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Weird day in Brno…

Once again, I’m writing a short post to serve as a reminder when I write up this trip, which is proving to be epic in so many ways. Bill and I had very few expectations for today, but it turned out to be profound in so many ways. So I’m going to write about it now, so I don’t forget…

Bill and I went to Brno today just to see the city. We had heard it wasn’t a very exciting place. But just a few minutes after we exited the parking garage, we came upon an outdoor food fest. It all looked and smelled delicious, so after we climbed a tower and took a Labyrinth guided tour, we headed back over there. After a few minutes of lurking, we scored a seat at a table, and Bill went looking for beer and lunch.

He came back with a couple of craft brews, then brought a potato pancake. I like potato pancakes, but I’d had my eye on the meat on a stick that was being grilled over an open fire. I thought Bill understood that. When I hadn’t been super excited about the potato pancake, he asked me if I wanted pork or chicken. I didn’t care and said so.

Bill went back to the stand and came back with… sausage in a pepper sauce. It is traditional for the area. I wasn’t too happy about it, because it wasn’t what I had been expecting. And I didn’t understand why he kept bringing back stuff I didn’t want. At that point, I thought he knew what I wanted. I was reminded of our infamous hot dogs for lunch incident in Switzerland. He was bringing me hot dogs when I wanted something else. I also knew we wouldn’t be able to eat everything, and it was likely going to go to waste.

Bill dutifully went and got me some chicken on a skewer with horseradish, mustard, pickles, and bread. It was a lot of food, and more than I knew I could eat. I did what I could, and Bill ate some. But I knew it was going to get tossed.

Suddenly, this very thin woman with brown hair and brown eyes showed up. She had bald spots and was missing at least half of her teeth. She pointed at my bread, which I hadn’t touched. I asked her if she wanted it. She nodded yes. Then I asked her if she wanted the whole plate of leftovers. She did, and she quickly grabbed it, sat down at a spot near us, and chowed down with much gusto.

Bill continued eating his food, and when he was finished, she took his plate, too. A nearby couple who appeared to be British were shocked as they watched her wolf down the leftover food Bill and I had been sharing, and we were obviously total strangers to each other. I don’t blame them for being shocked. I would have been, too. She completely cleaned both plates. Nothing was wasted.

She finished off the potato pancake and the pepper sauce that came with the sausages. Then, when Bill went to get more beer, she said she wanted some water. When Bill came back, I told him the lady wanted water. He disappeared to go get it, and I was left alone. After a few minutes, a much cleaner cut looking man in a leather jacket came to me and started begging. He was not as convincing and wanted money, which I didn’t have. I tried to ignore him, but he wouldn’t go away.

The toothless lady, whom I’d been trying hard not to stare at, told the guy off. He responded back to her. I started getting really nervous, because I was alone and didn’t see Bill waiting in a line. I started wondering if maybe they knew each other and someone grabbed Bill and beat him up or something. I think the lady could sense I was nervous, because she was sticking up for me, but I finally told the guy to go away. I just didn’t feel safe at all. I was genuinely worried. And of course, I don’t know a word of Czech.

The guy went away, and I waited some more, getting more upset by the minute. Finally, I saw Bill and his familiar soldier’s walk. He had a six pack of water for our new “friend”, which he’d bought at a nearby Lidl. He gave it to her, much to her delight. She picked it up, touched her heart, thanked us, and promptly split.

It was a very profound experience for both of us. We drank a little more beer, listened to some live music, and on the way out, happened to run into an awesome banjo busker we’d seen in Cesky Krumlov just a couple of days ago. There he was in Brno, playing his banjo and looking cool. Bill had run out of small Czech bills, so he gave him ten euros and we told him he was awesome (and he is). I bet, the way things are going, we’ll run into him in Prague, too.

I was also reminded a bit of our experience in Dublin, back in 2018… Bill ended up giving a bunch of euros to a homeless guy he had inadvertently insulted. He’d made a very thoughtless comment, felt like shit about it all day, and was presented with a chance to make it right. So he did. We weren’t feeling guilty when we ran into this lady, but she clearly was someone in need of help. We helped her, and she was very grateful, much like the guy in Ireland had been. She never asked us for money… all she wanted was our leftovers, which would have gone into the trash, anyway. She ate all of them and thanked us profusely.

