting on Friday. It’s all paid and all! I need to be there!”

She: “You’ll be traveling on your own risk then. You really should be not traveling but resting a bit more – those antibiotics you are currently on are nothing to take too lightly.“

I promised to be a good girl (uhm, yeah, well it was for a good cause, no?) and burst out of the doctor’s office waving the little pink doctor’s note at Sweetheart saying I could go to work again on Monday which meant I was allowed to be on said train on Thursday. *phew*
He – like the lady doctor – was not too convinced this was a good idea tho, but oh well: what does not destroy me only makes me stronger, no? (Little did I know that along with the workshop about writing and photography I also booked a fitnes programme…)

Thursday Morning I packed my things and was due to be at the train by 12:30 – tweeting last tweets about leaving and off I went.
Sweetheart drove me to the train station. Handed me my suitcase and waved a last goodbye and “have a good trip” while I was already heading towards the track.

The trip by train was awesome. Travelled 1st class which gave me plenty of space and was pampered by train staff.

The trouble began when I had to change trains in Fulda to go to Weimar. Off the ICE 29 train, standing on the rack wondering why the connecting train wasn’t on it’s track where it was suppoosed to wait for us… above my head a loud voice in strange German says: Train xxx is delayed due to *Iforgotwhatreason* for 20 minutes.

I take this as a chance to find out where the 1st class wagons are located and slowly trott this direction dragging my big suitcase behind me. 20 minutes are over. No train in sight.
Suddenly there is rumble – a train approches the track where I am waiting for “my” train. That voice from the speakers again:  ”Please do not board this train. There is an emergency we need to wait for ambulance. This train is not going to xxx.”

Wait another 10 minutes. Speakers again: “Train xxx to blah over Weimar will arrive at track 6 in 5 minutes. Passangers to xxx please change platforms.”

“DANGNABBIT” I mumble, grab all my stuff and start to run to change platforms to finally catch the train. 40 minutes after I happily left the ICE 29 I finally am on the train to Weimar. It’s raining outside and I am starting to get real tired and … fed up.

Thankfully the train does not have any further delay and I arrive at Weimar station at about 9 pm. Running through the rain I hop into a taxi (cab) and request the driver to get me to Kipperquelle Inn.
15 minutes after I arrived at Weimar station I find myself at the doorsteps of Kipperquelle Inn. Suspiciously I eye the front of the Hotel: No lights to see, just dark windows. I try to enter the Hotel but: it is CLOSED. Fiercly ringing the doorbell does not help either. No sign of any hotel manager or other staff. Now I am cursing.

In the middle of my rageous cursing someone crosses the street carrying a suitcase like me.

I turn around and say: “it’s closed there is no one in.”
“Plate to Page workshop?” are the first words the person I will later call Julia talks to me.

“Yes.” I reply.  ”Julia from Canada. There is noone to let us in? Are you kidding me?”
Me: “No the door is closed and noone is responding to the doorbell labelled  with ‘reception’. ”
Julia: ” The emergency number. I don’t have it with me.”

Me: ” I do!” handing the papers with P2P information to Julia. Julia tries to call Meeta’s mobile.
“It does not work!”

I give it a try with my own phone. *phew* at least it is ringing now. No one answers the phone. We are soaking wet by the time… We give it a couple of tries with no success.

Julia hops on the doorsteps and begins to study the names at the doorbells.
“Ha I recognise this name,” she exclaims. Next minute she is ringing this said doorbell furiously. A few minutes and additional rings later a voice answers the doorbell. We explain that we want in.

“I am coming downstairs,…”

A weak smile emerges on Julia‘s and my face… 10 minutes and a nice conversation with the hotel manager later we are finally in our apartment. Only to find all rooms occupied already and one room even closed…

We decide to wait in the kitchen for the others to come back as they “are out to eat”  the hotel manager told us.

Exhausted and wet we are.
But Julia is such lovely person and in no time we already are in the middle of a chat about winters in Canada and her adventures finding a place to live in Europe… meanwhile Meeta is calling back.
A quick chat with her in which she tells me where the others went in case we want to join and to tell me “DO NOT TOUCH any of the food in the apartment, it’s not for you and it’s counted!!” I bet there were Jamie, Jeanne and Ilva giggling in the background!!

Oh well thank you! We’ve already been in desperate search for some teabags or coffee to warm us up without any success… *hmpf*

About half an hour later we hear giggling and loud voices at the apartment door. We look at each other and peek our heads out of the kitchen door only to see a lot of giggling people coming into our apartment.
I am shocked and too tired to even recognise all the names and faces that are thrown at me.

Simone, Arthi, Jasemine, Julia and I will later sit at the ktichen table and have a quick welcoming chat where sweet Arthi even offers us some of her goods she brought for our picnic because – remember? – we weren’t allowed to touch the food in the apartment.

The others – who I learned the next day were Ken, Mitch, Jenn and sweet Ishay – already went to their rooms upstairs.

When it was time to finally go to sleep – something around midnight I think – Julia claims to share the room with Jasemine.

I decide to give it a try with this nice tall Blonde (I had no idea what her name was by then and I was too tired to even bother) – we hopped in our double bed and after some short good night chat we fell asleep (I did for sure…).

I will spare you the dreams I had this very night but I can tell you I fell asleep thinking: “Now this is a weird start into this weekend, I wonder if the coming days will be like this….” – Little did I know!

Please stay tuned to find out how my P2P adventure turned out in the end… – Yes, I am going to rave about this some more! Sorry guys!!

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Meanwhile please visit my fellow Plate to Pagers to read their post about Plate 2 Page:

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One thing I need to say – not because anyone urged me to but because I really feel like it and this generosity we were gifted with is nothing we should take for granted –  is thank you to all our lovely and generous sponsors who made this weekend even more enjoyable and unique!
There is a whole extra post in the making for them but for now I just want to say thank you to:
Our main sponsorBord Bia (The Irish Food Board), Wines of South Africa, Hotel Chocolat, Prokit UK, Maison Georges Larnicol, OXO, Ergo Chef Knives, Sweet Pete’s and the lovely Paula Walters.

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About Plate to Page:

Did I mention that you really should think aboput being part of any of the future P2P workshops!? You really should!
I’ll be there again for sure...

Plate to Page workshops will take place at least twice per year, in various locations. The next Plate to Page workshop is scheduled for 28-30 October 2011 in Tuscany and is already fully booked. Please keep an eye on their website, Facebook page and Twitter account for news, updates and to be the first to know about new workshop dates.