Last night, Bill came home a little bit early and we went to the weekly market. It was because there were going to be a couple of special vendors there. Also, we didn’t have anything in the house for dinner.
As it turned out, we bought a lot of stuff from the Mediterranean Feinkost, which specializes in delicacies from Turkey. We enjoyed some mulled wine and I got some photos, which I will share now…
I know there are villages and towns in our previous environs that have these kinds of events, but neither of our old villages in Baden-Württemberg had anything like what we have in Breckenheim.
I got a kick out of the young guy working at the Feinkost. He looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, and he spoke excellent English. He managed to get us to buy 78 euros worth of stuff! Bill bought a cucumber from the vegetable vendor, and we enjoyed the delightful mulled wines– red and white– from a local vintner.
I don’t necessarily enjoy Christmas that much, but I can appreciate the festive environs here in Germany, even though I know that come January, it will be bleak on many levels… starting with the weather and ending with the political climate. But, at least we have the holidays… for now.
We had a very low key Independence Day this year, because I had my very first colonoscopy this week. Those who are interested in knowing the story of that can click here. For the purposes of this post, I’ll just say that I’m glad it’s over, and the doctor didn’t find anything concerning. However, he has yet to address the reason I came to see him in the first place. He also started the procedure before I was unconscious. I’m a bit pissed off about that, along with some other issues going on right now.
Anyway, I started the week doing the bowel prep, then I had the procedure, and the days following were spent recovering from the shock of it. Bill had to work on Wednesday, although he took Tuesday off to make sure I went to the appointment and drive me home afterwards. Actually, I could have driven myself, because they used Propofol to knock me out, and it didn’t leave me groggy at all. It even said on the paperwork I could drive home if I wanted. I never drive, though, unless I have a specific reason.
Thursday, Bill was off work, so we went to the weekly market. We brought Noyzi with us, too, since it was early in the day and he likes to go to the market. It’s good practice for him to learn how to behave in public. There weren’t that many people at the market, nor did they have a lot on offer. The vegetable guys weren’t there, nor was the fish monger. The Metzgerei truck came, as did the ice cream, bread, and Mediterranean Feinkost guys. The wine stand was also open.
We had a couple of glasses of local wines and enjoyed the sunshine. Noyzi said hello to a couple of dogs who also came. Basically, that was it. I did hear some fireworks going off from the post. We live maybe ten minutes from there. We also heard from the lady who is having us rescue another Kosovar dog. What we know now is that it’s been delayed again. But that’s okay. We’re not in a rush.
Yesterday, it was kind of chilly and cloudy, but I decided to take some pictures of the creek in our village. I remember thinking to myself, as someone who has lived in Germany for a long time now, that a person can get used to their environs and miss the really neat stuff. We have a couple of interesting old houses in the Dorfplatz that I know I’d miss if I lived in one of the many cookie cutter neighborhoods in the United States. I think the purple flowers were what attracted me and caused me to take these photos, in spite of the clouds… I’d like to live near the creek. I enjoy the sound of rushing water… except for when I have to pee.
My German friend says the historic house in the featured photo looks like an old schoolhouse. She looked up our village and learned that it was, in fact, built by a teacher and is known as the teacher’s house called Villa Breckenheim. It’s right by the creek.
Bill has been in contact with the tour operator in Iceland. I think we’re close to booking, my health issues notwithstanding. I feel like fucking off of the doctor’s visits and just living life until I just collapse somewhere. What’s the point? I feel like it’s all just going to hell, anyway. But at least I live in a pretty German village.
Yesterday was my birthday. Normally, Bill and I would have liked to have gone out somewhere, or gone on a trip. Last year, for instance, we went to Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Denmark, in honor of my 51st turn around the sun. This year, we have a lot going on, plus we just got back from Bulgaria.
Today, Bill will be getting his new tooth. The dental implant saga he’s been on since last August is about to end.
Then there’s my recent journey into German healthcare that is requiring some appointments for tests.