I don’t care what kind of person she is or what her lifestyle is like. She is certainly worth all of the consideration we showed her and even more. Maybe if we hadn’t been so stunned, Bill would have just bought her some lunch of her own, instead of letting her eat the remnants of ours. But the whole thing happened so fast and was so shocking that we didn’t think of it. It was a win/win if you think about it. We got to try the food that intrigued us, and it didn’t go to waste when we couldn’t eat it all.

We probably should have made more of an effort to see Brno than we did, but we had a really good time and made memories that will truly last a lifetime. I hope we can come back again someday. Brno is a fascinating city.

Well… that about does it for now. Stay tuned for the official trip report, which will come when we get home, starting Tuesday. Tomorrow, we’re off to Prague, for the last two nights of our trip.

The featured photo is of the chicken dish I had. She ate all the bread, most of the pickles, the horseradish and mustard, and some of the chicken. Then she ate the remnants of what is pictured below.

None of this went to waste today… and I left with a cool story.

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Our Heidelberger Birthday Holiday! Part four

After a nice “lie in”, as the Brits would put it, Bill and I headed down to breakfast, which I had pre-booked with the room. There are plenty of breakfast options nearby as well as a grocery store, so it wasn’t necessary to have breakfast at the hotel. But I like to try everything I can when I stay in a hotel, and this was a splurge. We were seated outside in the lovely garden area, and a very friendly and professional waitress seated us, brought us coffee, and a three tiered serving tree with smoked salmon and roe and mustard dill sauce, cold cuts, and cheeses. She also brought a basket of bread. There was a buffet in the dining room, but I never even looked at it, because she also offered eggs and bacon, which we did order. The orange juice was excellent– fresh squeezed– and if we’d wanted it, we could have had sparkling wine. I passed on the wine at breakfast to give my liver a much needed break.

I think my favorite item at breakfast was the excellent smoked salmon. The mustard dill sauce that came with it was a perfect accompaniment. Here are a few photos from breakfast.

  • An explanation of how things are done in the COVID-19 era.
  • We probably could have been satisfied with this alone…
  • The orange juice was very fresh and delicious. The cappuccino was delicious. I almost never have coffee drinks…
  • No German breakfast is complete without bread…
  • I had sunny side up eggs. Bill had scrambled. Good thing we took a walk and went swimming later.
  • Need to charge up? The hotel has you covered.

After breakfast, it was back to the Hauptstrasse, which was bustling with activity. It felt strange to be among so many people after hanging out with Bill alone for most of the year. We headed for the Neckar River, which famously runs through Heidelberg. We know this river well, because it also flows down near Stuttgart. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhein River, which is probably Germany’s most famous. The Neckar passes through some pretty awesome German cities. According to Wikipedia, one can see and sail the Neckar in: Rottweil, Rottenburg am Neckar, Kilchberg, Tübingen, Wernau, Nürtingen, Plochingen, Esslingen, Stuttgart, Ludwigsburg, Marbach, Heilbronn, and Heidelberg.

There were several boats available for tours. In the distance, we noticed the Patria, which is a ship operated by the other spendy hotel I had considered booking. One can book a very special floating meal on that vessel, which cruises the Neckar. Maybe if we get a chance to go back to Heidelberg, we’ll try the Heidelburg Suites and take a cruise. Hopefully, the pandemic will be even more controlled by then. It looks really nice. Here are some photos from our morning walk.

  • A little library for the community! I always love to see these.
  • This wasn’t a windy street.
  • First view of the Neckar.
  • Hemingway’s Guest House. Apparently a very popular place. It was packed on Saturday night.
  • Care for a cruise? Take a Schnell Test.
  • These were all over the city. Thanks for the “food” (trash).
  • The black vessel in the background is the Patria.
  • Love locks have a small presence in Heidelberg, as they do in other parts of Europe.
  • The old bridge…
  • This is a historic building. I was sad to see it littered with graffiti.
  • But here’s the history…
  • Next door, someone had posted this. I guess public urination is an issue as people come back from drinking by the river.
  • Lovely flowers…
  • And if you want to shop for wine…
  • Make an appointment.
  • I liked the way the person on the second floor decorated with flowers.

