Here’s one I made about Fasching, which is going on right now in Germany. I included stories, a photo, and video in which we also got mooned.
And here is one I made about buying art in the Czech Republic, and how it relates to our political situation today… It includes a sample of music from the wonderful Charles Bridge Swing Band. Both videos are a bit political… but that’s hard to avoid right now.
I hope everyone who celebrates had a great Christmas yesterday. Bill and I had a lot of fun. I captured some of it in a video, but I also got lots of pictures. Bill is usually not very good at buying presents for me, because he doesn’t know what I want, or what I’ve already bought for myself. But this year, he gave me a great surprise that I genuinely love! The funny thing is, I doubt most people would love it… but because I’m “obnoxious as hell” (according to my mom), I was delighted to receive it!
I usually buy a lot of books for Bill, but this year, I truly went nuts. I bought him a couple of new cookbooks, even though he usually finds recipes online. I always buy him cookbooks, but this year, I got him an Armenian cookbook and a new Nigella Lawson one. He loves Nigella. I got him new tarot cards and a couple of reference books about tarot cards and symbolism. I got him books by Carl Jung’s protege, Marie-Louise von Franz, as well as one by Jung himself. There were some kitchen tools– a new water pitcher, orange peeler, artsy bottle opener, food chopper, a wooden Tile Rummy game set, and a Le Creuset grill platter. I got him two new sweaters from Ireland, a home brewing journal, books about coffee and fermenting foods, and a large lighted magnifying glass to help with close tasks.
Bill got me a new digital camera with a memory card, two geeky t-shirts in colors I like, a new jigsaw puzzle, a light panel to ward off SAD (which I don’t think I have), and he says two more are coming. But the best present was a wooden sculpture he bought from an art dealer in Wiesbaden. I noticed it last year, when we had some picture framing done. I took a photo of it and put it in this blog… then happened to mention it to Bill a couple of months ago. I wished I’d bought it when I saw it.
Bill had some dental work done a few weeks ago, and the office is within walking distance of the art dealer. So he walked there and looked for the sculpture. He didn’t see it, but thought to ask the dealer about it. It turned out they had an exhibition going on, so they had moved a lot of art to the back. Bill described the sculpture and they did, indeed, still have it (not a surprise to me). The dealer brought it out and Bill paid… a lot of euros for it!
It’s definitely strange, provocative, quirky, weird, and potentially offensive… But I LOVE it! I suspect it will make the few people who visit our house stop in their tracks! It’s the kind of thing our uptight former landlady would have hated, and the idea of her sneaking into our house when we weren’t home and seeing this warms the cockles of my heart. Of course, she’s in our past… but I’m sure there will be others like her in the future, right?
Below is a video I made of our gift exchange… It’s not particularly well edited, and I expect only my mother-in-law will watch it.
I have some photos, as well…
And below are some photos of the food… Bill started us off with baked eggs done in the Instant Pot, grits, fresh orange juice, coffee, and homemade bread. Later, for dinner, we had a savory cheesecake with Gouda cheese, Gruyeres, bacon, and spinach. Also, there was a side salad with balsamic vinaigrette, homemade bread, and local wine poured in new wine glasses gifted to us by Bill’s mom. For dessert, we had cherry cheese pie.
Perhaps my favorite part of the day was during the afternoon. We were listening to Christmas music and a song by Kenny Rogers came on. All of a sudden, I remembered his 1969 hit, “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town.” That was NOT the song that was playing, of course… but before I knew it, I started coming up with lyrics about Elon Musk. Bill joined in, and before we knew it, we had collaborated on a song parody. I sang the new version, set it to AI generated images and memes, and uploaded it to YouTube.
All in all, it was a very nice Christmas 2024… one hundred percent drama free! This is in contrast to Christmas 2004, which was definitely not drama free. But that’s a story better suited to my other blog.
Hope your holidays are grand!
Hi folks… We’ve just spent our second night in Reykjavik, Iceland. This morning, our driver from Iceland Luxury Tours will be picking us up and taking us south, where we will visit a nature preserve and a waterfall, I think…
So far, the weather here has been chilly and windy. We made good use of the time, though, by visiting a museum dedicated to penises. Then we took a virtual tour of Iceland with cool headsets. We walked around the harbor, where we saw the Windstar Pride and a new ship called the SH Vega, which I will be checking out when we get home.
We toured the art museum– one of three related in the city, then had a beer at the city’s oldest Irish pub. After that, we went looking for lunch and ended up at another pub, where they were using one of the toilets for filming a movie. There was a literal toilet by the door when we entered the establishment! More on that when I blog about this trip!
We then took a walked on the rainbow street and visited the famous church that I can’t yet name… Again, more details when I write a proper blog entry.
So far, I haven’t found food that I’ve really loved. But I did have a piece of pizza from Sbarro last night. Haven’t had one of those in many years, but I was a big Sbarro fan when I used to go to malls in the United States. Apparently, they have a presence in Iceland. McDonald’s, on the other hand, doesn’t have a single restaurant here. Or so I’ve read. I hope to find some good fish in our next location.
We’ve run into a bunch of our countrymen, too… Apparently, we all had the same idea about visiting Iceland this time of year.
