As my regular readers probably know, I like to sum up my travels with top ten lists of new things I learned. This was not my first trip to Istanbul, but it was my first trip there in 29 years. Times have changed a bit since my first visit to Istanbul in 1996, so I definitely learned new things on this brief jaunt back to the Middle East. So here goes with ten things I learned in Istanbul… this time!
10. Americans no longer have to buy a visa at the border! Keep in mind, it’s been a long time since I was last in Türkiye, but there used to be a rule that for Americans to enter the country, one had to buy a visa. In the 90s, it was a sticker they put in your passport, and it cost about $20. I remember this, because I had to buy that thing twice in 1996! Then it went to an online system, I think. Anyway, as of 2024, US citizens can stay up to 90 days without a visa, as long as they have at least six months left on their passports.
9. Turkish Airlines is kind of hit and miss… There were some things I really liked about flying Turkish Airlines, both down to Istanbul, and back up to Frankfurt. I thought the business class experience on my most recent flights was pretty good, except for the jerk flight attendant I wrote about yesterday. Having read up on Reddit, it does seem like a lot of people are fine with Turkish Airlines until a customer service issue arises. I don’t know if or when I’ll fly with them again, but I did mostly enjoy my most recent business class flights.
8. Maslak is very far away from the historic area of Istanbul, but there is a metro stop there. I would have preferred to stay closer to the historic part of Istanbul, so I could have walked around more and seen and done more things. But I’m not sorry we stayed in Maslak this time, because now I know what part of Istanbul I should avoid if I’m in Istanbul for touristic purposes. For business, that’s another story!
7. Manspreading is not allowed on the Istanbul Metro!
Need I say more? I think this is very civilized!
6. You won’t find pork on most menus… Actually, this doesn’t surprise me. Türkiye is an Islamic country, after all. Even secular Muslims don’t usually eat pork. But I was reminded of the fact when I came from pork loving Germany to beef eating Türkiye.
5. You also won’t find alcohol on many menus… Türkiye is an Islamic country, so drinking alcohol is forbidden for a people who follow the Muslim religion. There certainly are bars in Istanbul, and you can find alcohol if you want or need it. However, in a lot of restaurants, there’s no booze. Instead, you get delightful fruit juices, coffee drinks, teas, soft drinks, and water.
4. But you will find prayer rooms in many places… I was surprised to find prayer rooms in so many places. I could understand there being a prayer room at the hotel where we stayed, but I was shocked to find one at a restaurant.
You can have a salad and then go pray…
3. If you want to swim, even in a hotel pool, you may need a swimming cap. I’ve actually been researching what it takes to go swimming in Türkiye. I was surprised to find out that it isn’t easy to go swimming there if you aren’t a local. I read some things about needing a doctor’s exam first. But I was especially annoyed and surprised to discover that apparently, swimming caps are necessary, even at hotel pools. I can understand that requirement at a public pool, but it seems strange at hotels, which serve people from all over the world. Anyway, just letting you know. Bring a swimming cap if you want to swim. I think it might even be the law in Türkiye.
2. Traffic in Istanbul is positively INSANE! When I was in Istanbul in 1996, I didn’t remember it to be quite as gridlocked as it was last week. I noticed traffic at all hours, but it was especially bad during the traditional rush hour. We took a cab from the cruise port to Maslak. It was maybe 13 kilometers. It took an hour and cost Bill over 50 euros! The metro is definitely your friend, but it gets pretty crowded.
And 1. Turkish music is beautiful. I heard a busker playing a unique instrument in the Taksim metro station and decided I needed to have a recording of it here. Off I went to my favorite music source to find some instrumental qanun (kanun) music for my next mood. I was reminded then that Turkish music is very beautiful. When Elaine and I went to Istanbul in 1996, we discovered an amazing band called Kizilirmak. I still have the album we both bought copies of. It’s aged beautifully…
My favorite track from the album I bought in 1996…
Qanun music
Honorable mention: Istanbul is TEEMING with stray cats who mostly seem to be well taken care of. There are also stray dogs, but I saw far fewer of them than the cats.
One of many cats I saw in Istanbul. I saw some eating cat food put out by locals.
Well… it’s Thanksgiving, and we have lunch plans, so I’m going to wrap up this post and get on with the day. Unfortunately, I need to break out the vacuum cleaner, because it’s Thursday. I do hope you enjoyed my Turkish series. I also hope we can visit Turkey again… maybe stay in an area that is a little less chaotic than Istanbul is.
For now… Güle güle… (Pronounced “goo-lah goo-lah” Turkish for “bye-bye”, which I did learn back in 1996!)
