Lovely day in the country. Mutter Jutte has been operating since 1833 and is a popular Ausflug for…read morepeople in Goettingen and Duderstadt. The Gaststaette specializes in old German cooking and in game. Since Pfifferlinge were in season, I order a dish with pork cutlets and pfifferlinge in a cream sauce. The setting in the garden was a treat on a sunny day. The prices are not "village" prices, probably becasue the place is quite popular, but it's worth a drive for anyone looking for an afternoon in the country.

I'll tell you a story. I didn't make it to Erfurt until about 10:30 at night and by the time that I…read morerolled up with my suitcase at Rad-Hof it was just after 11pm. It's a husband and wife team who run the place and after showing me my room, an excellent single with a bathroom for 30 euro, one of them asked if I liked folk music. I didn't know what to say, so said "yes". Then they asked if I'd like to go hear some folk music. It was late, but I said "yes" anyway. So they asked me to meet them by the gate in five minutes. I did. They each had a bike and one for me. So we took off over the cobblestone streets for a mile or so until we arrived at a courtyard where about 30 people had gathered. A group with violins, an accordion, and a mandolin was leading everyone in really wonderful music. The stars were coming out overhead, someone bought me a beer, and several people where really trying to talk to me in their best English. Sometimes you just need to say "yes" to things. I'm not sure if you'll be welcomed here exactly like this, but if you are in Erfurt, make a point to stay here. It's right across from the Agustiner, and very close to restaurants and shops. These are comfortable, quiet rooms behind a cute garden. The breakfast is really nice. They loaned me a bike for the day to ride the trails. There is an wireless Internet connection. They just like people and go the extra mile. They did the gut renovation themselves on the buildings here and did a really great job on the renovations. Since I mentioned bikes, let me say a few things. This doesn't have anything to do with Rad-Hof. You don't need to wear a bike helmet in Germany. You might not even be offered one when you rent a bike here. DO NOT GO OUT WITHOUT A BIKE HELMET. I'd also stay off of any street with trolley tracks because they are notorious bike killers. By that I mean your wheel gets stuck in the track and then you lose control of the bike. Maybe if you are lucky you will just land in the street or on a parked car. They say that you are not really from Erfurt until you have a bike accident this way. Just gain your acceptance here some other way and have a good time.