Our Eastern European October… part eight

On October 7th, we awoke to another stunning sunrise. We were going to be moving on to Krakow, Poland, a city I was very curious about and really looked forward to visiting. For years, some of my well traveled friends told me about the beautiful architecture in Krakow.

I had originally thought that maybe we could use the city as a base for visiting Auschwitz, but I soon found out that was impossible. I guess I wasn’t that wedded to the idea of going there, because I didn’t plan ahead. Now that I’ve been to Krakow, I’m glad we didn’t try to go to Auschwitz on this trip. There’s so much to see in the city, and we didn’t really have enough time to do it justice. We’ll have to try to do Auschwitz on a later trip.

Because Krakow isn’t that far from Vyoske Tatry, we took our time packing. Our host at the panoraMic Mountain Residence was really cool about our checkout time. I’m not sure he gets a lot of business at this time of year, although once winter hits, his property will surely be in demand. It will be ski season. He came over to give us a bottle of Slovakian wine and say goodbye, and he brought along his gorgeous dog, a Black Russian Terrier.

I had never seen a Black Russian Terrier before. If I had seen her on her own, I would have assumed she was a large black poodle. Our host explained that Black Russian Terriers, otherwise known as Chornyi Terriers, are dogs that were bred in the Soviet Union during the 1940s and 50s. They are descended from about 17 different breeds of dogs brought from countries where the Soviets were active during World War II. They are not true terriers, but were bred to protect, guard, and serve as companions.

I wish I’d had a chance to take a picture of the host’s dog, who was very well trained and extremely sweet and friendly. She was clearly very bonded to her master, but was also quite happy to accept pets from me. It’s hard to imagine such a loving dog could come from a breed that was known to guard Russian prisons! Obviously, she was okay with cats, too, as the host had several roaming his property.

Bill told the host that our destination was Krakow, but we thought maybe we’d go by way of Zakopane, Poland, since Krakow wasn’t that far from Vyoske Tatry. We needed to take our time getting to our destination, because our lodging would not be ready until 3:00 PM. Vyoske Tatry is maybe a 2 or 3 hour drive from Krakow.

I had read Zakopane was charming, and I wanted to have a look at it. Maybe, if it was charming enough, we might stop there for lunch. The host gave us some suggestions, and said that before we left the area, we should venture down a country road and have a look at the stunning fall colors.

*One last picture of our Slovakian lodging…*

We did as the host suggested, and it was a good idea, as I got some incredible pictures of fall foliage just before we left Slovakia. We drove back the same way we went to go to the Tree Walk, drove down the country road, and then got on our way to Poland. Below are a few shots before we got on the country road.

Just beyond Bachledka, we encountered the road, which the host had warned would be kind of primitive, but serviceable. I noticed there was a rickety looking arm barrier that was up. I guess when the weather gets bad and they have to close the road, the arm comes down. Or maybe it’s a relic from another era. Anyway, we started down the country road, I got lots of photos, some of which are pretty similar. I still find the colors stunning, and worth the trip! I think Slovakia might be my favorite of all our stops!

*I don’t know these people, but I think I know how they were feeling! What a beautiful place!*

I didn’t realize it when I was taking these photos, but we were extremely close to the Polish border. We came back down the country road and got back on our route… Very soon after, we encountered these signs, and everything changed.

Suddenly, the houses looked different. There were steep angled roofs, with wooden panels that looked like they were whittled from a tree. I wish I’d had a chance to take more and better pictures, because the change was very obvious in a short time. There were more billboards, more businesses, more construction areas, and and more traffic. It was obvious there was more money, too.

*Just over the Polish border, toward Zakopane…*

We stopped at a gas station to top off our tank and allow Bill the chance to pee. Bill was instantly delighted to see that in Poland, higher grade gas is available. It was not available in Czechia or Slovakia. I noticed the busier vibe and realized that as charming as the housing was, I was already missing Slovakia’s rugged charm, peace, and quiet.

We didn’t end up stopping in Zakopane. It just looked too touristy to me. At one point, I noticed several huge billboards set up, obviously meant to lure tourists. I wondered how it must feel to the locals who have to look at that shit. Still, it was interesting to see some of the more charming aspects of Poland, and realize how different it is from Czechia and Slovakia. Some things about it were genuinely great.

As time went on, Bill urgently needed to pee again. He grew ever more desperate as we crept toward Krakow on a busy road with no rest areas. He finally got desperate and pulled off at an exit for a small town. At first, he felt like he’d made a big mistake, as the town was very crowded with cars and no parking spots. But then we ended up near a town square that instantly reminded me of Freudenstadt, a city we used to live near when we lived in Jettingen, Baden-Württemberg. It had a charming square, a fountain, and a town hall.