Then there’s our plan to adopt a new dog from Kosovo, who could be here in a couple of weeks…
With all of this stuff going on, there was no time for a birthday trip this year. So we stayed home. I wrote about the first part of yesterday on my main blog. When Bill got home from work, we decided to go to the weekly market and have some wine. The market was operating with extended hours yesterday. It usually ends at 6:00PM, but last night, it went until 9. There were a few people selling crafts, rather than the usual food. We didn’t stay long, though, because Bill had to talk online with his analyst.
We ran into our landlord and his wife and half of an American couple who live nearby. I soaked up the festive atmosphere, as tonight and tomorrow night, our village is having its now annual wine fest. We missed it last year. I’m sure we’ll attend… I just hope I don’t get too wasted. 😀
As we were walking back to the house, we ran into our neighbors. One of them gave me a big hug and wished me a happy birthday. I never got a reception like that in Jettingen, down in BW.
Below are some photos from last night’s festivities. I do really like this little town where we live. I will hate to have to leave it someday. People are so community minded.
This guy bears a resemblance to one of my cousins. Every time I see him, I’m struck by it.He’s such a keeper.
Bill got home from his latest business trip at about 3:30 PM. Because he was home early, we decided to go to the weekly market in our Dorfplatz. It was pretty quiet when we got there, as it was still kind of early. A couple of the usual vendors weren’t there. They were probably taking an Urlaub (vacation).
We decided to have some wine, so Bill got us a couple of glasses. When a table opened up, we claimed it. About ten minutes later, two women showed up and asked if they could sit with us. We said yes. One of them brought a beer with her and it slipped out of her hands. Fortunately, she caught it before it hit the ground.
Two minutes later, she lit up her first cigarette. Her friend joined her. Naturally, the wind was blowing my way, so her smoke was in my face. I said nothing and tried to keep my face passive as I secretly fumed. I fantasized about showing up at the next market with an oxygen tank.
Soon, a man in bright colored clothing sat down with us. He, too, lit up a cigarette. It was like they were trying to smoke us off the table. Another woman showed up. She started vaping. As I sat there, calmly drinking Riesling, then Cabernet Franc, breathing in the putrid smoke, I thought to myself… these are the people who look down on Americans for being fat, unhealthy, and obnoxious. But Americans don’t corner the market on rude, unhealthy, and obnoxious behavior. 😉
Never mind, though. While we sat there, Bill booked us another table at the fabulous Pizarro Fine Dining in Groß-Gerau. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might remember we went there the day before St. Patrick’s Day this year. It was a very expensive, but incredibly amazing, dinner for us. I am looking forward to another delightful evening of flavors that blow my mind… even if the menu is the same as it was last time (and I don’t think it is.)
While he was in Stuttgart, Bill managed to call our Hundepension. He left a message, and Natasha, Noyzi’s favorite babysitter, called back immediately. Bill explained that he’d been trying to get in touch. She said they hadn’t gotten his emails… and I’m assuming he had called, but never got voice mail. But, anyway, we were able to book Noyzi for June 7-11, so we can take a short trip. And we booked the first week of September, so now we can go to Iceland. That is, provided whatever is ailing me doesn’t cause a problem… I doubt it will, but you never know.
Bill said while he was in Stuttgart, the folks said they wanted him to come back June 11-13. He had to tell them he couldn’t, because he had “family business”. Part of that is wherever we’re going, and the other part is him dragging me to the doctor after 14 years. He really has to be here for it, because otherwise, I won’t be going. I know that sounds crazy… and if we were in the US, it would be less of an issue. But he’s already had to reschedule this appointment, which was originally scheduled for today. So he begged off on another TDY.
I still don’t want to see the doctor, but I’m somewhat less stressed about it right now. That will probably last until the day of the appointment. I have a feeling on June 13th, one week before my birthday, I will be freaking out a lot.
