On a recent trip to Germany, my brother, Salil and close friend, Vinay, drove two hours north of Frankfurt to a small town called Glashutte. The hotel we stayed at, The Jagdorf, was a paragon of hospitality. One of the stewards, an Austrian, who served us during a luxurious three-course meal, had helped set up an Italian restaurant at the Four Seasons in Mumbai. The unexpected Mumbai connection ensured that we were treated extraordinarily well.
Though constructed in the 1980s, the Jagdorf had a warm, traditional German charm. The use of light colored wood for the staircases and furniture, created a comfortable homely feel. Reindeer motifs were all around: statues at the entrance and in the lobby, and antlers on the walls of the staircases. I saw a photograph of the hotel in winter, draped with Christmas lights in the snow; it looked like the perfect setting for a Disney movie. Our rooms consisted of two floors: the living room and the bed room upstairs. As I walked up the staircase to the beds, I remembered my child
hood bunk-bed. We arrived at the hotel on a Friday evening. The next day we went for a wonderful hike through the forests around the hotel. Vinay, who is very good at reading maps (even if they are in German), ensured that we didn't for once get lost, during our 10 kilometer adventure. Though overcast, it was the perfect weather for a hike. The occasional light rain, and the fog, were welcome companions.
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