Category Archives: Purchases

Czechia, Purchases

Our Eastern European October… part four

On Saturday, October 3, I hoped we could go back to Karlovy Vary and visit an area called Diana. It’s a park that offers trails, a mini zoo, a butterfly house, a restaurant, and a lookout tower, among other things. I wanted to go there for most of those things, but I especially wanted to see their peacock, Frosty, in the mini zoo. Frosty is so named because he’s white.

I had seen pictures of Frosty and was enchanted by his unusual look. Frosty is not your typical Indian peafowl. Aside from the peacock, the mini zoo also has a petting zoo, which includes goats, mini pigs, and ponies! I know I’m 54 years old, but I turn into a little kid when there’s a petting zoo.

After breakfast at the hotel restaurant, I realized that I had forgotten to bring a jacket or sweater with me. The weather had been warm when we left Germany, but I worried about cooler temperatures, especially on the later segments of our trip. So we decided to visit Karlovy Vary’s Globus.

I’ve written about the Globus chain before. It’s an enormous “hypermarket” that is so big it puts Walmart to shame. I actually hate visiting the one in Wiesbaden, because it’s so huge and overwhelming. I almost always leave there feeling exhausted. But, on this particular Saturday, Globus was a successful stop. We managed to find some Il Santo flavored mineral water, sold by Chodovar, that I fell in love with in 2009, but can never find outside of that region in the Czech Republic. We also found a bottle of ten year old Ararat brandy, Chodovar beer, and a birthday present for Bill’s grandson.

I did NOT find a suitable jacket at Globus, but I did find one next door at the Decathalon Store, which is a chain that specializes in exercise and outdoor wear. I got the sense that they didn’t see too many Americans at the Decathalon Store, as the cashier, a teenaged girl who spoke English, beamed at us when we thanked her.

After we went to the Globus, we made our way to the city… and promptly found that parking was practically impossible to find. The weather was beautiful, with sunny skies and pleasant temperatures. Consequently, there wasn’t a parking spot for love or money in the city. Then I realized that the lack of parking also meant the city would be positively teeming with people, and that would be quite annoying for both Bill and me. So, although I was sorry to miss seeing Frosty, we decided to go elsewhere.

We set off toward a smaller spa town called Mariánské Lázně, which we remembered from our 2009 visit to Chodovar. We thought maybe we might have better luck finding parking there, and could walk around the town. On the way there, I took lots of photos. The drive was on an enchanting two lane road through forests and mountains. I even saw a deer grazing in a woodsy meadow on the side of the road.

A sign for a trout farm. We have these in Germany, too. They’re kind of sad, but they do offer fresh fish!
Can you spot the deer?

Alas, it was the same story in Mariánské Lázně. It seemed like everybody was out and about… not that I could blame them. October 3rd was a really nice day for sightseeing in the Czech Republic. I did manage to take a few photos from the car… I think this town is one I’d like to see more of. Maybe if we come back to this region, we’ll stay in Mariánské Lázně, instead of Karlovy Vary.

So we kept going through Mariánské Lázně, and started looking for a place to have lunch, mainly because Bill really needed to pee. At one point, we thought we might have found a spot, but it, too, was lacking parking. Bill ended up having to pull over on the side of the road to pee. But at least the scenery was beautiful. Look at these views!

After awhile, we found ourselves on a familiar road… It was the one that led to Chodova Plana, which is where Chodovar is. There are two restaurants at Chodovar, so we decided to see if we could have lunch there. At first, it looked like we might be out of luck again, but then Bill drove around to where Chodovar’s cool cave restaurant, Ve Skále, is. Much to our delight, he managed to score a parking spot! Soon, we were walking through the “cave” entrance to the dining room, still familiar after 17.5 years!

In February 2009, we stayed at this hotel! It was nice then… and probably still is, today.

Below are some photos from Ve Skále… which really saved the day, and filled us up for the rest of the evening! I had duck, with delicious Czech style potato dumplings and red kraut. Bill had trout again…

This is the way to the restaurant…
These beer glasses were studded through the entrance.
Those dumplings were surprisingly good, but I could only eat one or two. I don’t know how people eat four!
Chodovar is now making Il Santo cola!

Ve Skále was a great place to stop. It’s a unique restaurant with good food, huge portions, and excellent beers and other beverages. If you speak German, and happen to run into a staff member who can’t speak English, you’ll be in luck. Our waiter spoke English very well and was super cute, too.

When I used the restroom, I realized by their familiar pleasant aroma, the staff had stocked the soap dispensers with the brewery’s own cosmetics. I remembered buying them on our previous visit, and was delighted to stop at the gift shop on the way out and get more. We also got a six pack of 1.5 liter bottles of Il Santo Hoppy, which is a non-alcoholic drink the brewery now makes.