Anyway… so far, so cool. Here are a few photos!
There’s more to come!
Alrighty, then. This should be the last Bulgaria post for our most recent trip to the Balkan country on the Black Sea. If you’re a regular reader, you may already know that I almost always cap off my trips with “ten things I learned” lists. Some people seem to like these over the blow by blow chronicles. So here goes.
10. Bulgaria’s time is an hour ahead of Germany’s.
When my friend Elaine and I visited Bulgaria in 1996, we went by bus and traveled from Armenia through Georgia and Turkey to get there. We crossed two time zones, which was kind of bizarre, because in spite of its huge size, all of Turkey was in the same time zone. That meant there was a two hour difference between Georgia’s time and Turkey’s. Now, Georgia, Turkey, and Armenia have stopped changing the clocks in the summer, so the time difference between Turkey and Georgia is only one hour. And Bulgaria is far enough east from Germany that it’s one hour ahead of us. Bulgaria still observes Daylight Savings Time.
9. English is widely used in Sofia.
I don’t know how it is in the smaller cities and towns of Bulgaria, but I was amazed by how many people spoke excellent English in Sofia. That was not the case when Elaine and I visited in 1996. I only encountered one person who wasn’t an English speaker on last week’s trip.
8. McDonald’s are everywhere in Sofia!
When I visited Sofia in 1996, there were only two McDonald’s restaurants in the entire country. The first McDonald’s in Bulgaria was opened in December 1994 in Plovdiv. The second one opened in 1995 in Slaveikov Square. During my visit in 1996, I spent a lot of time loitering near that McDonald’s, because Elaine and I had crashed with a Peace Corps Volunteer, and Elaine had gone to visit a friend of hers. One day, I kind of got lost wandering around Sofia, and ended up taking a taxi. The driver didn’t speak English, so I asked him to take me to McDonald’s. I couldn’t do that trick today, though, because Sofia has McDonald’s all over the place. I understand they’re not so popular anymore, though, because there are many BETTER restaurants in Sofia now!
7. Sofia’s iconic golden bricked road was meant to make the city look more like a “capital”.
Both times I visited Sofia, I wondered about the yellow bricked roads in the center of town. They are very unusual looking, especially compared to other parts of the city, where it’s easy to see shabby buildings from the communist era, crumbling from age. I researched the yellow bricks and learned that they date from the early 1900s, some years after Bulgaria was liberated from the Ottoman Empire and Sofia was named its capital. Sofia was chosen because of its location, and not because of its beauty. In those days, the city didn’t have much decent architecture to speak of. In 1907, Sofia’s mayor, Martin Todorov, decided that the city needed something unique. He decided on the yellow cobblestones, which cost a lot of money, but definitely gave Sofia some sparkle. Nowadays, the yellow bricks are a challenge, because they aren’t so easy to procure when they become damaged and need to be replaced.
6. Sofia is still relatively cheap to visit.
While the city has luxury accommodations and restaurants, they are less expensive than in other cities. Taxis are also easy to use and won’t break the bank. But if you prefer an even cheaper option, you can take Sofia’s metro or one of its many trams. Or, you can do what Bill and I did, and just walk everywhere. Sofia is a pretty walkable city.
5. Sofia is home to religions of all kinds… and they all seem to coexist peacefully.
If you walk through Sofia, you will see many interesting religious buildings. The oldest one dates from the fourth century! But not only will you find churches, but you will also find a synagogue and a mosque, and they all operate near each other, apparently in basic harmony.
4. If you plan to visit Sofia’s famous Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the summer, be sure to cover your limbs.
This is a basic truth for many religious sites, but I’ve found it to be especially true in orthodox churches. You should not attempt to visit when you’re wearing shorts, skimpy sundresses, or otherwise indiscreet clothing. You may be asked to leave or cover up if you ignore this advice.
3. Be sure to stop by the flea market outside of the cathedral.
In 1996, I bought a small painting at that flea market. I remember paying the Bulgarian lev equivalent of about $6 for it. In retrospect, I wish I’d bought another. The artist had a few similar ones for sale. We went again on Monday and bought two more paintings that I love, although I saw a few on Saturday that I thought were even more interesting. I noticed in Armenia and Bulgaria that Saturdays are the best times to visit markets, if you want to find something cool for your home.
2. Bulgaria is a fascinating mix of different cultures.
The language is Cyrillic and sounds a lot like Russian, but the weather is more like Turkey and Greece. The food is a tantalizing mixture of different cultures, and you can also enjoy excellent beers, wines, and juices. I wish we could have gone outside of Sofia on this trip, as I know firsthand that Bulgaria has a lot to offer beyond the capital city. I want to go back and visit caves and hang out at the beach.
And finally 1. Sofia is a great place to go if you’re not wanting to be overrun by tourists…
I was kind of surprised that there were Americans in Sofia, but there were not nearly as many as there likely are in Dubrovnik right now. We were originally thinking of going to Dubrovnik, since that was the location Bill picked out of the Champagne bucket. I’m glad we went to Sofia, instead. It was fun seeing the city again after so many years… and it’s still a pretty authentic place to go, even though there’s been a lot of business development since 1996. I wish we hadn’t gotten sick, but at least we’re on the mend now. After my upcoming medical journey, we’ll plan our next adventure. At this point, it looks like it’s going to be Iceland…
So stay tuned!
