A week of upgrades at home…

Phew… Featured photo is of the interior of the new fridge!

This week has been somewhat momentous in our household. We’ve made a couple of significant upgrades to certain essential and expensive electronic devices in our home.

On Monday, I got a brand new iMac desktop computer. I hadn’t really been planning to buy one in July, but my old computer was simply too full of data to use efficiently. It was driving me crazy, and I was wasting a lot of time finding things to delete so I’d have room for more stuff.

I bought the old computer in February 2023, so it’s disappointing that I needed to replace it so soon. But, in fairness, I am a power user, especially since I started making song parody videos, and I didn’t spring for generous storage or RAM when I bought that computer. This time, I decided to upgrade both RAM and storage, so this machine should be good for awhile.

I made my decision to upgrade about ten days ago, when I spent a couple of hours trying to find raw video footage I could part with so I could run Apple’s updates. It took FOREVER to finally hit that sweet spot of 14 GB available. And yes, I do have an external drive, but a lot of the stuff taking up space is stuff I can’t really put on an external drive.

I ordered the new computer on Monday morning, July 6th, and it arrived at about 11:30 AM on July 13th. It took the rest of the day to set it up, but it now feels both like I’ve really upped my game, and never stopped using the old computer. I have a lot more room on this new computer, but thanks to the migration assistant on Apple, it’s pretty easy to move everything. So I have pretty much all of my stuff from the old computer, and lots more room to grow on the new computer.

The physical setting up, though, was a bit of a pain. I bought a VESA arm for the last computer, because somehow I ended up ordering a VESA configuration. I didn’t even know what a VESA arm was when I got my computer with no stand! Now, after three years of using a VESA set up, I realize that I prefer it to the stand. For one thing, it takes up less space and gives me more room to put my crap. For another, it makes the display easier to adjust.

However, I had forgotten how the arm works, and didn’t realize that all you have to do is push on it to manipulate it. So I probably spent about 90 minutes trying to figure that out… And then there was the actual physical strength needed to hang the screen on the arm. It was a bit awkward and taxing. But… I did it! I only spent a few minutes wishing I’d opted for the stand, instead of the VESA arm.

Below are a couple of pictures of the new computer, as well as the VESA back. I’d take a photo of the computer on the arm, but it looks the same as the old one did.

The next big upgrade this week was our refrigerator. If you read this blog regularly, or you follow me on social media, you might know that on June 5, 2026, our landlord’s fridge finally died on us. I wrote about it here.

That old fridge, which was stowed inconspicuously in a cabinet, needed to croak. It was sitting on a rotting platform that needed to be repaired, but it was also just old and obsolete. Nevertheless, when it died, things became very inconvenient for us.

Fortunately, we did have a refrigerator that we bought when we moved to Jettingen in 2014. It’s not a great fridge, nor is it very big, but it was able to handle full refrigeration duties while our landlord tracked down our new refrigerator. We had false hopes in late June, when a fridge was brought to us, but our landlord rejected it because of a cosmetic defect. Plus, the platform needed to be repaired.

Last week, a couple of handymen came over and made the new platform. You can see the progression in the photos…

All week, we’ve had an empty space where the fridge usually goes. Then yesterday, a different appliance vendor brought us a brand new Liebherr refrigerator that would fit in that space. It cost about 2100 euros, and it’s a big improvement over the last fridge. However, I think the high cost comes from it being able to fit in a cupboard, rather than it having a lot of features. It doesn’t have an ice maker or a water line, for instance, for dispensing cold water. But then, the fridge is not actually based near a water source, anyway.

Below are a few photos of the new fridge. It has a touch screen that allows it to be turned on or off, special modes for different occasions, and it can be connected to the Internet. Also, if you leave the door open too long, the lights flash at you, and you get a little red nastygram that orders you to shut the door!

*It was a pain to take all of the plastic off of everything.*

I was wearing my TRUMP SUCKS t-shirt when the delivery guys came. I think they got a kick out of it. I heard them talking to the landlord about it… and the landlord also talked to me about “our president”… a man I don’t wish to claim as a leader.

