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Champagne Bucket trips, emergencies

The journey back to Germany… part eleven of our Armenian adventure!

We’ve finally reached the end of my Armenian series. What an amazing trip it was! Bill says it was one of the best trips we’ve done together, and we didn’t even go to many of the really cool ancient places for which Armenia is famous. Instead, we met people I knew years ago, saw places where I used to live, ate good food and drank wine, listened to great live music, and enjoyed being somewhere other than continental Europe, for a change. I almost hated to leave!

Bill arranged for a van to pick us up at 2:30 AM, giving us plenty of time for our 5:05 AM non-stop flight to Frankfurt on Lufthansa. We didn’t really need a van, but the guy at the front desk warned Bill that it might be best to order one if we had a lot of luggage. So, there we were– two of us with four bags between us. The driver looked at us and said, “That’s it?” For this, we paid a fare of 17,000 drams. He was a good driver, though, so Bill gave him 20,000 drams and told him to keep the change. The driver was happy, and wished us a pleasant flight.

We went up to the Lufthansa baggage drop, and the woman at the counter eyed the portfolio Bill presented and said she thought it should go in oversize baggage. I asked if it was absolutely necessary, and she asked a colleague, who said it was fine for the portfolio to go through the normal luggage queue. So, with our bags dropped, and our tickets printed, we headed to security. This is where things got a bit traumatic.

I was shocked to see these cartons of cigarettes…
Just about every Armenian man smokes. I’m not sure these over the top warnings work. But they are very amusing to see!

I mentioned in my first post in this series that I got groped by an aggressive female security officer. I’m not exactly sure what her problem was, but my problem was that there was a woman holding everybody up, because she had a baby stroller that she was struggling to fold. Instead of stepping aside to deal with the stroller, she was in front of the metal detector, blocking everyone’s egress. I don’t know about you, but when it’s about 3:30 AM, and I haven’t had any coffee, I’m not the friendliest person in the world. But I wasn’t complaining. I wasn’t saying anything or causing a scene. I probably just looked a bit annoyed.

I had gotten out of the habit of flying, thanks to COVID. And I live where advanced security screening is in place. Nowadays, travelers coming through Frankfurt don’t have to take off watches and the like. But Yerevan only has a metal detector. It doesn’t have a scanner. I forgot to take off my watch, and the metal detector went off. The security officer started frisking me, then noticed the watch. I had to put it in a bin and go through the detector again. The thing went off again, probably because there was metal in my shoes and my bra. She started her aggressive frisking, ordering me to put my arms out again and snapping, “I haven’t finished with you yet!” as she ran her hands over my stomach and between my legs. I was getting a bit pissed off, and felt rather violated.

Then she started speaking Russian to me, and I looked her in the eyes and said, very calmly and seriously, in English, “I don’t speak Russian.”

In retrospect, maybe I should have said that in Armenian, which I could have done. It probably would have really disarmed her. But English did the trick. She backed off immediately, and I got my stuff and got out of there. I don’t know if she was truly done harassing me, or if she’d thought I was Russian and was taking out collective Armenian hostility toward me… someone she might have thought was from Russia. In any case, while I understand that security screening at airports is very important, that woman’s hostile demeanor and lack of courtesy didn’t leave me with a great impression. Fortunately, most of the other people I ran into during our trip made up for her inappropriate and obnoxious attitude.

Yerevan’s updated airport is pretty nice, and it has a decent duty free shop that everyone has to walk through on their way into the secure gate area. We looked around for the business class lounge, which it turns out is upstairs. There’s an elevator in the duty free shop, or stairs for those who prefer them. The lounge is for business class or higher travelers using any airline. Those who are waiting there can enjoy snacks and beverages… coffee machines with Russian instructions, beer, wine, sparkling water, and the like. Bill and I had some coffee while we waited. The restrooms have showers in them, and only one toilet. I guess if you need a shower, you can lock the door, and all the other travelers would be out of luck.

A must in an Armenian airport.
Even my morning man, Bill, was a bit over it at that hour…
Jermuk tastes better than it used to. We drank a lot of it, as well as Bjni.

Bill saw a sign that our flight was boarding, even though it was ahead of the time noted on our tickets. Not wanting to miss Lufthansa’s one weekly flight to Frankfurt, we went down to the gate, where a whole bunch of people were waiting. There were some cute girls in sweats who were wide awake, practicing what appeared to be cheers. I didn’t know Armenia had cheerleaders, and maybe that’s not what they were. But they looked like cheerleaders, and their early morning pep was both amusing and a little irritating.

