Here’s a quick post about yesterday’s Oktoberfest celebration in Breckenheim. I don’t remember this town ever having one of these “fests” before, and we’ve been here for almost six years. We had lovely, but slightly chilly fall weather, and there was food, music, beer, and wine. A good time was had by all… Below is a video of the singer they had who was gamely entertaining us. I’ve seen more enthusiastic crowds! But he was doing his best!
Mainly just a few clips of the guy singing and smartass comments from yours truly.
Naturally, when I used the bathroom, yet again, someone walked in on me, even though I checked the door before I closed it and thought it was locked. I had the red light and all. SIGH… I guess I should just give up on trying to use the toilet in our square. I can’t figure out how to use it without someone thinking it’s open and barging in on me.
We came back home and I was delighted to see Charlie chewing on a dog toy instead of my underwear.
He’s finally learning what to do with toys!
And this morning, Bill made some excellent grits. I took a photo for friends back home who are looking for good grits. I order these from Amazon. They’re from Kentucky!
A taste of home…
Today, we have a lunch date at one of our favorite restaurants. I may be writing about it later today, or perhaps tomorrow… Hope you have a nice Sunday. Here in Germany, it’s cool, crisp, and clear. We have to enjoy this weather while it lasts. Pretty soon, it will turn to shit.
We had really beautiful weather last night, so Bill and I decided to go to the wine stand. We saw some familiar faces and even tried out our German with an older couple we met at a previous wine stand. We also enjoyed the company of a very sweet dog who reminded me of our departed Arran.
Last night’s wine stand was hosted by the volleyball club…
He was so cute!
I love how friendly and social our neighborhood is. People really seem to get along well here. We didn’t bring Noyzi and Charlie, because we figured it would be too crowded. I think we were right. I probably should drink more apple juice and water instead of wine, but it is a lot of fun to share libations with our community!
Next week, they’re going to have an Oktoberfest. That should be a lot of fun, too!
Tonight, we’re going to Wiesbaden to try a new restaurant. Hopefully, it will be a good experience I can write about tomorrow.
Bill got home from Stuttgart yesterday afternoon. He was pretty tired from the traffic he faced on the drive home. We were supposed to go to Wiesbaden and join people from his company at Wiesbaden’s wine week festival, which will go on through next weekend. But, because Bill was so exhausted from driving, we decided to go to the much quieter wine stand that was hosted by the SPD last night.
Our village square has a communal chess set. Sometimes, people even use it!
We could have brought Noyzi and Charlie to the event, since it wasn’t very busy. I think they would have been fine. We decided not to, though, because I think we just wanted to hang out for a bit. The weather was pleasant– kind of cool with a breeze– and we just wanted to enjoy the ambiance. Other people brought dogs. One guy even had his little white dog in a baby carriage!
After we sat for a short while, and older local couple joined us, and then we saw our American friend and neighbor whose house was being “sat” by the American couple we met last week while she was on vacation with her family. She said they’d gone to Paris and she caught a glimpse of the opening ceremonies for the Olympics!
It turns out our neighbor also had a colonoscopy at the same hospital where I had mine done… but hers was not done by the chief. She described her experience as much better than mine was. I think maybe the secret to decent German healthcare is to have someone more junior do the procedures. Our neighbor also highly recommended the local Hausarzt (family doctor) in our town, although it’s hard to get an appointment with her. Maybe it might be worth seeing her.
We chatted more with our neighbor, who is also fluent in German. She translated a little for us with the older German couple. As it turned out, they did speak a little English, and Bill and I used our budding German skills. Then friends of theirs showed up, and we had a little party going on. As usual, I drank too much wine. 😉
This dog was so cute and well behaved!
After we went to the wine stand, we came home and Bill cooked burgers on the grill. Then we talked for a bit, mostly about how busy the summer has been, and how fast it’s flown by this year!
It’s hard to believe that pretty soon, we’ll be in Iceland, enjoying Arctic breezes and hoping for sunny skies. After that, fall will be upon us once again. I’m sure we’ll get to the wine festival, too. I’m kind of glad we skipped it last night, though. I’m sure it was very busy!
Bill came home from the United States on Wednesday. He has to leave again for Stuttgart tomorrow. However, he was around this weekend, and we were able to attend Breckenheim’s annual Dorfplatzfest, which is a fun event that celebrates our little suburb of Wiesbaden. Since we didn’t have anything else to do, we went to the Fest on Friday and Saturday nights.
The first night, there was live music provided by a local band featuring none other than our neighbor, Dr. Blendinger, the veterinarian who, along with his veterinarian wife, owns the veterinary clinic where we take our dogs. Dr. Blendinger is also a singer-songwriter and guitar player. He wrote a song about Breckenheim, which he sings every year. There’s a snippet of it in the video below.