They told me not to turn on the fridge for 24 hours, but I lasted about four hours before I turned it on. The 24 hour rule comes from the risk of the fridge lying on its side and not having the oils properly circulating in the compressor. Turning on the fridge too soon can lead to damage to the machine. But I don’t think this fridge was stored on its side or back. It definitely wasn’t delivered that way, and was already standing upright for some time before it got to us. So I turned it on, and later, the landlord saw Bill and asked if it was working okay. This morning, it was working fine, so I think I made the right call.

The delivery guys also warned me about the age of the cupboard, and that it wasn’t quite perfect anymore, due to “warping”. Because of the warping, the door might not close properly. I know… but it’s not my kitchen set up. It is an old set up that needs replacing, but I’m not sure the landlord is going to want to do that if the cupboards have now gone out of style. He just spent 2100 euros on this new fridge!

For those who don’t know… in many German rentals, people buy their own kitchen set ups and install them when they move into the house or apartment. This house came with a setup already installed, but it’s pretty old and needs to be updated.

We’re so grateful to have a fridge in the kitchen again. It’s a real pain to have to go up and down a flight of stairs to get food and drinks. However, Bill has admitted that doing that has helped him get his steps in this month… He’s also been sick, though, so the extra steps were especially vexing.

Our landlord apologized that it took so long to get the new fridge. I assured him it was okay, and of course he can’t control how long these things take. I’m just glad he didn’t yell at me when the fridge finally gave up the ghost. I fear that’s what would have happened in Jettingen. I know we pay a lot more to live in this house, but it’s worth every euro cent, simply because the landlord doesn’t act like a tyrranical asshole.

Tonight, we’ll have a wine stand, and I think Bill will want to go, if it’s not raining. We sure could use the rain! But it’s always fun to drink wine with the locals. And maybe this weekend, we’ll go out and have a proper celebration of Bill’s birthday, now that he’s not so sick.

adventure, Annoyances, C.G. Jung

Older and wiser in Die Schweiz… (part thirteen)

We finally reached Saturday, our day of leaving Die Schweiz. It was slated to be a very hot day, so we were somewhat worried about how we were going to make the journey back to Germany. My German friend had sent a warning from Deutsche Bahn about the heat, and how it would affect train travel.

I researched what it would cost to fly to Frankfurt last minute. Although we could have done it, it would have been very expensive. Renting a car was only slightly less pricey. Since there were no warnings on the DB app on our morning of departure, we decided to go ahead with our plans.

Before our last breakfast, we packed our bags. Then we went down to the restaurant for our last breakfast feast at the Sonne Seehotel in Küsnacht.

The wait staff invited us to sit on the actual deck of the restaurant, but I demurred. The chairs outside were the kind that were grooved, and I knew that because I was wearing shorts, the grooves would end up pressed into the backs of my thighs. 😏

Bill had already moved my big bag down the half flight of steps leading into our hotel room. I was grateful for that, since I worried about maneuvering the suitcase down without either falling down, or somehow damaging the steps, which appeared to be made of thick glass.

*One last look at the unique ceiling in room 410.*

We went down to the reception and paid the city taxes, since we had already prepaid for the room. I booked the room back in March, when we were staying in Paris, France. The bill came to 3,936 euros, which is a lot of money for six nights. But, for that, we got a very large room with a view of Lake Zürich in Switzerland, huge breakfasts every day, and easy access to the lake. And we booked it so long ago that the pain of the expense is forgotten. Switzerland is just plain EXPENSIVE.

The receptionist bid us farewell and gave us a small jar of jam from the hotel. I’m sure we’ll be back to the Sonne Seehotel at some point in the near future. It’s comfortable and convenient. I just hope next time we’re there, we can go when it’s a little cooler.

On our way out of the hotel, I took a photo…

*I think I’ve seen this car before. Küsnacht is starting to become familiar… almost like a second home. It’s how I felt about Ribeauville, France, when we were still going there frequently.*

Bill and I pulled our suitcases through a tunnel and up a gentle hill to get to the railway station, which is just a five minute walk from the hotel. We took the regional train to the Zürich Hauptbahnhof, which was the starting point for our ICE train. Our train began in Zürich and would eventually end in Hamburg, Germany, many hours later, and long after we got off at the Frankfurt Airport station.

