Chapter 684 Impromptu

Speaking of the European royal family, more people first think of the United Kingdom. The Queen of England is the oldest member of the royal family. The Windsor royal family is the highest-profile and most photographed royal family in Europe. The queen has a lot of wealth, and she can only rank fourth among the monarchs of the European royal family. The richest royal family in Europe is the little-known pocket country of Liechtenstein.

The total population of the country is less than 40,000, and the government parliament has only 5 people including the prime minister. There is neither an airport, a railway station, nor an army. But it is such a country, whether it is the total wealth of the royal family or the personal wealth of the monarch, it is the highest in Europe.

There are so few Muggles, let alone wizards. The European train only stops at one stop in Liechtenstein, and that is its capital, Vaduz, but it is not in the capital, but Lindau on the shore of Lake Constance from Vaduz.

On the morning of February 27, 2005, when they were expected to arrive in Venice, Pomona and Severus boarded another train bound for Venice.

There are always so many surprises in the journey. Although the trip was delayed, it is still very cost-effective to stay in Switzerland for two days, but there are not many passengers who are as leisurely as they are, and most of them have already left by other trains. , even the chef of the dining car is not the Squib Philip who likes to watch movies, but an Austrian wizard with a big beard.

Oh, Philip broke his promise, he made an appointment with Pomona to cook dinner while watching the sunset.

Not all Squibs are as hideous as Filch, and not all German wizards like black magic. Joseph likes gourmet magic.

Fortunately, this train departs from Paris. The French cuisine never disappoints. A glass of grapefruit juice with croissants, vegetable salad, scrambled eggs, and a little caviar are nutritious and healthy. It's Pomona's breakfast.

Severus's breakfast of potato waffles and a cup of black coffee and a German newspaper was as dull as he was.

She scooped a spoonful of caviar into her mouth with a chilled spoon, and when the roe burst in her mouth, the salty and umami flavors were released together.

The best caviar comes from the Caspian Sea, a saltwater lake that is much harsher in Russia's frigid climate than the Mediterranean basin, or at least less rich in seafood than the Mediterranean countries. The salty and umami taste in her mouth reminded her of those fishermen who braved the severe cold to catch fish, as well as the frozen Volga River. Every mouthful was a feeling of life.

The Orthodox Church has a 180-day fasting period every year, plus the 7-week Lent period before Easter every year, believers cannot eat meat for 229 days a year.

Who will suffer without eating meat for such a long time? Not everyone is a vegetarian. Caviar has become a way of the Orthodox Church. With it, everyone finally has a bite of meat.

According to one story, one day shortly after the Mongol conquest of the Volga valley, Batu Khan left his command center and took his wife to visit a nearby Orthodox cathedral. In order to win the favor of the conqueror, the church solemnly prepared a sumptuous banquet—the menu included fish soup made from small sturgeon meat, a whole grilled sturgeon, and the dessert was a course Warmed apples are served with marinated sturgeon roe.

When the dish appeared in front of Khan's wife, she was so disgusted that she ran out of the restaurant, afraid to avoid it.

Shakespeare mentioned in his masterpiece "Hamlet" that caviar is "not to the common taste". The statesman and philosopher Cicero, famous for his eloquence, wrote: "This fish is fit only for a chosen few."

Although the sturgeon itself played such a prominent role in the dietary life of the ancient Romans, the Romans did not leave a single word about caviar.

The rise of caviar originated in Constantinople in the Middle Ages, followed by the surrounding areas centered on the Greek Orthodox Church.

The Russians have always wanted to be part of Europe. In 988 AD, Grand Duke Vladimir I of Kievan Rus married the Byzantine princess Anna as his concubine out of this original intention. The monks of the Greek Orthodox Church accompanied Princess Anna to Kievan Rus.

Vladimir I, who married Princess Anna, immediately ordered the prohibition of polytheistic beliefs of the Slavs, and forced all Kievan Rus people to jump into the Dnieper River to be baptized, which is known as "Russ Baptism" in history. At the same time Orthodoxy became the state religion of Russia.

Compared with Russia, which is eager to join Europe, the Germans have formed their own cultural characteristics. Many people in neighboring countries such as Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein speak German. Now there is a blond German girl singing on the harp in this dining car. German song.

The tune was very simple, without gorgeous ornamental notes, like a song sung by a bard or a boatman, it sounded sad and beautiful, so she kicked the person opposite.

"What are you doing?" He didn't bother to lift his head, he asked while reading the newspaper.

"What is she singing?"

"Wait, though he may wander, but one day the hero will return home, he goes where no one has gone, but one day the hero will return home, he knows the secrets of places Someday, the hero will come home." He tediously recited the lyrics.

"Who is that hero?"

"how could I know?"

She felt so bored that she continued to eat her breakfast sullenly.

"She sang the story of the hero Otto. The hero Otto was carried back to his hometown, to the place he was familiar with when he was a child. His hat was turned upside down, he was buried in the ground, and his wand was broken in two. How sad." table, the lady dining alone looked at Pomona and said, "I hope you don't take offense, we were the only ones in the dining car, and you seem to really want to know."

"Oh, hello." Pomona looked at the middle-aged woman. She was wearing a professional suit and her hair was coiled up. She looked like a professional woman.

Her breakfast is not as rich as Pomona, scrambled eggs with sausage, a few slices of bread and a cup of coffee, and some beans, it looks very British.

"Are you British?" asked Pomona.

"Yes." The other party said happily, "Where are you from?"

"Scotland."

The woman's smile widened, "Me too, my name is Sophia Jorkins, please don't mind, I haven't met my fellow countrymen for a long time."

"Linda Smith, this is my husband."

"Ahem." Severus coughed twice, but Pomona didn't give his pseudonym.

"Are you going to visit relatives?" asked Sophia Jorkins.

"No, this is our honeymoon, how about you?"

"Business trip." Sophia said, "I work for the International Federation of Wizards."

Pomona looked at her enviously. "I'm sure that must be a very interesting job."

"It's not as interesting as you think." Sophia smiled dryly.

"Are you married?" Pomona asked.

Sophia smiled and shook her head, then lowered her head and continued to eat her own breakfast.

Pomona turned around in boredom. Looking at the luxurious breakfast in front of her, she suddenly lost her appetite.

"Her name is Jorkins." Severus looked at the paper and said, "I don't remember Bertha Jorkins having a sister."

When he reminded her, she remembered that when Bertha went on vacation in Albania in 1994, Voldemort killed her and turned Nagini into a Horcrux.

Tom Riddle tortured her with the Cruciatus Curse, reminding her of what was forgotten by the Forgetting Curse cast by Barty Crouch Jr. - Barty Crouch Jr. was still alive, so he found Barty Crouch Jr., Let him pretend to be Alastor Moody and sneak into Hogwarts.

She began to recall, is there anything she forgot?

"You can Apparate, why take the train?" Pomona looked back at Sophia Jorkins, but she didn't respond.

"I closed my ears to listen." He put down the newspaper. "Bavaria is ahead. She is not like you. Someone makes you happy. Maybe only the beautiful scenery can make her happy."

"Are we going to stop by Neuschwanstein Castle?" she asked.

"certainly."

"Why does the train from London pass by here at night?" She asked angrily, "How many beautiful scenery will we miss?"

"You forgot?" Severus smiled, showing his yellow teeth. "We're wizards, dear."

"What?" she asked inexplicably.

"Continue to look at the scenery." He said in a good mood, and looked down at the newspaper again.

That's why she wants to run away from home and become a professional woman!

She was so annoyed that she ate his share of waffles, leaving him only two croissants.