At last, it was finally Thursday, the day I knew Bill would be finishing work early, and we could go to Taksim and see a more tourist friendly area of Istanbul. My friend Elaine and I stayed in Taksim when we visited Istanbul in 1996. We spent our first night in Aksaray, which is on the Asian side of Istanbul. That was where our bus from Armenia dropped us off, and we were too exhausted to look for a hotel on the European side. Then, after a night of rest, we moved to Taksim, which is a bit more modern. I didn’t know any of this when Elaine and I went there. She had done the research.
I remembered Taksim, and told Bill we should head there on Thursday. If anything, I could see Istiklal Avenue– the big shopping street I spent a lot of time on, back in 1996. I have a photo from our visit in 1996… and now I have one from 2025. I will post them both, so you can see the differences 29 years away makes! For now, here’s a 35 second video I made of life on Istiklal Avenue. It’s VERY busy… And yet, it was also so familiar, as Elaine and I stayed at Hotel Avrupa, cheap lodging not too far from this bustling area when we visited in 1996. I wish Bill and I could have stayed there last week, because it is a much better area for seeing the city.
I was hoping to catch the ice cream vendor teasing kids, but I wasn’t lucky enough… Now we have a reason to go back.
Bill got back to the hotel at around noon. We made our way to the metro station, which was a short walk from the Hilton Istanbul Maslak. Once again, I was struck by how crowded the area was, as the station teemed with people and noise. I am pretty sure Elaine and I used the metro when we visited Istanbul in 1996, but my mind has probably blanked out actual memories of it.
It’s super easy to use the metro in Istanbul. It’s clean and cheap. In fact, even the ticket machine is easy to use, with an English option that talks to you with a empathetic sounding female American voice, reassuring you that your purchase has been successful. Bill bought us tickets good for three rides. I think it cost the Turkish Lira equivalent of about $4. Below are a couple of photos I took in the metro station while Bill was getting his bearings.
The train we got on was pretty full. We stood for the entire journey to Taksim, which was about six stops away. I got a kick out of the signs stuck to the windows, letting riders know that manspreading is not allowed!
Make room for others by keeping your legs closed!
Once we got to Taksim, I heard the familiar sounds of a busker, who was skillfully playing a qanun. I didn’t manage to get a clip of him, but below is a video of someone playing a qanun beautifully in an Istanbul metro station.
For all I know, this was the same guy I heard…
I wish I could have taken a moment to listen longer to the busker, but the station was very crowded and busy, and we were kind of pushed out of there. Besides, I wanted to see if Taksim was how I remembered it. Below are some photos…
I did remember the many people selling corn on the cob in Istanbul!An ice cream vendor tempts a little boy.Beautiful cakes that remind me of the ones I saw in Yerevan in the 90s.Church of Sant’Antonio da Padova
By the time we walked around a bit in Taksim, I was pretty hungry. I paused for just a second near a restaurant and suddenly found myself being harassed by a very aggressive barker. He kept trying to talk to me, trying to entice me to his restaurant. He begged, “Lady, lady… speak to me. Which language?” He tried German, Spanish, English, and French. I cast a dour look at him and walked away. I don’t like it when random people aggressively accost me, trying to score business. It’s a sure sign what they’re selling is likely to suck.
A couple of minutes later, I stopped at another restaurant called Wama’s. They had a large, colorful menu that offered all kinds of food– everything from pasta to tacos! And when I approached, the proprietor was calm and welcoming, so we went in and enjoyed a lovely meal. I had a crispy chicken salad with apples, beets, corn, greens, and tomatoes, and Bill had beef kofre with fries, hummus, and yogurt. My salad was huge and excellent, while Bill said his beef was good, but a little bit “processed”, like it came from a preformed patty. Still, it was a nice lunch. I washed mine down with orange juice, while Bill had a ginger lemonade. I really like the many fruit juices one can enjoy in Turkey!
This cat was sitting in the outdoor area. Istanbul has many well fed feral cats! Some of them are very friendly.
I went upstairs to use the ladies room and was amused to find that there was a prayer room offered. Actually, many of the places we visited had prayer rooms, including our hotel. On the airplane, there was even an arrow on the entertainment system pointing in the direction of Mecca. I didn’t see an arrow in our hotel room, as I did when we stayed at the Jumeirah Hotel in Frankfurt (which is now a Marriott), but Bill said it might have been in one of the bed stand drawers.
How convenient!
After lunch, we decided to visit the Church of Sant’Antonio da Padova on Istiklal Avenue. I got some photos of the inside, which was full of people doing the same. I’m sure this church was there in 1996, but I swear I don’t remember it…
We decided to head back the other way down the avenue, as I wanted to change directions and walk toward the Bosphorus Strait, which divides the European and Asian sides of Istanbul, as well as the Black Sea from the Sea of Marmara. I thought I remembered the way, and I kind of did… but we still ended up in a part of town that was unfamiliar. Below are some more photos of the big shopping street, as well as a comparison of views from 1996 and 2025…
1996 vs 2025… I wasn’t standing in exactly the same spot last week, but if you look closely, you can see some of the same buildings. Wendy’s hasn’t been in Turkey since 1998!
