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Things aren’t bad in Baden-Baden… Part four

On Saturday, we decided to find a cheaper place to eat breakfast in Baden-Baden. This was not a problem, since the town is loaded with cute little cafes that serve breakfast. We opted to eat a Cafe Koenig, which looked like a very quaint little cafe, but is actually part of a chain. Bill says they have a location in Tokyo, although I never would have guessed it by its very cute decor.

Signage…

Bill decides on how he likes his eggs.

He settled on scrambled.

I had fried… Both eggs came with ham and bread. We had cups of coffee, but I decided I needed hot chocolate, too…

And I’m happy to report that they do it right at Cafe Koenig, which is more than I can say for a certain five star hotel in Switzerland… This was also about half what we spent at the hotel.

As we were enjoying breakfast, we talked about what we wanted to do. Both Bill and I wanted to try the spa at Brenners Park, although we neglected to pre-book services before our arrival. In retrospect, that was a bad idea. It turns out the although the hotel was underfull, the spa was going great guns. We also wanted to visit the two mineral baths. Then, it occurred to me that we forgot to bring our spa towels, which we would definitely need at Caracalla. So, after breakfast, we went searching for towels, since we didn’t want to pay 21 euros each to rent one at the spa (6 euros rent and fifteen euros deposit).

We tried the Wagener store with no luck.

There was a little mall at the end of this drag and didn’t find anything there, either.

But then we found a store that was selling “beachwear”, and they did have towels. Ironically, we spent more buying towels there than we would have if we’d rented them. But at least they’re our towels. In fact, they are “sauna towels” and are extra long.

Bill did manage to get us spa appointments, however he was not able to get us booked at the same time. He had his deep tissue massage at 11:30am and I had my “massage menu” at 3:15pm. Those appointments pretty much ate up the day, since by the time Bill was finished with his appointment, it was only about a couple of hours or so before it was time for mine. We both had the same massage therapist. I wasn’t in attendance for Bill’s appointment, so I’ll just write about mine.

When I arrived at the spa at about 3:00pm, I checked in and a lady with heavily accented English showed me to the sauna room, where a very friendly male receptionist invited me to change into my robe. I had brought my own with me, since I know it fits. The robes at Brenners appeared to be pretty generous, but I have gone to places with robes that are too small and that was a problem I didn’t want to have.

After I changed into my robe, I was shown into a reception area and invited to have tea. Everyone else in the reception area was fully clothed, which made me feel a little awkward. Little did I know that any shred of modesty I had on Saturday would completely be stripped of me on Sunday. More on that in the next post.

I had just taken a few sips of my “detox” tea when the massage therapist invited me into her parlor. She was very young, quite giggly, and friendly. I wasn’t surprised when she had me answer a questionnaire and handed me a pair of “spa panties”. Bill told me he’d worn a pair and they hadn’t really covered anything. I tried to put them on and did manage to get them to my hips, but found them to be very uncomfortable and basically useless. When the therapist came back into the room, I told her they didn’t fit and just wore my regular underwear.

To be honest, I don’t know why they don’t have patrons do that as a matter of course, since my underwear were pretty much pulled halfway down my ass the whole time, anyway. I guess the spa panties are used so you don’t get massage oil on your unmentionables, but my unmentionables get exposed to all kinds of stuff anyway. What’s the difference between oil and all the other stuff?

I forgot to take the spa panties out of the pocket of my robe and they got washed. I’m surprised they survived the wash. They were made of cotton, though, which is a step above the paper ones I wore in Budapest.

The therapist, whose name was Angela, was very strong and professional, although since I’d asked for a “massage menu” and that was supposed to entail several techniques based on my specific problems, I expected her to ask me where she should focus her efforts. She didn’t do that, although Bill said she zeroed in on some stiff areas on his shoulders. I will admit that when Angela was finished with me, I felt pretty damned great. I need to invest in more massages.

