The featured image is a Christmas decoration one of my neighbors still had up the other day when I walked the dogs…
Sadly, unlike last year, when we took a trip to Basel, this year we haven’t gone anywhere. Bill was away on business last week, in our old stomping grounds of Stuttgart. He got back on Thursday, which delighted the dogs and me. Ordinarily, we would have tried to take a short trip, or something, but this year it wasn’t really possible. Besides, given what’s going on right now, I’m not even sure how welcome we’d be. Maybe another trip to Switzerland would be okay… The Swiss are famously neutral, after all.
We do have a trip to the Stuttgart suburb of Waiblingen coming up in a couple of weeks. It’s so we can get our teeth cleaned. We’ll spend a few days enjoying some of the restaurants there and a change of scenery. We don’t really need to stay in Waiblingen, but I found us an interesting looking place that has a well-regarded restaurant. It’s a chance to experience something new and generate some content for this blog.
As for the rest of the year? Who knows? The way Trump is talking, we’re going back to war. 🙄 This time, it’ll be with our allies! It’s so distressing to be here and have to witness this madness. I deeply resent Donald Trump making ordinary Americans enemies to people from other countries because of his insanity and stupidity. Most Americans are not batshit crazy, but he’s making it look like we are.
Sigh… maybe it is time to just go home. Maybe if I’m lucky, ICE will off me, and I can go out with a bang.
Bill has a couple of business trips coming up. At least one of them is with NATO. It hasn’t been called off yet… but who knows what’s going to happen? This is a mess, and it really sucks.
I’m sorry that this post isn’t like my usual stuff, but I try to be honest when I write these things. Living over here isn’t always easy or hearts and roses… but when your own POTUS is completely nuts and is determined to make the world think all of us Americans are nuts, that’s something else again. I don’t like to be political on this blog, but sometimes situations warrant it. We are living here, after all, because of politicians.
I am reminded that last year on this date, we had a delightful $1000 lunch at a three star Michelin restaurant. This year, we’re at home, the weather sucks, and we’re wondering if we’re going to have to move. And all because so many people hated the idea of having an educated Black woman living in the White House.
Anyway… hopefully we’ll stay out of Greenland… I can’t imagine that most sane military servicemembers would have the heart to attack the people of Greenland, or any other Europeans.
I don’t have much to write about life in Germany this week. It’s been cold, dreary, snowy, icy, and just all out yucky. We had snow and cold temperatures every day until Friday, when the temperature shot up about twenty degrees and everything suddenly melted, except for the water in the barrel in our backyard. It rained all day, and there was all of that melted snow, so the backyard was like a sloppy sewer, as I uncovered soggy piles of dog shit laid bare after the snow disappeared.
On Monday, the village’s Christmas tree was still up. It looked so pretty with the snow on it, so I got a photo, which is today’s featured image. The next day, the tree was gone, and there were several naked formerly living Christmas trees lying in the Dorfplatz, ready to be hauled away. It was a little sad, especially since there was dirty snow, ice, and remnants of fireworks lying nearby.
A yearly ritual… disposing of formerly live Christmas trees…
This time of year in the northern hemisphere pretty much sucks on many levels. The holidays are over, so everything is kind of blah… The weather tends to be grey, cold, dismal, and depressing. People’s moods are grim. Nights are long; days are short. Summer seems a long time away, although summer has its problems, too.
Sitting here in Germany, at the behest of my homeland, I’m watching with shock and dismay as tensions boil over and people get killed by so-called government officials. It’s distressing to watch, and embarrassing on many levels… And I know all too well that even though we are far away from home, we’re also here because of home. It really is enough to make me want to burrow under the covers and wait until things are “better” somehow.
I have been getting some enticing ads for travel possibilities. I’ve been researching the more interesting places, wondering if it’s even practical to plan for a visit. There’s no telling what the future will hold, as tempers flare and our leader does unthinkable things. So I continue to take one day at a time… and look forward to my next trip, which will be to the Stuttgart suburb of Waiblingen. It does look like a charming area, and the place where we’re staying has a very nice restaurant. We’re going there so we can finally get our teeth cleaned. It’s long overdue! But I’d like to be going somewhere more interesting.
