Die Scheuer is now open on Sundays, so we paid a visit today…

Last night, Bill was looking for places to eat and he noticed that one of our favorite restaurants, Die Scheuer, in Hofheim, was going to be open. I’m not sure why they have now decided to open on Sundays, but it was good news for us. We’ve been to this place a few times and enjoyed several good meals there, but we tend to go out on Sundays. Until now, with the exception of Easter last year, they were closed on Sundays.

Bill made a 1:00 PM reservation, and we just got back from a lovely two hour repast. From start to finish, it was excellent! When we walked in, we were immediately greeted by the proprietor and a very cute little dog. They knew who we were, and escorted us upstairs to the very charming wooden dining room, with Eckbank Gruppes all over the place. I love the Eckbank Gruppes, because I don’t have to worry that my ass is going to be squashed. 😆

I ordered a glass of Champagne– again, perhaps too many Trek Trendy videos– and Bill had a non-alcoholic Inge (ginger) cocktail as aperitifs, while we decided on what to have for lunch… We also ordered sparkling water, and they brought out fresh bread with butter. Bill decided to use the olive oil and salt on the table, instead…

There were a couple of specials available, which were explained to us in English. One was a smoked salmon roulade, which was there in place of a tuna appetizer they’d run out of. The others were the catch of the day (loup de mer) and duck.

I decided to have a lovely pea foam soup with smoked trout, followed by the duck, which came with gravy, warm cabbage slaw, and a potato knoedel. Bill went for the smoked salmon special and braised beef cheeks with truffled mushrooms, celery puree, dehydrated carrots, and herb spaetzle. We also ordered a bottle of red wine from the Pfalz…

The food was excellent, and we were on our best behavior. A woman and a young man who might have been her son were sitting near us. I suspect they might have overheard and understood us talking about the strange and difficult times we’re in… Maybe they were somewhat relieved, as I told Bill I think it’s time we got rid of the electoral college and had more candidates to choose from when it comes to our presidential elections. Or maybe they were just very polite.

We were trying not to be loud, and I don’t think we were. But as they left, the woman smiled warmly and said “goodbye.” I responded with “Auf Wiedersehen!”, and she beamed at me! I do get the sense that a lot of Germans seem relieved when they run into Americans and they aren’t obvious fans of the felon.

For dessert, we were both undecided, and let the coin tell us what to have. I ended up with the Kaffee Grande, which was a shot of espresso with mini versions of the the desserts. Bill went for the mandarin “frischkase” tart with mandarin ice cream. I think I would have had that, if not for the coin toss.

*This was a brilliant dessert. I got to try everything for two euros more than if I’d just had the cheese tart.*

All told, the lunch came to about 235 euros or so. Bill tipped like an American (40 euros 😳), which I think made the waiter very happy. When we left, he had a huge grin on his face. 😆 I don’t think it was just because he was glad to be taking a break and getting rid of the Americans. We were pretty low maintenance… ordered everything as it was on the menu, and didn’t complain. The dog said goodbye to us, too.

I really like Die Scheuer. I hope we’ll soon have a chance to go back there. We definitely need to visit Hofheim more often. It’s an adorable town! I don’t know why the restaurant is now open on Sundays. I hope it’s not due to money problems. That place is a real gem in Hofheim!

I don’t think I’ll need to eat again until tomorrow, but I did bring home a few leftovers, just in case I get hungry later. These are the times when I’m very grateful for good plumbing.

Anyway, I always highly recommend Die Scheuer. If you’re near Hofheim and looking for a nice place to dine, it’s a good bet. I recommend making reservations and bringing a credit card or a good amount of cash. It’s definitely not a cheap place to eat, but I think it’s well worth what you spend there.

Hessen, Hofheim, holidays

Our Thanksgiving meal at Maison d’Amer in Hofheim…

After four nights in Türkiye, I didn’t have turkey on Thanksgiving… This isn’t a new thing for Bill or me. Thanksgiving is not an official holiday in Germany, although some restaurants do offer Thanksgiving inspired options for the Americans. Even if I was a big fan of eating turkey, our oven is not really big enough to cook one properly. And since we’re just two people, it doesn’t make sense to cook turkey, anyway. Even if we just cooked a turkey breast, it would probably take us forever to eat it. I’m partial to darker meat, anyway.

Although we could have cooked a nice meal at home, we decided we’d rather go out to eat. Last year, we did the same thing in the same town– Hofheim– which is a really cute hamlet about 20 minutes from where we live. This year, we tried a new restaurant, Maison d’Amer. It was listed on OpenTable.de, and located in what used to be Ariston, a Greek restaurant that I think relocated to Frankfurt. We only got to eat in Ariston once, although we did get takeout from them a couple of times during the COVID era.

Bill was a little confused about Maison d’Amer, because it looked like it had been around since before 2022, and based on the reviews, it appeared to be the inside of another nearby restaurant called Schmiede. Schmiede is another restaurant we only got to try once. But as Bill was researching, it looked like the concept of Schmiede had changed. It was no longer offering dinner, only breakfast, lunch, and aperitivos. We were curious about what was up, especially since it’s been months since our previous visit to Hofheim. We’ve just been really busy this year, and haven’t had the chance to explore our local environs. After yesterday’s superb lunch, along with an explanation about things from our server, we will have to rectify that!