It took forever for our flight to start boarding. In fact, we didn’t start boarding until some time after the listed boarding time. And business class passengers were boarded later. I guess they were loading the back of the aircraft first, which makes sense. I don’t know why people are so eager to get on the plane, anyway. I think most folks just want to get the whole ordeal over with, nowadays. Flying isn’t the luxe experience it once was.

Bill and I were in the third row. As soon as we sat down, an American guy took the seat behind me. He was sitting with a British guy who kept calling him “my brother”. They didn’t know each other before they were seated in the same row, but boy, did they act like they were buddies. The two of them immediately launched into a loud and obnoxious conversation about where they lived (both in England, near or in London), what they did for a living (retired orthopedic surgeon who supposedly worked with US military special ops, and a presenter for the BBC), what kind of luxury cars they drove or hoped to own (don’t remember that part), and how they get their news (American dude preferred reading the news to watching TV, because TV news is too biased). It went on for awhile, and I was worried I was going to have to listen to them blather for five hours.

Meanwhile, the lady sitting in front of me appeared to be Armenian. She had a pretty girl with her who looked to be about 13 or so. The pretty girl went alone to the back of the aircraft, while (mom?) sat down in front of me. I caught her casting a furtive look at the two chatterboxes behind Bill and me, who were continuing to run their mouths about their luxurious lifestyles in England. We were all in on their conversation, whether we wanted to be or not! I asked Bill if he had any earbuds, since I didn’t bring my headphones with me. He misunderstood and pulled out ear plugs. Fortunately, he also had earbuds, and I tested them to see if they’d work on my tablet. They did, and I heaved a sigh of relief, although I hate wearing earbuds. They are usually too big for my ears and don’t stay in well.

We took off, and the lady in front of me immediately reclined. I didn’t mind it, though, because I had plenty of space in front of me. I’m short, anyway, so there’s usually ample leg room for me. Once we were in the air, I had to pee really badly. But the pilot kept the seatbelt light on for ages. Bill finally got up after about an hour or so, and asked when they were going to turn off the light so I could go to the bathroom. The flight attendants said it would only be a few more minutes. Suddenly, there was a commotion in the back. A woman came up to speak to the flight attendants, and they went to the back to see what was wrong.

A few minutes later, the seatbelt light finally went off, and with a groan of immense gratitude, I went to relieve myself. Meanwhile, the flight attendants were asking for medical personnel to come forward. The guy behind me got up, as did an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor from Wales. There were many Welsh people in Yerevan during our visit, because of football. I’m guessing that’s why the ENT doctor was there. Bill and I were a little afraid the flight might need to be diverted, since the flight attendants seemed so concerned.

But then a few minutes later, the ortho guy sat down again, and told his new British friend that there was a lady back there who had neglected to take her medication and was having some kind of medical issue related to that. He went on a little more about the woman, then said that he’d let the ENT doctor from Wales handle the emergency, since he’d retired from medicine in ’08. He didn’t look old enough to retire, but based on what he was loudly telling everyone in business class, he had done very well for himself and was now living a life of leisure. Anyway, he did mention that the woman would be alright. So much for healthcare privacy, but there is no HIPAA in the friendly skies. 😉

Then the American “doctor man” started talking about the wonders of Georgian brandies and his visit to the Genocide Memorial, as if he knew what he was talking about. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes… but in my defense, it was very early in the morning; I was still a bit traumatized by the aggressive frisking; and I’d already been listening to those two guys ramble on for over an hour.

Finally, the flight attendants served breakfast. We had a choice between sweet and savory. I chose sweet, and Bill chose savory. It was too dark to take a photo, although I don’t remember the food being inedible. I usually stick with a roll and some water or orange juice, anyway.

We landed in Frankfurt at about 7:00 AM. When we went through passport control, I was confronted with a handsome young German guy in a uniform. He was markedly more pleasant than the Armenian officials had been. He started leafing through my passport and said, “How long have you been in Germany?”

I said, “About nine years.” Bill was standing behind me, rolling his eyes.

“Do you have a residency permit?” the guy asked with a surprisingly flirtatious smile.

“I have a SOFA card in the back of the passport.” I responded.

The guy found it, noted that it wasn’t expired, and sent me on my way. When it was Bill’s turn, he said, “That’s my wife.” The guy stamped his passport and let him go.