Bill will take an online course or two from the Jung Institute while we’re down there for his new degree program. His analyst has said he should double up his hours in analysis with her, so he can quickly get the quantity of hours needed before he can take exams. I think she has noticed he’s a natural, and he’s not getting any younger. Neither is she. And we don’t know what the future holds. As we tragically found out this week, tomorrow is never promised to anyone.
I need to get a new driver’s license at some point in the next six months. I have one from Texas, but I might have to go back there to get a new one, since I renewed by mail last time. Or, maybe I’ll just trade it in for a German license. Or maybe we’ll finally move. 🥲 I really don’t know what’s going to happen. I sure don’t want to go to Texas.
The dogs also need dentals in a big way. Maybe that will happen next month.
One interesting thing I did do this week was try purple potatoes for the first time. Bill went to the Denn’s Biomarkt near where he buys our dog food for Noyzi and Charlie. A few years ago, I wrote a post about Denn’s, which is a chain market that sells organic food. Bill picked up the potatoes, thinking they were the usual white ones. He was surprised when they turned out to be the color of eggplants…
We had pan seared Japanese sea scallops, green beans, and purple baked potatoes…
I didn’t mind the purple potatoes. They tasted a lot like white ones, and are supposedly very healthy. I was reminded, though, of Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss, and how when I worked as the cook at a summer camp, some of the counselors would cook eggs and ham over a hire and dye them with green food coloring for a fun and educational activity. I guess it’s not exactly the same thing, but I was still reminded of it.
Anyway… I’m hoping this week will be better on all levels. Bill has to go on a business trip and will be leaving this afternoon. At this point in time, he still has a lot of work to do at his job… but again, things can change on a dime with Trump’s whims. We have very sunny weather today, but it’s extremely cold outside. I think I heard the rain and snow will be back tomorrow, too… 🫣
Featured photo is of our view from the front balcony…
I don’t have too much to write about today. I might have decided to go out and get my new banjo set up, but it’s snowing outside, and I can’t be bothered… As I’ve gotten older, I’m less inclined to go out in weather conditions that are less than perfect. In Germany, that means I’m a virtual shut in, especially during this time of year!
The view from our back balcony…
I did want to share a couple of photos, though, especially for my mother-in-law, who is stuck in hot old Texas. I don’t mind looking at the snow falling, but I don’t like walking or driving in it. I’m always afraid I’ll fall and break my ass!
Below are a couple of photos taken an hour after the featured photo. The snow is really falling right now!
We woke up to snow yesterday, and it fell off and on all day. I noticed a young man I’d never seen before, clearing a walkway to the trash bins. I also saw that he even cleared a path in front of our house. It wasn’t a lot of snow, but I appreciated his effort, just the same. Especially since he looked contented as he did it.
I remember living in Jettingen, where it snowed more often. Before I realized how compulsive our former landlady was, I’d usually clear a path on the driveway for the mail delivery. But one day, she showed up, unannounced, as usual, and furiously grabbed a snow shovel and cleared the whole driveway! I wasn’t going anywhere and my car was parked under the carport. I guess it really bugged her that I didn’t clear the whole thing. She seemed to expect me to adhere to her standards and know instinctively what they were.
Remembering that– and all of the other crap we dealt with down there– just makes me appreciate our current living situation all the more. Cheers to neighbors who are kind, helpful, considerate, and not inclined to be jerks. On the other hand, some of our neighbors seemed to want to set our house on fire with explosives on New Year’s Eve… 🤔
My German friend says that there were a few house fires this year on New Year’s Eve, thanks to the armageddon style fireworks. I’ve read that many Germans would like to ban them, and some neighboring countries already have. People do get really stupid on New Year’s Eve, especially when you combine alcohol with fireworks. A couple of people died in the house fires, and my friend also reported that there was a fire at a barn in nearby Mainz. Fourteen horses were left homeless, although thankfully, they were rescued before they were hurt or killed.