199620252025
Once we got to the end of Istiklal Avenue, we turned right, and walked almost all the way down a street, passing signs for the Aga Hamami, which is the oldest hamam in Istanbul. It was constructed in 1454! My back was killing me, so I kind of wished we could pay a visit. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time. As we were walking, the Taksim area faded into a residential area, and we were going downhill on uneven pavement. My back was really aching and I was getting a little tired and cranky.
I told Bill that we should plan to take a taxi back to the hotel. He was a bit dismayed, but I said that unless we found a metro station close to where we ended up, I was probably going to run out of steam. I couldn’t see us walking back to the Taksim station, which was by that point a few miles away! So he reluctantly agreed, as I passed him the many euros he gave me the last time he had to go TDY without me. I never spend all the money he gives me for groceries when he goes out of town, and I usually end up giving it all back to him! 🤭 Then I said we could keep walking if he wanted, because there was a lot more to see…
Yikes!
We followed a couple of Turkish guys into a complex that was some kind of museum for the arts, where we got a view of the Galata Tower. But then we were on a very busy street that led to an even busier street near the museum of modern art and the cruise port. That area was definitely very posh and not at all like Maslak! It was near the museum where I found a much needed park bench. It was good that we found that, not just because my back needed a rest, but also because we were soon in for a really interesting spectacle.
I heard the sounds of many birds, which mostly turned out to be seagulls. A man was feeding them, and hundreds of the hungry birds converged on the square near the museum and mosque. It was fascinating to watch, as seagulls played tug of war over food, and a couple of cats tried to get in on the action! Another man, who was off camera, was literally feeding other birds by hand. I got some video footage and a lot of photos, only a few of which I shared below.
Fighting over food!
Seagulls going crazy over food!
We finally got bored with the birds and decided to walk closer to the water. We passed the very expensive Peninsula Hotel Istanbul, which I noticed also had a metal detector and x-ray scanner in the lobby. Then I heard an infectious percussive beat. Some young man was busking, playing a mean rhythm while other men fished, and people walked around… I noticed he was making lots of lira from appreciative tourists.
He’s got some talent!
I got some photos of the Bosphorus Strait, noticing that across the water, there was a whole lot more of Istanbul to see… and sadly, my middle aged body wasn’t having it. We noticed a taxi stand near the cruise port, and decided to head toward there. It was a good thing, too, because Bill was starting to feel the urge to whiz…
Good advice!
When Bill asked a cabbie how much the ride to Maslak was going to be, he said 35 euros. For some reason, the cabbies prefer euros to Turkish money… 😉 (of course I know why– it’s a more stable currency). We started the rush hour ride back to Maslak. It was about 13 kilometers, but it took an hour! The metro probably would have been faster, but we would have had to walk to one, which would have taken time and energy we couldn’t spare. The cab ride turned out to be fortuitous, because I got more photos, and the cabbie entertained us by using Google Translate to communicate. He didn’t speak English, so he typed his Turkish comments into Google and showed us the translations. It was pretty funny!
The cab ride also gave me a perspective of just how loud, crowded, and busy Istanbul really is. It’s a HUGE city, bustling with energy and action, and unless you have a lot of time and stamina, it’s hard to really do it justice. But the cab ride ended up being more expensive, because we were in traffic for so long. Bill gave the guy 60 euros, when all was said and done… and yes, that is probably more than he needed to, but we felt sorry for the cab driver. It was a long way from the cruise port, and we basically crawled back in very heavy gridlock traffic! I’m sure he missed out on easier fares.
Once we got back to the hotel for our last night, we decided to have one more drink at the bar. I noticed they’d put up even more Christmas decorations and fenced off the big tree in the foyer. I also got a kick out of the fake presents that were kind of poorly wrapped. I don’t know much about Turkish customs, but I do remember giving my former Armenian student a birthday gift. He was amused because I had wrapped it in pretty paper. I don’t know that gift wrapping is a “thing” that part of the world. Since most Turks are Muslims, I’m sure it’s not there, either.
As I enjoyed a Hendricks gin and tonic, properly garnished with cucumber, one of Bill’s colleagues showed up. We were talking about other parts of Turkey we’d seen. Bill hasn’t been to those parts yet, but I’ll bet he’ll get the chance. Now that he’s been there, I think he would like to go back. He did tell me that it would have been permissible to stay in a different part of Istanbul, so if we’d been able to find a hotel in his budget in Taksim, we could have stayed there. That’s good to know, in case we get the chance to go back there.
Bill’s co-worker said he was going to take an early flight back to Germany. He reminded me of the traffic woes, so I told Bill that we should probably leave the hotel several hours before we needed to board the plane. After the crawl back to the hotel on Thursday, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to be safe. Because as much as I enjoyed our trip to Turkey, I was ready to go home to Germany and see my dogs!