I got a choice of orange, lavender, or vanilla oils. I went with lavender, while Bill chose orange. When we were finished with our hourlong session, I tipped Angela 20 euros in cash. Bill did the same after his session. That’s one thing I did notice about Brenners. Tips are definitely warmly appreciated with no awkwardness whatsoever. On the other hand, I never got the impression that they were expected, either, which is also very nice.

Since I didn’t manage to finish my tea, Angela offered to make me more. But I decided I wanted to get back to Bill. I got confused and went the wrong way, ending up at the spa again. Fortunately, the kind staff was able to point me in the right direction to get back to the room. Bill and I had decided to have dinner at a steak joint called Porter House Grill.

We were in the mood for meat.

Obligatory shot of Bill.

Bill had an Argentinian entrecote with steakhouse fries. They also had USDA beef that was priced at a premium. I almost ordered that, but decided I’d rather have ribs and roasted potatoes.

These ribs arrived “unsauced”. They weren’t bad, but they didn’t satisfy my craving for southern style ribs. This isn’t a dish I have very often, though, so I was determined to enjoy it. You can see the small ramekin of sauce on the left. It wasn’t bad barbecue sauce, but it didn’t taste quite like what we have in the United States.

We had a lovely Spanish rioja. Our first choice, an Argentinian Malbec, was not available. The waitress said they’d been waiting for weeks for the order to come in.

The inside of the restaurant was very nice. I loved the ceiling.

For dessert, I had cheesecake creme brulee with berries and chili chocolate ice cream. The ice cream was, indeed, “hot”. Bill loved it.

I liked his chocolate cake with Bailey’s Irish cream sauce.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped to watch some ice skating. It wasn’t very cold outside, but lots of people were enjoying the ice. I would have liked to have tried it myself, although it’s been about 39 years since I was last on ice skates! I took lessons as a child, but that was many years ago.

We spent some time in the lounge, listened to music, and watched a French couple skip out on their check. Bill said he saw them last night, though, so I guess they did end up paying. I’m glad to hear that, since I used to wait tables and know the pain of people walking out on their checks. I think it was just an oversight, although the waiter seemed a little stressed.

Another day done!

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Paul Simon or bust… Our Dublin getaway! Part six

Saturday morning, we woke up feeling pretty free, since the thing we’d come to Dublin for was finished. Paul Simon’s concert was truly amazing and wonderful, even if being in such a large crowd and sitting in cramped seats wasn’t as comfortable as it could have been. Still, Ireland was a great place to see Paul Simon perform, if only because a lot of the people in the crowd could actually sing. I don’t know what it’s like for other people, but I am unusually sensitive to bad singing. I don’t know if it’s because I have perfect pitch or I’m just a perfect bitch… It’s probably a regrettable combination of both conditions. Anyway, I was glad that a lot of the people who were at Friday night’s show were decent singers. If I have to listen to people singing along, I prefer them to be on key and most of the people in Friday’s crowd were.

We had no plans for Saturday, so we got up and went to breakfast. I went with Irish buttermilk pancakes and a side of sausage. Bill had French toast made with cinnamon brioche.

We also tried tea, which I probably ought to have more of.

The pancakes were also offered with blueberry compote or apples, I think. One of my British friends said I was going to gain “stones” if I kept eating like this. My response? “Who cares.”

But I did make sure to have some fruit, too.

My back was hurting a bit, even though we had a pretty good bed. I think it’s because I’m used to having a feather bed. Because my back was aching, we decided to try out the Merrion Hotel’s pool. We found it empty and very inviting. I appreciated that it was nice and deep, too. We also tried the steam room. I usually can’t stay in them for very long, but I managed to do a couple of cycles in there lasting a few minutes each.

The hotel has nicely appointed changing rooms with lockers, showers, and even a machine that wrings all the excess water out of your bathing suit. Supposedly, they even sell bathing suits if you need one.

An oasis of calm! Felt great on my sore back. The mural was painted by a Brady… Simon Brady, to be exact.