I’m pretty impressed with how much the “Beer Wellness Land” has grown since 2009. They now have a pool, whirlpool, Kneipp therapy, and a couple of specialized saunas. Unfortunately, Chodovar’s Web site still really sucks. But they DO have some great products– from drinks to shampoo! I wish it were easier to get their products from Germany. So far, I’ve only found them offered priced in euros on a site that sells truck parts! Make no mistake, though… they smell great, even if they are made of beer!

After we ate at Chodovar, we headed back to our hotel on the outskirts of Karlovy Vary. Since we were no longer exploring, it didn’t take long at all. I still got a few more fall photos…

We decided to have a couple of beers for dinner, instead of food… Then, we headed back to our room for our last night in the Tower Room. In the morning, we’d be rising early to make our way to Stary Smokovec, Slovakia…

Chateau Cilheny’s salon. There’s a piano in there, and one rather “ballsy” young woman we ran into at breakfast with her friends, was playing it.
I sure don’t miss the spiral staircase! But it was a unique room…

Unfortunately, I have brought back a souvenir from our trip. Bill and I are both sick with nasty colds (or some other icky virus). So, for today, I’m going to stop here, and maybe tomorrow, if I’m not dead, I’ll write about our all day travel to Slovakia’s gorgeous High Tatra Mountains. See you then…

Standard
German lifestyle, Hessen, Purchases

Our first visit to Fornara Feinkost in Wiesbaden…

A couple of weeks ago, Bill and I decided to visit Celpro, an Italian market in Mainz-Kastel. That store is like a traditional market, and it carries things one might find in a small Italian grocery store. While we were at Celpro, I couldn’t help but notice that it was kind of stressful to shop there. The aisles are jam packed with goods, and it tends to be crowded on Saturdays. However, they have some really nice products from Italy, so it’s great to have them nearby.

I got curious and wanted to see if there were other Italian markets near us. That’s when I discovered Fornara, a Feinkost with its flagship store in Taunusstein. I also noticed that Fornara has a satellite store behind the train station in Wiesbaden. Even after living here for going on eight years, I didn’t know we had such a store so close. Today, Bill and I decided to visit.

It turns out that two weeks ago, they moved into their brand new space, which is very close to the old one. Consequently, it looked to me like they are still setting things up somewhat. However, they had enough there that we ran up a 300 euro bill… 😈

I found high end pastas, lots of sauces, liquor, lots of wines from Italy, France, and Germany, and plenty of frozen seafood and meat. They also had frozen Italian desserts like tartufos, and frozen sorbet filled lemons and oranges. Pour a little vodka in those, and you have yourself a classic French dessert called a “Colonel”.

Never thought I’d find these in a store!

They sold Tomahawk steaks, Wagyu steaks, flat iron steaks… but they also had huge scallops, tiger shrimps, octopus, and salmon filets. I think they’re still working on expanding their stock. The helpful English speaking staff said they were expecting a shipment this week of more goods.

This Feinkost is very convenient to downtown Wiesbaden, as it’s very close to the train station and bus services, and even has free parking. You can pay with euros or credit cards. The guy who rang us up said that Fornara was founded by one Italian guy, and everybody else is German!

I really enjoyed the ambiance in Fornara. They played energetic music, and the lighting was not too harsh. The store is in what looks like it used to be a warehouse, so I think they will turn that space into something very cool, indeed… and I don’t mean literally, because of all the freezers. Below are some more photos from today’s visit.

Tartufos aplenty!
I found seven bottles of wine to take home!

I look forward to another visit to Fornara, especially after they get everything set up in their new space. I also hope Bill and I can take a “field trip” to their flagship store in Taununsstein, which is about 18 miles away and appears to be much larger and more expansive.

The flagship store has event space that can be rented for private affairs, as well as classes on different foods and wines. For instance, at this writing, they’re offering a class in different cuts of meats, a Primativo wine tasting, and a summer wine tasting, among other events.

There is also a store in Norderstedt (near Hamburg) and another one coming to Berlin. Bill said Fornara gave him “Eataly” vibes, although I wouldn’t go that far. Eataly is a lot bigger and more overwhelming… but I don’t mind a smaller version of Eataly in these parts.

Bill has to go to Spain next week, so a visit to the store in Taunusstein will have to wait until he gets back. The good news is, we got word that my driver’s license application was approved, so I will soon have my new license in hand. Maybe I can do the driving when we go to the big Fornara store. 😁

Standard
Hessen, Purchases

What a difference a new mattress makes!

After I did my blog writing yesterday, I was sitting in my steamy office pouring sweat, rather impatiently waiting for our new mattress and air conditioner to be delivered in two different shipments. I had moved the old air conditioner to the bedroom, until the new one got to us. I have since moved that AC back into the office, so my sweaty days are over, for now.

The mattress arrived first. I had already completely stripped the bed by 1:00 PM, when the two guys arrived with our new bedding. We were expecting to have to schlep it up the stairs, but the delivery guys kindly did that for us.