One more post ought to do it for the blow by blow, and then I’ll do my ten things I learned post. Stay tuned!
I’m sure people who have been reading this blog for awhile might have noticed that Bill and I have sort of fallen out of the habit of enjoying Germany. I think a lot of it has to do with the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, we made a point of going out on the weekends, exploring new places and/or trying different restaurants. But then we were locked down for months on end and we got out of the habit. Then I got out of shape and started dealing with some minor health issues.
Sometimes we do remember the old days, though. I was in kind of a bad mood on Saturday, plus we had cloudy, rainy skies. By the time I realized Saturday was getting away from us, it was already afternoon. Bill decided then that he wanted to be sure to go out yesterday, in honor of his 60th birthday. We made plans to have a simple breakfast and get on our way before noon. Our destination was Marburg, a town I’d seen many pretty pictures of on Facebook, and heard about due to the Marburg virus outbreak in 1967. Bill’s co-worker told him his family loves to visit Marburg and visit the castle, which overlooks the city.
Marburg is a little over an hour’s drive north from Wiesbaden, mostly on the Autobahn. It’s not too far from Frankfurt, or Gießen (Giessen), a city that is well-known to a lot of older US Army servicemembers. At one time, there were thousands of Americans living there. Nowadays, I know of Gießen because that’s where most of the veterinarians at our local clinic learned their crafts. Marburg is about 25 kilometers to the north from that town.
As we approached Marburg from the Autobahn, I noticed the imposing Schloss. Bill said that was where we were headed first. Since it was his birthday, I didn’t argue with him. Driving into the city reminded me a bit of the many times we’ve visited Tübingen, another university town in Baden-Württemberg, close to where we used to live when we lived down there. Below are a few photos from our arrival. I was happy to meet the friendly cat who greeted us as we parked.
Marburg has lots of beautiful old Gothic buildings, and a rich history as a place where many of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales were born. Since I was also an English major and, as a child, was a lover of fairy tales, the fact that the Brothers Grimm lived in or near Marburg is also interesting to me. After visiting the castle, I can see where some of their inspiration came from. In fact, the painter Otto Ubbelohde was from Marburg. He was most famous for illustrating Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
The road going up to the castle was quite narrow and winding, and it was kind of a trick to manage it. However, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the area is. Some lucky people live in homes on the way up to the Schloss. I suppose the trickiest part is the parking, but they sure do have nice views, especially on days when the weather is as perfect as it was yesterday. For July, it was very pleasant, with light breezes, temperatures in the 70s, and lots of sunshine.
Bill parked the car next to the small Wanderweg near the castle. If we’d wanted to, we could have tried to park at the castle itself. There is a small lot there, and it didn’t appear to be full when we arrived. It was also one of the rare places in Germany where I didn’t see a requirement to pay for parking. This is a handy thing to know for those who are very fit, and very cheap. One can walk to the city from the Schloss, but getting there and back means walking up and down steep stairs. But you can park for free, so there is that… and it will burn lots of calories.
This is the way to the WC!
The first order of business for me was to find a toilet. Those, too, are freely available at the castle. Just go into the courtyard, which you can’t miss, and you’ll find WCs. Bear in mind that you have to walk down some narrow steps to reach them. Alternatively, you can visit the museum, which also has toilets that can be reached by elevator. No Klofrau is in sight!
After that personal necessity was taken care of, Bill and I visited the museum. Each ticket was 8 euros to be paid in cash. Credit cards aren’t accepted. For that, visitors get a nice tour of the well-equipped museum, which offers examples of pottery that were used at the castle, discussions on coffee culture (for the rich people, only), and a look at some of the art and treasures that belonged to the castle, which dates from the 11th century. Since 1981, the castle has been used as a museum affiliated with the local university, as well as an event site. We did notice a bride and groom having photos taken there during our visit. There is a restaurant near the grounds, but unfortunately, it was closed yesterday.
Below are some photos from our visit to the castle museum. We spent about 90 minutes there.
This is an event area that has been used for that purpose since the 16th century.A look into the “bones” of the building.
On the way out of the museum, we passed through the very simply chapel. A sign asked visitors to stay on the carpet, to avoid damaging the mosaic floor.
Once we passed through the chapel, we walked back out to tour the grounds. Below are some photos from around the castle and gardens.
Fresh drinking water!Soon to be married.Bill got a kick out of what was once a picture of a smiling Labrador thanking people for cleaning up after their dogs.Some people were dressed in medieval garb sparring in the park.Some events are upcoming. I didn’t know Kiefer Sutherland had a band.Careful!