I actually do have a good feeling about it, though. I expect this doctor will be a decent one. He’s supposedly the chief of staff. And I expect whatever is wrong with me can and will be fixed. However, I also have a feeling that surgery might possibly be involved, which could really fuck up our plans. But maybe it won’t. Maybe I’ll just get some medications and a brief lecture with requisite German sternness. Or maybe the doctor will be the medical equivalent of Jimmy Buffett and just put a smile on my face. One can only hope, right?
If anything, I can write about it. People will read it, too. That’s one of those topics people are interested in… like wife spanking and nude spas. Don’t ask me how I know.
Last night, I told Bill I wanted to go to the weekly market. We hadn’t been in a long time, and I was thinking I’d like to see if the Metzgerei from Mainz that usually attends had any interesting looking cold cuts. Originally I wanted Bill to go down there by himself, but he asked me to go with him. So I put on some warm clothes (it’s still pretty cold here) and walked down there with him.
We left Noyzi at home, because I didn’t want him to run into that jackass who swatted at him last year. I didn’t see him there last night, but there were several dogs. Maybe it was better that we didn’t bring Noyzi, because although he’s very sweet and friendly, he does get excited when he sees other dogs. There might be a wine stand tonight. If there is, and we attend, maybe he can go to that. He does love the wine stands.
We ended up buying some very heavy bread, fresh asparagus and tomatoes, and several kinds of cold cuts. Then we decided to have a glass of wine. Bill actually hadn’t wanted to, because he had an online appointment with his Jungian therapist. But I live for wine in the Dorfplatz… so we had one, and then our landlord showed up and we hung out with him for an hour. He bought us another round of wine. His wife later joined us. I was reminded, yet again, why we really like Breckenheim and living up here in Wiesbaden. People are very friendly, especially for Germans. 😉 But maybe that’s because my first experiences living in Germany were in Swabia.
Below are a few photos. I wish I’d gotten one of a dog we saw on our way back up the hill. He looked just like his owner, complete with mustache! Both dog and owner seemed very friendly. I would have liked to have talked to them, but Bill was in a hurry.
This dog was such a sweetheart.
I love that we can just walk down the hill from our house every Thursday and buy fresh food. Then afterwards, we can have some wine and hang out with the locals. Maybe things have changed in the United States, but I don’t remember ever being able to do this with ease back home. And it’s so nice to have landlords who are also really good neighbors.
Yesterday, Bill and I went to Wiesbaden again. Bill wanted to buy me a new guitar for Christmas. Poor guy has the hardest time figuring out what kinds of gifts to buy me at this time of year. Noticing that I’ve made some progress in my guitar skills, Bill decided it was time I upgraded my instrument. So we went to Wiesbaden to pay a visit to Musikinstrumente Matthias Petroll, a music shop in the market square that we’ve passed many times, but never actually shopped in before yesterday.
The Christmas market is still going on, and parking was pretty scarce. It actually worked out in our favor, though, because instead of parking at the theater, where Bill usually likes to go, we found a spot at the Market Square garage. It was a lot closer to the music shop, which was open until 6:00 PM.
The shop is pretty small, and I noticed that the proprietor didn’t have a huge range of guitars. I was thinking I’d like a fairly good step up from the Fender Malibu Classic I’ve been playing since 2020, but the available guitars were mostly of the cheaper kind. However, the salesman– probably Petroll himself– could see that I would like a smaller instrument. He picked out a few and I fumbled with them a bit. None of them had straps, so it was hard for me to play decently.
The sales guy, of course, could play beautifully… and it wasn’t long before he convinced me that I wanted a Breedlove Pursuit Exotic Concert CE Earth. It was priced at about 1100 euros, which is more than it would have cost in the United States or online. But, it’s a nicer guitar than my Malibu Classic, if only because it will be easier to string, and it has a cut out, which makes it easier to reach the lowest frets. It also has a much nicer onboard tuner.