I’m glad that shit only goes on once a year!
Anyway, here’s to a new blogging year. Hopefully, we’ll be able to explore some new places and new aspects of German life. Can’t believe this has been my life for so long! Also can’t believe how fast the years have flown by… 👀
I think we’ll just enjoy the weather from inside… Maybe we’ll light a fire and drink some red wine. I’m up for coziness.
Here’s a video and photo dump from New Year’s Eve 2025/New Year’s Day 2026. We got a new neighbor last month, and I think he might have influenced our other neighbors to set off a shitload of fireworks. We usually get a pretty good show on New Year’s Eve, but last night was beyond the pale. This was my 14th New Year’s Eve in Germany, and I’d rank it as one of the wildest yet!
This is kind of long, but it was hard to choose a segment to feature. It was a little scary at one point. The fire was pretty close to the house!
The dogs were a little scared at first, especially Charlie, who clung to us all night. By the end of the evening, they were used to the noise and realized it wasn’t going to hurt them. The fireworks went on for about an hour, allowing us to go to bed at about 1:00 AM. Bill was getting perturbed, because they were setting stuff off pretty close to our house and car.
A bit blurry… zoomed in image of all the ambulances at the top of the hill.
We had fondue for dinner last night– something we don’t do that often. Today, Bill made cheese souffles for breakfast, and he’s using the sous vide to cook a pork shoulder for dinner. We listened to music and talked, and had a good time. You can see Charlie is in his jacket. I thought it might work like a Thundershirt to calm him down. We later took it off, because we didn’t want him to get too warm.
I used to like to go out for New Year’s Eve, but now I like staying home, so I don’t have to put on a bra. We went through some sparkling wine, and tried a couple of cocktails. It was a nice evening. Of course, now I’m going to have to take down all the Christmas stuff. Maybe this weekend, that will get done.
Hope you have a very Happy New Year, and a successful 2026! I’m grateful we survived last night without any house fires or injuries! And I’m glad the dogs managed to chill out. They even went potty before things got really nuts!
Happy Boxing Day, everybody. Bill has gone off to work today, and I’m sitting here tying up loose ends from our Christmas celebration. It was actually a pretty good day for us. The weather was appropriately bitterly cold, so we got to light a fire, which we kept going for most of the day. We got lots of cool stuff, mostly for the kitchen. I got a new banjo, which was a bucket list item for me, ever since I was a child. Bill says there’s more stuff coming; unfortunately, he ordered from a place that is shipping from China. 😬
Our morning started off with Eggs Benedict, excellent Peet’s Big Bang coffee, and orange juice…
Yum! Or… at least I think so!
Then, after I started our fire going and turned on some Christmas music, we sat down to open the presents. As usual, I bought most of them, so Bill did most of the unwrapping. I got lots of photos of that…
We got some cool Italian designed kitchen and dining gadgets, several new cookbooks featuring cuisine from Turkey, the Baltic countries, and the Caucasus countries, a new coffeemaker and a new blender, tarot cards, glasses and glass drinking straws, and a couple of Jungian books for Bill… I got him two new Alpa sweaters from Finland, and sweater soap, a new pen and Moleskine writing pad, a new bread knife, Chemex carafe, and mixing bowls, bags for the sous vide, food storage containers, and ginger jam… Charlie was there to supervise, while Noyzi stayed in his “room” upstairs.
This is a really interesting looking book about our favorite chocolatier!
And then came the most exciting gift of all…
Bill ordered a bluegrass banjo from Ireland. It came from McNeela, the same company that made the bodhran drum Bill got me last year at Christmas. I am very impressed with the quality. It was a lot heavier than I was expecting it to be, which is why Bill is holding it in the photo! I’ve always been fascinated by banjos, and have always wanted to learn how to play one… So we’ll see how it goes. I’m still working on my guitar(s), after all!
I had to do a little rearranging of my “studio” to accommodate the new banjo. And now I have space for two more instruments!
