Bill got home from Budapest on Wednesday, and he brought three new prints with him. If I had gone with him on that trip, he would have bought bigger prints. But, I can’t complain about the art he picked up, because they’re pretty much my style. They are from a Kenyan-British artist named Marcus Goldson, who moved to Budapest in the early 1990s after having trained as a sculptor.

Goldson initially couldn’t afford the materials he needed for sculpting, so he started sketching, and took his art career in a whole new direction. I don’t know if he sculpts now, or just does watercolors. Obviously, he’s got a good business going in Budapest, serving tourists like Bill and me.

Since we were already going to visit Kunst-Schaefer to get the new art framed, I decided to get some older art redone. I bought two paintings in Sofia, Bulgaria, when we visited in 2024, plus I had another painting that I bought in Sofia back in the summer of 1996. My friend, Elaine, and I took a bus from Armenia to Turkey, and then onward to Bulgaria, for a vacation.

Although I was completely broke at the time, Elaine lent me the money to take the trip with her. We had a fabulous time, and I managed to pick up a small blue tinged painting of a windmill. I wish I’d bought another one, because I really like that piece of art, and I must not have paid much at all for it, because I had no extra money whatsoever in 1996. Of course, it’s going to cost about 160 euros to get it reframed!

We parked at the Marktplatz, where the weekly Saturday market was going on full tilt. It seemed like everybody was out and about yesterday, as the weather was beautiful. I would have liked to have walked around the market, but we were on an important mission.

I’ve mentioned before that, when I was growing up, my parents ran their own business out of our home. My mom had a knitting, needlepoint, and cross stitch shop, and she taught countless people how to do needle crafts. My dad sold art and did custom picture framing. So, being in an art gallery is very natural for me, because I literally lived in one for years. 😏

Bill and I made our way through Wiesbaden’s posh streets and walkplatzes to get to Kunst-Schaefer. We passed buskers playing piano, accordion, saxophone, and guitar, adding their own elements of atmosphere to Wiesbaden’s bonny streets.

When we arrived at Kunst-Schaefer, a young lady welcomed us. She was with a customer, so we took a moment to look around the gallery to see if there was anything I’d want to hang on the wall. Of course, there were things there I would happily purchase, but I’d rather spend the money on another art scouting trip… the next of which we will be commencing in about ten days!

The proprietor showed up, having stepped out to get some baked goods for his Sunday breakfast. He personally dealt with us, as we showed him six pieces to be framed.

It didn’t take long to decide how we would be framing everything. Regular shadow box frames for the Bulgarian paintings, and a plain black frame for the windmill. Colorful frames and matting for the Budapest prints. All of it should be done while we’re on vacation, and by then we’ll probably have another batch that needs to be done. Before we present a VAT form, the total comes to about 700 euros.

By the time we were finished with the framer, I really needed to find a restroom. Bill and I decided to have lunch. For some reason, I was in the mood for German food, so we headed back toward the Marktplatz. Maybe it was because I found out that one of the towns we once lived in, Fredericksburg, Virginia, now has a snazzy German restaurant.

On our way there, I noticed that BrewDog Wiesbaden had closed. I either didn’t know it was going to close, or had forgotten. Bill and I went there a few times for craft beers and sandwiches. I think the last time we went was at Christmas last year. But we didn’t know then that the place would be closing in January 2026, and in September, no one else has set up business in the beautiful old building where it was situated.

I guess the Scottish style craft beers at BrewDog never quite caught on in Wiesbaden. Some people complained about the quality of the food and mice in the restaurant, but our personal experiences dining there were never bad. Too bad… it was a reliable lunch choice for us. But I guess it just goes to show that we hadn’t been downtown in ages! ETA: My German friend says BrewDog basically went insolvent, got bought out by an American company, and the new company didn’t want to operate in Germany anymore. At this point, there are still locations in Hamburg and Berlin.

We went to the Ratskeller instead, where we knew we could have beer and some very decent German food. Because it was so nice outside, we ate outdoors… where we were accosted by many bees. Or were they wasps? I wasn’t going to let them get close enough to find out for sure. I heard one American lady loudly complaining about them. ETA: My German friend says they were wasps.

My only complaint about lunch is that it wasn’t served as hot as I would have preferred. But the food tasted good. I especially enjoyed the Schweinebraten and the delicious brown gravy made with beer. I was hungry, too. Managed to eat the whole potato Knödel, and some of the Rotkraut, and washed it down with a Weizen. Bill loved his Frankfurter Schnitzel with green sauce and fried potatoes. He had a Helles.

After we ate, we had another round… I had a Doppelbock, while Bill had a Radler. We made the waitress laugh when we tried to say “Doppelbock” properly. Bill had a taste of my rich, dark, malty beer, which came from a bottle.

Finally, we were finished with our leisurely lunch, and decided to head home. There, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon out on the patio, listening to music and savoring the last warm gasps of summer. The silver lining is that my mosquito bites are finally healing, and pretty soon, they’ll be gone.

It was nice to go to Wiesbaden again, and enjoy a nice lunch in the sunshine. I always enjoy visiting the art guy, too, and patronizing a business that helps us preserve our memories so beautifully. Wiesbaden sure is a lovely city, and we’re now at the point at which we’ve spent the most time of our married life living here. It really feels like a privilege. As much as we both enjoyed living in the Stuttgart area, I think Wiesbaden suits us somewhat better. If only because I seemed to get yelled at less often here. 😉

Well, that about does it for today’s travel post. Pretty soon, this blog will come alive with posts about our next travel adventure, which will take us back to Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, and then a return trip to Dresden. So watch this space! Bill has to go to Brno next week for a couple of days, too, but I don’t get to accompany him. Bummer.