Bembelschänke | The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

On August 20, 2023, I wrote a blog post about how we took our Kosovar street dog, Noyzi, to the Birkenhof Hofladen’s Biergarten, the Bembelschänke. Noyzi had a great time during that visit. I was thinking we’d go back there more often this year, but we’ve been so busy that we never got around to it. Yesterday, the weather was warm and sunny, and we decided it was time to go back to the Biergarten. Charlie has now been with us for three weeks, and we wanted to see how he’d handle a car ride. We already know that Noyzi is always up for a road trip!

We arrived at the Bembelschänke at about 3:00 PM. The Biergarten had plenty of empty tables, so we chose one far from the crowd. I noticed the owners had put in a sprinkler/fountain that kids were playing with. It wasn’t there last year. Other than that, it was a comfortingly familiar place, as I recognized several of the wait staff who were there last year.

There was a large family in one corner of the Biergarten. They were having some kind of celebration, as they were singing a song together. This isn’t the first time Bill and I have stumbled across a celebration in a public place involving some of kind of performance. I found it charming!

Bill had a cheese plate, while I had wurst with farmer’s bread and a nice fresh salad. I don’t usually get that excited about wurst, but I really liked what they had… and I especially enjoyed the salad. I’ve noticed that cherry tomatoes in Germany are sweet and delicious– almost like candy! In the states, tomatoes taste kind of sour to me and I don’t enjoy eating them raw. But here, they are completely different and vastly superior. As someone who needs to eat more produce, I appreciate that tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce are so lovingly grown here.

The boys behaved pretty well, although Noyzi was barking a bit. Charlie was completely chilled out and at home. He’s going to be the kind of dog we can take anywhere. After we enjoyed some beer, we stopped by the Hofladen’s self-service fridge and picked up a couple of farm fresh items for home. You just pick out what you want and you’re on your honor to pay for it, although that particular Hofladen has security cameras.

Below are some photos…

Our visit to the Bembelschänke was an excellent way to cap off a memorable weekend in Germany. I hope we can do it again before fall arrives. But… actually, we’re going to be in Iceland very soon, so maybe our next visit will have to wait until 2025.

Yesterday, Bill was supposed to Skype with his mom. He didn’t do it, because I complained to him that I wanted to go out and do something on Saturday. And yet, we didn’t end up going anywhere yesterday… it was hot and muggy, and nothing was appealing.

Today was different. It was hot and muggy today, but we decided we wanted to go out, anyway. The Birkenhof Hofladen has a 24 hour fridge that people can buy produce from. They also have a Biergarten called the Bembelschänke, which is a really nice venue for drinking beer, eating pretzels, and pondering life. It’s a dog friendly place, so Noyzi came with us. Boy did he have fun! A Bembel, by the way, is a pottery wine pitcher found in these parts. This is German wine country, after all.

When we arrived at the cornfield, we walked Noyzi toward the entrance, where we were promptly greeted by a gorgeous dog who obviously lived at the farm. I think he might have been a “Swissy”. He was very much “Johnny on the spot” when we arrived, meeting us at the gate, and checking out Noyzi with his hackles raised. Noyzi, of course, just wanted to play.

The lady of the farm came out and claimed her dog, whom she said was two years old. She yelled at him to sit and he ignored her the first couple of times before he complied. He and Noyzi traded a couple more sniffs, then parted company as she took him inside.

Bill and I chose a shady spot in the Biergarten, which wasn’t very crowded at all. We ordered a couple of beers– an amber for him, and a weizen for me. Noyzi was nervous, but he eventually calmed down a bit as we enjoyed a “cheese bread” plate for Bill, and Spundekäs with a pretzel for me. I was impressed by how beautifully the food was presented.

The Bembelschänke offers a variety of beverages– wines, beers, soft drinks, and non alcoholic juices. I was actually really tempted by the lemonade, which looked very refreshing. The food choices are somewhat limited to snacks, but that’s okay. After you enjoy a round or two, you can visit the 24 hour fridge and load up on farm fresh goodies. I took a video for Bill’s daughter. She’s never had a chance to live abroad.

A little about what’s available…

As we were finishing up our second round, the lady of the farm came over with a big bowl of water for Noyzi. I could tell she was a bit smitten by him. I think the feeling was mutual, as he went right over to her and gave her a snuggle. I was glad to see him so comfortable with someone he doesn’t live with 24/7. Noyzi really likes women, and he’s come such a long way from the scared pooch he was in 2020, when we first brought him home from Kosovo. He was very well behaved at the Biergarten, aside from taking a little while to settle down. I think if we go back, we’ll be welcomed warmly… especially by Noyzi’s new friend.

One of the young waitresses said, when she saw Noyzi, “Mein Herz.” Or something to that effect. The lady of the farm said he was very “Hübsch”. It was clear that he made a very good impression. I do love my beagles, but I’ve got to admit that Noyzi the street dog sure is better behaved and easier on most levels. He works very hard not to offend, and he mostly succeeds.

Anyway, we were very proud of him. It was a hot, but lovely, afternoon. The mood at the Biergarten was perfect– not too busy and very warm and welcoming. I hope we can do it again soon. And the bonus is, we scored some nice goodies for home!

Below are some photos…