I’m kind of glad we don’t live closer to the Dorfplatz. It’s probably annoying when there’s a Fest and you don’t feel like a party…
There were brats being fried on the grill, as well as a wine stand, and a stand for beer drinkers and teetotalers. Yesterday, there were even a couple of bumper cars for the kids! I was surprised to see that!
We enjoyed yesterday more than Friday night, because we ran into an American couple who were housesitting for another American couple we know who are on vacation. It was fun chatting with Americans, especially since this is their first time in Europe. We brought Noyzi and Charlie with us yesterday, mainly because they blocked the door and wouldn’t let us go without them. Noyzi gets nervous at events, but he also loves going to them, and meeting new people. Charlie had no problem at all fitting in and was charming everybody he met!
Below are some photos from the event. We were blessed with decent weather, although we did have a few rain clouds last night. Next weekend, Wiesbaden Wine Week starts. That will be a lot of fun!
Breckenheim has a great mayor!Brats!Bumper cars!Noyzi and Charlie were having a blast.
I also swabbed Charlie’s mouth for an Embark DNA test. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s got anything in him besides Eastern European Village Dog, like Noyzi.
He sure is CUTE!
I will try to hang in there this week, while Bill is gone again. When he comes back, we can plan in earnest for our long anticipated trip to Iceland at the end of the month! I like August better already.
We had a very low key Independence Day this year, because I had my very first colonoscopy this week. Those who are interested in knowing the story of that can click here. For the purposes of this post, I’ll just say that I’m glad it’s over, and the doctor didn’t find anything concerning. However, he has yet to address the reason I came to see him in the first place. He also started the procedure before I was unconscious. I’m a bit pissed off about that, along with some other issues going on right now.
Anyway, I started the week doing the bowel prep, then I had the procedure, and the days following were spent recovering from the shock of it. Bill had to work on Wednesday, although he took Tuesday off to make sure I went to the appointment and drive me home afterwards. Actually, I could have driven myself, because they used Propofol to knock me out, and it didn’t leave me groggy at all. It even said on the paperwork I could drive home if I wanted. I never drive, though, unless I have a specific reason.
Thursday, Bill was off work, so we went to the weekly market. We brought Noyzi with us, too, since it was early in the day and he likes to go to the market. It’s good practice for him to learn how to behave in public. There weren’t that many people at the market, nor did they have a lot on offer. The vegetable guys weren’t there, nor was the fish monger. The Metzgerei truck came, as did the ice cream, bread, and Mediterranean Feinkost guys. The wine stand was also open.
We had a couple of glasses of local wines and enjoyed the sunshine. Noyzi said hello to a couple of dogs who also came. Basically, that was it. I did hear some fireworks going off from the post. We live maybe ten minutes from there. We also heard from the lady who is having us rescue another Kosovar dog. What we know now is that it’s been delayed again. But that’s okay. We’re not in a rush.
Yesterday, it was kind of chilly and cloudy, but I decided to take some pictures of the creek in our village. I remember thinking to myself, as someone who has lived in Germany for a long time now, that a person can get used to their environs and miss the really neat stuff. We have a couple of interesting old houses in the Dorfplatz that I know I’d miss if I lived in one of the many cookie cutter neighborhoods in the United States. I think the purple flowers were what attracted me and caused me to take these photos, in spite of the clouds… I’d like to live near the creek. I enjoy the sound of rushing water… except for when I have to pee.
My German friend says the historic house in the featured photo looks like an old schoolhouse. She looked up our village and learned that it was, in fact, built by a teacher and is known as the teacher’s house called Villa Breckenheim. It’s right by the creek.
Bill has been in contact with the tour operator in Iceland. I think we’re close to booking, my health issues notwithstanding. I feel like fucking off of the doctor’s visits and just living life until I just collapse somewhere. What’s the point? I feel like it’s all just going to hell, anyway. But at least I live in a pretty German village.
Even though Breckenheim had its wine fest last weekend, last night, there was a wine stand. The weather was cool, breezy, and pleasant, so we decided to attend. There weren’t many people there, probably because people are on vacation, and maybe because of the wine fest last week. It was nice to have a lightly attended wine stand. We didn’t bring Noyzi, but we probably should have. It was just the right number of people for him to enjoy interacting with people and not get overwhelmed.
I don’t know who hosted last night’s stand, but they were serving tortellini, which smelled wonderful. We didn’t partake, though, because it allegedly had mushrooms in it. As many of my regular readers know, I hate mushrooms with a flaming passion. However, I was definitely tempted by the wonderful aroma of fresh peppers, basil, and tomatoes.