*Waiting to depart… We spotted a bunch of people dressed traditionally, as if they were from another era of Switzerland’s past.*

For our ride back to Germany, Bill booked us at a four top table. He did so, anticipating that at some point, the direction of the train would change, and he wanted me to be able to face forward. He’s so considerate and kind to me.

The first segment of the trip back was fairly quiet. An elderly couple sat at the two top across from us, and they were pleasant.

But then we got to Basel, Switzerland, and a group of young folks got into our car and proceeded to have a little party, complete with wine. They were oblivious to the rest of us in the car, who weren’t necessarily wanting to listen to them carry on, or deal with them coming from one car to the next. But what can you do? Fortunately, they got off in Freiburg, and there was blessed quiet again. I got the sense that maybe they were going to a sports event.

A tiny lady was seated with us not long after the Freiburg stop. She sat next to me. Then, a couple of stops later, a large German man with an affection for chili and beer sat next to Bill. He seemed put out that there wasn’t room to stow his suitcase in the luggage rack. But, because he was a large, tall guy, he had no trouble lifting his back to the overhead rack. I was actually kind of amazed watching him so easily lift the bag.

After about four hours, we reached the Frankfurt Airport, only about thirteen minutes delayed. It was a good thing we took the train, in spite of the rowdy group in the car with us. I am really becoming an old fogey!

We stopped by the restrooms before making our way to the taxi stand. The restroom where I went was small, so there was a line. I was amused because the woman in front of me rolled her eyes when a MAN came out of there. 😁 She actually backed up and double checked the sign before getting in line.

The taxi ride back to Breckenheim was pretty uneventful, except for when the cabbie almost hit another car on the way out. Unfortunately, the house was extremely hot, thanks to the triple digit temperatures (Fahrenheit). I set about opening windows, turning on the air conditioning and putting out water for the dogs.

On the way home from Switzerland, I had read about the local fire brigade turning the Dorfplatz into a cooling station. They brought their fire truck to the square, so people could enjoy being soaked. I was sorry to miss that event, since we were still on the train when it happened. But we got to see the fire brigade anyway, because later in the evening, the neighbor’s across from us started a fire in their garden.

I wrote about the neighbor’s fire in my regular blog, so you can read about that situation here, if you want… Fortunately, no one was hurt, and it appeared that property damage was minimal. But we did get a show of about twelve firefighters, a drone, and a couple of trucks in our narrow cul-de-sac.

*There are a few more photos in my blog post about this…*

All in all, I’d say our trip to Switzerland, where I became older, and Bill became wiser, was mostly a success. I would have liked to have seen and done a few more things, but it wasn’t a bad thing to just vegetate by Lake Zürich, do some reading, people watch, and swim in the water. I finally got to see Bern, which was a treat. We need to go back and do that city properly. It’s really beautiful… especially the “lazy river” like Aare.

I would also like to have a look at the town of Olten, which we passed through on our way to Zürich. It looked like a very nice place to spend a few days. I’ll have to research it. Actually, thanks to this most recent trip, I’ve been getting a lot of ads for places to explore in Switzerland. I never thought that would be a place I’d get to know, but it appears that fate has led us there…

If anything, I want to go back and buy one of those cool round Parmesan cheese graters… Apparently, they are only available in Switzerland.

*These things are pretty hard to find outside of Die Schweiz…*

Anyway, that about does it for my blow by blow reporting on this trip to Switzerland. I will next be writing my usual ten things I learned post to wrap things up! As I was writing this, I listened to the peaceful album, In Breath, which we bought from the busker, Luke Gajdus, while walking through Bern. I wish we’d brought home a couple more mementoes, but if we only got to bring home one, I’m glad it was his CD. It’s very relaxing music. Here’s a sampling…

Thanks, Luke, for giving me something besides pictures to remember Bern by… and for being far less annoying than the DJs who kept us up all night! 🤣

I would pronounce this trip a success, in spite of some of the minor annoyances. We both learned new things, and we’re both now older and wiser. The trains did make the whole experience easier. And now, it’s time to think about where we’ll go next!

adventure, Annoyances, C.G. Jung, Luxury

Older and wiser in Die Schweiz… (part ten)

On Wednesday, June 24th, Bill and I had plans to visit Rico’s cosi, a very nice restaurant in Küsnacht that we didn’t have the chance to try when we visited in October 2025. Rico’s cosi has the look of an artsy place, and reservations are pretty much a must. The chef, Rico, is featured on the restaurant’s Web site, smiling broadly in a red apron. The cuisine is Mediterranean and French-contemporary, and the price per course is $$$$. 😚 Our reservations were for 7:30 PM.