After we visited the castle, we went to a parking garage near the center of town, parked the Volvo, and went walking around, looking for lunch. We eventually ended up in the Markplatz, which was alive with activity. There were several restaurants there, most of which were full of people enjoying food and drinks in the sun. We ended up at a charming Weinstube called Weinlädele at the top of the hill. Since the terrace was full, we opted to go inside, and spent a very pleasant time enjoying a leisurely lunch.
The food offerings at Weinlädele were somewhat simple, but the menu has an impressive list of wines by the glass. I happily availed myself of the wines, as well as a salad with chicken strips and raspberry vinaigrette. Bill had Maultaschen with Mediterranean vegetables. It really hit the spot.
And then, after lunch, I took some more photos of the very charming Marktplatz. A lot was going on there… and I was enchanted by the sights, smells, and sounds of life happening in Marburg. Bill and I both want to visit again and enjoy the ambiance of this pretty town in Hessen. An added bonus was yet another free WC near the parking garage. After our wine infused lunch, I really needed it before the drive home!
What a cool facade!Walking down to the garage from the Marktplatz.The passage to the garage. Plenty to eat here, too.Bill pays his six euros for parking.Crossing the Lahn River. I didn’t have a chance to get more photos. We need to come back and hit the Biergarten.
We missed the river scene. Marburg is on the Lahn River, and there’s a really cool looking Biergarten next to it, as well as boats… Again, not unlike Tübingen. We will have to try to come back and see more, now that we’re trying to get our weekend groove back. But I’m glad we were able to go yesterday, at the very least. What a lovely place to spend time on Bill’s birthday! A hearty thanks, once again, to the generosity of the German people for letting us Americans live here and enjoy their beautiful country!
Every year at Advent, when the pandemic isn’t forcing everything to be closed, our charming town of Breckenheim has a little Christmas Market. They only have the market for one night, and it mostly consists of local clubs selling Gluhwein, hot apple wine, beer, and funnel cakes. There are usually also a couple of small stalls selling crafts.
Four years ago, when we moved to Breckenheim, we happened to be here on the night they did the market. However, because we were up to our armpits in boxes, we missed it that year. In 2019, we made it to the market, which I remember to be a really fun time. Back then, we only had Arran, as we lost our sweet Zane to lymphoma on August 31 of that year.
In 2020 and 2021, the market was canceled because of COVID. I remember last year, we did make it to the Wiesbaden Christmas Market, but in 2021, a lot of the smaller markets were still called off because of the pandemic. This year, they seem to have come roaring back! Some people live for the Christmas Markets. I could take them or leave them, to be honest. I think they’re lovely to look at, and I enjoy the food and some of the shopping, but I don’t necessarily feel like I have to go to a bunch of them.
It was fun to go to the Advent Market last night, though. We brought Arran and Noyzi with us, because Arran seems to have been regressing a bit since he’s been getting chemo. Twice, we’ve gone out and found that he’s torn up something. I suspect it’s because the steroids make him obsess over food. He made a huge mess last week when we went to see James Taylor, and he made a more minor mess on Thanksgiving. So this time, we decided we’d just take the boys with us and give Noyzi some much needed exposure to crowds.
It was pretty chilly last night, but thanks to a new alpaca sweater from Novica and an Irish flat cap, I stayed pretty warm. Bill and I took in the sights and sounds, as we sipped mulled wine and watched lots of eager children play as they waited for Santa Claus to arrive at 5:00pm, sharp. After the Santa visit, there was a church service held at the big beautiful church by the Dorfplatz. We didn’t go to the church service because it would be in German and we had the dogs with us. But we did watch Santa come in, announced by sirens and a guy from the local biker club escorting him with his chopper.
We also ran into one of the other American families who live in our town, and we had a nice chat with them until it was time for Santa. Noyzi was pretty well behaved, although he was a bit spooked by all the kids and the noise. Arran ended up being filmed because he was barking at the huge Maine Coon cat who has adopted our village and shows up for all of the events. I don’t know who she belongs to, but she’s very friendly and doesn’t care at all about Arran’s crotchety beagle barks. I think this will probably be Arran’s last Advent Market, not that he attended a lot of them before he got cancer…
Noyzi, on the other hand, needs some training so that he can go out in public more often. He loves people and is very friendly, but he still gets pretty scared of things he’s not used to. After about an hour, though, he did calm down and seemed rather pleased with himself. Arran was over the market within a few minutes and was very happy to go home, where he could worship Bill in private.
Below are some photos and videos from our outing. We tried to stay out of trouble by hanging out on the periphery.
A very short video of Santa’s entrance and exit on a motorcycle. We didn’t get closer because of the dogs.
