Nuremberg, Germany

I do love Venice.

There is something special about watching the gondoliers as they glide along, poling through the dark waters of this ancient city, ferrying tourists down the Pegnitz under the shadow of the Kaiserberg.

Hold on. I'm confused. This is actually a photo from our brief stop in Nuremberg. Sorry for the mix up.

Let's start again.

If you are driving to France from Prague and get an early start, it is easy to make it to Nuremberg by lunchtime.

The old city center is a bit far from the highway, but there are some good public parking decks right near the river.

I think it's worth a look if you haven't been there. They did a good job reconstructing it after the war, when it was almost completely flattened.

If you are going for lunch, it helps if you know a decent place to go. Luckily, I'd been there once before and found an enjoyable and peaceful spot on the river, a few steps away from the crowded streets and busy pedestrian shopping areas.

It is the Café Lucas, which has a nice, big outdoor dining deck next to the Hotel Lucas. V was impressed.

She was also very excited because it was spargel season -- asparagus time. The café had a special spargelkarte. They offer asparagus soup, asparagus salad with eggs and radishes, and canelloni filled with asparagus and ricotta.

She ordered the fresh white asparagus with Hollandaise and new potatoes (frischer Spargel serviert mit Sauce Hollandaise und neuen Kartoffeln) for €10.50.

She absolutely loved it.

V said the asparagus had a flavor she just couldn't get enough of. She hardly touched the Hollandaise, which I thought was nice and lemony. V also said the potatoes had a nice yellow color and were very good.

As for me, perhaps I deserve some criticism for being unimaginative , but I had a strong urge and got the club sandwich.

It comes with a whole, freshly cooked chicken breast, with bacon, lettuce, and tomato. The breast is nicely seasoned and tender, but I have admit it is a bit awkward to eat on double-decker white toast.

It comes with a sweet, green garlic mayo on the side. The big starts are the crosscut fried potatoes. Salty and crunchy and great to dip in the mayo. It was around eight euros.

I then thought that if you are going to be narrow-minded and get the club sandwich, why not go all the way and get the chocolate milkshake. This was a total bust and waste of €3.00. It was basically chocolate milk, and not even very chocolaty chocolate milk.

I'd normally have a beer, but I did have a long drive ahead.

V got the much better and much more respectable Tucher Hefeweißbier. It was very good and refreshing.

Café Lucas can be very busy, with a large number of teak-topped tables. Still, the food all seems to be freshly prepared and well executed.

But it's not all about the food.

On a warm day, if you score a table right by the railing overlooking the river, I'd say it has to be one of the more pleasant places for lunch in Nuremberg.

Café Lucas
Kaiserstraße 22
90403 Nürnberg, Germany
Tel. (+49) 0911 22 78 45