Once the new mattress arrived, Bill and I wrangled the old mattress off the bed, cursing the fact that, for some reason, it didn’t have handles on the sides. We pushed the old mattress into the hallway, and then while Bill unwrapped the new one from its plastic, I vacuumed up all of the dust, dirt, hair, and trash that was under the bed since we moved in back in 2018. It was pretty gross, though not quite as gross as it was when we moved out of Jettingen in late 2018.

We put the new mattress on the bed, and worked up a sweat putting the cover, foam topper, and feather bed on it, then the sheets and duvets. I sat down on it and was immediately impressed by how much better the new mattress is. For one thing, there’s no “hill” in the middle of it! We do have the old box springs, but that’s okay for now. We’ll check back again to see if they get any in at AAFES so we can replace those, too.

About an hour later, the new AC showed up. We did have to haul that upstairs, and it wasn’t easy. But, we managed to get it into our bedroom, and Bill set it up quickly. It’s much quieter than our old one, and does a good job keeping the room cool while we sleep.

This morning, Bill was noticeably well rested and in a good mood. It occurred to me that once you get to our ages, things like mattress replacement should be a priority. Good rest is essential for good health, and better work. I did wake up a time or two last night, but I don’t think it had more to do with the mattress than my need to pee.

The new air conditioner is a bit more compact than its predecessor and came with a remote control that works well. I think the other AC also had a remote, but we bought it as a floor model at a Media Markt in Nagold. So this new machine is a step up, and well worth the money. I’m too old and crotchety to wake up hot and sweaty… and given that menopause is upon me, it’s even more important to have an AC. I know the AC will probably be tucked away for the winter a month from now, but to me, the money to be comfortable for the last few weeks of summer was very well spent.

The air conditioner came from Amazon.de. I’d rather not give Bezos money, but sometimes, the logistics are just easier with Amazon. This was one of those occasions. I had to give the driver a six digit code to accept this shipment. I guess they’ve had problems with people taking stuff that isn’t theirs. I didn’t have to give anyone a code when we got our new washer and dryer in 2023.

Now, it’s time to do something about my OLD Mini Cooper, which is long overdue for retirement. Stay tuned for that update.

Standard
Hessen, Purchases

Home furnishings upgrade…

Today is a long awaited day in our house. We’re FINALLY getting a new mattress. The one we’ve been sleeping on, I bought at a Haverty’s in Fayetteville, Georgia, back in September 2009. Mattresses are supposed to be replaced after about ten years, but we’ve had this one for almost 16 years. It now sags on both sides, where we’ve been sleeping.

I put off getting a new mattress because we live in Germany, and beds are differently sized in Europe. And if I was going to buy a new mattress, I wanted it to be a really nice one. AAFES doesn’t have the greatest selection, especially in Europe. But the sagging finally got so bad that I told Bill to go to AAFES and see what he could get there. He bought their most expensive Serta mattress, alas, without new box springs. They didn’t have any of those.

The new mattress is supposed to be delivered today, so I just stripped the bed, which was quite an ordeal. To cope with the sagging, I put a foam topper on our old mattress, which helped a bit. It’s also heavy and bulky, and takes up a lot of room on the floor.

I also bought us a new air conditioner. The one we bought in August 2018 in Nagold went on the fritz this week. It’s been hot as hell, and although we don’t know what the future holds in terms of where we’ll be living next year, I don’t think I can bear weeks of being hot at night. I put the older AC in the bedroom, as it’s still working fine. Then I ordered a Dreo air conditioner from Amazon, which is supposed to get here today. I’d rather not buy from Amazon, but logistically speaking, it was the most practical choice. So, hopefully, it will work well, because as I write this, I’m pouring sweat. My office gets super hot this time of year!

Last night, we went to the wine stand. I got a few photos… We talked to Hannah, our American neighbor, who said she’s applied for German citizenship for herself and her kids. Her partner is a veteran, so it’s a bit more complicated for her to switch nationalities. I really can’t blame them, given how the United States is going right now. Hannah speaks fluent German and has many local friends. I think it’s a good decision for her to just stay here. Wish we could do that.

Below are a few obligatory photos. It was nice last night. Not too crowded, and there was a lovely breeze. I got a few photos of Bill in his new Guinness t-shirt. The Germans running the wine stand joked with him about it– “We have no Guinness here!”

In two weeks, the mattress in the featured photo will be headed to a German dump somewhere, along with other stuff we want to get rid of. Amazingly, Bill forgot to add a few items, including the aforementioned air conditioner. I would have had Amazon take it, but the specific model of air conditioner I bought didn’t offer that service, for some reason. Maybe we can get the other air conditioner to work somewhat and use it in Noyzi’s room…

Weirdly enough, even as saggy as it is, I sleep better on that old mattress than I do on most hotel mattresses. Hopefully, the new one will be an improvement. I’m tired of sleeping in the valley.

Standard