This year, we seem to be attending so many wine fests! It’s probably on account of COVID-19 restrictions finally going away. October is coming, and there may be new restrictions, based on what the virus does. For now, Germans are having their beloved festivals, and where we live, they’re all about the wine. Remember that we moved to Wiesbaden in late 2018, so we missed the 2018 season. In 2019, it was “normal”, but we were dealing with stress associated with our departure from Stuttgart that put a damper on our spirits. Then came 2020 and 2021, and fests were significantly reduced. In 2022, things have rebounded a lot.
Our little town of Breckenheim is up and coming. We just got a weekly market, which started last week, probably to justify the installation of the new public toilet (which I got to use last night). This week, had a market AND a wine fest. I anticipate that there will be a lot more socializing in our village, and it’s a great thing. I’ve stated more than once how much we have enjoyed how convivial Breckenheim is. It’s a very different, friendly, mostly inclusive vibe here that helps to make up for losing the awesome beauty of the Schwarzwald in our backyard.
Bill came home from his latest business trip yesterday afternoon. He took Arran to the vet, because he’s been a little “off” lately, plus his run ins with the hedgehog in our backyard resulted in his getting fleas. Hedgehog fleas apparently don’t infest dogs and cats like regular fleas do, but they do bite. I noticed Arran had swollen popliteal lymph nodes, too. So he got a fine needle aspirate, antibiotics, and flea meds. One of the fleas was kind enough to jump off of Arran when he was being examined. Bill said the vet, two techs, and he all worked together to corral the nasty beast so it can be studied under a microscope. I’m hoping that whatever has Arran acting odd will turn out to be related to the fleas and isn’t due to cancer. He’s about 14 years old now, and our last three dogs succumbed to cancer. Arran was a little slow this morning, but after he had some breakfast and a walk, he perked up a bit.
The wine fest is going to go on all weekend. We’ll probably go again, because we had so much fun last night. At first, there were a couple of ladies giving us the side eye when they heard us speaking English to another American. Later, our next door neighbor’s mom came over to talk to us. She went over and sat with the ladies, and probably told them we weren’t tourists. Then our landlord bought us a round of wine. And then the young family who is moving to our neighbor’s vacant apartment came over with their kids, and we had a great time chatting with them. I have a feeling they are going to be good friends. They even asked us to carve a jack o’ lantern for Halloween, because they want to celebrate it. I’m happy to do that. I’m not very good at carving pumpkins, though.
Halloween is kind of hit or miss in Germany. One year, during our first stint in Germany, we had people come to our door and we weren’t prepared. Then we weren’t home other years. Bill now picks up candy in case anyone rings the bell, but no one ever does. Looks like this year will be different. This is the same family who brought me a piece of the pretzel the other day. I found out that the mom is half Italian, which explains why she found the Stuttgart area to be less friendly. It’s my experience that Italians are stereotypically a lot warmer– sympatisch— as my Italian friend who lives in Germany would say– than people from Swabia are. At least at first. I’ve found that most Swabians will eventually warm up, once you get to know them. It just usually takes more time than it does up here in Hesse.
We were only going to stay a little while last night, then go home and have dinner, which is why we didn’t try the food vendor’s wares. Instead, we ate a pretzel with Spundekäs, which wasn’t enough… especially considering how much wine we enjoyed. There were maybe four or five wine stands going, plus live music, plenty of seating, and the new toilet, which we learned last night cost taxpayers 120,000 euros or so… No wonder so many people were upset about it and a news guy from the local radio station was asking for opinions last year! But it is a nice facility, at least for now. And it’s Kostenfrei (free of charge), which really makes it special. 😉 I tried the new toilet, but failed to lock it properly. Luckily, I was finished when someone opened the door on me and said, “Entschuldigung!” (excuse me) I suppose I’ll learn the right way to lock the door, now that the village is about to be bustling with events.
Below are some photos from last night’s fun, plus a couple of videos from Bill’s return home.
Arran and Noyzi were delighted to see Bill after his trip. So was I!
Arran had to give his favorite person a hug. I was working on my latest puzzle.We got to the fest early.I bet this is going to get bigger if they have more of them.This cat was so friendly.Apparently, he or she’s adopted the town.Dinner.He or she really made the rounds. Everybody was picking up this cat.Bill was a sight for sore eyes.Me being goofy. No makeup.We have so much fun.Someone brought their gorgeous dog.He was beautifully behaved.Everybody was admiring him.I used it for the first time… and didn’t lock it properly.Live music!
Today is Bill’s birthday, and we have wonderful weather this morning. Yesterday, it rained most of the day, and the dogs didn’t get their walk until the afternoon. I was going to take them for a walk this morning and actually got underway. But our plans were abruptly thwarted by other people’s pets.
It started with an unusually brave white cat, who was loitering on our path. I saw the cat first, as it was big as life clinging to the wall. The cat saw Arran and Noyzi, but didn’t seem to be afraid. Cats usually run when they see my dogs, but this one was pretty defiant. He or she pinned their ears, arched their back, and probably hissed. I couldn’t tell, because Noyzi had just noticed. Arran, super hound cat buster that he is, was a bit like Barney Fife this morning. He was the last to see the white feline, who was warily watching the boys.