Before our dinner, Bill had class. Bill’s classes for Wednesday allowed for a break from 11:00AM until 2:00 PM. We had a leisurely breakfast, gazing at the lake and enjoying the many wonderful treats offered at the Pavilion Restaurant. I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but for people not staying at the hotel, breakfast at the Pavilion costs 54 Swiss Francs per person. 🫪 The good thing is, you definitely won’t leave there hungry!

On Wednesday morning, I had avocado toast. Bill decided to go with poached eggs and bacon. Of course, we had the rest of the stuff, too… the etagè, bread, coffee, juice, water… and yes, I needed to pee afterwards!

*I love how the food is presented. It’s so pretty!*

After breakfast, Bill went to his morning class, and I did my usual writing. Then, when Bill came back, we visited the Biergarten. It offered a different view of the lake, as well as easy access to beer.

Once Bill went back to class, I decided to go to the lake. On Wednesday, there were two women there… probably twenty years younger than me. One of them, dressed in a black one piece and sitting under an umbrella, talked non-stop for the entire time I was there.

However, in spite of the chatter, I still kind of dozed off. Beer, sun, and the relaxed vibe encouraged restfulness. I interspersed my sleepiness with a few plunges into Lake Zürich. You can see there’s a barrier up. Again, there was a private event hosted on the beach area, which made it harder to separate from the talkative lady.

Later, Bill returned from his class at the Jung Institute. We got dressed for dinner and walked over to Rico’s, which is located very close to the Institute. We didn’t know it when we arrived, but service was in the garden in the back of the restaurant. Still, we got a peek inside of Rico’s, which is a really beautifully decorated place. We also passed a young looking Asian guy sitting in the small parking lot, smoking a pipe. I don’t remember the last time I saw someone smoke a pipe! 🤣

*I wish I’d thought to snap a photo or two of the interior.*

We were a little early for our 7:30 PM reservation, and a little bit overdressed. Most of the people under the tent were dressed in shorts and polos, or something similar. We took a two top just outside of the tent, and the gentleman who seated us said it was a good thing there was shade. 🫪

To be honest, I wasn’t all that impressed with Rico’s… Not because of the food, which was excellent, but more because of the service. When we sat down, we were presented with a menu for a tasting menu– 5 courses at 198 CHF per person.

There were several things on it that I didn’t like. For instance, they were offering foie gras, which I object to for a few reasons– the main one being that I don’t like how it tastes. They also had a veal entree, and while I do think veal tastes good, I prefer not to eat it.

When I demurred about the veal, the waiter said they could make the veal dish with beef, which would have been okay. But I was a little tired of meat and wanted something else. So I asked for an a la carte menu, and the guy looked at me like I had nine heads, or something. Like… why wouldn’t you want to eat five courses for triple digits, even though there are things on the menu that you wouldn’t eat even if the most gifted chef in the world prepared them?

He looked so surprised that I asked, “You do have an a la carte menu, right?” I figured they did, because Bill had already looked at it before we came to the restaurant.

The guy said, “Yes, of course.” He presented to me, and I took the below photo.

I noticed that just about everyone else was having the tasting menu. Maybe the guy was puzzled that I didn’t follow the crowd (kind of a recurrent trend in my life), or maybe it was annoying to him because I was being contrary, and making life harder by ordering something different… not trusting the chef. Or maybe he feared we wouldn’t spend as much as the other folks did (preposterous!).

I’m sure the tasting menu was delightful, and we did order a couple of things that were on it. But I feel like if you’re charging as much as Rico’s cosi does, you shouldn’t be surprised when your guest wants to see the a la carte menu.