I woke up feeling significantly better on Monday, June 10th. Bill and I decided to walk back down to the centrum and pick up some new art and souvenirs for his grandchildren. But first, we needed breakfast. So down we went to the big restaurant on the third floor of Grand Hotel Millennium, where we had our usual room temperature repast.
While we were having breakfast, I couldn’t help but overhear two American men talking. I mean, everybody in the vicinity who didn’t have hearing problems could hear these guys… One of them was talking about his diabetes and how he takes Ozempic to control his blood sugar. The other guy was talking about similarly personal stuff. It always amazes me how completely unaware some people are when they’re in public. I see it most often with my fellow Americans, who speak loudly enough for everyone to hear what they say. It’s kind of obnoxious behavior… and trust me, I know all about being obnoxious.
After breakfast, we went to the room to prepare for the day. We ran into our very nice housekeeper, who asked us if we were checking out the next morning. We said we were, and gave her the approximate time we thought we’d be leaving. She said if she didn’t see us, that we had safe and pleasant travels. I was very impressed by how kind she was during our stay.
I put on a pair of shorts so I wouldn’t get so hot and sweaty during the day’s walk. Then we got going, and made our way to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, where I knew we could find art for the house. We made one stop at a Coffee Brothers for some fresh orange juice and a potty break. While we were there, we saw two more Bulgarian women passing us who were having very loud conversations, seemingly on the phone as they charged down Vitosha Boulevard at top speed. The women weren’t with each other. They were going in different directions, several minutes apart. One of them carried a ladle as she screamed into her cellphone and walked very fast down the crowded shopping district. I’m not sure what was going on with them.
We also saw the lovely violinist again. The same young woman who played so beautifully on Saturday came back on Monday to busk. I definitely liked her music better than the saxophonist who kept playing the same thing over and over again while we were at the Vitosha Street Bar & Dinner on Saturday afternoon. I love listening to talented musicians play music on the street. It adds so much character to European cities. I especially like buying their CDs. Unfortunately, the violinist didn’t seem to have any for sale.
Because we were going to buy some art, Bill decided to stop at an ATM. We went back the Ivan Vazov National Theater again, and I got a few more photos of the iconic building. This time, no one was playing basketball in front of it. There is a handy cash machine in the park like area around the theater.
We finally made it to the cathedral, where I noticed there weren’t as many people selling art as there had been on Saturday. We went to one stand when I noticed art that caught my eye. The colorful paintings were mostly of florals, but I noticed a couple of landscape paintings that reminded me of Sozopol, a Black Sea beach town Elaine and I visited in 1996. As soon as we approached the art, an elderly gentleman came around to speak to us. He spoke some English, although not as well as the much younger man who was with him.
It turned out the paintings that had caught my attention were of a different Black Sea town called Nesebar, which isn’t far from Sozopol. I’ve never been to Nesebar, but like Sozopol, it’s near Burgas and Varna, and is now a major resort town. The younger man told us that the paintings we were interested in were done by an artist named Violeta Stanoeva. She is an accomplished Bulgarian artist who has shown her work in France. Here is a link to her Instagram.
Bill had to go get some Bulgarian lev, so I stayed and talked to the younger guy, who kept singing the praises of the artist and the Black Sea coast. I was struck by how friendly he was, and I didn’t get the sense it was just because we were buying two paintings. I promised him that we would give a good home to Violeta’s paintings. Now that they’re hanging in my dining room, I kind of wish I’d bought another one. I really like her use of colors. I saw a few paintings on her Web site that I think are magical.
After we bought the paintings, we decided to have lunch. I noticed there was an Armenian restaurant called Egur Egur, very close to the cathedral. It’s not very often that I get to have Armenian food anymore, so we decided to go there for lunch. The restaurant is located in what used to be a music conservatory. There is even framed sheet music by the front door.
When we approached, a rather unfriendly waitress who didn’t seem to speak English pointed to a table. I would have tried Armenian with her, but she appeared to be a local, and I think she was the only one we encountered who didn’t speak English to us. I actually found it kind of refreshing… at least until she started yelling at one of the other servers, a very thin, Slavic looking young woman who managed to stay stoic. I’m not sure what the yelling was about, but it definitely changed the ambiance a bit.
I was excited to see that they offered khorovatz (Armenian kebab-shashlik-barbecue). Bill tried it for the first time in November, when we visited Armenia. It’s a very simple dish, but delicious if it’s prepared properly. So we ordered that, along with a couple of Czech beers and San Pellegrino. Bill had chicken and I had pork, and I actually asked for it by its Armenian name, which the waiter then translated for us. I don’t think he was an Armenian speaker, although he definitely looked like he could have been. Lunch was delicious, but more than we could eat! We probably should have just picked one and split it.
My only complaint about our experience at Egur Egur is that the chairs were uncomfortable for those of us wearing shorts. The hard wood dug into the backs of my thighs. A cushion would have been welcome. Otherwise, it was a very nice lunch. The waiter packed up our leftovers, although we ended up discarding them, because we couldn’t get them to refrigeration quickly enough. What you see in the last picture cost about $48.