And then, just as I thought we might make it down the hill, along comes our neighbor dog, Tommi, the friendly Labrador. He charged up to Arran and Noyzi, completely unattended, although he was at least wearing a collar. Hot on his heels was our neighbor’s mother, a slim lady I’ll call Oma. I’m guessing she’s in her 70s. She speaks English well and is very nice, but she’s probably not strong enough to be walking a rambunctious young Lab. And, in fact, she wasn’t walking him. She had treats with her, but no leash.
Naturally, the dogs went nuts. The cat did not go nuts. I kept waiting for it to run away, but it just kept staring down the dogs. Noyzi was facing the wrong way as I tried to lead him away from the tantalizing pussycat…
That is one brave cat!
Tommi is on the loose!
Good thing I had a spare leash!
The funny thing is, I have been using two regular nylon leashes and a harness with Noyzi because he’s a rescue from Kosovo and still pretty afraid of a lot of things. I attach one leash to his collar and one to his harness, in case I drop one. I might then have a prayer of stopping Noyzi before he bolts for the Autobahn.
Noyzi’s walking manners have improved a lot; he’s become much less fearful and wants to run more. Last week, on two occasions, he tried the retractable tape leash I currently use with Arran and used to use with Zane. I waited a long time to try the retractable leash with Noyzi because he’s so much bigger and stronger than were either Arran or Zane, or both of them together.
We did have some success with the tape leash last week. Noyzi seemed to get the concept of running just a little bit ahead and not charging off so fast that he pulls me over. I was going to try the tape leash again today, but a little voice in my head told me to use the two leash system instead. It might have just been sheer laziness, since I already had the nylon leashes out and ready to use.
Well… that second leash was a God send this morning, because Tommi was completely out of control! First, he greeted my dogs with boisterous jumps, crotch sniffing, and tail wags, and Noyzi, of course returned the favor. Then he ran over to some guy working on his car. Oma grabbed for Tommi’s collar, but it somehow slipped off. She finally got it back on him and started trying to drag him away, yelling at him and spanking him all the while. Tommi was not at all fazed by the corporal punishment.
Meanwhile, that damned white cat was STILL defiantly sitting there, watching everything unfold, completely unbothered! A lady with a baby carriage was about to come down the hill, but thought better of it when she saw and heard all of the commotion. Arran was braying like a seal/donkey hybrid. Noyzi was yipping excitedly, dancing around like a whirling dervish. And Tommi, who has developed a full on Labrador bark, was telling off the cat and trying to give chase. He ran behind the bushes and Oma went after him, shouting in German, trying to grab his collar.
I suddenly realized I had that second leash, so I quickly unsnapped it and handed it to Oma, who thanked me profusely as she attached it to Tommi’s collar. The whole lot of us then turned toward home, because I had worked up a sweat and wanted the dogs to calm down a bit, and Oma wanted to get Tommi back to a place where he wasn’t running amok. I also obviously needed that second leash back! Arran helpfully took a big dump at the top of the hill, so he probably feels better. Oma was showing off Tommi to a group of school kids who had heard and witnessed some of the show.
Oma explained to me that her 18 year old granddaughter (whom Noyzi LOVES) has to study for exams. And the man and the lady of the house are on vacation. Oma’s son told her not to walk Tommi because he’s so strong, but she said there’s no one else who can do it. I don’t actually think she was trying to walk him this morning. I think he snuck out of the house.
Just like his Labrador predecessor, Levi, used to do, sometimes Tommi comes over to our house. We can see him through the glass. The dogs go nuts! It might do them all well to have a play session and wear each other out a little! Tommi is very sweet, but I think he might need a trainer. But I’m not about to suggest it, because I’m sure they don’t need me to tell them that… I did notice that Oma petted Arran, who was the calmest of the lot, which is really saying something, if you know him. On the other hand, Arran is old and rather petite, so it’s not too hard to keep him in line.
Anyway, I guess that incident was a sign from God to keep using the two leash system on Noyzi for a bit longer… if only so Oma can wrangle Tommi when he gets loose! And you’ll be proud to know that I managed to get some video footage of all of this, too.
And now that I’ve cooled off and calmed down, maybe we’ll try again.
Edited to add: We just had our walk. It was much less chaotic.
Sunday is kind of a rough day to be in some parts of Europe, especially in January. January and February are very much the “off season” in Alsace, so a lot of places are closed. I’m actually kind of glad to be in Alsace in the winter. Yes, a lot of shops and restaurants are closed, but there are no crowds whatsoever and you get a feel for the place as a local might. Bill and I visited Ribeauville for the first time over MLK (Martin Luther King Jr. weekend) weekend in January 2017. I remember how it was then… and then we came back in February of that year. We had meant to bring Parker with us that time, but she was unable to visit because of an unexpected injury. It was interesting to see that some of the places that were closed in January were open again in February, and places that were closed in February were open in January. Anyway, in 2020, it was no different than it was in 2017, although I did notice that a couple of businesses had either closed altogether or changed hands.