Lots of weights and machines for those who insist on truly working out. There’s also a fully operational spa, which I probably should have made time to try.

After our swim, we went back to the room and got changed. The weather was lovely, so we decided to take a walk. As we were passing Merrion Square, we noticed a military regiment and an Irish piper. We stood by to watch. Apparently, during the summer on Saturdays, a different Irish regiment does a memorial service for fallen members of the Irish Army. Family members are on hand to lay wreaths as their loved ones are honored.

A sign explaining… they were also passing out brochures. Bill was interested, so we watched the whole thing, which took about 45 minutes.

Officers prepare for the start of the program.

Family members stand by.

The guards were giving orders in Irish.

I was more interested in the musicians.

The piper played several pieces, including “Highland Cathedral”, which was what I marched down the aisle to on my wedding day.

More than once, I caught Bill standing at attention.

The memorial after the wreaths were laid. Behind it are several flags, including Ireland’s flag, which was lowered to half mast, then raised again.

Across the street from parliament.

And there were also dancers nearby, though they had nothing to do with the military ceremony. They were also attracting attention.

A playground nearby. I liked that there was a sign posted that read the area was only for adults accompanying children. No creepers allowed.

Oscar Wilde again. You can’t miss him in Dublin.

By the time the military ceremony was over, it was time for lunch. We ended up at what appeared to be a nice looking restaurant but turned out to be a hotel restaurant with little character. They also played some very annoying dance music that kind of spoiled the ambiance. Oh well….

We were told the fryer wasn’t working, so there was no chance for fish and chips.

My burger came with a salad, which was probably better for me anyway.

Bill had a club sandwich. Not bad… and this was also the only place we had Guinness during the whole trip. Guinness is really a winter drink, as every Irish person instinctively knows. But you can’t come to Dublin and not have a Guinness, right? It makes you drunk, as noted by Ireland’s greatest drinker with a writing problem, Brendan Behan.

The rest of the restaurant. Lots of cutesy stuff written on the walls.

After lunch, we went across the street, where I proceeded to buy three cheap t-shirts with obnoxious sayings on them. I’ll probably only wear them at home, although they pretty much express my sentiments perfectly.

After we bought the t-shirts, we passed this all purpose walk in clinic. Apparently, they have something for everyone… Reminds me of an old George Carlin routine– Bud’s! Where all the sick people go!

They have you covered!

Just around the corner is the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. I had to take a picture of the sign because about thirty years ago, I read a book called The Intern Blues by Robert Marion, MD. Dr. Marion didn’t get into an US medical schools at first, so he spent a year in Ireland studying medicine before he was able to come back to the States and finish his training. His book was about first year interns circa 1985.

And we also found where Bram Stoker lived.

At this point, we decided we wanted to find a pub with good music and character, so we went in search of one… but not before we stopped into a couple of grocery stores to see if we could find some Irish chocolate treats to bring back to Germany with us. We were successful at a Tesco, just around the corner from our hotel.

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Last minute getaway to Ulm: Part two

We had intended to eat breakfast at the hotel. It was included in the price of the room. Unfortunately, luck was not on our side yesterday morning. We all got in the elevator. It stopped on the second floor, where we were confronted by the old guy who had checked us in. He had a cart full of dirty dishes and seemed to need the elevator more than we did. We got off the elevator and started down the stairs. When we got to the lobby, standing by the elevator was a woman with a big boxer. Zane got one look at the boxer and started barking. Arran joined in with his own deafening howls. Once again, I was dragged out of the lobby by my two crazy dogs.

I suggested to Bill that we go find a McDonald’s or something. If worse came to worse, we could eat in the car. Bill figured we’d stop at the one we passed on the autobahn, not realizing until it was too late that there was a McDonald’s in the next town. We spotted its golden arches as we were getting on the autobahn. Rather than turn around and go back to Mickey D’s, Bill headed for A8. It turned out the McDonald’s we thought we were going to was located further away than we realized. Spotting a Burger King, we pulled off at a truck stop, thinking we might score a Croissan’wich or something.