I tried wine schorle for the first time last night. Basically, it’s wine mixed with sparkling mineral water. I notice a lot of older people drink it. I figure maybe it’s time I embraced schorles more. As I am reminded ahead of my first scoping, it’s time I quit pretending I’m still in college and take better care of my body. Or maybe not… as people process how disastrous the presidential debates went the other night… Anyway, I suspect the doctor will tell me to change my lifestyle, so I’m trying to take baby steps. Today, Bill got a shipment of non-alcoholic wines from a company who made a glass he tried at our last visit to Pizarro Fine Dining. If we both like the wines, maybe we’ll switch to that… give our livers a break.
Bill was going to make me a burger last night, but we decided to have pasta at the local pizza joint in our Dorfplatz. Bill has ordered pizzas from them, but I don’t really like German pizzas much. Last night was the first time we’ve ever actually eaten at Fabi’s, even though the guy who runs it is always very nice to Noyzi. He said he used to work with Romanian street dogs. Our experience at Pizzeria da Fabi’s was good… I think we’ll be back. I brought half of my tagliatelli salmone home. Bill finished his tortellini. Both dishes were very satisfying and not too expensive.
Non-alcoholic wine by Kolonne NullWine schorle… or WeinschorleFabi’sQuite satisfactory!An ambulance arrived at the wine stand. Don’t know why.
Bill is rather excited about my upcoming procedure. He’s already made plans on making sure I drink the whole bowel prep, so we only have to do this once. This morning, as we were eating breakfast, he said they forgot to put in the times for when I should take each dose of the vile liquid that will clean me out. I looked up at him and said, “Do we have to talk about that right now?” He laughed… I mean, I know he’s excited, but I’d like to eat breakfast without any talk about the massive purge I’m about to subject myself to… on purpose!
Anyway… with any luck, we can get this shit straightened out soon. I’ll feel better so we can get back to enjoying Germany and perhaps travel more. It would be nice to have something to write about besides neighborhood wine stands. But even those can be entertaining and educational… especially when the locals talk to us.
I kind of wondered yesterday if we would want to go to the second night of the wine fest. It was kind of stormy, and we had about an hour of a steady downpour during the afternoon. But sure enough, at about 5:00 PM, the rain stopped and the sun came out. I’d been watching cop videos on YouTube that were very triggering for me, plus fretting about whether or not I want to go through with being treated by the gastroenterologist I met last week.
We ended up deciding to go to the fest, where we drank more local wines and listened to more live music. Last night, I didn’t see any other obvious Americans, other than a woman who lives very close to us with her partner and works in Frankfurt as a lawyer.
We stayed for a couple of hours, and I got more photos of the event. It looked like it might rain again while we were there, but every time it looked like the sky might open, the sun would come out. It seemed like everyone had a good time enjoying the Rheingau’s most famous products as we all enjoyed live entertainment. Again, I love this about living in Germany, even if my stomach pays for it later.
Below are some photos from last night, and a video that offers a taste of the music.
I didn’t recognize the first song on this, but Bill says it plays all the time on German radio.
A good time was had by all, as you can see. It was a very well-attended event, in spite of the threat of rain. I’m glad we were able to attend this year. Now, the next big event is the ultrasound and blood draw I’m scheduled for next week. With any luck, I’ll have more confidence in the idea that my foray into German healthcare will be more than just an added expense.
Last night, after it rained, we decided to go down to the Dorfplatz for the first night of our Breckenheimer Wine Fest. It was actually a pretty good time. There was a good cover band playing, and several local wineries were in attendance. There was also food, and lots of people bonding over many years of friendship. Below are a few photos I took yesterday on Noyzi’s walk. They were setting up the Dorfplatz. It was raining.
I got the usual photos and a video, but also another reminder that there are lots of Americans in this area. Sitting at the table next to us was a group of Americans and their children. They were a bit loud, and as usual, Bill and I were passive aggressively murmuring among ourselves about how Americans don’t seem to realize how efficiently their voices carry.
I decided to give my German friends a thrill on Facebook. I wrote “Americans are very loud” in German. I probably didn’t write it properly, though. I immediately got a warning from Facebook that my post was still up, but other posts similar to it had been removed due to “hate speech”. Wow… really? So I took it down and reposted my comment in English. No issues there.
Last night was yet another example of how different life is in Breckenheim as opposed to Jettingen. We have a lot of social activities in our little town, most of which revolves around wine. Jettingen didn’t really have a lot of these kinds of social things, although there were restaurants there we occasionally visited. Tommi’s Bistro, which closed the year we left, used to be a great place to go for steak and live entertainment. The guy who owned Tommi’s moved to a new location in nearby Nagold, which did have a lot of fests. I loved Nagold, but we couldn’t walk there easily. Here, we can just walk down the hill and be at the party.
It’s not a great video, but we did enjoy the band. I love this about Germany. There’s always something to celebrate.