It always amazes me when border control guards are confronted by Americans who are very casual about approaching them. They don’t see a residency permit, and ask how long we’ve been here. We tell them “SOFA City, sweetheart…” They roll their eyes and let us go. Wouldn’t you eventually just look for the SOFA card before asking about a residency card?

SOFA, for those who don’t know, stands for “Status of Forces Agreement”. It’s basically like a special residency card for Americans who work for the US government or military, as well as their families. It allows us unlimited entrance and exit privileges from our host countries, as well as legal residency, and some other privileges. But it’s not quite the same thing as a German residency card.

We made our way to the baggage carousel. I noticed there weren’t too many people there, which probably means a lot of people were on their way to the USA or England… or maybe somewhere else in continental Europe. Having flown to Yerevan from the USA before, I didn’t envy them. But I would rather fly from Yerevan to the USA than the other way around. It gets earlier when you go west, so you don’t tend to feel so disoriented.

When I flew back to the USA after my Peace Corps assignment, I had been traveling by train around Europe for a month. It wasn’t nearly as traumatic as when I went to Yerevan in 1995. Well, it wasn’t as traumatic until 1997, when I met my father at Dulles Airport, and he treated me like something he’d scraped off his shoe, and told me he was going into rehab for his alcoholism the next day. Don’t get me wrong. I was glad he was getting treatment, but he sure spoiled my carefully cultivated “coming home” fantasy that was two years in the making.

After we found our bags, we were looking for that portfolio with our paintings that Bill had worked so hard to acquire the day prior to our journey. A German airport employee guy came around with it and seemed to know that it belonged to us. The Armenian lady at the Lufthansa desk had, sure enough, sent it to oversized baggage, even though it only weighed about two kilos and was flat. I guess it was too cumbersome for the regular baggage drop.

Bill and I easily found a taxi, which took us back to our humble abode in Breckenheim. The weather was cold and drizzly, just as it usually is in Germany at this time of year. I was glad to be back home, although we really had a great time in Armenia. It already feels like a dream, though… Like I can’t believe I went back there and felt so very comfortable. I still know the city of Yerevan like the back of my hand. Obviously, we will have to go back and explore some more. The good news is, now that Bill has had a taste of Armenian hospitality, he’s ready for a new adventure!

So ends my Armenian blow by blow blog series. I just have one more post to make, and that would be my highly entertaining “ten things I learned” list. Hopefully, some folks will read that. I learned an awful lot on this trip. So, by all means, stay tuned if you’re interested…

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Lunch at Il Due and I finally signed up for a cell phone contract!

When Bill and I first moved back to Germany in 2014, we resisted signing up for a cell phone contract.  It was mainly because we didn’t know how long we’d be living here and we knew cancelling contracts in Germany can be a pain in the ass.  For three years, Bill has been buying me Vodaphone pay as you go top ups.  They run 25 euros each and I usually need at least one a month.  I get one GB before the speed is throttled… or, at least that was the way it was at first.

I got a new phone for Christmas.  In honor of the occasion, Bill decided to take me out today to sign up for a contract.  He chose O2 because they have a deal where you can get 10 GB of data a month for about 20 euros.  He later said it was closer to 30 euros, probably because they add a VAT or something.  I don’t know.  I am not the one paying the bill.

Before we went to the shop, located in Nagold’s fabulous Edeka supermarket, we stopped at Il Due for lunch.  I decided on the duck special.  Bill ordered swordfish.  He had a Pinot Grigio and I had a Barbera red.  Sadly, the duck came with hated mushrooms all over it, so we ended up trading plates. These are photos from my new iPhone 8+.

 

The swordfish was originally Bill’s choice, but I ended up eating it.  It came with a nice healthy side of vegetables and was covered with a tapenade with onions, capers, and black olives.  I was good today. I even ate the Brussel’s sprout.

Bill had the duck breast with its mushroom infested gravy.  It came with a side of cheesy potatoes, which Bill said were nice, and a side of vegetables.  I actually enjoyed the vegetables, which were cooked al dente and were very flavorful.  If I ate more vegetables, I might be less hulking than I am.

 

This was our third trip to Il Due.  Our first visit was a couple of months ago, even though we had been wanting to try the place for most of the time we’ve been here.  So far, we have not been disappointed by the food.  It’s always been excellent.  Service can be a little slow, but it’s always friendly and competent.  It’s a nice place to stop for lunch when we’re in Nagold.  Today’s lunch before the tip was about 60 euros.