In the end, ordering a la carte was a good decision… Behold!

The food was excellent, very fresh, and beautifully presented. We both really enjoyed our fish dishes. However, the service, in my opinion, was a little inconsistent and could use some work. The wait staff, which consisted of all men, was a little casual, and not in a good way. They also held our wine hostage, although to their credit, they never got too weeded to top us up. I will also give props to the friendly guy who used a table crumber to sweep our table after we finished eating. That is a mark of good service.

At one point, a chef practically barked at Bill, who thought he was about to give him the wrong plate. Granted, the chef knows what he’s serving, but he came off as a little temperamental. I can’t blame him for being irritable, since the job is stressful, and likely uncomfortable. But it was still off putting.

Then there was the wine service. We had a champagne aperitif, and then ordered a white wine to go with our dinner. Bill had to stop the server from serving the wine, however, because the staff neglected to change the glasses from which we drank our aperitifs. It probably wouldn’t have made a huge difference in the taste, but again, for a restaurant that charges as much as Rico’s does, one expects much more attentive service than that.

Finally, there’s the vaguely threatening email Rico’s sent before our reservation– if we didn’t show up, they’d charge us 100 CHF! I know some high demand restaurants do that, but they hadn’t even taken Bill’s credit card number. Add that to the Asian lady sitting in the corner with her husband, giving us surreptitious side eyes… That’s not the staff’s fault, but it did kind of lend to the atmosphere of snootiness.

Still, I’ve certainly had much worse meals, and I wouldn’t turn down another visit to Rico’s cosi. I would love to try sitting inside next time.

If you decide to go there yourself, make sure you bring plenty of Swiss Francs or a credit card with a healthy limit. I think our bill came to somewhere around 400 CHF. That’s certainly not the most we’ve ever spent (that would be Cheval Blanc in Basel— just under 1000 CHF, and absolutely worth every cent!), but it was definitely expensive.

Rico’s cosi used to have at least one Michelin Star, but apparently, they lost it at some point. You can see this referenced in reviews from other guests, a few of whom were also turned off by the service. I notice that they are quick to accept responsibility in their responses to poor reviews, but they also complain about “harsh wording” in review titles. I guess I’ll take that under advisement when I write my Trip Advisor review. 🙄

On our way out of the garden, I was surprised by the sight of a very snazzy looking Ferrari. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen one so up close and personal. But then, perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised. It was Switzerland, after all…

I noticed Rico was also admiring the car, and we shared a moment staring at it. He actually seemed like a very friendly guy. He came around to the tables and thanked us for coming. It was just a couple of his staff members who came off as less than genuinely nice or service oriented.

As we were walking back to the hotel, I reflected more on the Ferrari and thought about the type of person who typically buys such a vehicle. Some of them are truly car aficionados, who simply love high performance sports cars and don’t mind spending six figures to own one (or more). And some of them are people who are compensating for certain other things that come up short in their lives… 😏🤣

But I can’t deny that the car was very impressive! And the person driving it, probably dines at Rico’s cosi, or places much like it, somewhat often.

Stay tuned for part eleven…

Annoyances, Celebrations

Older and wiser in Die Schweiz… (part three)

Featured photo is one I took in Bern on my birthday.

Now it’s time to get down to the business of actual travel. We decided to use trains on this trip to Switzerland. The main reason we decided on train travel is because it’s convenient, especially for our destinations.

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that both of our hotels are within a few minutes’ walk from train stations. While it not feel like they’re that close when you pack as much as I do, they are actually super easy to access. Train travel means not having to deal with traffic, or expensive parking. And it also means Bill can do this…

Bill bought us first class tickets from Frankfurt Airport to Bern. Then he bought first class tickets from Bern to Küsnacht. Finally, we have first class tickets from Küsnacht to Frankfurt Airport. We took a cab to the train station from our house, and we’ll take another cab home on Saturday.

The trains going to and from Switzerland are Deutsche Bahn, while the train between Swiss destinations was SBB (Swiss Federal Railways). This is an important note, given what happened on the way to Bern. I’ll explain that down post.