Below are a couple more photos of noteworthy Christmas gifts. I was particularly amused by the Eggsecutor, a handy device used to open boiled eggs. I loved the witty description of it on the box! Bill said it was kind of like a guillotine for eggs!
An amusing read!I bought a set of these tumblers and glass straws from a German company.
All in all, it was a pleasant holiday celebration for us… and I managed to capture a few moments on video…
My laugh is annoying… sorry! Maybe my mother-in-law will watch this.
And then for dinner, Bill cooked duck legs, roasted potatoes, and green beans, fresh baked bread, Italian red wine, and brownies and ice cream for dessert…
Man… how did I get so lucky? My husband is an absolute KEEPER. He’s a great cook and bartender, and a wonderful lover and friend!
Below is a photo of this morning’s breakfast. Bill made the bread, and “eggsecuted” the egg with our new gadget! At the end of the above video, you can see how it works!
We’ve got one more week to go before this annus horribilus is finally over… But I am grateful that I get to spend this time with my dearest friend and husband, Bill, who always makes me smile and lets me live life in high style. 😘
I hope those of you who have taken the time to read this also had a great holiday! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!
Yesterday afternoon, it was cloudy and damp, and the skies were kind of dark. I wasn’t really in the mood to venture out, but changed my mind when I realized that it had been ages since I last left our neighborhood. I had considered going to the Globus, but realized how huge and overwhelming that place is, even when it’s not days before Christmas. I thought about going to AAFES to pick up some skin cream, but Bill also mentioned going to the commissary to buy groceries, which I really didn’t feel like doing.
So, although the Wiesbaden Christmas Market pretty much looks the same every year, we decided we’d go there and get some photos… We did that, and also visited BrewDog for a late afternoon lunch. Below are some photos from our outing. The sandwiches we had at BrewDog were good, but I see that I didn’t even take photos of them, which is a rare thing for me!
Love these hats!Dude, where is your shirt?!
I wore a heavy coat, which I didn’t need to do. I thought it was colder than it was, because there was a stiff breeze at our house in Breckenheim. But, as you can see in the photos above, there were people who wore short sleeves and shorts. One guy, which I got a photo of, even took off his shirt. I noticed him making a hasty exit as a group of stern looking Polizei got close.
I’m glad we went to the Christmas market. It was very pretty, especially when it got dark outside at around 4:30PM. I saw a lot of nice looking things– some of which were very cute and creative– and I might have been interested in buying some of them, but it’s hard for me to shop when there are hordes of people around. I guess the grandchildren will get an Epiphany box, instead of a Christmas box. But Bill already sent a box of stuff we picked up on our latest travels, so they’ll have something to unwrap on Christmas day.
We might end up going to AAFES today… Lord, give me strength. I would like to go to Globus, too, but it’s Sunday… Maybe next weekend, when it’s sale time. The market was crowded yesterday, but I’ve seen it worse. At least we didn’t have to hunt too long for a parking spot.
Featured photo is of Bill and me at our Advent market in Breckenheim… we sure did have a great year of travel in 2025!
Bill and I thought about going to the annual Wiesbaden Sternemarkt (Christmas market) over the weekend. Unfortunately, the weather was pretty grim– cold, wet, and when it wasn’t raining, a bit damp. I just didn’t feel like putting on clothes and venturing out into the chilly weather to walk around the crowds and see the same stuff they put out every year. Maybe we’ll go next weekend, or at some point during the week.
It’s been a pretty busy fall, though, so I think we both just wanted to relax. Bill has had a bunch of business trips lately. The last one, which was to the United States, ended last weekend. He decided to spend Saturday making a kimchi recipe from a book on fermenting foods that I bought him for Christmas last year. I spent my Saturday making a new Christmas themed parody song for my YouTube channel. And yesterday, we just kind of rested, watched videos, and watched our new neighbor moving into the newly vacated row house catty cornered to us. Hopefully, he won’t turn out to be a jerk. He’s already annoyed Bill by blocking our car.