We indulged in a few glasses of wine, then came home and had dinner. I’m sure we’ll go to the fest today, too, if only because it’s so easy to just go down the hill and hang out. They’ll have a different band playing. I should probably quit enjoying wine so much, given my digestive issues of late… but hell, you only live once. These are some pictures of the fun before it got busy. It got pretty crowded after a couple of hours.
When the place started filling up, we gave the table over to the group of young Germans who sat with us. They were really nice and didn’t smoke us out of our table! I did kind of pay for last night this morning… not gonna lie. I’m probably getting too old to drink like a college student.
Yesterday was my birthday. Normally, Bill and I would have liked to have gone out somewhere, or gone on a trip. Last year, for instance, we went to Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Denmark, in honor of my 51st turn around the sun. This year, we have a lot going on, plus we just got back from Bulgaria.
Today, Bill will be getting his new tooth. The dental implant saga he’s been on since last August is about to end.
Then there’s my recent journey into German healthcare that is requiring some appointments for tests.
Then there’s our plan to adopt a new dog from Kosovo, who could be here in a couple of weeks…
With all of this stuff going on, there was no time for a birthday trip this year. So we stayed home. I wrote about the first part of yesterday on my main blog. When Bill got home from work, we decided to go to the weekly market and have some wine. The market was operating with extended hours yesterday. It usually ends at 6:00PM, but last night, it went until 9. There were a few people selling crafts, rather than the usual food. We didn’t stay long, though, because Bill had to talk online with his analyst.
We ran into our landlord and his wife and half of an American couple who live nearby. I soaked up the festive atmosphere, as tonight and tomorrow night, our village is having its now annual wine fest. We missed it last year. I’m sure we’ll attend… I just hope I don’t get too wasted. 😀
As we were walking back to the house, we ran into our neighbors. One of them gave me a big hug and wished me a happy birthday. I never got a reception like that in Jettingen, down in BW.
Below are some photos from last night’s festivities. I do really like this little town where we live. I will hate to have to leave it someday. People are so community minded.
This guy bears a resemblance to one of my cousins. Every time I see him, I’m struck by it.He’s such a keeper.
Although the weather warmed up a lot this week, we had a pretty nasty storm on Thursday night that cooled everything down again. I wasn’t sure if Bill and I were going to want to go to the wine stand last night, because the weather was still kind of iffy. But, as the afternoon wore on, the temperature went up, and the sun sort of peeked out again. Bill and I decided at the last minute that Noyzi would be joining us at the wine stand.
I know a lot of Americans have a hard time grasping why anyone would want to take their dog anywhere public. Or, at least that’s the impression I got on a recent social media post, during which I got shamed for admitting that we take Noyzi out sometimes. Here in Germany, it’s a normal thing to take your dog with you, especially if the event is outdoors. Noyzi does get nervous in new situations, but it’s good for him to be exposed to other people, dogs, sights, and sounds. It helps him become a better canine citizen.
Besides, he’s a great ice breaker. Germans seem to love him. And really, what is NOT to love about this dog? He’s very charming in every way. 😉 And he’s obviously very comfortable in this environment, especially when he’s in his bed.
Before we went to the wine stand, Noyzi took a very deep nap… An hour later, he was up, and we took our walk past the crazy creek! Lots of rain has made it run very high.
We got the wine stand at a little bit past six o’clock. At first, Noyzi was a bit nervous. He hasn’t been in public in awhile. They also just added a book schrank to the Dorfplatz, which he had never seen before. When a boy opened it to retrieve a book, Noyzi was very startled by the sound and the sight. Bill took him over to check it out, and after that, it wasn’t so scary to him anymore.
After about 45 minutes or so, a couple of locals came over to say hello to Noyzi. He was a little timid at first, but quickly warmed up. It’s amazing to see how much he really loves people and wants to be friendly. There was a time when he was petrified of men. Now, after the briefest hesitation, he wags his tail and eagerly says hello. He also loves Bill now, and begs him for belly rubs every night when Bill comes home from work. I’m still the queen bee, though, and he listens to me a lot better than he does Bill.
I got a few photos of last night’s festivities. They aren’t super exciting shots, but we did have a really good time. Breckenheim is such a friendly town, and people are very social. That’s probably why the photos aren’t that exciting. We were too busy chatting.
Noyzi was shedding even more than usual last night, so he got a bath this morning. I don’t know what we’ll do today. The weather is a bit overcast, but it’s not super hot outside. Maybe we’ll go to a Biergarten or something. Noyzi would love that.
We ran into our neighbor on the way home. She’d asked me earlier if I’d ever heard of a Texas seasoning sauce called Dale’s. I hadn’t… but I said I’d asked Bill. When I found it listed on Amazon, I decided to order some. I told her we’d hook her up. It’s a good way to keep neighbor relations healthy. She mostly talks to us when she wants American products… but as long as it keeps the peace, it’s not a big deal.
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