On Friday, June 19th, we headed to the Frankfurt Airport train station. Our cab driver showed up in a Tesla, and we had to figure out how to open the door. We were a bit early, and I had a headache that turned out to be because I was hungry. We stopped by Burger King, where we saw a man who was the spitting image of our village’s manager. I don’t know if it was him, but it sure looked like him… or maybe his long lost twin! We also saw the cab driver in there!

Below are a few photos from on the platform… It was a hot day!

We managed to get two seats next to each other, going in the correct direction of travel. As I sat down in my first class seat, I realized how much more comfortable train travel is than most airplane travel. We had plenty of legroom, a large window, and a tray table that didn’t poke me in the beer gut.

One thing I didn’t like about our trip down to Bern was the noise in the train car. I like to sit in the quiet cars, but I guess we got one where it was okay to use one’s cellphone. A group of loud French speaking men were on their phones almost the entire four hour trip to Bern. We were also a little bit delayed, on account of something that happened before Bill and I boarded.

I noticed the air in the train was a little stinky. It smelled a little like halitosis. Maybe it was from all of the people talking so loudly. Anyway, I tried not to let it make me grumpy. The beer definitely helped.

*This is an Erdinger beer. Our ex landlady was from Erding. I like the beer a whole lot more than I liked her.*

By the time we got to Basel, Switzerland, we were about eleven minutes late. The Zoll (border patrol) guys came on, got one look at us Euro-looking Americans, and walked on by.

I think the train drivers changed, too, because I noticed a different voice on the intercom. He spoke perfect German, French, and English. And he made a point of telling everyone that we were delayed because of an incident that had occurred in GERMANY. 🤭 The way the driver said it was funny. It was like he was disgusted that we were eleven minutes delayed. I noticed that he also encouraged people with connecting trains to hurry, because the trains were waiting for them. The Swiss take punctuality VERY seriously, especially when it comes to public transportation.

I noticed after we got going in Basel, the train driver started to really haul ass. We we were going noticeably faster, and Bill and I were, at that point, riding backwards. Fortunately, we only had to do that for a short time. Bern isn’t all that far from Basel.

When we arrived in Basel, it was almost 6:00 PM. Rain was falling, and the driver had made up about five minutes of the delay. I noticed the beautiful Aare River, as the train pulled into the busy station. We got off the train and followed the crowd… and wound up exiting the station on the wrong side, which meant we had to walk the long way to the Schweizerhof Hotel.

I also didn’t know that from June 19-21, there was a Stadt Fest going on in Bern. The city was teeming with people, and there were DJs everywhere, blasting music. Although I usually enjoy a good city party, I was kind of hoping for quiet after listening to French business calls for four hours. Nevertheless, we made our way to the hotel, where we were welcomed by a lovely young lady named Lavina, who checked us in and gave us access to Room 516.

I booked a junior suite, which came with two bathrooms. They actually came in handy for Bill.

The bathtub in our suite was pretty fancy. It even had a TV mounted into the wall, and a remote control. We didn’t use it, but I was kind of impressed, nonetheless. The hotel left us bottled water and two green apples, which later came in handy in Küsnacht.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the hotel is a rare property in Switzerland with air conditioning. And unfortunately, the room had chandeliers that we couldn’t turn off, if we wanted to use the lamps. I don’t like overhead lighting, especially when it’s really bright. But we were only there for two nights, so it was no big deal. Naturally, there was also a well stocked minibar, but there was enough room in it to store the lovely chocolate mousse birthday cake I got at our first breakfast.

Below are a few shots of the “party” going on in Bern on June 19th…

Since it was evening when we arrived, we changed clothes and headed out to our first dinner reservation. It was a chain steakhouse called Williams ButchersTable. Bill picked this location before we left Germany, and I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more if not for a few things.

There was a huge DJ setup outside of the restaurant, blaring music so loud we could barely hear each other.
The chairs were not very comfortable, and wouldn’t have been, even if I had a smaller ass.
The restaurant is also a “Metzgerei”, and one of the gimmicks they have is that you go to a meat counter and choose what you want. I felt uncomfortable standing behind a group of several men, picking out their cuts of meat. It was crowded and awkward, and I eventually told Bill to just pick something for me.
I had been eating leftover steak all week, prior to our arrival, and was really sick of red meat.

