2/5/15 day 16: Leutkirch, DE

Had a nice lazy morning in Baeinfurt. Huge floor to ceiling windows in the Seitzinger house revealed a bright blue sky and loads of sun light; a first this tour. The house felt warm and cozy while outside everything sparkled under a coat of snow. The bare limbs of the trees quivering in the wind. Lorenzo the cat was sprawled out on the rug under the coffee table by the couch, as was little Emil. Lorenzo spends most of his days sitting motionless, staring out into the snow and then finds a spot away from the two kids and naps with one eye half open. You can tell he's not amused by all these humans. Tommy says in the summer he basically lives outside. He's just patiently waiting for the thaw and saving up his energy and then he's gonna blow this joint. The tiles on the main floor are heated which makes a huge difference for Lorenzo the cat and little human Emil. Emil spends about 80% of his day wriggling around on the floor until someone swoops him for a meal or a snuggle. One minute he will be flopping around on his belly and then two minutes later he is under the kitchen table on his back happy as a clam. Occasionally he'll check in and shoot you a glance and a half smile and continue on his adventure to find the clothes pins or tangle himself up in the hoola hoop. The hoola hoop hasn't been this popular since the 80s. Emil is bringing it back single handedly.

We said our goodbyes to Tommy and Co. as well as the Boettcher family and made the peaceful 45 min drive to Leutkirch without international incident. We passed through tiny little villages along the way, all under a good 6" of fresh snow. Blue bird skies all the way made we wish I had brought my shades but those are back at home awaiting my arrival. Passed a couple cars but basically the towns were deserted.

Leutkirch had some activity; cars, people, shops, etc. We parked the car at the Härle Brewery (our venue for the night) and met Herr Härle, the man himself, who showed us our hotel around the corner, and hooked up our dinner plans at the brewery restaurant. We did a short walk around the downtown area; nice

little town, nothing we haven't seen. Sounds terrible to say but it's true. It's still awesome and quaint and very German though. Germany closes between the hours of like 2 and 5. Not like hospitals (although I can't say for certain) or big supermarkets but basically everything else. And everyone goes inside their house and shuts their windows and waits. So here we are

walking around the little downtown "shopping" area trying to find lunch. Jeff spotted a Döner joint on the way into town so we walked over there. There literally was no other option. Peter even tried to deny the Döner and walk across the street to an Italian restaurant but it was closed. He came back slightly defeated but at least he tried. Jeff and I had given up hours ago. The Döner was only average. We all agree it's way better than any alternative in the states; fresher, healthier, cheaper. However it's still starting to get old! Jeff is going for a record; a Döner a day. We all think he should start a blog.

Went down for a nap after lunch and rallied at 530 in the lobby. We headed over to the restaurant for dinner and enjoyed a killer vegetarian meal. This is the first time we all got the same dish at dinner. It was spinach dumplings with browned butter and 'Berg Käse' (think a soft Swiss cheese) with a side of roasted winter vegetables and side salad. It was really delicious. Probably the first time I didn't have some meat product for dinner on this whole tour. It was a welcome change. Sorry, no pic. It was all gone in a flash.

Walked the 300 meters behind the venue; a 120 year old brewery that is still operating (and making one of my favorite beers).  The room itself was fairly non-descript but it was the room where they wet the barley and let it germinate and then dried, at least that's what I understood when Herr Härle explained it. And it's all still original. The place actually still had a faint smell of barley which I thought was cool. 

Had a nice little crowd, a little light but it is mid-week and a brand new market. The 25 some odd folks were into it though and everyone seemed genuinely sad that we didn't get a better crowd. We thought it was great! Great sound system, cool room, great beer... Not sure we needed much more on a Wednesday.

Home stretch now. Only a couple more gigs and then it's back to reality and the stories yet untold in Phoenix.