After lunch, we started to head back toward Vitosha Boulevard, so we could find some gifts for the grandchildren. As we were walking, I noticed the yellow brick road and how striking it is in a city where there are a lot of drab looking communist era buildings. I read up on the history of the yellow brick road last night, and how it was put in to make Sofia look more like a capital city. Sofia is also unusual in that it has a church, a synagogue, and a mosque all within spitting distance of each other, and somehow they manage to coexist peacefully. If only the rest of the world could be like Sofia, when it comes to religion.
We went into a gift shop on Vitosha Boulevard and found some magnets, a mug, and a few little trinkets for the kids. That’s also where I found the wood carving pictured with the art by Violeta Stanoeva. I was lucky to spot it, as it was kind of tucked in a corner in the upstairs of the shop.
After our shopping was done, I was kind of wanting to take a cab back to the hotel, but we ended up walking… All told, it was about five miles. That’s not bad for someone with a cold and a pretty slack fitness routine. Below are a few more photos. I wish we could have seen more during our brief trip, but we have reason to go back. It better be sooner than 28 years, though, because in 28 years, I’ll be 80 years old!
One place I wish we had visited is the TSUM (Central Department Store), which was a government store that used to be THE place for Bulgarians to buy stuff. The outside of the store has an impressive facade that looks like it came straight from the fanciest communist architect, ever. I went there in 1996, when it was still operating more or less the way it did in communist times. Since then, it was renovated and turned into a mall, and right now, the mall is pretty empty. People just go there to use the clean and free bathroom facilities now. But I do remember going there and buying stuff in the 90s… and thinking it was the picture of a communist era shopping mecca.
Armenia had a similar place called GUM, where I bought some things when I lived there. Now, what was once GUM is a regular store where one can buy rugs. There is also a GUM shuka in Yerevan, Armenia that sells fresh food. It’s not the same thing as the GUM store, though. I’m writing of a Soviet era department store.
I read that the architect of the TSUM was Kosta Nikolov, and his son was murdered by the Gestapo in Germany in the 1940s. Nikolov managed to get ahold of his son’s remains and properly bury them. He kept locks of his son’s hair and a finger as keepsakes. Then, as the TSUM building was being constructed, the architect embedded a box with his son’s remains in it within the building. Nikolov was following a Bulgarian folklore tradition that embedding a living person or a shadow of a living person in a building makes it stronger. Many people thought this was an urban legend until 2001, when workers doing the renovation actually discovered the remains. They decided to leave them embedded there.
Anyway… it sounds like TSUM eventually became something that was no longer a store for the people, but rather for people with the most money. That’s too bad. Especially now that it’s basically an empty shell of what it was… and is now owned by investors. At least I got to see it, though… even if it was years ago.
We decided to have room service on Monday night. The hotel makes it easy, by allowing people to order food through the TV. I had a salmon filet with asparagus and salad, while Bill had a club sandwich. We split a bottle of Bulgarian Chardonnay, sparkling water, and a piece of pretzel cheesecake. I think the cheesecake, like the other desserts we had, was the highlight.
One more post ought to do it for this series, then I will write my usual “ten things I learned” post. Stay tuned!
Saturday, November 18th was our last full day in Armenia. I had some mixed emotions about it. On one hand, we’d had a really good time in Armenia, and there are still some things I want to show Bill. The weather was surprisingly mild; we had several nice, sunny days, and I had a feeling Germany wouldn’t be quite as temperate.
But, on the other hand, I was really missing our street dog, Noyzi. Yerevan has all these sweet, adorable street dogs, now. Unlike many of the ones I remembered from the 90s, the ones who are now in Yerevan seem gentle and wise. They made me miss our dog from Kosovo, and reminded me that I want another one. I also wanted to do laundry. It’s not that I enjoy doing laundry. I just like wearing clean clothes, and I was running out of clean underwear. 😉
I was still a bit sore and tired from our long walk to Tsitsernakaberd. And Bill was still very worried about the paintings we bought from the guy from Ashtarak. He had done some research and found an art supplies store at the Rossia Mall near the Zorovar Andranik metro station, which was just one stop away from Republic Square. So, after breakfast, we headed that way, first stopping by the art sellers by the Opera House. I was hoping to run into the guy from Ashtarak again, because I wanted to buy his Ararat painting. I might have been inspired by the clear sight of Ararat that morning. It finally came out in full glory on our last day.
Unfortunately, the art guy wasn’t there on Saturday morning, so we headed back toward the Vernissage, cutting through Northern Avenue and Abovian Street, then using the underpass by the Republic Square metro station. I thought maybe we’d shop at the Vernissage again, especially since there were a lot more sellers there. But, as we walked, my body cried out in painful protest. I was hurting!
With every step, I got crankier… and when we were confronted with the traffic on Khandjian Street, I got downright pissy. To get across the street safely, we had to use one of the overpasses, which required us to walk up steps, go across a bridge, and then walk down again. I did not want to walk up or down any more steps.