Getting to the restaurant turned out to be slightly challenging. Our usual Hofheim exit from the Autobahn was closed, so Bill went to a different one, which put us in a part of town with which we were unfamiliar. At one point, Bill almost rear ended some guy who didn’t quite make it through an intersection.

Soon enough, we recognized Hofheim’s familiar old town, and we lucked into a parking space very close to the restaurant. I did make a joke about the guy whose parking space we were taking. He was backing out extremely slowly… I said, “He has tortoise nervosa.” If you were around in the 1980s and watched Night Court on TV, you might remember that joke… but if you don’t, here it is.

I have a condition… LOL!!!! I used to love this show!

As Bill straightened out the Volvo in a parking spot, I noticed something strange hanging on a nearby tree…

*What the hell is this? Someone left their keys? And they’re a little rusty, too.*

We walked to the former Ariston Restaurant turned into Maison d’Amer. I got a few shots of the outside.

I was surprised to find the restaurant fairly empty. There was one table occupied by a couple of ladies, but the rest of the place was deserted, except for a friendly waitress who spoke excellent English. She invited us to sit anywhere we wanted, so we took a spot in a back corner on a banquette. I immediately noticed the excellent music that was playing– soulful music that I found myself repeatedly Shazaming. I was glad there were none of those weird Bossa Nova cover songs of 80s hits we were subjected to at the Hilton Istanbul Maslak at this place!

The waitress handed us a printed lunch menu, as well as the regular menu, and a wine list. We explained that yesterday was our Thanksgiving as we had a look at what was offered. I ended up selecting a pumpkin soup with a prawn as a starter, while Bill chose a salad. For our main courses, I ordered the tajine, which was chicken, potatoes, green olives, peas, and carrots. Bill had Shakshuka, an African dish that was bulked up a bit with mashed potatoes and sausages made with lamb and beef. He explained to me that he had encountered this dish on his business trips to Africa when we still lived near Stuttgart. We also enjoyed fresh bread with olive oil and rich balsamic vinegar.

Bill was able to finish his main course, but I had to take about half of mine home. That was because I wanted dessert! Last year, we didn’t get to have dessert, because we happened to finish lunch as the restaurant was closing for a pause. Maybe they would have let us order dessert, but they seemed eager for their break, so we skipped it and went to Hofheim’s little Christmas market, instead.

The waitress was not in a hurry to rush us out, and we ended up talking to her about what was going on with the restaurants. She explained that the guy who had opened Maison d’Amer was the former owner of Schmiede. He had sold it to an Italian guy, who had changed the concept, but not the name of the restaurant. She also told us that the place was always called Schmiede, except for a brief period of time in which a woman had opened a place called Blanca Bistro that sadly closed in 2020 because of the COVID pandemic.

Anyway, when Ariston closed in Hofheim, that was a chance for Schmiede’s previous owner to move to a new place, literally next door. Then, we found out that the waitress had worked at Die Scheuer, where we had Thanksgiving last year, and Easter lunch this year. I then remembered her. She had waited on us once, when we dropped in for lunch! And as were talking, I told her we had lived in Baden-Württemberg, and she said that she’s originally from Tübingen! That’s another city that is near and dear to us!

Our desserts were excellent, of course. I had a chocolate lava cake with berries. Bill had an almond parfait with persimmon sauce. I loved the plates they were served on! I don’t usually love lava cakes, but this one was done well.

As we were settling up, I had grappa, while Bill had an espresso. Then we made our way home. I took a few more photos. We had sunny weather on the way into the restaurant, but it got pretty cloudy on the way home! As you can see, Schmiede now has a new sign to go with a new concept and a new owner.

That meal at Maison d’Amer was substantial enough that we didn’t need anything else for the rest of the night, although we did sit around and drink beer while listening to music… same as we always do. We will definitely have to go back to that place another time. The waitress did warn that if we want to have dinner there, reservations are a must! But we’re lunch people, especially as we get older!

Unfortunately, our Thanksgiving holiday weekend is going to be cut short. Bill has to go to the US on business next week. But, on the bright side, it’ll give me time to make some music videos and do some shopping. So that’s a good thing, I guess. At least the Christmas stuff is put up.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving, if you celebrated it! I feel grateful for a lot of things this year, in spite of the shitshow that has been going on since Trump came back to power.

Hessen, Hofheim, holidays

How we spent Easter 2025…

A few days ago, Bill asked me if I’d like to go out for lunch on Easter. I agreed, so he found us a 12:45 reservation at Die Scheuer, a Michelin Guide mentioned restaurant in Hofheim am Taunus, a gorgeous town near where we currently live. Yesterday’s visit to Die Scheuer was our third. I think, if not for the pandemic, we would have been more regular patrons at this restaurant. It has a lot going for it. The food is excellent; the service is professional and kind; and the ambiance is very charming. Die Scheuer used to be a barn, hence its Swabian name. Now, it’s a very cozy and comfortable place for a leisurely meal.