We went to the O2 store after we ate and had to wait about fifteen minutes or so, since the young man who was working there was helping someone else.  When it was our turn, Bill asked if the guy spoke English.  He said a little.  Bill said he speaks a little German.  Then he proceeded to speak German for about 90 percent of their collaboration.

I was waiting for Bill to find the IBAN (account number), since he did not take my advice and get a German bank account and an EC credit card.  He says he’s going to rectify that mistake pronto.  I hope we’ll be here long enough to make it worthwhile.

Bill brought his passport and a utility bill, but neglected to write down the IBAN.  Fortunately, he found it on our water bill.

 

The guy the O2 employee had been helping before he helped us offered to translate if we needed it.  It turned out he spoke perfect English.  We have found that fewer people in Nagold speak English.  In a way, it’s kind of refreshing.  They don’t automatically slip into English when they hear Bill speak German and he gets in his practice.  I am myself learning more of the language, but can’t really speak it.  I understand a lot more now, though.  It’s good to watch the German ads on YouTube and the odd video my German friend, Susanne, shares with me.

We stopped by Edeka to pick up some Champagne for tomorrow night.  We left with several bottles of wine and a box of chocolates.

I was amused by the sweet, well-behaved dogs sitting outside the store.  I wish mine were like that.

We were checking out… and once again, I noticed the warnings on the boxes of tobacco.  I snapped this picture to remind myself to look them up online.  In one warning, there was a shirtless man pictured looking down.  I couldn’t help but wonder what he was looking at.  My guess is that the warning is that cigarettes cause impotence due to heart disease.  I love how blunt the warnings are.  They aren’t simple text like they are in America.  No… here, you get photographic evidence of how nasty cigarettes are.

 

Below are a few photos from Nagold today.  It’s still decorated for Christmas.  I always enjoy visiting Nagold.  It’s hard to believe we live only a few miles away and the landscape is so totally different.  I definitely think we should shop at Edeka in Nagold over the Real in Jettingen.  It’s a lot more pleasant.

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Samowar: Offering delicious Russian food in Weil der Stadt!

My dog, Zane, had surgery on August 10th.  Because he was recovering, we decided to keep last weekend’s activities low key.  This weekend, we decided to make up for last weekend.  I asked members of Stuttgart food and wine lovers what restaurants they’d like to see reviewed.  A few ladies offered up suggestions.  The first suggestion came from group member, Stephanie, who lives in Weil der Stadt and often frequents a tiny Russian restaurant called Samowar.

A shot of the front of the restaurant.

Some readers may know that I lived in the former Soviet Republic of Armenia.  Armenian food is not necessarily like Russian food, but they do like their borscht.  I happened to live there from 1995-97, which was just after the Soviet Union fell.  Russia was still pretty heavy in the culture there–  for all I know, it still is.  I haven’t been back since I left, though I do hope to visit sometime very soon.

Bill poses outside the King’s Gate in Weil der Stadt.  Looks like a cool town.  We need to explore it more.

Anyway, I thought Samowar would make a nice entry to this blog as well as an exciting change of pace for Bill and me.  There’s only so much excitement one can muster for Italian, German, and Greek food on the regular, as much as I love all three cuisines.  Every once in awhile, it’s fun to try something out of the ordinary.  Out of the ordinary is definitely how I would characterize Samowar, especially in these parts.

Because the restaurant is tiny, we took Stephanie’s advice and booked ahead for a table at 1:00pm.  This time of year, there are also a few tables outside, but it was a little chilly today (so strange to say that in August).  We arrived about fifteen minutes early and were warmly welcomed.  The dining room is, indeed, very tiny.  However, there were only a few people dining, so there were plenty of tables to choose from and a reservation wasn’t necessary after all.

We took a seat at a round table at the back of the restaurant, right next to the very interesting toilet.  I will explain why it’s interesting later.  For now, I want to focus on lunch.  Samowar offers a lot of Russian delights– everything from stuffed peppers to blinis, with soups, salads, and sides that will suit the discerning Russian palate.

A terrible side shot of Bill.  Sorry.

 

This is about half of the dining room.  It’s small.

 

This is most of the other half.

 

Cute Russian touches abound.

I took a look at the drinks list and was delighted when I noticed they offered a few wines from the Republic of Georgia.  Georgian wines are fantastic and I haven’t found any locally, so it was great to order a glass of Alte Tiflis (Old Tbilisi), a smokey and slightly sweet red with an interesting dry finish.  Bill ordered a Russian beer, which turned out to be rather bland and ordinary.  Russia is not known for its beer, but Bill wanted to try one.  It wasn’t terrible, but he might have been happier with a German brew, some Georgian wine, or even better, a shot of vodka.