We decided to get the guitar and he took about a half hour to set it up for me. Bill and I, meanwhile, went to BrewDog for a late lunch/early dinner. By the time we came out of there, the sun had gone down, and we had a view of the lights! But there were so many people there, that it was very difficult to make our way back to the music shop to pick up my new toy. Breedlove is based out of Bend, Oregon, and has an environmental focus, even though their cheaper guitars (like the one I got) are manufactured in China. I look forward to getting used to my new guitar. If I ever get decent enough at playing, maybe I’ll make the leap to a nice Martin or Taylor. But that’s down the road…
Below are some photos…
Cluck Norris and a side of mac n’ cheese for me.Bill had a roasted chicken and sourdough bowl.And a couple of craft beers…My new guitar!
It was bitterly cold yesterday, but we had sunshine. As we were having leftovers for lunch, I grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. Bill said, “Well, I guess we’ll go to the Christmas market next week.”
“You want to go to the Christmas market?” I asked.
“Well… yeah, but it can wait.” Bill said.
“We can go to the Christmas market.” I reassured him.
Bill just kind of looked at me as he handed me food.
“Are you just upset because I’m having a beer for lunch?” I asked.
“No…” Bill said.
“Do you want to go to the Christmas market, or not?” I demanded.
“Yes, I WOULD like to get out of the house.” Bill conceded.
“Then fucking say so!” I said. “We have plenty of time to go to the market if that’s what you want to do. No need to be a wishy washy people pleaser.”
Bill laughed, because what else is he going to do when faced with logic and profanity from his wife? I try to encourage him to make his needs known, and yesterday, his needs included going to the Christmas market. So that’s what we did. He doesn’t mind when I cuss, either. That’s why we’re still married after 21 years.
The Christmas market was very busy yesterday, and parking was somewhat scarce. We lucked into finding a spot without too much lurking, but not everyone was that blessed with good parking karma. I got some photos, but we weren’t really in the mood for shopping or Gluhwein. It was so busy that people were repeatedly bumping into each other. Consequently, we didn’t stay that long…
Below, are some photos from our short visit to the Christmas market in Wiesbaden.
For once, it’s cold enough for ice skating.
After about 45 minutes or so, we were good and chilled, so we came back home, fed Noyzi, and I started the very first fire of the 2023-24 winter season. Then, Bill made me a delicious cup of Neuhaus dark hot chocolate. That stuff is the absolute bomb. It’s probably the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had, and I have had some really good hot chocolate in my day. It’s very rich and not cheap, so it’s not very often that I indulge… Yesterday was a very good day for it, though. We spent the rest of the evening hanging out. Later, we made a video for Bill’s daughter, who is expecting her fourth baby, and is about to celebrate her 30th birthday.
If you have the means, Neuhaus is wonderful hot chocolate…So cozy!
Yesterday’s Advent calendar find.
Bill has to get his stitches from his recent dental implant surgery removed today. Then, he will wait a few months, and the dentist will deliver a brand new fake tooth. Having been through that process myself, I can state that it’s pretty amazing to see a new “tooth” that looks better than your old one, and feels very natural.
All in all, we had a good weekend, and a nice Sunday. Today, it’s supposed to snow again. I expect there will be new things to wrap and put under the tree, too. So, I hope you have a good Monday… Now I will close this post and write something less cheerful for my main blog. 😉
It was extremely cold yesterday, and the skies were gunmetal grey. We decided to go down to the Adventmarkt for some Gluhwein anyway, because this is a one night affair in our village. It’s been some time since we last went to a wine stand. We’ve been doing some travel, and the weather hasn’t been agreeable… and, well, a lot of times, I just don’t feel like getting dressed and walking down the hill. Not when we can stay home and drink our own wine, speak English, and listen to music.
But, in spite of my occasional laziness, I seldom regret going to the wine stands and other events, when I do manage to get dressed and make the effort. We do know a few people in town, and there’s always something to see. People are very social and friendly, and it reminds me of how much we like Breckenheim. It really is a nice little town. The mood is very different from what we experienced in the Stuttgart area.