Technically, our home is in Wiesbaden, but we only live about two kilometers from the Hofheim border. Likewise, when we lived in Jettingen, we were just near the border of Calw– maybe about two kilometers. Still, it’s a short drive to get to the center of Hofheim. Bill usually goes on the Autobahn, but I wish he’d take the back road. It reminds me that this part of Germany is also pretty, even if it doesn’t quite match the mesmerizing landscape of our previous stomping grounds.

We had beautiful weather on Easter morning, so after our usual morning routine, we headed to Hofheim. We were a little early for our appointment, so we walked around Hofheim. I got a few photos.

When we walked into the restaurant, the proprietor seemed to know who we were and greeted us by name. It could be we were the last of the people on her list, or maybe she remembered us from Thanksgiving. I assume we were the last ones she was expecting, although it’s not unheard of for us to become regulars at some places. For instance, when we go to Villa im Tal, we usually get greeted by name! We were seated upstairs, at a nice table next to a window. I really liked the bench seat. In fact, I was admiring the tables and chairs in the restaurant, which were very heavy duty wood tables, chairs, and benches. I told Bill I’d like to replace our Eckbank Gruppe with one of better quality. Maybe we’ll have the chance to shop for one soon.

I looked down at my napkin and saw that there was a colorful boiled egg nestled there. Bill also had one. His was pink, and mine was blue, and matched my dress. It was especially funny to see the eggs, since I just wrote a blog post on my main blog and made a video about how the Rewe Grocery Store was giving them out on Saturday. That gave me a laugh, since eggs are so precious in America right now.

The four course Easter menu was special; there was only a choice of the main course– lamb, chicken, or cod. Bill surprised me by ordering the fish, instead of the lamb. I had chicken, although I thought about getting the fish. We were both pleased with our choices. Below is a screenshot of the menu, all of which was agreeable to me. Bill was surprise, because I can be kind of picky sometimes.

*I don’t usually eat veal, but I will make exceptions sometimes.*

Below are some photos from the lunch. It was definitely hearty, but was presented at such a leisurely pace that we didn’t get too full. Bill ordered a bottle of Weissburgunder (pinot blanc) and sparkling water, and we both had aperitifs– a non-alcoholic ginger beer and mint concoction for him, and champagne for me.

*Veal with green sauce, quail egg, and wild greens*

Lunch lasted about two hours or so… and it was very nice. As we were eating, I told Bill that I feel so fortunate that we’ve been able to dine in so many excellent restaurants. We have been blessed with a wonderful European sojourn so far… And now, I think we’re trying to savor it even more, given what’s been happening in our country.

The bill came to a bit over 200 euros, which I don’t think was out of line for the quality and quantity of what we enjoyed. One thing I will mention is that the restroom at Die Scheuer is in the basement, which could be a challenge for anyone with mobility issues. I saw more than a couple of older folks being very careful going up and down the stairs. I also noticed some things for sale displayed by the restrooms…

I thanked the chef and his staff as we left the restaurant. They were gathered on the terrace for their well-deserved pause. I thought we were going to enjoy a beautiful afternoon at home, on our own terrace, with sunshine, warm temperatures, music playing, and wine flowing. Unfortunately, the weather turned crappy not long after we got home. We did manage to walk the dogs again. They were super happy to get two walks in one day, and I was glad to burn off some of that lunch!

For dinner, we enjoyed the eggs and some crackers we picked up on our trip to Italy. We really didn’t need much to tide us over after that delightful meal at Die Scheuer.

*These are so pretty. And yet, they are available year round in German grocery stores. They look like Easter eggs, but they’re dyed so we know they’ve been cooked.*

And then, as we were enjoying the evening music and wine, the sun came out during a rain storm, and we were rewarded with a very intense and beautiful rainbow… He is risen, indeed!

Easter was beautiful this year, in spite of everything… I am reminded of how very lucky we are, on so many levels. Charlie got to show Bill some love, too…

*I took this on Saturday, but it was too cute not to share…*

Hofheim, holidays

Thanksgiving lunch at Die Scheuer in Hofheim…

A few days ago, Bill asked me what I’d like him to cook for Thanksgiving. Since it’s just the two of us, we don’t often want to do a big Thanksgiving meal. It takes us forever to eat all of the food, and we lack both the storage facilities and large oven to cook a whole turkey.

Although Bill and I both like to cook, I thought about what cooking a large meal would entail, and I said, “Why don’t we just go out to eat?” Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday in Germany, so this was a perfectly reasonable suggestion. Bill agreed, and booked us a table at Die Scheuer, a restaurant in the nearby town of Hofheim am Taunus. We had eaten at this fabulous place just once before, because it’s often packed. After yesterday’s lunch, I can see why. The restaurant itself is fairly small and cozy, and the food and service are both very good.