Bill saw an open spot, so he parked the car. As he was getting ready to buy a parking ticket, a lady who was backing out of her spot rolled down her window and said something to me in rapid fire Polish. She smiled and handed me her ticket, which still had about an hour’s worth of time on it. She was gone before I could thank her.

We ended up visiting a patisserie called MonoDe, which, thankfully, had a toilet Bill could use. Over delicious pastries and coffee, which served as lunch, we took care of the urgent business, and enjoyed a rare treat. Welcome to Poland! I still don’t know where it was that we stopped. I’ll have to do some sleuthing later. Edited to add: The town is called Myślenice! It is about 30 kilometers south of Krakow.

We got back on the road to Krakow, and immediately hit more traffic. It turned out there was a McDonald’s very close to the exit where we’d gotten off, and that would have also solved Bill’s pressing problem. But I’m so glad we got off at this little suburban town, ate pastries, and saw a quaint Polish village square. We can go to McDonald’s pretty much anywhere. 😁

Traffic got heavier as we approached Krakow. Fortunately, we had already pre-booked and paid for a parking spot in a huge garage near our Krakow lodging, an apartment over a well-regarded restaurant. Nevertheless, I got pretty antsy as we inched toward the city…

*The Poles like their KFC. I spotted one on either side of the highway!*

We were getting closer as we approached what appeared to be a carnival on the side of the road, along with some pretty ugly communist era architecture…

And then, before we knew it, we were there in the garage. I had rented what was called Kanonicza 22, basically the street address of the apartment I found. When I was looking for lodging in Krakow, I was having a hard time deciding where we should go. I was very attracted to Kanonicza 22, but was a bit hesitant, because of the parking situation. This place is on one of the oldest streets in Krakow, and it doesn’t have parking. However, it is very close to the parking garage.

Kanonicza 22 has three apartments available over a small restaurant called Pod Nosem. The restaurant staff run the apartments, which are really more like suites, since they don’t have any cooking facilities. We were in what is known as the Prince Suite, which is on the second floor. Fortunately, there is an elevator.

When we arrived at the Prince Suite, I was blown away how beautiful it was. This huge suite had a living room and a very comfortable bedroom, along with an enormous bathroom. The suite included a large bowl of fresh fruit, a bottle each of red and white wine, still and sparkling water, and a couple of soft drinks. Breakfast was included, and could either be enjoyed in the restaurant, or in the apartment. The only thing I didn’t like about this suite was the mirror by the toilet. Otherwise, it was absolutely gorgeous! I think, for three nights, I paid just under $1,000 for this… I’m so glad I booked it!

*Yes, there is also a bidet, which might come in handy!*

Since it was late afternoon when we arrived, Bill and I decided to have dinner at Pod Nosem. That, too, was a great experience, although there were a number of Americans there. One couple sat near us and I overheard the male half say that he’d dined there several years before and loved it. He wanted to eat there again on his last visit, but it was fully booked, so he made sure to reserve a spot for his most current trip.

Bill and I tried to keep a low profile, but our waitress soon asked where we were from. I noticed that in Krakow, people generally pegged us for Americans. Or, maybe they just defaulted to English, because if you don’t look like a local, they assume you can speak English…

Below are some photos from dinner… This was our only fine dining experience on the trip.

Our waitress was impressed that we ordered Armenian brandy. She said she’d been to Georgia, but could not go to Armenia, because she didn’t have a passport. That led to a discussion about our American status, and how expensive it is to have an American passport. She said she didn’t want to go to America. I can’t blame her for that!

After dinner, we went back to the apartment for a much needed rest. And that we got, because the bed in the Prince Suite was–hands down– the best of all of our stops on this trip. I would definitely book this property again, in spite of the parking pain!

In the next post, I’ll write about our first glimpse of Krakow.

Hessen

A wonderful Armenian and Georgian repast in Wiesbaden…

Those of you who regularly read this blog might know that I spent 27 months living in Yerevan, Armenia, where I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I was there from June 1995-August 1997, and the first half of my time there was during a severe energy crisis. Although I would be lying if I said I loved every minute of my time as an “A3” Peace Corps Volunteer (meaning I was in the third group to go there after the program started in December 1992), I am now left with lots of nostalgia. I still remember some of the language, and I have developed an appreciation for Armenian food, wine, and culture.