Sunday morning, we decided to go to Riquewihr, since it’s super close to Ribeauville and quite touristy. I knew we’d find a few things open and maybe score a nice lunch. As it turned out, we did have a nice meal at La Grappe D’Or, a restaurant I had been wanting to try on previous visits, but we never got around to it due to the dogs. I see from Trip Advisor that this establishment gets mixed reviews. We had a really nice meal there, and I got a kick of all the Michelin bric-a-brac decor.
Here are some photos from lunch…
On the way into town…
It only gets more exciting…
A welcoming restaurant for lunch.
This guy sat over my head.
Cheese croquette amuse. It was good!
I had duck breast with vegetables and delicious Dauphinoise potatoes.
Bill had rabbit, which is a rare treat for him.
Parker had white fish with vegetables.
The wine was good…
So was dessert. This was their version of tiramisu, garnished with meringue.
Bill had a blueberry parfait.
Parker’s dessert was the best…
A French version of Black Forest cake with ice cream and fruit.
More Michelin men.
The family who sat at the table next to us brought a cute little French bulldog in with them. She only got a little bit agitated when someone walked past with an active looking retriever. I really enjoyed La Grappe D’Or. We’ll have to go back there, if we make it back to Riquewihr. We probably will, but you never know what the future holds.
Here are some more photos from our walk around town. Riquewihr was still decked out for Christmas and I was imagining how pretty it is there during the holidays, even if the snow was absent this year.
Riquewihr is beautiful…
Bill and his mom…
Kitty!
This cat was all about the strokes.
Macaroons!
We left with two tins full, and the lady behind the counter was nice enough to give us samples.
After a couple of chilly hours walking around Riquewihr, which wasn’t totally dead, but was a lot less populated than usual, we headed back to the gite. We were all pretty tired, and the cloudy weather kind of made us want to hibernate with some wine. Luckily, that’s easy enough to do in Ribeauville, too. I remember the first time we visited Riquewihr, I was really surprised by how beautiful it is. Every time I go back, I am surprised anew. It really is a unique village that, unfortunately, way too many visitors to France miss. I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to visit several times. It never gets old.
The morning of July 4th, we ate breakfast on the Riverwalk. A very brazen, persistent, and I daresay friendly duck joined us and begged like a dog for our scraps. There were also sparrows and blackbirds begging, though they weren’t nearly as cute as this duck was. I took many photos.
We only applied for one house, because the next day was July 4th and we weren’t going to be able to house hunt. We spent the rest of the week just bumming around. On the 4th, we went to the Tower of the Americas, a 750 foot tower that was built for the 1968 World’s Fair. Bill and I visited this attraction the last time we were in San Antonio, but I didn’t get any pictures that time. Also, they had a “4-D” show that we missed the last time.
It cost about $20 for us to see this attraction, including Bill’s military discount. The nice thing about it was that the ticket is good for all day, though we knew we’d be going to mother-in-law’s house later. My ears popped as we took the elevator up to the observatory area. We walked around and I noticed that a lot of people had apparently leaned on the plexiglass by their foreheads. There were lots of prints left there.
I got some nice photos…
We didn’t get our fortunes read by Zoltar… I was kind of tempted, though.
After we took in the views, we saw the 4-D film, which was actually a “ride” of sorts. You put on funny looking glasses and watch a film while your seat moves and you get sprayed with mist and see smoke. It was kind of fun to watch the film. There was a little kid in there with us who was having a ball.
Look closely and you can see Bill wearing goofy glasses.
On the way to the Riverwalk, I spied this very progressive bike rental station… Way to go, San Antonio!
We walked around the Riverwalk some more, along with many, many teenagers…
I got this shot of Bill standing in front of San Antonio’s namesake…
Later, we went to mother-in-law’s house. Bill grilled steaks and asparagus and baked potatoes. We enjoyed chips, salsa, and guacamole, as well as margaritas. I bonded with two of MIL’s black cats who would come out of hiding. My mother-in-law is a lot of fun to hang out with. I like her cats, too… although Bill is very allergic to cats.
Bill just talked to the property manager in Texas and was told another family applied for the house just after we did. The owner has to decide which one of us gets the house. I guess I wouldn’t be too heartbroken if we didn’t get the house, since it’s a lot bigger and more expensive than what we really need. But if we do get it, that will mean the housing search will be over, at least. I have a feeling the other people will get it if they don’t have pets. The owners of the house are in Japan, which means they’re probably Air Force folks.
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