The overpasses, by the way, didn’t exist when I lived in Yerevan. We’d either use the underpasses, some of which were pretty awful, or we’d take our lives in our hands and dash across the street. But Yerevan now has pedestrian lights and crosswalks at most intersections, and from what I understand, people are expected to use them, or risk getting a ticket. Unfortunately, there was no easy way to cross Khandjian Street directly from the Vernissage, so we used the overpass. My old body complained the whole way, and so did my mouth. 😉
We made our way toward Zorovar Andranik, passing an amusement park and Queen Burger, a notoriously “bad” fast food place that opened in 1996. I actually remember when that place first opened. It had very new and modern looking equipment, to include fountain drink dispensers, and an actual “burger” on the roof (since removed after renovation). But I guess they couldn’t get fountain drinks in Yerevan back then, because I remember I could see through the windows that they had plastic liter bottles of Coca Cola sitting under the dispensers. The restaurant has been expanded and renovated since 1996, but it still gets pretty terrible reviews on TripAdvisor and Facebook. I have never eaten there myself, so I can’t confirm or deny the veracity of the terrible reviews. Somehow, they manage to stay in business, anyway.
Near Queen Burger is an underpass I remember well. In the 90s, it was lined with people selling stuff. There are still some people selling things in the underpass– mostly cheap purses, sunglasses, and cell phone cases. But then on the other side is the Rossia Mall, which was built in 2016. If I hadn’t been so exhausted and sore, I might have been more excited. In the 90s, the area where the mall now stands was basically a big lot where people set up stalls and sold food, booze, and various other odds and ends. I remember shopping there occasionally, when I was in that part of the city. Now, there’s a mall.
I was rapidly losing patience with Bill, who was trying to figure out which door to enter. There was a department store that was obviously not what he was looking for, then we had to climb more steps to enter the main part of the mall. It wasn’t a very big mall, and it was crowded with stores. We went up an escalator into a store that was selling a lot of luggage.
A surreal feeling came over me as I took in the scene. I was in an actual shopping mall in Yerevan! But it still wasn’t as strange to me as the sight of the water park. I still have vivid memories of people living in Yerevan who had no running water and had to leave their taps on, in the hopes that they could fill their bathtub and water bottles in the middle of the night. Now, Yerevan has an actual water park! I wonder if that means that kids stay out of the fountains in the summer, now. Probably not, since it doesn’t cost anything to play in the fountains. 😉
Finally, we found the art supply store. It was tucked in a corner, and pretty much overflowing with stuff for sale. The store’s space was small, but they had a lot of inventory. In fact, there was so much inventory that it was kind of hard to walk through there. We had to look for several minutes to find the art portfolios. A couple of women working at the store noticed us and followed, while the male cashier seemed completely disinterested. I’m not sure if they were running security, or if they were just curious about the obvious foreigners.
Bill and I ignored the gawking women, and searched through the portfolios. Bill finally found one that looked large enough to accomodate our paintings. He paid for our item and we walked out of the mall. I looked around some more for any sign of the large market that used to be there. I saw no evidence of it, but the huge apartment building that was there in 1996 was still there in all its ugly, Soviet era glory. I’ve seen that building in a lot of pictures. It really is impressive in its brutal Soviet look. We made our way to the crosswalk and I said, “If we head this way on Tigran Mets, we’ll end up at Republic Square.”
Originally, I had thought maybe we’d go to the Vernissage and look for another painting. But I was just too tired, and too testy… and my body was over all the walking. I didn’t feel like trying to converse in Armenian anymore, or explaining why I know ANY Armenian. I didn’t want to haggle with anyone, either. So we headed back, which gave me the chance to show Bill yet another major Yerevan street I used to know.
We crossed the street from the mall, and I pointed out a building that I remembered from my last weekend in Yerevan in 1997. There was a French charity called Saberatours that was bringing mail to Armenians via France. Up until a few weeks prior, we Peace Corps Volunteers had enjoyed diplomatic pouch privileges. But, as Armenia’s postal system improved, the privileges were taken away. The trouble was, I had plans to go to Europe after my service was finished, and I bought a Eurail ticket. I needed to get the ticket before I got to Europe. So I used the Saberatours service, and my Eurail ticket got to me just in the nick of time. The building where I got my ticket was historic, too. It was the government building where Aram Manukian had declared independence in May 1918.
We reached Republic Square, where I noticed workers were putting up Christmas decorations. I’ve seen the huge Christmas tree they now put up in the middle of the square in photos. When I lived in Yerevan, Christmas wasn’t a big deal. They celebrated it on January 6th, rather than December 25th. New Year’s was the big holiday. Today, I’m not sure what Armenians do for Christmas. I have noticed that, like many European countries, Armenian now has Christmas markets. Those were NOT a thing in the 90s. But it seems that a lot of countries have taken Germany’s lead and offer the festive stalls selling arts, crafts, and food. Google tells me that religious Armenians still celebrate Christmas on January 6th, but maybe some people do it on the 25th, and have Santa come and all that other shit… 😉
We decided to take a short rest before venturing out again. Our room hadn’t been made up yet, even though it was afternoon. I used the time to upload photos and do some writing. Bill used it to pack, and arrange for a cab in the middle of the night. I think we were a bit tired of sightseeing.