Last week, Facebook sent me a random ad for a restaurant in downtown Wiesbaden called La Bohème. This beautiful eatery, named for an opera by Giacomo Puccini, specializes in Armenian and Georgian food. I was excited to see that, as I had no idea that Wiesbaden had a proper Armenian restaurant. I have seen some Georgian places, but none that were really Armenian. I told Bill and about La Bohème, and today, we decided to visit.

This restaurant is located on Taunusstrasse, which runs along the perimeter of the old town. We parked our car in the Kurhaus Parkplatz, and then it was an easy and pleasant ten minute walk to the restaurant.

When we walked into the restaurant, there were only two tables occupied. We took a spot by the wall, and the waiter, who spoke perfect English apologized that they only had German menus. As we’d say in Armenia, հարց չկա– (harts ch’ka, or no problem). We ordered our usual water with gas, and a lovely Georgian Mukuzani wine.

Then, we shared hummus with lavash, and xhorovatz (grilled meat). I had pork and Bill had lamb. I was very impressed by the food. It was beautifully prepared and presented. I was wondering where this place had been all my life!

*This xhorovatz were outstanding! We both opted for the potatoes, and the dish came with drilled peppers and Armenian salad with pomegranate seeds.*

The funny thing is, I never had hummus in Armenia. I didn’t eat in many restaurants because I couldn’t afford it, and there weren’t that many, anyway, during my time in Yerevan. By the time I left in 1997, more places were opening. Now, there are MANY good restaurants in Armenia.

After the main courses, we had dessert, but ended up taking most of it home. We were well satisfied by the Armenian dishes. Besides, the desserts were not as good as the starter and main courses were.

We finished up with a snifter of Ararat Vaspurakan 15 year old brandy for me, and an Armenian “Moka” for Bill, which just means coffee made in a moka pot. He read his future in the coffee grounds, which he said showed Western Europe. Personally, I thought they looked more like a dog.

*Well, this looks more doglike from a different angle.*

All told, we spent about 135 euros, and came home with leftover dessert. We both really enjoyed our visit and I think we’ll happily dine at La Bohème again. The food was excellent, and a nice change of pace. The prices were very fair. And the waiters were patient with me when I spoke Armenian. I’m better at speaking Armenian than German, although there was no need to speak either language, as they all spoke great English! Europe really does put us to shame when it comes to learning foreign languages!

Obviously, I highly recommend this restaurant. We’ll be back!

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Wiesbaden’s Mix Markt and a Greek lunch at Phaisto’s

The weather has gotten kind of crappy again. It’s a bit cloudy today, although the temperature isn’t too cold and there’s been no actual rain. Although I’m itching to visit Mainz and some of the other interesting areas around Wiesbaden, the weather kind of didn’t allow for it today. So we decided to visit Wiesbaden’s Mix Markt, a grocery store chain that caters to Russians and people from other countries in Eastern Europe.

We discovered Mix Markt when we were still living near Stuttgart. One of Bill’s former co-workers, who reads my blog, had mentioned that this was a store that carried products from Russia and former Eastern Bloc countries. Because I spent two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Armenia, a former Soviet country, I was interested in seeing what they had there. Mix Markt has locations all over Germany and in several other European countries. I’ve been to the ones in Böblingen, Nagold, and now, Wiesbaden. Each has been a bit grubby and crowded, and each has had a very interesting mix of clientele.

The markets in Nagold and Wiesbaden are pretty tiny, while Böblingen’s location is somewhat larger and has more selection. Parking at all three of these markets is a challenge, too. But if you like ethnic treats from Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic, or any of the other formerly communist countries, it’s well worth visiting. Bill and I like to go to there because they carry Georgian wines and Armenian brandies, as well as a number of excellent vodkas and other spirits. And sometimes, it’s fun to remember things I used to be able to get easily.

Here are some photos from Wiesbaden’s location. This market is in a rather “socialist” looking area. There are lots of cookie cutter apartment buildings, although they’re all painted instead of drab grey. It actually reminded of me of living in Armenia, although Armenia’s buildings were all made of tufa and none were painted.

Parking was somewhat challenging, although there was no charge to use the lot. It was better than both Nagold and Böblingen, but still kind of tight. In fact, the store was really busy today.

Every Mix Markt I’ve been to so far has had an impressive candy aisle, stocked with Russian chocolates. There is also always a sunflower seed aisle. Sunflower seeds are very popular snacks in formerly Soviet nations.

Beautiful cakes. Armenia had the most beautiful cakes I’ve ever seen, but most of them tasted like sawdust, at least in the 1990s. They may be better now.

This was what we came for… Lovely Georgian wines! Böblingen’s location has a bigger selection, but we were happy just to find a few bottles today.