Last night, I put on a sweater we bought in Ireland in 2016, when we were there for our 14th wedding anniversary. I seldom get a chance to wear the sweater, because it’s seldom cold enough to justify it. It was in the mid 20s (Fahrenheit) last night. I also wore my Irish flat cap, which I usually only wear when it’s very cold. I don’t look quite as cute in the cap as Bill does, but I think I can pull off the look somewhat. I didn’t bother with makeup, because everyone in our town has already seen me looking like crap while I walk Noyzi.
Noyzi was sorry he didn’t get to come with us to the market, but we figured it would be too busy for him. And, as the event was very well attended last night, I think we were right not to take him. We didn’t stay long, anyway… just long enough for some mulled wine and photos. Have a look!
We have sun and cold temperatures today. I don’t know if we’ll go to the market in Wiesbaden today… I know Bill wants to pick up a couple of things at the market, but again, it comes down to whether or not I can be arsed to put on a bra. As I wrote yesterday, we’ll see…
Yesterday, Bill and I decided to venture out to Darmstadt. We wanted to visit a drink market Bill had heard rave reviews about from his colleagues. He was told the place was on several levels and offered many different beers, wines, liquors, and mixers from around the world. It turned out Maruhn Welt Der Getränke isn’t quite that amazing, but it’s still a very nice drink market.
When we lived in the Stuttgart area, we used to somewhat regularly visit Heinrich’s Super Getränke-Markt 3000 in Kornwestheim (near Ludwigsburg). I was always impressed by the excellent beer selection offered at that store, and hoped Maruhn’s drink market would be similarly excellent. Having visited Maruhn’s drink market yesterday, I can now say that in some ways, I liked it better than Heinrich’s. In other ways, I think Heinrich’s is better.
Heinrich’s has a superior beer selection. It has more beers from more places from around the world. It has better parking, offers somewhat more snacks for sale, and is next to a regular supermarket. The parking garage has a public restroom, which would have come in handy yesterday, after I finished off a bottle of water.
However, Maruhn’s has a free wine tasting section, a bar, and has much nicer displays. Maruhn’s offers many more liquors, some of which are very precious and expensive. I don’t remember seeing a lot of liquor at Heinrich’s. They also have drinkware, barware, and Bembels (pottery wine pitchers). I really liked the music they were playing in the store, too, which may seem like a minor thing, but to a musical person like me, it’s quite important. I don’t think I ever heard music at Heinrich’s, which seems a lot more “no frills”, to me.
We picked up a couple of bottles of wine and some exotic beers– mostly from Scotland and Iceland– as well as some German beers. It’s been a long time since I last had beer that didn’t originate somewhere in Bavaria and taste like every other beer of that type in Germany. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE German beers. But as an American, I have gotten a taste for more exotic suds and styles that aren’t typically offered by German breweries. I used to order beer from a store in France called Saveur-Biere, but that gets kind of pricey in a hurry. Maybe I should order more, though.
Here are some photos from Maruhn’s… I think we’ll be back.
Ask an associate and you can try some wines for free.Dayum! I think I’d rather go on vacation for that price!Expensive Arran whisky…Brussels sprout liqueur…I was tempted to add another Bembel to my growing collection.Lovely booze themed gift baskets.I liked the old time relics they used for decoration at Maruhn’s.
Our visit to the “world of drinks” was brief. As we were checking out, the cashier rattled off something to me in German and I was caught unawares. Bill asked her to repeat herself and she asked in German if we spoke German. Bill said in German that we only speak a little. So, she easily switched to English and asked if we needed another box for our brews. *Sigh*… Americans need to get on the bilingual train.
Noyzi was very happy to see us when we got home. I was pretty tired, though, because I hadn’t slept well the night before and woke up early. I took a nap, enjoying the perfect “sleeping weather” temperatures and sunshine we have this week. Then, afterwards, we decided to go to the wine stand, where Noyzi was on his best behavior. We made another video for Bill’s daughter, showing her the local snack delicacy that was offered last night– Spundekäs– which I’ve written about before in this blog. It’s typically served with pretzels– either hard or soft. Bill’s daughter likes learning about food, so this is one way to bond.