At mid afternoon, we decided to try one last restaurant we’d noticed… Dors Craft Beer and Kitchen, which was just around the corner from Paris Hotel Yerevan. Like just about all of the other places we noticed in Yerevan, Dors Craft Beer and Kitchen was selling Dargett craft beers. That was fine with me. On our way out of the room, the housekeeper asked me in Armenian (or Russian–I don’t remember) if we’d like our room cleaned. We said sure. At that point, it didn’t matter. We’d be checking out at about 2:30 AM, anyway.
After we visited Dors Craft Beer and Kitchen, we headed back to the hotel and tried to rest before our super early departure. More on that in the next post!
Today is our last full day in Armenia. Tomorrow morning, at about 3:00 AM or so, we’ll be at the airport getting ready to board a Lufthansa flight back to Frankfurt, Germany. I wish we didn’t have to leave so early in the morning, but the bright side is, we’ll arrive in Germany at about 7:00 AM. That will give us the whole day to prepare for Monday, when Bill has to have his dental implant installed.
This trip has been very meaningful to me on so many levels. I was really fretting about coming here, wondering how it would go. Sometimes, I say more than I should, and I have a tendency to shock people sometimes in a less than pleasant way. But, I’m happy to report that things have gone very well… at least so far. We’ve had a great time seeing Yerevan, and I’ve had fun showing Bill places that have meaning to me, personally. If we manage to come back, we’ll be ready to visit the many historic places in Armenia and I can show Bill that the country is actually very beautiful outside of the capital.
As you can see from today’s featured photo, even Yerevan has its beautiful surprises… Mount Ararat finally came out of hiding yesterday. Today, it’s even clearer! Too bad we aren’t at the Genocide Memorial today, where I’m sure the photos would be fantastic. I did get a few pictures yesterday from up there. We walked all the way from the hotel to the Memorial and back. It was over 8 miles, and I was absolutely exhausted afterwards!
I think today we will go look for a sleeve to put our new artwork in. It’s going to have to be checked and the guy who sold them to us put them in a rather beat up plastic bag. If I see that man again, I think I’d like to buy another painting from him. Either way, I hope to find one of Ararat, but I want one that is unusual, rather than the typical mountain scene I saw at the Vernissage (art market) the other day.
I am ready to go home. I need to do laundry, and I want to sleep in my own bed. I miss Noyzi, too, probably because Yerevan has so many sweet and gentle looking street dogs. But I also think I will miss Armenia, once we’re back in Germany. Now that I’ve been back to Armenia, I know that it still has a piece of my heart. I hope we’ll be back again… and much sooner than 26 years from today.
It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long… Some things haven’t changed a bit! But yes, I’ve been away for a long time. I’ve been so amazed and touched by the warm welcome Bill and I have received from these special people of so many talents. I’m proud that I can say that I once called Yerevan home.
Now, if you are a regular reader and are interested, watch this space for my usual blow by blow… I will be busy writing it next week!
By the way, when I left Armenia in 1997, my destination then was also Frankfurt, to start my month long Eurail train trip through Europe. But that time, I got to leave at the civilized hour of 11:00 AM!
It’s time now for my customary “ten things I learned post”. Since this wasn’t our first time in the Czech Republic, I’ve already done a “ten things I learned” post for the country. Nevertheless, this most recent trip was very educational and entertaining on many levels. We really enjoyed ourselves, but we also learned a lot. Besides, people seem to like these summary posts better than my usual detailed postings. So here goes…
10. Cesky Krumlov is well worth visiting for a day or two.
I mentioned that Bill and I visited Cesky Krumlov for a few hours back in 2009. I thought the town was really adorable then, and vowed to go back someday. This time, we stayed there for two nights. I think one full day in Cesky Krumlov is probably sufficient for most people, although we certainly could have enjoyed another full day there. I don’t know if I’ll go out of my way to return, but I wouldn’t object to it. It’s a beautiful town and well worth a stop if you’re in Czechia.
9. English is widely spoken in the tourist areas of Czechia.
On prior visits to Czechia, we noticed that it was helpful to speak some German. This time, we noticed that a whole lot of people are fluent in English. It’s not a given than they will be, but there’s a good chance that if you go to a touristy area, you don’t have to worry about a language barrier if you are an English speaker.
8. Brno is well worth a stop!
Of all the places we planned to visit when we were coming up with our itinerary, Brno intrigued me the most. I had read that it is an “up and coming” destination in Czechia. It’s not as handsome and charming as Prague is, but it’s definitely got its own vibe. And if you like caving, it’s a must visit destination, as there are several show caves there that are beautiful and worth seeing. I will never forget our visit to the Punkva Caves. I also noticed that Brno was not as heavily touristed as Prague and Cesky Krumlov. For that reason alone, it may be worth putting on your itinerary.
7. Someone may be watching you when you’re eating at the street food fest…
We certainly weren’t expecting to encounter an unhoused woman when we sat down to have lunch at a street food fest in Brno. But she did us a favor by eating our leftovers, and teaching us a thing or two about charity and not wasting food. And while I didn’t leave Brno with any artwork, I did leave with a memory and a great story. I doubt I’ll forget it anytime soon.