Bill and I seemed to amuse an older German couple who sat near us and heard us speaking English. Who knows what they were thinking? But they were very friendly and polite, and wished us a good appetite as we enjoyed starters and main courses. I would have been up for dessert, but we were the last ones there at the end of the lunch service. They let out a couple of very sweet, friendly dogs while we finished our wine. And then we decided to just stop by the little Christmas food kiosk “village” near the Chinon Center (a mall where we usually park).

As for what we ate… I started with fried scallops with pumpkin puree. Bill had a spring roll made with goose. Then for our mains, I had Viennese fried chicken with homemade fries and lime Schmand. Bill had smoked duck with red cabbage and a dumpling. I was originally going to have the duck myself, but then I saw the chicken and decided it would probably please me more. I was right, although Bill loved the duck dish! I would have been pleased with it, too. Our wine was Kunstler Spätburgunder– pinot noir– which went very well with both dishes. The chicken was served extremely hot, and was moist and crispy. I found myself wishing I was better at frying chicken… but then, that’s a food I’d do well to eat less of.

It would have been nice to have had dessert, but at least we had beautiful weather, and it made walking to the temporary ice skating rink a real pleasure. We decided to share some red Glühwein (German mulled wine) while we watched people be festive.

After we got home, we decided to go down to the weekly market to see if there was any food there we wanted to buy. It was rather lightly populated yesterday, as there weren’t many vendors. But we did enjoy some wine and I got a photo of the Christmas tree they put up every year. I believe this weekend, there will also be a one night Advent Market. That’s always a fun event in Breckenheim. Christmas is always magical in Germany!

In spite of my gloomy feelings about the state of the world, I couldn’t help but enjoy Thanksgiving yesterday. It’s always a blessing to be with Bill. We had a very a peaceful, pleasant, lovely Thanksgiving. I hope we can visit Die Scheuer again. What a great restaurant! Next time, we’ll get there earlier.

Hofheim

Our plans to visit two cities, two street food fests…and get too much sun!

We finally had beautiful weather again yesterday, so Bill and I were determined to get out and enjoy our Saturday. There were two street food fests going on near us. One was in Hofheim, and the other was in Wiesbaden. Both towns are equally fun to visit, but for different reasons. Wiesbaden is a beautiful, grand, posh city with lots of restaurants and shops. Hofheim is smaller and more intimate. It also has some good restaurants and very easy parking at the Chinon Centre, a shopping mall.

It had been awhile since our last visit to Hofheim, even though it’s very close to where we live. We decided to go there first. The street food fest was going on in a parking area near the Chinon Centre. It was very well attended, as a lot of locals were as sick of the cold and rain as we were. We didn’t stay long, though, because there weren’t enough places to sit, nor was there a lot of shade. While I can see that there actually were places to sit, based on the photos below, there weren’t any when we were ready to eat. I took those shots about a half hour before we decided to partake in the goodies!

We had beer and a couple of offerings from the fest… chicken, beef, and ham and cheese empanadas and a crepe filled with smoked salmon and some kind of creamy mustard sauce. I saw other stuff that looked appealing, but again– not enough places to sit! I also didn’t like the music, which was mostly 90s era dance tunes. I think our local Globus (hypermarket) was doing some kind of world food event, to go with the Saturday market that happens every weekend. Below are some photos.

We decided to move on to Wiesbaden after about 90 minutes or so. That was a good decision, as Wiesbaden also had a nice celebration going on, and there were more venues to accommodate the crowds.

Neither of us were hungry when we got to Wiesbaden, but I thought maybe I could be talked into having ice cream. I don’t often get ice cream in the fancy ice cream parlors of Germany, because they’re such a big production, and usually too much for me. And then we had an awkward non-verbal social interaction at the place where we were considering having ice cream.

I sat down at a table next to an old man with a cane. I noticed his lips kind of twitched, as if he was offended by our presence. He got up and slowly moved to a table behind where Bill would have sat, had we decided to stay. He was then facing me, which made me uncomfortable. I was really put off by the guy, plus I hadn’t really wanted ice cream, anyway. So we moved on, and walked around Wiesbaden a little more, then stopped at the big wine stand in market square. There, we enjoyed too much sun and a couple of local wines.

*This is probably the look I had on my face when we left the ice cream place.*

Wiesbaden is such a beautiful city. It was nice to visit it again. I believe today is Sunday shopping day for both Hofheim and Wiesbaden, so there will be more festivities today. I don’t know if we’ll go to either place… Personally, I think I’d rather go to the Rhein, if it’s sunny. But I might just as easily stay home and do some reading. I find myself enjoying the reclusive lifestyle more and more these days. At least we got out yesterday, though.

Noyzi won’t mind if we stay in… 😉

Hofheim, Sundays

Noyzi makes a new human friend at the Birkenhof Hofladen’s Bembelschänke…

Yesterday, Bill was supposed to Skype with his mom. He didn’t do it, because I complained to him that I wanted to go out and do something on Saturday. And yet, we didn’t end up going anywhere yesterday… it was hot and muggy, and nothing was appealing.