Below are some photos from the wine stand, and a quick video I sent to Bill’s daughter about the local snack… which we enjoyed “ohne Musik” (no raw onions on top, which make people fart– hence, the “music”). Noyzi, by the way, was better behaved than ever before! He saw his friend, the truffle hunting dog named Billy, who is much smaller than he is, and he charmed some of the locals. I wish I had a sweet, gentle, friendly disposition like Noyzi’s. It might get me further in life.
A good shot!Spundekäs!He’s getting better and better at being in public.
An explanation of Spundekäs
Just before we called it a night and went home to watch the excellent 2008 movie, In Bruges, again, I looked up and noticed a man admiring Noyzi. It was local veterinarian Dr. Blendinger, the man who, with his veterinarian wife, owns the vet practice where we’ve taken Arran, Zane, and Noyzi. I had never spoken to him before, although I have seen him at his clinic, which is very close to Breckenheim. Dr. and Dr. Blendinger are actually our neighbors. Their property is adjacent to our landlord’s, and our landlord lives next door to us.
When I saw him noticing Noyzi, I blurted out, “Dr. Blendinger?”
He smiled in recognition, and I said with a laugh, “We go to your vet clinic! And I know you’re a musician, too, because I’ve seen your videos!”
We had a brief chat and he invited us to the pop choir concert in July. It’s going to be held at the church.
I love this about our village of Breckenheim. People are so friendly and social! If we’re home when the concert happens, we’ll definitely make a point of attending.
Well… I have been summoned to breakfast, so I guess I’ll end this post. Enjoy your Saturday!
Bill is taking a few days off work because he worked so many hours earlier this month. We had thought that maybe we might go somewhere for the weekend, but then decided against it, due to the big trip we have planned for next month. Yesterday happened to be the day of our weekly market in our village of Breckenheim, and Bill’s daughter, who lives in Utah and has never been abroad, had asked Bill about German sausages. Her mother had told her about them, but she couldn’t really picture them.
In the interest of educating Bill’s daughter about Brats (the non-human kind, anyway), we decided to go to the market to have sausages, since there are always Bratwursts available at the local events. I had originally intended to have a Bratwurst, too, but then I noticed the Middle Eastern Feinkost had what appeared to be a delicious falafel and hummus sandwich available. So I had that, instead of a Bratwurst, then enjoyed my very first “spaghetti Eis” for dessert. Spaghetti Eis is vanilla ice cream that looks like spaghetti and is served with strawberry sauce. I had never had it before yesterday. The ice cream truck had somewhat limited choices. 😉
We also brought home some other fresh goodies from the market, including a couple of pieces of different cakes that were made by local ladies. I look forward to trying those today.
Here is a video and a few photos of yesterday’s haul. We really had a great time, and the weather could not have been better! We love the weekly market, although we don’t always go, because by the time Bill gets home from work, it’s about over. It only runs from 1:00 until 6:00, and Bill usually gets home right after 5:00 PM. Noyzi is getting somewhat better at going to these events. It helped that the market isn’t as crowded in the early afternoon as the wine stands usually are. There is a wine stand tonight, and if we’re home, we’ll probably attend.
This sandwich was absolutely DELICIOUS. I still have most of it in the fridge.The fish guy was arriving later.So was the Metzgerei… Red Wine Cake and Bienenstich…We got some beautiful berries and local ham…More Turkish treats, Manchego cheese for Bill, and big green olives…
And here’s a hastily produced video of our adventures… The food was so delicious yesterday! I probably should have enjoyed more of that than the wine… 😉
I hope that sandwich hasn’t disintegrated!
It looks like we have similarly nice weather in store for today. Maybe we’ll get out of the house and do something fun. Or maybe not… 😀
You must be logged in to post a comment.