And Armenian brandy, which is world class… some would say even better than French cognac. Josef Stalin used to keep Winston Churchill flush with Armenian brandy because he loved it so much. It really is good, although the brandy carried at Mix Markt is universally Proshyan, which is not as popular as “Ararat” brandy. I usually have to order Ararat from Master of Malt.

They did have some fancy Armenian brandy bottles, though. These make really nice gifts.

They also had Matryshka dolls… I was tempted to get a set, since the ones I have are of former Soviet leaders and are still in storage.

Russian dominoes.

We decided to try this Turkish flatbread, but it wouldn’t fit in the bag.

It looks a lot like Armenian “Matnakar” bread, so I want to try it to see if it is like Armenian flatbread.

Lots of booze…

And lots of people in line, with signage in four different languages.

I got a kick out of the vodka at the registers. They even had some in “jelly jars”. Actually, if I’m honest, it looked more like urine specimen jars.

You’d think we were going to go home and take communion.

On the way back into the city, we happened to notice a Greek restaurant that appeared to be open. It was called Phaisto’s and had a very generous parking lot with free parking. We arrived at 2:10pm, just fifty minutes before their pause began. However, we were warmly welcomed and offered a nice table for two in the charming dining room.

Bill anticipates lunch. We were both hungry.

I liked the fresh bread they brought out with red pepper spread and green and black, garlicky olives.

We both had salads to go with our meals. I enjoyed the dressing, which was a nice herbal vinaigrette. I actually ate most of the salad.

Bill had the Kotopulo, grilled chicken breast on spits with Mediterranean vegetables– basically peppers, zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms. We also had “patates”, which were like homemade potato chips, and t’zatziki. If this hadn’t had mushrooms, I would have preferred it to my dish…

Gyros… again. What can I say? Sometimes, I just want slivered pork with onions. I have had better gyros in other Greek places, but for some reason, it seems like there aren’t as many Greek restaurants up here in Wiesbaden as there are near Stuttgart. I was just happy to have Greek food, to be honest. But I have had better. This was a little dry.

I couldn’t finish all of the gyros, so we had the leftovers wrapped up and enjoyed house shots of ouzo. Then, we paid the 42 euro bill and went on our way. I thought the service was good and the people who were running things today were very pleasant. Next time, I’ll have to try the dorade.

This is a nice restaurant. Even has a play area for kids. When the weather is regularly nice, I’m sure the outside area will be teeming with people.

The parking lot is a good selling point.

It’s a very large building, too.

On our way back home, we drove through an unfamiliar part of Wiesbaden with interesting looking houses. Wiesbaden has some really nice architecture. It doesn’t look at all like Stuttgart, but it’s uniformly elegant. I just wish this area had the same gorgeous scenery Baden-Württemberg has. Wiesbaden is prettier than Stuttgart is, but the area around Stuttgart is prettier than the area around Wiesbaden is.

Bill will be away for the next two weekends, so my travel blog may get a little boring… perhaps even more boring than usual, unless I come up with an idea for something to write while he’s gone. Tomorrow, I’m sure we’ll have an exciting trip to the commissary so I can be stocked up for the duration. I suppose I could venture out by myself, though. Maybe I will… but I probably won’t.

Baden-Württemberg, former Soviet Union

Mixing it up at Mix-Markt– your source for products from the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe!

Recently, one of my husband’s colleagues told him about a grocery chain called Mix-Markt. Mix Markt specializes in foods, wines, beers, and spirits from the former Soviet Union and eastern European countries like Poland and Romania. Bill’s co-worker knows how much we like Georgian wines and Armenian brandies, so he hooked up Bill with a link and an idea for today’s excursion.

There are 297 stores all over Europe, though the chain was founded in 1997 in Örlinghausen, district Lippe in North-Rhine Westphalia. Locally, Mix-Markt has outlets in Böblingen, Stuttgart, Tamm, Reutlingen, and Nagold. We live very close to Nagold, but decided to visit the Böblingen store because we figured it would be more convenient to most of my regular readers in the Stuttgart area. We were also hoping to try a new restaurant for lunch. Below are some pictures from our little field trip.

The Mix Markt is in a rather busy area of town. Right next to it is a Turkish market that we didn’t explore. The Mix Markt has a lot of Turkish products, anyway. Parking is a bit scarce in the area and the store is in what looks like a weird German incarnation of a strip mall, only instead of it being a strip, it’s more like a doughnut… shops in a circle with a small courtyard in the middle.

Impressive selection of beers from Russia, Poland, Ukraine, and Pilsner Urquell from the Czech Republic. Sadly, I didn’t see any Kotayk, which is an Armenian beer. But we came for wine and wine we found!