Once again, we were steaming hot after our walk, which was pretty leisurely. We went back to the hotel and Bill booked us a slot at the pool. Because of COVID-19 regulations, it’s necessary to make appointments to use the pool and sauna area. We were assigned 1:00pm until 3:00pm, but when we got there, the spa manager said we could stay until 5:00pm if we wanted to. All we really wanted was a quick dip and a few laps. There were a few other parties who joined us, so we had to be extra considerate about sharing the pool. Only two people are allowed in the pool at a time and they have to be from the same household. Did I mention what a pain in the ass COVID-19 is? Still, everyone was considerate, so it was a nice way to cool off. We were satisfied after about 45 minutes and decided to go find a snack to tide us over before dinner.

  • Quiet please!
  • The pool. In the left corner by the window, you can turn on jets.
  • The spa manager said they usually offered more in the bar area, but again– COVID-19. Still, one can have cold water or coffee.
  • A view from the terrace. There’s a high wall, so I had aim the camera over it.
  • There’s a rainfall shower out there, too.
  • Another view.
  • And a look at the courtyard from the terrace.
  • COVID-19 rules. They weren’t a huge deal for us.

Since we had dinner reserved for 7:00, we decided to have a snack to keep us going until then. As we walked along Hauptstrasse, we became aware of a commotion. A man wearing mismatched blue socks had set up a station near the Galeria– a great place to be on a hot day, thanks to the super strong air conditioning that can be felt all the way across the street. He had a dog and a sign asking for money. He was yelling at someone.

My German isn’t so great, but I noticed two people– a young man and an older woman– holding a heavyset, middle-aged woman with straight black hair and many tattoos on her legs. People were crowded around, gawking at the scene. She was screaming and fighting, and I got the sense that maybe she’d been caught shoplifting or something… or maybe had even tried to rip off the guy begging for change. She was wearing what looked like Birkenstock slip on sandals, which had come off her feet during the struggle. The man and woman who were wrestling with her were being humane enough. The guy handed one of her shoes to a bystander, but she slipped from their grasp before she managed to put them on. The woman took off running barefoot down a side street, and she quickly disappeared.

One thing I noticed was that no one seemed to be videoing her, which I thought was pretty classy. I think in America, there would be many people training their phones on the spectacle. I don’t know what happened, but it appeared to me that she was up to no good. Someone probably did get a video… but at least it wasn’t everyone.

We stopped at the Dubliner Bar, an Irish pub and hotel. The inside looked really nice. I kind of wished we’d flashed our vaccination paperwork so we could sit in there and listen to the excellent classic rock they were playing– American music in Germany at an Irish pub! But we sat in the Biergarten instead, which was small and lacked umbrellas. The one table in the shade was booked, so I ended up sitting in God’s flashlight for about 30 minutes. Still, it was an enjoyable stop. We used our QR code scanner to see the menu on our phones, although printed menus are also available, of course!

  • Another dirty joke.
  • Bill decided to have a Guinness, even though it’s a winter drink.
  • So I made a filthy comment about creamy head… it’s probably the closest he’s come to it in a long time.
  • We shared a finger food basket– fries, baked potatoes, spicy chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, chicken strips, and calamari. It came with three dips and mayo and ketchup.
  • I stuck with German beer. I prefer Guinness when the temperatures are cooler.
  • He’s a very good and patient husband who indulges me endlessly…

The Dubliner appears to be very popular. The waitress told us the tables in the back were all reserved, probably so people could watch soccer. I think if I wanted to watch sports, I’d rather do it at home. But we were only there for fuel. While I was sitting there, my watch started ringing– probably because my phone was near. This was the first time I ever got a phone call on the Apple Watch. It was the restaurant, Chambao, which is where we enjoyed Saturday night’s dinner. They were calling to make sure we were still coming, since they were fully booked. Apparently, people have a habit of making reservations and not showing up. I assured the caller we’d be there… and boy, did I make a great dinner choice! More on that in the next post.

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Frankfurt, holidays

Easter in Frankfurt!

We were blessed, once again, with incredible weather.  The skies were sunny; the air was warm and breezy; and the Autobahn beckoned us to drive to Frankfurt.  We were considering going to the Dippemess, but Bill wasn’t keen on trying to deal with the train.  The station most convenient for getting to the area of Frankfurt where the Dippemess is going on is in Hofheim am Taunus.

We started off our Easter with Ebelskiver– Swedish filled pancakes!  That’s the closest we got to Easter eggs today.

We decided to visit Frankfurt’s old town, which we missed the last time we went there.  Last time we were in Frankfurt, it was late December and the weather was pretty dismal.  It turns out we weren’t far from the old town that time, but it was cold and yucky outside, so we didn’t explore the way we should have.  Frankfurt was pretty badly damaged by air strikes in World War II, so there aren’t too many really old buildings there.  Instead, there are many skyscrapers.  It’s the land of banks.  Below are some pictures I took today.