Since we didn’t do anything special over the weekend, I decided today I’d write about our year in travel. 2025 turned out to be our year to visit Switzerland a bunch of times, but we also went to a few exotic places I’d been wanting to visit or re-visit. So here goes… our travel year, 2025. I didn’t include any day trips on this– it would have made the post too long!
The bill at our first three star Michelin restaurant experience! It was worth every Swiss cent!
We decided to visit Basel, Switzerland as Trump was coming back to the White House. We chose Basel because it had been a city we’d wanted to visit for some time, and it’s convenient from the Frankfurt train station. I liked the idea of being in Switzerland, close to France and Germany. I also had a burning desire to visit Les Trois Rois, a fabulous old hotel on the Rhein (Rhine) River.
Switzerland seemed like a nice, calm, neutral, safe, and sane place to go, as Joe Biden left Washington, DC, and the orange pervert came back to terrorize us. I wanted to hope things wouldn’t get as bad as I imagined they’d be… Unfortunately, that hope was not to come to fruition, although so far, Bill and I are still doing okay.
Our trip to Basel was highlighted with a trip to our very first three star Michelin restaurant, Cheval Blanc, which was at the wonderful Les Trois Rois. I also remember getting scolded for taking off my coat in a museum, and eating a dinner decided by rolling dice and looking at tarot cards. It was a fun trip! I’d definitely go back.
We decided to take a longer trip to Italy by way of Switzerland. Bill has a co-worker who bought property in Abruzzo, Italy, and he wanted to go down there to check out the area. Since Abruzzo is a ways from Wiesbaden, we stopped in Vico Morcote (near Lugano, Switzerland) on the way down.
On the way back, we spent a couple of nights in picturesque Vipiteno, Italy, which is right by the Austrian border. I had been to Vipiteno once before, on a day trip back in 2009 via a bus tour operated by the Edelweiss resort in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. I liked Vipiteno more on my own!
Will we buy property in Italy? Maybe… but other stuff happened this year that may affect that decision. I keep socking away money, just in case. Below is a photo from the vineyards owned by the hotel where we stayed. The Lugano area of Switzerland is very Italian, but much posher!
A view of Lake Lugano from Vico Morcote, Switzerland
We decided to visit the former Soviet Republic of Lithuania, and the capital city of Vilnius, in particular, for my 53rd birthday. I believe it was a “champagne bucket” drawing winner. I had wanted to go to Lithuania because it was the one Baltic country Bill and I hadn’t yet visited, and because it was a former Soviet country. It turned out to be a really interesting place to visit! I especially enjoyed visiting the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, which eerily reminded me of what’s happening in the United States right now.
The city of Vilnius has a great beer culture, but they also have really excellent food! And there’s a lot to do, as well as good shopping. I also appreciated that it was cool in June, rather than sweltering hot like it was in Germany. I’d love to visit again and see some more of the country. I hope we’ll get the opportunity!
This pink soup with a beet base turned out to be surprisingly delicious and refreshing! You can find this all over Vilnius!
We spent a little over a week in the Seefeld area of Zürich because Bill wanted to take the summer session at the C.G. Jung Institute in nearby Küsnacht. There isn’t a lot of lodging in Küsnacht, which is more of a residential area, so we booked an Apart-Hotel in the city. It turned out to be a good place to stay, as it was very close to the lake, as well as lots of restaurants, museums, and the botanical gardens.
I spent several days mesmerized by the sight of the pristine blue lake, watching people swim, boat, do yoga, and hydrofoil. This wasn’t much of a pleasure trip, since Bill was in class all day. I did enjoy myself, though, as Switzerland is a very beautiful country, even if it is very expensive. Bill’s experiences during the summer session cemented his decision to apply to study at the Institute.
A common scene on Lake Zürich in late June and early July. The lake is alive with activity! People liked my “Trump Sucks” t-shirt, too.
5. Budapest, Hungary— September 2025
I went to Budapest with Bill in September. He was there on business, but I got to tag along with him and spend six nights walking around Hungary’s capital city once again. Our first visit there was in September 2009– it had been our last trip before we had to move back to the United States thanks to Bill’s narcissistic Army boss. That trip had been wonderful, although we stayed in a different part of the city in a much nicer hotel. This time, we were in the thick of the tourist area, but in a less excellent hotel.