Mix Markt has a lot of Georgian wines, which are uniformly excellent!

And they also have Armenian brandies, although none by Ararat, which is probably the most popular Armenian brandy.

They even had Polish bison grass vodka, although I don’t think this is the stuff you can get in Poland, which actually has a blade of grass in it. Many places, including the United States, don’t allow authentic bison grass vodka because the grass contains trace amounts of warfarin, which is a blood thinner. This vodka was probably artificially flavored.

Armenian brandy can be purchased in fancy bottles. You’d see these in Armenia, too. They make interesting gifts.

Ukrainian Sekt. I haven’t tried this, but I do remember Russian bubbly to be very sweet and cloying. I doubt I’d enjoy this… but I might try it sometime.

Russian candy! You can mix your own! I never got into Russian chocolate when I lived in Armenia because I preferred the occasionally smuggled German chocolate. But there must be Russians in Germany who miss it very much. It smelled delicious.

Want some fish? Mix Markt has you covered with lots of salmon and smoked fish. You can also buy meats and sausages there.

And there’s even Uzbek canned meat called Plow.

Sausages galore, from all over… Next to this case is one full of pretty cakes.

And there’s also Russian pop music for your collection.

There’s an entire aisle devoted to sunflower seeds, which are a very popular snack in former Soviet countries.

You can even get glass AK-47s full of booze– Polish vodka or Armenian brandy! This might make a fun white elephant gift for your next Christmas party.

I found this candy bizarre… It appears to be a gummy type confection, but it’s supposed to look like burgers. Weird concept. Who wants to eat a gummy candy that tastes like a cheeseburger? I’m sure these are actually fruity… but maybe burgers are more fun than fruits are. Reminded me of Bubble Burgers from the late 70s.

This wasn’t in the Mix Markt– I just remember these from when I was a kid. Bubble Burgers were bubble gum “burgers” that came in little plastic cases. I don’t think I ever tried one, but they probably didn’t taste like burgers, either.

They even had melons from Uzbekistan…

And brochures about trips to Russia.

This is just across the breezeway, if you’re wanting more Turkish choices.

After we picked up our haul, we headed to downtown Böblingen, parked at the Marktplatz, and had lunch at the Seegärtle Restaurant-Cafe-Bar. This eatery overlooks the manmade lake in Böblingen. It has a nice Biergarten, which was open today, but we decided to eat inside because it was a little chilly outside.

Bill looks at the menu, which mostly consists of burgers and sandwiches. They also have soup, salad, and a few Swabian specialties.

There’s a bar and they played VH1 Classic videos, which I really enjoyed. I’d rather see that than football.

I had a pastrami sandwich. It was pretty good, with its pastrami, cheese, kraut, lettuce and “special sauce”. I was full after half, though, since this also came with some excellent fries.

Bill had a cheeseburger. It was supposed to be made with 100% beef, but he said it was “gemischtes”, meaning it was beef mixed with pork. I was glad I didn’t order the burger, although he said it tasted fine.

The fries were the bomb, though. Service was fast and friendly, too. Total bill was 32 euros.

Outside…

If it had been slightly warmer, we would have enjoyed outside dining. I was liking the 80s era videos, though… at least until Kiss played. Gene Simmons and his flickering tongue aren’t exactly appetizing.

As we were headed back to the car, we passed this Croatian “Feinkost”. It’s maybe two doors from the restaurant.

We went inside and bought three more bottles of wine, this time from Croatia. They had some interesting liqueurs, too.

This is the rest of the store. There’s not much to it, but the lady who rang us up was super friendly. I was glad to give her business. They also had Croatian football fan gear.

This was today’s haul. Lots of wine, some brandy, juice, and some mustard from Russia…

I can’t wait to see Bill try this. I have a feeling it’s going to blow his brains out. I once gave my Armenian neighbors quite a laugh when I tried Russian mustard for the first time. It’s extremely hot stuff that will clear out your sinuses.

I’m looking forward to seeing the Nagold Mix Markt. There’s also one located in our new location of Wiesbaden, so we should be well set with Georgian wine when we move north. If you live in Europe and want a little something different, you should drop by Mix Markt for a visit. You might find some new treats!

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Tag Archives: Armenian brandy

Our Eastern European October… part eight

A wonderful Armenian and Georgian repast in Wiesbaden…

Wiesbaden’s Mix Markt and a Greek lunch at Phaisto’s

Mixing it up at Mix-Markt– your source for products from the former Soviet Union and eastern Europe!