Today was different. It was hot and muggy today, but we decided we wanted to go out, anyway. The Birkenhof Hofladen has a 24 hour fridge that people can buy produce from. They also have a Biergarten called the Bembelschänke, which is a really nice venue for drinking beer, eating pretzels, and pondering life. It’s a dog friendly place, so Noyzi came with us. Boy did he have fun! A Bembel, by the way, is a pottery wine pitcher found in these parts. This is German wine country, after all.

When we arrived at the cornfield, we walked Noyzi toward the entrance, where we were promptly greeted by a gorgeous dog who obviously lived at the farm. I think he might have been a “Swissy”. He was very much “Johnny on the spot” when we arrived, meeting us at the gate, and checking out Noyzi with his hackles raised. Noyzi, of course, just wanted to play.

The lady of the farm came out and claimed her dog, whom she said was two years old. She yelled at him to sit and he ignored her the first couple of times before he complied. He and Noyzi traded a couple more sniffs, then parted company as she took him inside.

Bill and I chose a shady spot in the Biergarten, which wasn’t very crowded at all. We ordered a couple of beers– an amber for him, and a weizen for me. Noyzi was nervous, but he eventually calmed down a bit as we enjoyed a “cheese bread” plate for Bill, and Spundekäs with a pretzel for me. I was impressed by how beautifully the food was presented.

The Bembelschänke offers a variety of beverages– wines, beers, soft drinks, and non alcoholic juices. I was actually really tempted by the lemonade, which looked very refreshing. The food choices are somewhat limited to snacks, but that’s okay. After you enjoy a round or two, you can visit the 24 hour fridge and load up on farm fresh goodies. I took a video for Bill’s daughter. She’s never had a chance to live abroad.

A little about what’s available…

As we were finishing up our second round, the lady of the farm came over with a big bowl of water for Noyzi. I could tell she was a bit smitten by him. I think the feeling was mutual, as he went right over to her and gave her a snuggle. I was glad to see him so comfortable with someone he doesn’t live with 24/7. Noyzi really likes women, and he’s come such a long way from the scared pooch he was in 2020, when we first brought him home from Kosovo. He was very well behaved at the Biergarten, aside from taking a little while to settle down. I think if we go back, we’ll be welcomed warmly… especially by Noyzi’s new friend.

One of the young waitresses said, when she saw Noyzi, “Mein Herz.” Or something to that effect. The lady of the farm said he was very “Hübsch”. It was clear that he made a very good impression. I do love my beagles, but I’ve got to admit that Noyzi the street dog sure is better behaved and easier on most levels. He works very hard not to offend, and he mostly succeeds.

Anyway, we were very proud of him. It was a hot, but lovely, afternoon. The mood at the Biergarten was perfect– not too busy and very warm and welcoming. I hope we can do it again soon. And the bonus is, we scored some nice goodies for home!

Below are some photos…

Hessen, Hofheim

Two cities, one day…

Yesterday, we had a rare busy Saturday, as we went out for business and pleasure in TWO different nearby cities. There was a time when we were younger when accomplishing this would not have been so notable for us, but COVID kind of took the wind out of our sails and made us enjoy being homebodies more. Bill often needs to rest on the weekends. But sometimes, we do manage to get out of the house. Yesterday, we went to both Wiesbaden and Hofheim.

If you’ve been reading my recent posts, you might know that in a couple of weeks, we are planning an epic vacation. We will start with six nights in Norway– two nights in Oslo and four in Bergen. After we do the Norwegian land based part of our trip, we will fly from Bergen to Stockholm, where we will spend one night prior to boarding Regent Seven Seas Splendor. Our week on the ship will include stops in Helsinki, Finland, Tallin, Estonia, Riga, Latvia, Visby, Sweden, Liepaja, Latvia, Ronne, Denmark, and finally, Copenhagen, Denmark, where we will disembark. We’ll spend two nights in Copenhagen, then fly home.

We plan to be away for about two weeks. Although one of those weeks will involve a cruise, it’s still a lot of luggage hauling as we make our way around to the different places we’re planning to visit.

Since about 2011 or so, Bill and I have been using Red Oxx bags almost exclusively. I like them for their handy compartments, tough construction, and beautiful colors. Bill also likes the fact that the company is in based in Billings, Montana and was started by veterans. We have a whole bunch of Red Oxx bags, and we’ve used them for a whole lot of traveling…

BUT…

On this trip, I’m going to be celebrating my 51st birthday. I’m not getting any younger, and my back is not what it used to be. Red Oxx bags do not come with wheels, meaning that I have to carry them. I typically use a Sky Train convertible backpack, which I’ll use on this trip, too. And when I go on big trips, I also use the Beanos Duffel bag, which can hold a lot of stuff, but isn’t the easiest thing to carry. It can be very awkward. I decided that for our upcoming trip up north, I wanted a bag with wheels.

Often I’d shop for such an item online, but I decided that I wanted to actually touch and pick up what I was buying before I made a final decision. Luggage is one of those items people tend to keep forever, and I didn’t want to be stuck with a “lemon”. I told Bill I wanted to go to the Karstadt Galeria in Wiesbaden to see what kinds of luggage they were selling. The Galeria recently announced that they were closing quite a few branches of their department store. Wiesbaden has had two branches, but soon will just be left with the one we visited yesterday at the Mauritiusplatz.