I’m glad I had a chance to visit Budapest again, because I got a totally different view of it during our second visit. I also got a taste of the wonderful musicians in Hungary. I think I knew Hungary had a great music culture, but I heard it firsthand on this trip… and I even got to join in with one band!
Budapest has lots to see and hear, even if you’re dining at a tourist trap!
Bill decided to apply to study at the C.G. Jung Institute in Küsnacht, and part of the process of seeking admission involved being interviewed by three Jungian analysts. Two of the analysts Bill was assigned to speak to had offices in Zürich. In fact, they were located in Seefeld, the area where Bill and I stayed during the summer session! However, this time, we decided to stay in Küsnacht at the Sonne Hotel, which had been fully booked when we visited during the summer.
I booked us into one of the hotel’s best rooms, and I got a beautiful view of Lake Zürich. We also ate at several nice restaurants and took another lake cruise, which was just as idyllic in the fall as it was in the summer. This time, we were on a steamboat, which was a different experience.
Bill’s bid to study at the Jung Institute was successful, so I suspect we’ll get to visit this area lots of times. Or, at least we will as long as we’re living in Europe. If we have to go back to the States, I might not get to go so often. I’m glad we visited the quiet suburb of Küsnacht, though. It has a different vibe than the big city of Zürich has, even though it’s right next to it.
The day after our 23rd wedding anniversary, Bill had to go to Istanbul for another business trip. He invited me to go with him, which I was happy to do. This was my second visit to Istanbul. The first was in the summer of 1996, and was a lot less fancy than this trip was– although in the 90s, my friend and I stayed much closer to the tourist areas. Maslak is a business district, so it’s not so convenient for tourist purposes.
I still managed to have a pretty good time revisiting this fascinating city and seeing Taksim again, the area where my friend Elaine and I stayed in 1996. I’d like to go back to Istanbul with Bill and really do it right– see the tourist spots and pick up some cool souvenirs. But it was great to go back to Istanbul, even if it was just for a few days in the financial district. As usual, I learned new things.
A dramatic shot of a seagull I got while watching hundreds of them descend on a mosque in search of food. It was very surreal!
I don’t think we’re going anywhere else in 2025, but I’m already planning a trip to Stuttgart at the end of January 2026. Bill and I are overdue for dental cleanings. But– I have already found a new hotel with an exciting restaurant to try out in the suburb of Waiblingen, so there will something new in the blog then… and potentially even before then. We’ll see what happens!
Below is a gallery that sums up our year of travel in 2025… (or at least the travel I was part of– Bill went on a few work trips alone). Not bad, eh?
I had an interesting experience last week, after I reviewed our recent stay at Hilton Istanbul Maslak on TripAdvisor.com. I wrote a very detailed review about our stay and included pictures. I gave the hotel at four star rating, although if I’m honest, maybe it should have been more like 3.5 stars. A couple of hours later, I got this message from TripAdvisor, with the subject line “One more question about Hilton Istanbul Maslak”.
Biased content from moi?
I have been reviewing hotels on TripAdvisor since 2008. At this writing, I’ve written 210 reviews and gotten 314 helpful votes from the community. All you have to do is read the review and notice the many details of it, and it’s pretty obvious that it’s not a fake review. I took the two question survey, anyway. Basically, they asked me if I’d been compensated in any way for my review of the property. I responded that I hadn’t, and that was that. This was the first time I’ve ever gotten such a survey from TripAdvisor. I was surprised and a little puzzled by it.
Now, I suspect anyone who reviews that particular hotel gets this survey, which really doesn’t offer any incentive for being honest. TripAdvisor claims that they don’t “tolerate” fake reviews, which is why they sent the survey. But what’s to stop someone from lying? Especially if they get payment or some other reward for writing a review? It’s not like the person who got paid $10 for a review is going to be honest about it so the review gets removed.