I know I shouldn’t complain, though. I am very fortunate that we were able to go to such a restaurant for dinner. I probably would have liked it a lot more if not for the loud music outside. I did lighten up a bit as we drank some nice Chianti Classico. And I have to admit, the steaks were good. I also had a dry baked potato, because I prefer potatoes with butter, rather than sour cream. Below are a few photos of the restaurant and food we enjoyed. Bill and I both had Swiss steaks, but his had cheese on it. He also had truffle fries instead of a baked potato. This restaurant does have vegetarian options, but you have to request them. They aren’t listed on the menu.

By the time we finished dinner, we were in a slightly better mood. The music had switched to 70s and 80s dance music, and I was enjoying watching the white people dance. Also, a lot of people were ordering bone marrow, which is apparently a popular specialty at Williams ButchersTable. I watched people holding a big bone to their lips as the wait staff poured vodka down the middle.

We ordered dessert. Bill had stracciatella tiramisu, and I had Ovo Mousse, which turned out to be mousse made from Ovaltine! I used to drink Ovaltine when I was a kid, but it was introduced to me by a former friend of mine. My mom didn’t buy it for me until I tried it at my friend’s house. I guess Ovaltine is popular in Switzerland. I did enjoy the malted dessert made with it!

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel. We were both kind of tired and cranky. On the way back, I took more photos of the rowdy crowds! All kinds of people were there… including what some might call “Jesus Freaks”. Check out their signs!

*These people were holding up signs about Jesus.*

We were ready for bed, but the rest of Bern wasn’t. The windows in our room were not quite a match for the loud, pulsating music. It went on until the wee hours of the morning. I looked up the schedule of events, and I noticed that something was planned until 5:00 AM! We were told this is NOT the norm for Bern, so we’ll have to visit again on a less rowdy weekend.

Fortunately, I had Advil PM, which helped me doze off at some point… I needed to rest up for my birthday, which I will write about in the next post!

Annoyances, holidays, rants

What Memorial Day? 🤬

Hi everybody. This is going to be a very quick update, because I don’t have much of anything to report this week. Bill has gone to Spain. He left this past Thursday, and will be spending Memorial Day working… and then he will come back Saturday.

I’m rather irritated, because his work also ruined Labor Day weekend last year. This is something he says his co-worker does, possibly for his own benefit. The guy, who is from the US, plans conferences, often around US holidays. He likes to do frequent TDYs. It’s annoying.

On the other hand, at least Bill has a job… It pays pretty well. I also know he’ll make it up to me eventually. And at least with this guy he’s now working with, they’re going to interesting places rather than the same post in Germany, over and over again.

Anyway, the upshot is, I’m stuck here at home alone. The temperature has finally become seasonal, so I dragged out the air conditioner yesterday. I’m so glad we bought it last summer, even though our old AC crapped out at the end of the summer of ’25, as it was cooling off.

It was hot yesterday, and the neighbors were playing loud music that would have made me choose between their noise, but some air flow in the room, or being hot, but not hearing as much noise. Never mind the bass thudding until late into the evening.

I know I sound a bit crabby. The fact is, I am a bit crabby… and for a lot of reasons, actually. I kind of don’t feel all that well… That’s a big part of the reason for my crabbiness. There are other reasons, of course, but I’m not going to go into them in this post.

I did manage to go to the grocery store yesterday. I dropped off a crate of plastic bottles, but was not aware that the REWE in our neighborhood no longer lets people use the Pfand for money off of their food. I had a receipt worth 4,25 euros, and was unaware that they changed their policy. I could only use the pfand receipt for money off of drinks. It wasn’t a huge deal, but I was a bit annoyed about it.

I don’t know what the reason behind this policy is, but it’s irritating. Bill told me about it last night, after his day of work, when I told him what happened. The new policy must have been implemented within the past few months.

While I was at the store, I took today’s photo, which is of the gay pride flag at REWE. I don’t have a problem with it, myself, but I did catch myself thinking about how such a flag would go over in my homeland. What’s going on over there is another reason for my crabbiness.