The boys enjoy a truck stop. Lots to smell there.

The truck stop was located in Aichen and it was pretty disgusting. The air smelled bad… kind of like a combination of garbage and sewage. There was trash all over the place, especially near the picnic tables. Nevertheless, Bill went in to find us some breakfast while I tended to Zane and Arran. What we didn’t realize is that apparently some Burger Kings in Germany don’t offer breakfast. The Burger King at the Aichen truck stop definitely didn’t. So Bill ended up getting a true truck stop breakfast, which took some time. I was standing out there with the dogs, wondering what was going on, not knowing that Bill was getting us a full on breakfast packed in styrofoam and accompanied by plastic utensils.

He got me fried eggs and bacon and himself scrambled eggs with potatoes. The scrambled eggs were supposed to come with ham, but the guy didn’t have any on hand.

That’s a lotta eggs! The orange juice was excellent, though. It was fresh squeezed!

Bill’s deficient eggs.

We sat down at a picnic table and I remarked to Bill that there had been a steady stream of guys headed for the wooded area behind the truck stop. Obviously, they didn’t want to pay 70 cents to use the toilet. I couldn’t blame them for that, I guess. However, there were a few fellows who didn’t want to take the time to walk to the woods. I saw at least two of them take a whiz right in front of everyone. It’s not uncommon to see people doing that at truck stops, though most people at least try to be a little private about it.

Germany sure is beautiful, isn’t it?

After we ate, I decided to use the restroom. As I walked into the truck stop, I was confronted by a family of four with no sense of urgency as they headed down to the facilities. They were blocking the pay station, fishing for change. I reminded myself that we weren’t in a hurry because we had nothing planned. I still wanted to do my business and get away from the nasty truck stop, though.

I suppose seeing this ad for desperate pregnant women was worth 70 cents.

Finally, we got back on the road and headed into Ulm. Ulm is a very nice city. I would definitely like to go back there sometime without the dogs. It reminded me a lot of Munich in some ways. In other ways, it reminded me of Tuebingen.

One of the first things we saw were signs for a wine fest…

It was to open at 11:00am!

A farmer’s market was also going on. Unfortunately, Bill forgot to bring our shopping bags. It’s a shame, too. We even had our cooler that plugs into the car and makes a little fridge.

The produce looked beautiful!

We did not go inside the cathedral because we had the dogs. Had we gone in there, I think we would have climbed up the steeple.

I had to pause at this corner where three skilled musicians were busking. Fiddle, guitar, and upright bass conspired to touch my heart as we wandered around the market. In fact, even though we were only there for a couple of minutes, their music actually brought tears to my eyes. I am a terrific sap when it comes to music. We ended up giving them some euros.

We finally made our way toward the river and wandered through a very charming part of old town Ulm. As we crossed over one of many bridges, I saw something puzzling…

Someone apparently decided to take a seat.

But really, much of the area near the fish market is just lovely, with waterfalls and ducks…

The people here very kindly left a water bowl out for passing dogs.

We should have stayed in Ulm.

Some guy stopped Bill to ask him a question. A lot of people do that. It’s probably because he has a very kind face. While he was struggling to speak German, I busied myself by taking this photo.

Right about at this point, I decided I needed to make a pit stop.

We ended up at a Coffee Fellows. I had hot chocolate that tasted more like hot chocolate milk. Bill had a cafe Americano. The boys got a rest.

I ended up being amused by this ad that was by the restrooms. Look closely at the guy’s underwear. You’d never see that in the States! I also thought the music at this particular coffee shop was pretty bad. They were playing songs where N bombs were repeatedly dropping.

Once we were finished with our coffee break, we started thinking about what we wanted to do next. My German friend Susanne had given me some tips on a local place where there were pretty trails and biergartens. I figured that might be a good place for us to take the dogs… but then as we rounded the corner, we realized it was 11:00… The wine fest was then open!