Today, I went back to see if any new reviews had been posted since mine, which I wrote about a week ago. Right now, I count eleven reviews ahead of mine. Ten are very new reviews, and one is the hotel’s “favorite” review, a five star rating from someone in Frankfurt, posted last June. I notice that most of the new reviews are very short, lack detail, and come from people who have never before posted on TripAdvisor and appear to live in or near Istanbul. I notice a couple of them specifically mention a certain employee.
I know I probably shouldn’t be surprised about this. It seems like most things that start out pretty good eventually turn to shit, as businesses decide that money is the most important thing. But this is the first time I’ve noticed how very obvious the so-called fake reviews are… and it was TripAdvisor itself that pointed it out to me by sending me that bullshit “survey”.
I do still think TripAdvisor is useful. I always make a point of reading the reviews that aren’t five star and consider those over the super short five star ratings. Hilton Istanbul Maslak is a very nice hotel, but I don’t think it rates the inflated 4.8 stars it currently has. There are some obvious drawbacks to staying there that travelers should know about. Moreover, sometimes a good one star review can be extremely entertaining reading and draw more readers to a site.
I always put my true opinions about the places I stay in my travel blog. I know not everyone cares to read the blog, but I’m just pointing out that the information is out there. I’m sure I’m not the only one who writes honest reviews, either. It’s a shame that the hotel industry doesn’t consider that real information is useful to them, and helps them find consumers who will be happy with what they offer. And it’s a shame that TripAdvisor is not being honest about their pledge not to tolerate fake reviews.
I write my reviews in the spirit of how I used to review things on Epinions.com, which really was a site where people posted their honest (and usually very well-written) opinions. It’s too bad that site went under. It was truly valuable. I also met some great people there and made money, not because I got paid by people to promote their products, but because I earned ad revenue from people who hit the site to get honest information.
I also think YouTube can be a good source of information. There are some good content creators out there who really do a great job in showing what you get for your money. Currently, one of my favorites is Walk With Me Tim, who stays in different types of properties all over the world.
Anyway… this is just something I noticed today. I realize it’s been a problem for awhile, but this was the first time it affected me, personally. Be careful out there!
Although it was chilly, foggy, and misty yesterday, Bill and I decided to go to the Dorfplatz and check out the 2025 Advent Market. Every year, our little village of Breckenheim has an Advent Market to raise funds for clubs. It’s just for a night, and different clubs sell food and crafts. Last night, they had a guy with a “barrel organ” who was playing old songs and hymns. He didn’t have a monkey– just a little elf that one finds in Germany and France at this time of year.
We didn’t stay long… I just wanted to get some photos and enjoy some Gluhwein. They had two kinds– red wine and rose. The rose was better than the red, in my opinion. It was very fruity! I think they had a church service, too, but we didn’t stick around for that. We did go to it last year, and it was very nice, though all in German. I found the pew a bit uncomfortable to sit on. It wasn’t quite deep enough for my ass. 🤭
We saw one of our American neighbors and caught up with her. But then she wandered away, and the smell of raclette was overpowering. So we went home to enjoy the evening before Bill’s journey back to the United States for the upcoming work week. He’ll be back early next Sunday morning, God willing. On our way back to our house, we ran into two of our next door neighbors, to include our landlady, who is always so pleasant and friendly!
Anyway, we were once again reminded of how much we have enjoyed the last seven years in Breckenheim. This is the place we’ve spent the most years of our marriage so far. We have been warmly welcomed here. Once again, I’m reminded that it was a good decision to leave Jettingen for this place. Almost everything is better here. The only things I miss about our old house are the pretty views and the proximity to the Black Forest. But even those things aren’t so far away… and we get treated with basic decency, respect, and a spirit of welcome. We are so grateful for that!
Christmas is now officially here. I think Germany is the best place to be at this time of year! And every time there’s a festival and we’re welcomed by our neighbors, I’m reminded of how people in my homeland are treating newcomers, visitors, and immigrants. It makes me sad, but it also fills me with gratitude that I’m not being treated that way in this country. At least not yet. 🤔
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.
Another view of the restaurant.
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.
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