Today was the first day since the fall I could drop the top on my Mini.  I caught a little girl smiling at us as we rounded the bend.  My car is ten years old, but it’s still cute when the top is down…  Some people might say that about me, too.

Frankfurt on the horizon.

Near the train station.

Frankfurt is like Stuttgart on steroids.  It’s a very busy place, and it seemed like everyone was there today.

Our first glimpse of the Dom… that tower is 95 meters tall…

It costs three euros for adults to climb the torturous 328 steps to the observation platform.  It’s 1,50 for kids.

These two ladies were among many wandering musicians we heard today.  They played beautifully!  One thing I love about Europe is the preponderance of wonderful musicians who share their gifts on the streets.

On the other side of the fountain, there’s a wine bar.

The old town was happening…

 

More musicians… they were good, too, although they played the classics with a bit more tempo than I’m used to…

Pretzel anyone?

Down by the river.  This was prettier from 66 meters up.

 

Much to my shame, I consented to having lunch at Five Guys.  I really wanted to go somewhere more authentic, but every place was really crowded.  For once, Five Guys wasn’t, so we decided to treat ourselves to a rare American style burger.

 

Bill went in to get the food while I waited outside.  An ambulance pulled up with its lights going…

 

Suddenly, around the corner came an old man wearing a heavy coat and carrying a bottle of beer.  He was yelling at the ambulance attendants.  I didn’t understand what he was saying, mainly because I could barely hear him…  I could tell by his body language that he was agitated about something.  The ambulance attendants seemed amused.  They smiled, but didn’t say anything to the old man.

A Five Guys staffer came out to sweep.  He looked at me; I looked at him, then turned to face the ambulance, since the old guy had come around near the front of Five Guys.  Turning to look at the ambulance guys meant I wasn’t staring at him as he continued to yell in German, looking and sounding very stern.

Finally, after a couple more parting shots, the guy stalked off angrily.  I did notice a lot of homeless people and beggars today.  A woman hit us up for money while we ate lunch.  Bill and I have both had bad experiences with wandering people in other European cities.  His bad experience was in Seville, while mine was in Athens.

I’m sad to say the burgers were kind of disappointing.  They weren’t very hot and the pickles were a touch too sweet.  But they were still better than a lot of burgers I’ve had in Germany.  The fries were great, and the beer was a Brooklyn Lager, a nice change from the usual Weizen.

 

After lunch, we wandered back toward the Dom, passing through the old town again.  We passed one of the homeless people who had been hanging around Five Guys.  The guy was a Spanish speaker and someone was kind enough to slip him a cup of fries.  But just as we were about to pass him, another homeless guy jumped in front of the other guy and appeared to demand his pommes.  I was tempted to see what was about to transpire, but thought better of it.  Gawking isn’t nice.  Still, it’s always interesting to see real life human drama in person.

We had to tip this lady…

She was making this dog out of what appeared to be sand.  

It was incredible.  The dog actually looked real.

We did a little window shopping.  A few stores were even open today, though it’s Easter Sunday.

 

We found ourselves in front of the tower again.  It was right next to our parking garage.  I looked at the sign and asked Bill if he wanted to climb up.  I’m usually cussing at myself when I do these climbs up narrow spiral towers, but then I enjoy the views so much that I forgive myself… until it’s time to climb down again.  The Frankfurter Dom Turm is a very challenging climb indeed.  I think it took about ten very difficult minutes to get to the top, breathless, sweaty, sore, and rewarded with incredible views…

I zoomed in to get a shot of the TV tower.  Seems like every German city has one.  Still, as high up as this cathedral tower is, it’s still not as high as the Thyssenkrupp elevator testing tower in Rottweil.  That’s the highest observation deck in Germany.  You can read about our visit there by clicking here.  And thankfully, when you visit the testing tower, you can take an elevator.

A whole lot of sweating, swearing, panting, and praying went into these photos.  I will probably be nearly paralyzed in the morning.  But we had amazing weather and as long as I’m physically able, I’m going to do these things.  Hey, I probably burned off my Five Guys lunch, at least.

A quick round around the tower and we went back down.  That was tough in a different way.  You have to be careful not to faceplant.