At least the sun is out. Maybe I’ll go outside and enjoy it. I usually don’t drink when Bill is out of town, but this week, I think I’m just gonna say “fuck it.” I might as well enjoy myself. (Edited to add: I cooked some pasta, instead, and skipped the beer.)

Sometimes, this life sucks a bit… but at least we have nice dogs to keep me company. And at least I’m in Europe.

Annoyances, Baden-Württemberg

No parking equals no wine museum…

Bill and I had big plans today. We hoped to check out the wine museum in Stuttgart. It’s located about an hour from our house in Unterjettingen, not too far from Esslingen.

Unfortunately, when we got to the cute little town where the museum is, there was absolutely no parking to be found. We drove around for awhile, but it was to no avail. No one was budging. Bill had to pee and I was rapidly losing patience with trying to find a place to park our Mini, so we decided to head to Panzer so I could pick up some mascara and other stuff.

When we were done with Panzer, we went to the Auld Rogue. We had gotten out of the habit of visiting the American community’s favorite Irish restaurant, probably because we try to find stuff to do rather than visiting AAFES. But we have a cruise coming up and I needed a few odds and ends.

The Auld Rogue was pretty dead when we got there at about 1:30pm, although there was one guy at the bar holding court. He was talking to a waitress I had not seen before. I heard her say she’s from Manchester, England. Of course, Nick the head guy was also there.

We started with a round of Guinness…

I had fish and chips and Bill had the chicken Caesar wrap, which looked pretty good. I was surprised by the mushy peas. I don’t remember those being offered last time I had fish and chips at The Auld Rogue. The chips were good… kind of greasy, yet crispy. I like ’em that way sometimes.

We were on our second round when a bunch of people showed up. Bill was enjoying the beer of the week, which was a local brew from Kraftbierwerkstatt called Awesome Amber. It was very peachy and quite tasty, even if it came in a small glass.

The group that came in was eyeing our table and I heard one woman say, “Those people are leaving.” I’ll admit, the spiteful side of me was very tempted to order whisky just to be bitchy. I’m pretty sure she at least got the stinkeye, because sometimes I really am bitchy… especially when someone’s lurking at my table in a restaurant where there are plenty of other tables to be had. No one’s name was on the one we were occupying, nor do I like to be rushed. Bill was really enjoying watching my facial expressions. After fifteen years, he’s pretty good at translating them.

I was ready to go, though. The music that was playing today was getting on my nerves… reminded me of a bunch of different U2 knockoffs. I kept Shazaming them to see what the bands were and they were all different, yet sounded the same– kinda like U2 post Y2K. Also, I was getting tired of unintentionally eavesdropping on the guy who was at the bar, chatting up the bartender and letting everyone else in on his conversation about co-ops in Virginia. Just by sitting there in the dining room, I learned that he and his wife couldn’t eat all the fruits and vegetables they were given thanks to the co-op. I also learned that they’re selling their house and his wife is back in the States trying to expedite the process. And no, we weren’t talking to the guy or in any way involved in his conversation… he just had a voice that carried and didn’t seem to notice or care that he was addressing all of us.

On the way out of the bar, we ran into one of Bill’s former co-workers who is about to depart Germany and move to his wife’s native country, Canada, after they spend a month touring around the UK and seeing friends and family. They always have their sweet dog with them wherever they go. He will also be joining them on the Queen Mary II as they cross the Atlantic on a cruise. I will miss seeing them and their dog, who is super chill and very well-behaved. I wish ours were that good in public. The Queen Mary II is the only cruise ship that I know of that has a capacity for dogs.

We stopped and chatted with them for a few minutes and wished them a good cruise… as we are about to go on a cruise ourselves. I don’t know that we’ll ever cruise with our dogs, but I’m glad the option exists. I hope they enjoy themselves. I have always wanted to do a transatlantic cruise, but it looks like it costs between $800 and $1000 per dog. That’s a lot of bread before you’ve even paid your fare (s)!

We will get to the wine museum someday. Maybe we’ll go later in the day or try on a weekday. It was not happening when we were there this afternoon, though. What a bummer.

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Category Archives: Annoyances