Bill was a little hesitant. He’d made a 7 PM reservation at Ariston Greek Restaurant in Hofheim. I looked at my watch. It was about 1:30 PM. 😀 I love my husband very much, but he has a tendency to be a bit neurotic sometimes. I guess he was afraid I’d dawdle in the store, and we’d miss our reservation or– horrors– arrive there late!

I said, “It’s just a fucking dinner reservation! Are you really telling me we don’t have time to go into Wiesbaden hours before dinner?”

Bill admitted I was right, so off we went to our fair host city. While we were at a light, Bill was getting annoyed at a guy who was in the wrong lane and had turned on his blinker.

“You’re gonna make me miss my light, buddy.” Bill muttered.

“We’re NOT going to be late for our reservation, Bill. Going out to dinner is supposed to be FUN!” I reasoned.

“You’re right.” Bill said.

I remembered we were going to be passing the Globus Hypermarket, which is kind of like WalMart on steroids. It’s a bit closer to where we live. I said, “Maybe we should just go to the Globus. I bet they have luggage.”

Bill disagreed with my ideas about the Globus, but finally relaxed about the time. We got to Wiesbaden and parked the car in the Market Garage, which is not where we usually park. It’s closer to the Galeria than our usual place is, although the store also has its own parking garage.

*Wiesbaden was ALIVE yesterday. I wanted to stay longer.*

As soon as we walked in, Bill spotted the luggage section, which was actually pretty large. I was immediately drawn to the Samsonites, which of course, were priced “top of the line”. But, just to do my due diligence, I looked at the other suitcases available. It had been a long time since I last shopped for luggage with wheels! I was surprised by how lightweight the bags were.

I ended up choosing a pretty marine blue Samsonite. I wanted to look for new towels, too, but Bill seemed too nervous, so I told him I’d get them another time. 😉 He would have obliged, of course, but he was making our shopping trip more complicated than it needed to be. What I really needed for now was the suitcase, and we accomplished that mission. I got some pretty cool photos outside of the store, too…

We went back to the car and Bill paid for the parking. When he got back, I said, “See? We have plenty of time. We could have had lunch!”

Bill said, “You’re right. Do you want to go have lunch?” Then he said, “Shit, I’ve already paid.”

“No, let’s go home to Noyzi.” So we went home, and started watching Amazon’s docuseries, Shiny Happy People. I’d already seen it, but Bill wanted to watch it, too. That kept us occupied until it was time to go to Hofheim for our dinner date.

The last time we tried to visit Ariston Restaurant, it was early March and everybody was out and about. They had no tables. Remembering that experience, Bill made a reservation. It was not necessary last night. Ariston was having a pretty slow night! Still, we decided to eat out on their tiny patio, and enjoy the pleasant June weather. It was about 70 degrees out and sunny. I had a Gyros Teller, which was gyros, souvlaki, tomato rice, t’zaziki, and salad. Bill had the Bifteki Teller, which had gyros, bifteki, pommes, t’zaziki, and salad. We also had a small carafe of house wine, our usual sparkling water, and for dessert, a round of Pils beer.

The very kind lady who looked after us was so nice. Bill gave her a generous tip on the bill, which was around 60 euros, and she touched her heart as she thanked us. It’s been too long since our last Greek food fix. When we lived in Stuttgart, we used to go to Greek places all the time. We don’t have as many Greek restaurants up here, though… We seem to eat more Italian food now. Not that that’s a hardship!

After dinner, we headed back to the car, and I took a few more photos. Hofheim has sort of replaced Nagold as our “go to” town for casual recreation. It’s not quite as pretty as Nagold is, but it does the job. Likewise, I think we think of Mainz as our replacement for Tübingen, even though they aren’t that much alike, other than both being university towns.

We didn’t know it, but Ariston has parking available. We probably should have parked there, but then we would have missed out on the pretty walk through Hofheim. It’s a very nice place in the evening. We need to go there more often.

*Someone drew a garden gnome near the museum.*

I’m not sure what we have in store for today. The weather is beautiful again, though… Maybe we’ll venture out. Maybe we won’t.

Hofheim

It’s party time because Bill is home!

Bill got home at about lunchtime yesterday. It was so nice to see his fuzzy face– he has grown a slight beard since last week. We went to the wine stand last night and talked to a few people. Noyzi came with us and was a little agitated, but every time we go to the wine stand, he’s a little less freaked out. He went up to our friend, Hannah, and gave her a very proper hello. She was delighted by how happy he was to see her.

We met a couple who just moved to Breckenheim, though they didn’t come from far away. We told them about how we used to live near Stuttgart and they said what a lot of Germans say when we tell them about our Stuttgart connection…

“That’s a very SPECIAL part of Germany…”

Indeed, it is. The dialect is different; people can be extremely tight with money; and they can be very anal retentive about Kehrwoche– that’s the communal routine of cleaning up common areas in a building or a neighborhood. Up here in Hessen, people seem to be a lot more laid back. It’s probably because this area is a lot more international.