Yummy Georgian wine!  This alone was worth the trip!

 

Russian beer is rather unremarkable as a whole, but it was fun to try it anyway.

For lunch, I went with today’s special, an avocado and shrimp salad.  It sounded really appealing, even if it’s not particularly Russian.  Also, I noticed a lot of the choices on the menu included mushrooms and I hate mushrooms.  I didn’t want to risk a bad impression on the first visit.  Bill decided to have stuffed peppers, which came with a side of bulgur wheat.  Both dishes came with fresh bread, which tasted like honey wheat.  It was very hearty.

My salad, which was absolutely beautiful, came out well before Bill’s stuffed peppers.  I dug in while he waited.  I don’t usually go for salads, but this one was delicious.  The shrimps were warm, surrounded by perfect slices of avocado, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, rucola, radishes, corn, and a zesty dressing.

This salad was so good.  Not only was it delicious, it was so pretty!  I almost hated to destroy it!  This was priced at 11,50 euros.  There were plenty of shrimps to go with the perfectly ripe and flavorful avocado.  And no mushrooms were to be found!  

Bill’s dish consisted of two peppers, one red and the other green, stuffed with ground beef and rice and smothered in a tomato vegetable sauce.

Bill enjoyed his stuffed peppers.  So did I.  When I was in Armenia, I did try stuffed peppers a couple of times, but in the 90s, the quality of beef in Armenia wasn’t very good.  I shied away from beef while I lived there, though I did enjoy chicken, fish, and pork.  These stuffed peppers were authentic and tasted great.  The bulgur wheat was a nice touch.

After we finished eating, our waiter, who spoke perfect English once he realized we weren’t Germans, asked if we wanted dessert.  Bill was too full, but I decided to try a blini.  I went with a half portion filled with quark and covered with chocolate sauce (probably Hershey’s).  There were a few other varieties available, including apple filling with vanilla sauce or cinnamon and sugar.  And then… another pleasant surprise…

This is a “half portion” of dessert blinis.  It was plenty.  The quark tasted a little like cream cheese with just a hint of “barnyard”… you know, that tangy sharpness you might taste in raw cheeses or milk.  It was just the right size.

And this was my favorite part of the meal… Armenian brandy!  I was super impressed to find it on the menu.  It comes in .2 or .4 cl sizes.  I went with a large and Bill went with a small, since he was driving.  The brandy came with chocolate.  Armenia is well known for its brandies, but it’s not necessarily easy to find them outside of the country or areas where there is a large Armenian population.  I was very excited to find out that this little restaurant had Armenian brandy available, although I got the sense they don’t sell much of it.  The waiter had to come back and ask us which sizes we wanted.

Now for a word on the bathroom.  Samowar’s WC is a tiny affair.  There’s a little unisex room with a sink and two stalls, one for the guys and one for the ladies.  When you open the stall door, a little bear with a speaker in its belly says something in German.  I didn’t understand what it said, but I did get it on video.  Check it out if you’re curious.

I’m sure someone can enlighten us all…

 

Bill also alerted me to the presence of this sign in the men’s stall…  😉

And there’s a toilet with a pump on its tank… I don’t know what this is, but I was intrigued.

 

All told, we spent a little over fifty euros for an absolutely delightful meal.  If you’re tired of the usual fare at local restaurants, I highly recommend trying Samowar.  You might want to make a reservation, especially if you’re going for dinner.  The dining room is very small and I get the feeling this is a popular place.  If it’s not, it really should be.  And if you like brandy and have never tried any from Armenia, I recommend trying some at Samowar.

A few shots of Weil der Stadt I took before we headed home…  We will definitely have to go back and see more of this very charming and unique town.  I can see why so many Americans love it.

 

Weil der Stadt is also home to an enormous and very nice Edeka.  We stopped in to pick up some beer, wine, and stuff for breakfast and dinner.  While we were in there, I noticed a few interesting things for sale.  I get a kick out of finding stuff in German grocery stores.

 

Dolls with bags of noodles for heads…

We were accosted by a very persistent wine saleslady, who got us to buy a bottle of her rose after having us try some.  We also found a couple of Belgian beers and some locally produced IPAs.  Bill loves IPAs and is always game to try them, even if they’re made in Germany.  While we were waiting to pay, I got a load of the packaging on cigarettes.  I know I have mentioned this phenomenon before, but today I actually got pictures of some of the labels.  The Germans don’t mess around with their warnings.  If you buy cigarettes here, you WILL know that smoking is deadly… although I notice plenty of people still smoke.