 

The stairs pretty much look like this all the way down.  It makes passing a rather intimate experience.  No wonder they charge more for adults.  Pro-tip: If you make this climb, especially if it’s warm outside, please for the love of all that’s holy, wear DEODORANT.  Trust me.

 

We came; we saw; we conquered.  And we never have to do it again!

 

We went into the church, which is rather plain by cathedral standards.  This cathedral, officially known as the Imperial Cathedral of Bartholomew was completed in 1550.  It was renovated in the 1990s and is also undergoing some work today.

This sign explains in English and German what happened to Frankfurt on March 22, 1944, when World War II was raging.  The British Royal Air Force did a number on the city, sending a lot of old, beautiful buildings into flames.  The cathedral was also badly damaged and was rebuilt in the 1950s.  The inside of the cathedral is pretty workmanlike as a result.  The cathedral was also burned in a fire back in 1867.  

 

But the organ is pretty awesome.

Look carefully. You can see the people.  That’s where we climbed to this afternoon.

It really was worth the effort, even though I can feel my muscles stiffening already.

Before we knew it, it was time to head home to the dogs, who were no doubt wondering where their dinners were.  It’s nice to live close to Frankfurt, although I’m glad we don’t actually live in the city itself.  It’s very busy!  Still, it’s different from Wiesbaden and Mainz and, dare I say it?  Stuttgart…

On the way out of Frankfurt, we got behind a Segway tour.  

 

So long, Frankfurt.  Time for me to have a beer in my backyard, enjoying my new garden furniture and watching the flowers grow.  God bless Spring… and happy Easter to all.

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Three Labor Days ago…

Bill and I usually go somewhere for Labor Day.  Back in 2007, we were about to move to Germany, so we visited San Antonio to see his mom.  We were strictly tourists on that trip and did touristy things, like visit Sea World (which then was giving military folks free admission).  In 2008, we went to Brussels, Belgium and had a fantastic time swilling beer and seeing the sights.  In 2009, we went to Budapest, Hungary.  And in 2010, we went to Key West, Florida.

It was my first time in Florida outside of an airport.  We flew from Atlanta to Miami and rented a cherry red Ford Mustang convertible, which we then drove on the Florida Keys.  We stayed in a cute little B&B and visited art galleries.  We had a dinner cruise on the Dream Chaser, which I understand has since relocated and visited a butterfly conservatory and Hemingway’s house.  We also went to Margaritaville, which was singularly unimpressive.  Probably my favorite memory from that trip was our visit to a gay bar, where there was cheap beer and karaoke.

This thing reminded me a lot of Mannekin Pis in Brussels.  People crowded around it the same way. 

Bill enjoying a lovely dinner cruise on a catamaran.

Beautiful Key West sunset…

Right after we passed the iconic Sloppy Joe’s Bar, we ran into a homeless guy…

 

The homeless guy we ran into was wearing a paper crown on his head.  He had a deep tan and wore nothing but a pair of shorts.  He had a cardboard sign that said “Dirty jokes $1”.  I bit, so he told me two dirty jokes for a dollar… and they really were very dirty!

I just realized that around that same time, we saw art by Borowski that we had purchased in Poland being sold in a Key West art gallery.  The chameleon that I bought was going for over twice what I paid for it.  If you read this blog, you might remember that in July, Bill and I found another Borowski piece for sale in San Antonio right after we ran into a homeless guy who dropped the n bomb on Bill because he didn’t need his guide services.  What is it with homeless guys and Borowski art?

Dream Chaser catamaran

Hemingway’s House

 

The Dream Chaser dinner cruise was really fun.  It was Bill and me and another couple…. The guy was in the Air Force and his girlfriend was studying to be an oral surgeon.  He was going to propose to her that night, but I think he decided to do it later.  We had dinner and hung out… The couple that ran the cruise were super laid back and fun.  I understand now they are on the west side of Florida…

We drove back to Miami and spent a night at the Epic, but we didn’t enjoy Miami properly.  Bill has to go there in a couple of weeks on business.  I would love to go back to Key West, though.  What a great place… military friendly and gay friendly all at the same time!

I don’t remember what we did for Labor Day in 2011, but we did go to Myrtle Beach last year.  With Bill’s military career ending soon, our Labor Day trips may come to an end.  Or maybe not.  It’s hard not to be nervous about the future, though.

One of many residents in the Butterfly Conservatory in Key West…

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