We stayed at the wine stand for a little over an hour, but when it started to get crowded, we decided to move on. Below are a few photos… just a few, mind you. It wasn’t super exciting, although we did enjoy meeting the new folks, and appreciated that their English was excellent. The wife said she works at the airport and had a rare three day weekend! I mostly got photos of Bill’s hairy face, and Noyzi behaving himself.

Today, we decided to go to the Street Food Festival in nearby Hofheim. Those are always fun, and different towns have them on different weekends. Next weekend, we could probably find the same fest in a different place. Right now in Stuttgart, the big spring festival is happening. That’s definitely more fun and rowdy than the street food fest is, but we still had some live entertainment to cheer us, and lots of food from different places– from Ethiopia to Venezuela…

The band was kind of fun. They were playing songs from the 50s and 60s, mostly. Unfortunately, they had some issues with their sound. The mics were too close to the speakers, resulting in a very unpleasant tidal wave of feedback. You could easily watch people cringe as the metallic, electric shrieks emanated from the stage. But they eventually got the sound system straight, and they were better… entertaining, at least. Meanwhile, we enjoyed Venezuelan cheese empanadas, barbacoa pork tacos, and churros, washed down with pilsner. I got a few clips of the band, along with some “witty” commentary…

A very friendly elderly lady sat with us for a short while as we enjoyed “street food” to the American songs of 50s and 60s, interpreted by Germans. They also did a few in Spanish. I love how there are so many fun events in Germany… and we never have to worry about gun toting maniacs.

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As we were finishing our churros, I noticed the skies were getting cloudier and the wind was picking up. It was getting chilly, too. I told Bill I wanted to see if anything was going on by the Wine Chalet, in a nearby parking lot. The Wine Chalet is a permanent thing, but it’s outdoors, on the outskirts of where Hofheim has its weekly market on Saturdays. Sure enough, lots of people were enjoying wine, listening to a dreadlocked Black guy singing Sting songs. We decided to have some wine… or, I had wine, and Bill had sparkling grape juice. The guy was pretty good, even if he was basically doing karaoke.

Mid glass, we were asked to move the table to another area. Bill had to help the guy who made the request, who seemed to realize mid move that we were Americans. He thanked us in English, after speaking German the rest of the time. I don’t mind being taken for a local. I take it as a compliment.

We got home at just before 4:00pm, just in time to feed Noyzi. We stopped in the Edeka to pick up some wine, because I think we’ll enjoy the rest of the evening…

It’s great to have Bill home again. He really makes me smile, as you can see… For some reason, when I try to smile alone, I look completely deranged. With Bill, I only look half crazy. 😉

I dunno about that beard, though… We’ll see how long it survives.

Hofheim

JustWine in Hofheim: Our first wine event with a DJ…

Lately, I’ve been following some local Facebook wine groups, besides the one I run. Thanks to events like the Wiesbaden Wine Festival, I’ve found a few local wines that I really enjoy. When I noticed that the Barth Winery was going to be attending this weekend’s JustWine wine tasting event at the StadtHalle in Hofheim, I told Bill we should pay a visit. I enjoy tasting wines, and I already knew I liked the products by at least one of the attendees.

The JustWine event is continuing today, starting at 1:00pm, and running until 6:00pm. Yesterday, it started at 2:00pm, and ran until 9. I had wanted to go early and maybe have lunch or dinner in Hofheim. Unfortunately, we got held up waiting for an Amazon delivery. I bought Bill an Alexa Echo for his side of the bedroom. I was hoping to pair it with the one on my side, and create stereo sound. I’m still working on making that happen. 🙁 It’s not as easy as it should be.

Because we were waiting for the delivery, we didn’t leave for the wine event until it had been going on for a couple of hours. One nice thing about this event is that it was at the Chinon Center, which has a huge parking garage. That made it much easier to get the wine to the car. We bought fourteen bottles, six of which will be shipped to us. Last May, we went to an event at the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden, and Bill almost killed himself getting the wine to the car, which was parked in a distant garage. Yes… the parking was the best part of the JustWine event. The rest of it impressed me somewhat less.

The entry fee for the JustWine tasting is 8 euros. For that, you get unlimited entry until the event ends for the day. You can taste wines by vendors from France, Italy, and Germany, as well as purchase gourmet food items from the SudTyrol and Hofheim. There was also a D.J. That was a first. I’ve never seen a D.J. at a wine tasting. The music was okay– sort of techno trance instrumentals– but it was turned up kind of loud, which made it hard to hear and be heard. There were also a LOT of people there, so it was hard to actually access the booths. We ended up only going to three before we finally decided to give up and see if we could find dinner in town.

Before we ventured into Hofheim searching for food, we stopped at the Edeka in the mall so I could get some hair conditioner. The guy running the register, Herr Rocky, looked pretty much over it as he asked Bill to put his “Geschlossen” sign on his conveyor belt. It must have been break time… or maybe it was time for him to go home.