Baden-Württemberg

Breakfast at the Ritter Sport factory cafe…

This morning, Bill and I decided to go to the Ritter Sport factory’s cafe for breakfast. Although we’ve lived in the Stuttgart area for a total of over three years and have been enjoying Ritter Sports the whole time, this was our first visit to the museum in Waldenbuch. We kept meaning to go there and check out the museum, but never got around to it. I had heard that they offered a nice breakfast at their restaurant and it’s open on Sundays. We showed up there at about 9:45 this morning and noticed that quite a few tables were reserved. Fortunately, we found a spot to sit down next to a very nice German couple.

We were managing with the German menu, but the waitress kindly brought us one in English, even though we didn’t request it. I heard the Ritter Sport cappuccino is very good, but I decided to go with #11 on the menu, a chocolate filled croissant and hot chocolate. I also had orange juice because I need more sugar in my diet… 😉

Flaky croissant… I don’t think it was full of Nutella, which is a good thing. The hot chocolate was amazing. It had chocolate melted on the bottom.

Bill ordered scrambled eggs with ham, but ended up with eggs that had mozzarella and tomatoes in it and a cup of regular coffee. They were good.

Bill is all done with breakfast. Behind him is a case full of delicious looking pastries. The cafe is obviously a great place to have coffee and cake.

I expected to see more Americans at the cafe, but the place was full of locals enjoying themselves, including one guy who was having beer. We were finishing up breakfast when a familiar face came into view. I finally got to meet our local Dutch handyman hero, Bram, and his adorable daughter. It was an honor and a pleasure to finally see in person the man with whom I have interacted many times online.

After we paid, we took a quick walk around the grounds…

The folks living next to the factory had a cute little primate statue…

I noted that the fence was electric and Bill warned me that it’s not a good idea to pee on an electric fence. Not that I was tempted to do that, of course.

They also had lots of signs… This one was especially stern.

Apparently, people have been letting their dogs crap on their property… I took pictures of two signs, though there were several… I take it the shit and run action has been a real struggle for them. I don’t blame them for being “pissed”…

Pretty fall foliage.

After we were finished with breakfast, we went to Panzer so I could pick up a couple of sympathy cards for my cousin and her stepmother. I hadn’t been there since they finished the roadwork. Nice to see that area somewhat functional again.

If this post makes you want to visit the Ritter Sport Cafe for breakfast, I recommend making reservations or showing up early. The place was pretty packed when we left. And if you walk your dog in the area by the museum, be sure to bring your crap bags so more anti dog shit signs don’t get posted. We’ll have to go back and actually tour the museum sometime. I think we could have today, but we didn’t feel like waiting around for it to open.

Sundays

Vienna, Austria Part 5… a long walk around Vienna!

Saturday morning we had glorious weather. I donned my Keen sandals, which are the most comfortable shoes I own, and we walked back to Vienna for some breakfast. On the way there, I took lots of photos of graffiti and signs.

Sex shop near our hotel…

I got a kick out of these signs. Bill says the dog picture instructs people to put dog crap in a bag.

Apparently, there is a band in Vienna called Catpiss.

Good advice.

SCUBA store…

Interesting place for beverages?

I took a picture of this ad for an insanely decadent spa… Who needs a TV in the jacuzzi?

We ended up at Cafe Museum, yet another delightful cafe, which had a lot of tempting looking desserts. Again, the waiters all wore tuxes.

A very nice breakfast for about 27 euros (for both of us). One of my Facebook friends declared European breakfasts better than American ones. Frankly, I kind of agree.

My hot chocolate was delicious!

After breakfast, we took a very long walk around Vienna. Originally, we were going to go to the Albertina art museum, but we were a little too early. So we headed back to the Rathaus and rose garden areas, where I took a whole lot of photos. There was some kind of race going on, so the Rathaus area was teeming with people and more than a few dogs.