Yikes!

Tomorrow, we have plans to have Turkish food for lunch.  Turkey is another country with which I became familiar and managed to visit when I lived in Armenia.  Stay tuned!

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Kelten-fest! Nagold, July 2017

Today, Bill and I decided to go to Nagold and visit the Kelten-fest.  Seems to me Kelten-fest is held every other year, but I could be wrong.  We were here for the one in 2015, but we never managed to get there when it was happening.  Since we are of Celtic origin ourselves, we made a point of going this year.  The fest is held in a large area near the river in Nagold.  One area is host to tents where crafts are made and sold.  Another area is where Highland games are held and musicians play.

In order to take part in the fun, you have to pay an entry fee.  A regular daily ticket is 6 euros, though if you buy the “Festkarte”, it’s 10 euros.  Go after five o’clock, and the price drops to 4 euros.  Kids under age 18 who are with their parents are free.

After we paid and got our blue wristbands, we wandered around and checked out the sights and scenes.  Celtic music played on a sound system as lads and lasses in kilts and other Celtic garb took part in the games, drank beer, ate food, or otherwise cavorted.  I kind of wished we had kilts.  Next time we go to Scotland, we’ll have to get outfitted.

The “kasse”, where you purchase your tickets.  If you go now, you won’t pay full price for today.

Helpful map points, not that it’s easy to get lost.

I was feeling too shy to pull out my good camera at this point, but it finally came out later.  These folks were participating in the Highland Games.  They had several different ones going on…

A pig was roasting nearby.  There were also people smoking salmon on wooden planks.  Those who preferred wurst and sauerkraut were also in luck! 

They were carrying this pole and running through a maze of trees…

And in this area, there were folks tossing poles.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to watch much of this event.


Across the way, there were craftsmen and women creating and selling their wares.  There were even a few animals.

Chilled out goats and a cow.

Blacksmith, doing it old school style.

Chickens!  There was also a very lazy pig in the next pen, but I didn’t manage to get a shot.

As you can see, lots to see and do and plenty of people dressed the part.

I had to take a couple of wildflower shots, too.  Time to update my Facebook cover.

Bill buys us a couple of black beers made by Hochdorfer, the local brewery.

We got larges.  Be warned, the pfand for these beers is very high…  five euros!  If you get a small beer, it’s only one euro.  Bill gave this guy twenty euros and when we turned in our glasses, we got ten euros back.  

Cool glass, though…

This was a “steak” sandwich.  I think it was pork and it had ketchup on it.  It was pretty good and not too much.  It pays to remember that steak is actually a cut and not necessarily a hunk of beef.

Now this was the culmination of our fun…

Obviously still photos wouldn’t do, so I took a video.  See below.

And a video of the Battle on the Water!

If you have young kids, you might enjoy taking them to Nagold’s playground.  It’s pretty cool.  Literally, it’s cool…  There’s also mini golf and a really awesome public pool that wasn’t too crowded and looked really inviting.  Hmmm… maybe we should go back!

 

After we walked around a bit more, we headed to Der Weinladen and picked up a few bottles of wine for the weekend.  Then we had some ice cream at Panorama.  While we were eating these ice cream sundaes, which were loaded with liqueur, by the way, we ran into a lady who always walks her pug along the same route we do with our dogs.  I felt like a total native as we said hello!  And tomorrow, we’ve been invited to a neighborhood party… our first in three years of living here (and in fact, we were not invited to any parties last time we lived here, either).

These hit the spot!

On the way out of Nagold, we stopped by the Edeka and I ran in to get some tequila and ice cream.  While I was standing in the “schnell line”, which wasn’t actually very “schnell”, I had the chance to check out the cigarette packages.  I noticed that here in Germany, it’s not enough to put warnings on the labels.  And it’s not enough to make the labels huge.  They have to put pictures of people with stomas, cancer, and other cigarette induced maladies on the packages.  I must say, it make me laugh ruefully.  People will still buy their cigarettes.  Seriously, if you live in Germany or have a chance to visit, check out the cigarette packs.  Crazy stuff!

I think Denis Leary says it best about smoking, right?  Although I am not a smoker myself…  Just so you know, this video is probably NSFW.  

 

We had a great time at the Kelten-fest.  I’m glad we went.  I hope we’ll be around for the next one.  Maybe then, we’ll even wear kilts!

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