6. Prague has surprising “wild kingdom” moments…
I don’t know if I’d ever heard of nutria (otherwise known as coypu) before I spotted one swimming in the Vltava River in Prague. At first, I thought maybe I was watching an otter or some kind of beaver, but I’m pretty sure I saw a nutria, an animal that has taken up residence in Prague and is apparently causing issues.
5. If you’re near Lichtenstein Castle on the first Sunday of the warm months, you should visit Olgahöhle!
Again, this is a suggestion for those who like visiting caves. This cave is kind of special, and it’s only open on the first Sunday of the warm months. We happened to be able to visit by chance, and it was well worth the stop.
4. You can now purchase vignettes for Czechia online and there’s no longer a need for stickers.
This was a really welcome and convenient development for our trip. We were able to buy our vignette online, allowing us to use Czechia’s high speed highways. There was no need to put a sticker on the windshield. And the day before it expired, they helpfully sent a reminder email.
3. But the backroads are still in need of repair…
Our trip required some detours on secondary roads. A lot of them were in need of repair, thanks to potholes and other issues. On the other hand, they can take you to some great places, like the cool burger place we found because Bill needed to pee.
2. The people of Czechia are very warm and hospitable…
I can’t think of a single incident during our trip where we didn’t encounter very pleasant and warm people, especially in the hotels and restaurants. It definitely lent to the country’s charm and makes me want to go back again and again. This is also a great place for shopping, especially if you’re looking for art and unique toys.
I was amazed anew by how rich and filling the food was on this trip. As heavy as German food can be, I think the Czechs have them beat! But I also found myself working hard, walking, climbing stairs, enjoying nature, and burning that fuel quite handily. Czech wine is pretty decent, by the way. I might not choose it over Italian wine, but it probably deserves a lot more attention than it gets. The beer is, of course, excellent and noticeably different from Germany’s beers.
So… that about does it for our most recent trip to BW and Czechia. We meant to see our dentist in Stuttgart and take in the sights in one of our favorite European countries. We missed the dentist, but sure made up for it with good times, new experiences, new friends, and fun. I hope if you’re inspired to visit the Czech Republic, you will take the plunge! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
I’m taking a short pause from my Czech tour series to write about today’s visit to Wiesbaden. It actually has something to do with our Czech tour, since our purpose for going into town this morning was to drop off three of the four paintings we bought on our trip for custom framing .
I did a quick Google search and discovered family run Kunst-Schaefer, an art gallery and picture framer in downtown Wiesbaden. I noticed they got really good ratings and have been in business since 1905. Although we have a picture framer in our town, you have to make an appointment to get work done. It was just easier for us to take the art into Wiesbaden during the shop’s open hours of 10 AM until 2 PM.
The weather is really nice today and if I weren’t still getting over the sickness I picked up on our trip, I think I would have really enjoyed myself. But I’m still coughing a lot and kind of fatigued, so it wasn’t that much fun walking from the theater parking garage to the gallery. However, when we walked inside, it was like home again…
You see, my father owned and operated his own art gallery and picture framing business for about 25 years. I grew up watching him frame pictures and sell art. So going to get my art framed was a little like going home. I did mention to the salesman that my dad was in the business, and he assumed I knew all about picture framing. I don’t, and I told him so. I know the process of framing a picture, but it’s not something I ever did or aspired to do. I’m not that gifted with my hands. 😉 But my dad was, so the gallery, which had a lot of beautiful and provocative art for sale, was kind of nostalgic for me.
We dropped off two paintings we got in Prague featuring a cat couple dancing on the Charles Bridge. It isn’t the most earth shattering art, but Bill and I liked it, because it kind of reminded us of ourselves. And the Russian artist who sold it to us said that he and his wife had created the paintings together. He said they’d been in Prague for 30 years. He was clearly delighted when we bought art from him, as he said the shop belonged to his friend, who was letting him use some space to show his art. Bill and I bought art the last time we were in Prague, too… and some of it was kind of hokey stuff. Still, we like it… and I look forward to hanging up the paintings of the cats in our dining room.
The other painting we bought was one that practically leapt off the wall at me in a gallery in Cesky Krumlov. We bought it with another, very different painting of a landscape that came already framed. I realize the painting we dropped off today may not be to everyone’s taste, but it made me stop in my tracks and demanded that I take it home with me. I like art that makes you stop and think, and I loved the colors in it… but as it was taken off the stretcher when we bought it, it needs to be remounted before it can be framed. We should have our cat paintings in a couple of weeks. The other one will probably take longer. But, the good news is, if they do a good job, we’ll have a go to place for framing next month, when we get back from Armenia. I hope to buy some art there, too.
Here are some photos…
As we looked around the art gallery and took note of the prices, I was glad we went art shopping in Czechia. 😉 They had some beautiful stuff in the gallery, but it was a lot more expensive. But the prices for the picture framing wasn’t too bad. The guy even encouraged us to bring in a VAT form so we won’t have to pay 19 percent tax. Very nice, and totally not something we expect German businesspeople to volunteer for us.