Then, after we bought my hair product, we stopped at a couple of restaurants, both of which were totally full. We didn’t make any reservations, because we weren’t expecting to go to the event as late as we did. It looked like everybody was out in Hofheim last night, which is understandable. Less than year ago, things were still pretty locked down in Germany. Since I already had indigestion, I told Bill that we should just go home.

So that’s what we did… and I was soon confronted again with Alexa, and her reluctance to pair properly in our bedroom. Bill has to go away this week, so hopefully I’ll figure out how to get the speakers doing my bidding before he comes back Friday– temporarily– until he has to go away again for another three days. On the plus side, Arran and Noyzi were overjoyed to see us. Arran, in particular, was running around with unbridled joy. He has that big tumor on his side, and it seems to hurt when we touch it. Yet he still has the ability and the will to greet us with so much enthusiasm. He amazes me every day.

I might have enjoyed the JustWine event more if we had gotten there sooner, when it was probably much less crowded. We probably would have found food, too. There was food at the event, but nowhere to really sit, or even stand, because there were so many people there. Personally, I think they should have scrapped the disc jockey and put in a few more tables.

I did at least get to buy some sparkling Rieslings from the Barth Winery and introduced myself to Axel, the guy who represented the Barth Winery and alerted me to the event in the first place. He’s very active on Facebook and speaks perfect English.

I got a kick out of Axel, because as we approached his table, he was dealing with a very petite young Asian lady who seemed to be putting him through his paces. She also seemed to be a little bit “lit”. She ended up buying a bottle of sparkling rose before she stumbled off, looking a little bit cross. Maybe it’s because she understands Armenian or Spanish, as I used words from both languages to describe her rather familiar demeanor to Bill. I know… shame on me. But she was kind of hogging Axel’s attention, and it looked like maybe he could use an assist.

Anyway, I’m not sorry we got out of the house and went to the JustWine event. It was a little too loud and crowded for my tastes, but it was definitely a unique affair. And we did pick up some wines, which I will be avoiding during Bill’s TDY. I like to temporarily get off the sauce when he’s not home.

Below are some photos…

Hofheim

Lunch at Momenti di Vita Italiani in Hofheim!

We had pleasant weather yesterday, so Bill and I decided to take a quick trip to the nearby city of Hofheim. I really just wanted a change of scenery, but it was also time for lunch. We parked at our usual venue, the indoor lot at the Chignon Centre, which is an indoor shopping mall. It was kind of weird walking through there maskless. A few people still wear masks indoors, but for the most part, that custom has been abandoned… at least temporarily.

We looked around at some of the places where we’ve previously dined, as well as places we’ve wanted to dine, finally ending up at Momenti di Vita Italiani. This restaurant is right in the middle of the town, along the main drag. Though there weren’t a lot of people sitting inside the restaurant, the outside area was bustling. In retrospect, we probably should have eaten inside, if only to avoid the smokers and flies. But at least we could people and dog watch, which I did.

This restaurant has a very extensive menu. They had specials on a large easel, as well as on a smaller one on the table, plus they had the usual pizzas, pasta dishes, and Italian dishes found at most Italian eateries in Germany. Bill and I both decided on specials that were on the smaller, table easel. He had a glass of Pinot Grigio, while I had a Lugano to go with my dorade filet with wild garlic and asparagus pesto. Bill had linguini with sundried tomatoes, black olives, and mascarpone cheese.

Near us was a large table of English speakers. It sounded like three Brits and an American. They were talking about politics. Across from my was a couple who brought their two dogs. One was a very sweet and well-behaved Bulldog. The other looked like a very fit Rhodesian Ridgeback, who was barking at every dog who passed. We spent a couple hours on our leisurely lunch, and spent about 60 euros with the tip.

Below are some photos from our brief outing. It was brief, because the dogs weren’t that pleased that we were going out, but sometimes, I need to get out of the house without the dogs for my mental well-being.

I asked Bill to take the “back way” home, rather than the Autobahn. I like to be reminded that there are some pretty areas near us. Thanks to the pandemic, we haven’t explored this area as much as we should have by now. I’ve been wanting to go on some weekend outings, like we did in Stuttgart. Hopefully, we’ll get around to that again, soon.

I’m not sure what we’ll do today. It’s a bit cloudy outside. I might just give the dogs much needed baths and work on reading my latest book. I’m glad we managed to get out yesterday, though. It’s always a pleasure to visit Hofheim. We should do it more often.

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Category Archives: Hofheim

Die Scheuer is now open on Sundays, so we paid a visit today…

Our Thanksgiving meal at Maison d’Amer in Hofheim…

How we spent Easter 2025…

Thanksgiving lunch at Die Scheuer in Hofheim…

Noyzi makes a new human friend at the Birkenhof Hofladen’s Bembelschänke…

Two cities, one day…

It’s party time because Bill is home!

JustWine in Hofheim: Our first wine event with a DJ…

Lunch at Momenti di Vita Italiani in Hofheim!