Again, I like art that has a story and makes me stop in my tracks. And while I know the naked woman sculpture I captioned in the photo above is kind of weird, potentially offensive, and not to everyone’s taste, I would totally buy it… I like conversation pieces, and if ever there was one, that would be it. And while ex landlady is no longer in my life, I know seeing it would annoy the hell out of her, and that makes me smile. She probably hated seeing my caganers during her many unauthorized walks through the house when we weren’t home. 😉
After we took care of our framing needs, we headed to Little Italy for lunch. It had been awhile since our last visit, but we were warmly welcomed. I had black tortellini stuffed with smoked salmon with grilled salmon cubes, cream sauce, rocket, and cherry tomatoes. Bill had linguini with Seeteufel (fish) and vegetables. We washed it all down with Montepulciano and sparkling water. It was a great lunch and a nice afternoon… and now I’m kind of tired.
We did stop by the Trueffel Feinkost downtown to buy a bottle of wine. Bill needed to break some big Euro bills. While we were there, I noticed some very cute pooches. I think my mom would like Wiesbaden. It’s a very charming town with lots of cute shops and people with fancy dogs.
I’m still getting over whatever crud it was that I got in Czechia. I’m mostly fine, but still fatigue easily and cough a bit. I’d like to move on in my Czech tour series, and maybe I will after I have a shower… It really is a beautiful day. I’m glad if I have to feel crummy, we’re at home. I can at least enjoy the backyard in my nightie, right? 😉
Now back to my Czech tour series…
October is approaching, which means it’ll soon be time for us to visit Stuttgart again for dental cleanings. We had originally booked the dentist for October 3, but that’s a holiday in Germany. Our dentist’s receptionist later called and rescheduled us for October 2. That got me to thinking about potential travel opportunities after the appointment. It occurred to me that maybe we should get out of the country for German Reunification Day.
As is my habit, when we go to Stuttgart, I’m making some tentative plans to go somewhere. Taking a side trip after seeing the dentist kind of lessens the trauma of the experience, even if it does kind of add to the cost.
For the past couple of years, when we’ve seen the dentist in the fall, we’ve gone to Baiersbronn, in the Schwarzwald. It’s a picturesque area, with many good restaurants and things to do. This year, as much as I like the Black Forest, I think it’s time to do something different. So, after our Hundepension confirmed that they have space for Noyzi, Bill and I started talking about where we might go for our dental side trip. Stuttgart is kind of an advantageous area, as it’s not too far from France, Switzerland, Austria, or even the Czech Republic.
We had originally wanted to book Noyzi starting on Sunday, October 1, but the dog hotel doesn’t do check-ins on Sundays. So that means we have to bring him on either Saturday or Monday, giving us a couple of days in the Stuttgart area.
When we stay in Stuttgart, we often book the Wald Hotel, which is a favorite lodging of ours. But while we like the hotel, we also enjoy other towns near Stuttgart. So, for our upcoming visit, I proposed staying in either Esslingen or Tübingen– two very pretty towns we both love that are near Stuttgart. We already know Tübingen very well, since we used to live very close to it during our first German stint. We’ve only been to Esslingen a couple of times. We decided either would be fine bases other than Stuttgart. To choose where we should go, we flipped a coin. Esslingen won, so now I’m looking for good lodging options in and around that area.
Then, we decided to plan where to go after the cleanings were done, since we’ll have a few days to burn, and the following weekend is a US holiday. We did another coin flip. First, it was between Austria and Switzerland. Switzerland won, so we flipped again between Switzerland and Germany. Switzerland won again! Then, we did one for Switzerland and the Czech Republic. That time, the Czech Republic won.
I’m happy about the results, because we haven’t gone to the Czech Republic since 2018. We used to visit the Czech Republic pretty often when we lived in Germany the first time, but we’ve been neglecting it lately. I’ve been very interested in visiting Brno, among other places… I am hoping to find some more art for our walls.
So… that’s the plan for our next big trip for now. I’m going to look for a place in Esslingen and/or its environs. Then, we’re going on a road trip to the Czech Republic, to show off our nice, clean teeth. Should be fun… Maybe this will keep me busy while Bill is in Bavaria this week, doing his TDY duty!
I really hate it when Bill travels for work without me, but at least we no longer have a dog with cancer to take care of. And our sweet Noyzi has really bonded to us. I suspect the week will be pretty peaceful. I do enjoy trip planning!
I wish I could write about something fun today, but Bill is busy preparing for his trip. I thought maybe we’d go to the Hofheim Wine Fest this weekend, but I just didn’t feel like it yesterday. My stomach was bothering me, and I didn’t want to upset it further with too much wine. We stayed home and hung out instead, which is always a pleasure. And… of course, I drank beer and wine, too. So much for babying my stomach, but at least I didn’t have to put on a bra.
The featured photo is the actual quarter we flipped to come to this preliminary decision… We’ll see what we actually end up planning, as even coin toss trip plans are subject to change… Heh heh… I said “change”! See what I did there?
Edited to add: After searching for a place in Esslingen, I ended up deciding to a book a hotel in Tübingen, after all. It’s one we’ve been curious about for awhile, as we’ve eaten in their restaurant a few times– Hotel La Casa. I got an apartment for three nights at a pretty reasonable rate.
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