Friedberg, Hessen… where Elvis Presley did his Army duty…

But surprisingly enough, that’s not why Bill and I visited there yesterday…

One might think Americans would be teeming in a town where famous fellow American, and the so-called “King of Rock n’ Roll”, Elvis Presley has such a strong connection. After all, this town has two intersections Elvis Presley inspired walk-don’t walk lights (since December 2018), an Elvis Presley Platz (completed in November 2014), and a statue of the man!

But no… we didn’t notice any American Elvis pilgrims during our brief visit to Friedberg. In fact, we weren’t even there for him, ourselves. I had heard of the German town where Presley is celebrated, and had meant to visit in years past. However, by the time we actually laid eyes on Friedberg, I had forgotten all about Elvis’s Army connection to my adopted “home” country for 13 years of my life. It wasn’t until we were driving into Friedberg that Bill mentioned Elvis and his stint living in Bad Nauheim, a nearby town where he’d rented a villa, so he could do his military service in Friedberg. It was during his German stint that he also met his wife, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley.

So what the hell were we doing in Friedberg, if not to worship “the King”?

A few days ago, someone in a Facebook group dedicated to the German state of Hessen posted some pictures of Adolfsturm, a medieval tower that dates from 1347. I love a good tower challenge, especially when the views at the top are particularly rewarding. Adolfsturm is also very charming, as is the castle complex where it is located.

We’d never been to Friedberg before, and it is the capital of the Wetteraukreis district of Hessen. And since we didn’t have anything better to do yesterday, and the weather was pretty much perfect– partly cloudy, breezy, and only about 72 degrees Fahrenheit, we decided it would be a good day to climb Adolfsturm and get some photos. Of course, there’d also be lunch and people watching.

Friedberg is maybe a 40 minute drive from where Bill and I live. From 1956 until 2007, it was the home of Ray Barracks, which was a U.S. Army installation and, indeed, where Elvis did his patriotic duty for America. One of Bill’s co-workers once lived and worked near Friedberg, before it was “BRAC’d” (a victim of base realignment and closure) in 2007. In fact, Ray Barracks closed a month before Bill and I arrived in Germany the first time, back in September 2007, when he was still serving in the Army.

So, given all of that, you’d think we would have visited this charming town before yesterday. Alas, yesterday was indeed our first time ever there, but hopefully, we will be able to go back, and I can get some photos of all of the Elvis Presley shit. After we climbed the tower, I had completely forgotten about Elvis, and wanted to get home and take a shower! 🚿

I think the pandemic really stifled our desire to get out and explore as much as we used to. We’re only just now getting our mojo back. I also don’t have as many readers as I once did, so that sort of takes away the self-imposed pressure I put on myself when we lived near Stuttgart.

Here’s the story of how our visit went…

Bill and I left our house at a little after 11:00 AM. In the car, we had a deep discussion about our time in Germany thus far. As I lamented about how our previous rental experience vastly contrasts with our current one, and how disappointing it was that we had to leave the Stuttgart area on a sour note, we noticed an idiot driving a car with a full horse trailer cut off at least two cars with Dutch license plates.

As we approached Friedberg, we passed a rest area with a curious looking observation tower. Then I noticed that from the tower on the side of the Autobahn, one can easily see Frankfurt’s familiar skyline, the only one of its kind in Germany. Someday, we’ll have to stop there and take pictures while Bill gets gas for the car.

As we drove into Friedberg, Bill mentioned Elvis, and I looked him up on my phone. I was still reading about him when we pulled into a mostly empty parking garage, and walked toward the main drag… Below are some photos from the walk into the happening part of town. I love the house in the first picture. It’s so cute!

As we got closer to the Stadtkirche Friedberg, I noticed an unhoused person sleeping under a thick red cover, sheltered by the church’s facade. I guess if one must be homeless, the church is a good place to find some rest. The Stadtkirche Friedberg dates from the mid 13th century. It is the only surviving church of Friedberg’s seven medieval churches. I was immediately impressed by its beauty, and of course, I took lots of pictures!

After a brief visit to Friedberg’s marvelous city church, we started walking down the main drag toward the Castle of Friedberg’s grounds. But first, we decided to have lunch. We stopped at a charming German restaurant called Die Dunkel. It was such a nice day, everybody was sitting outside. Bill went in and asked, in German, for two places, and the bartender, who appeared to be of Indian descent and, as it turned out, spoke perfect English, misunderstood and thought he was ordering beer. She brought out the unordered Pils beers, and we were momentarily confused, but I said, “Never mind. We’ll drink them.” Problem solved!

Bill and I both had salads. His had falafel in it, while mine had grilled chicken breast. And, of course, we drank beer and people watched. One guy had on a t-shirt Bill liked. It looked like the Walt Disney logo, but actually said “Malt Whiskey”. He laughed and pointed it out to me. I turned around, and the guy noticed us noticing. He smiled and showed it off, then bowed. We had a good laugh at that! Friedberg seems to be a place where people are friendly and relatively happy. I also noticed a lot of Muslims there, which isn’t a statement on anything other than the town seems to enjoy a diverse community.

At one point, a young couple with a baby sat next to us. I was enjoying watching their teamwork handling the baby, who looked like perhaps she was about 6 or 7 months old. She was quiet and content, playing with a spoon, while her parents ate. Then her mom breastfed her at the table. No one batted an eye. In fact, Bill didn’t even notice. Isn’t it nice that women in Germany can feed their babies without getting the side-eye from chauvinistic jerks who can’t understand that breasts serve a function other than turning them on?

I liked Die Dunkel. The service was friendly; the food was good; the beer was cold; and I noticed a lot of locals were enjoying each other’s company there. It seems like the kind of place where friends can meet up for a drink and then hang out… and that’s actually what I noticed some people doing. The main drag has lots of trees and is very pleasant. It reminded me a little of when Bill and I used to live in Fredericksburg, Virginia, back when we first got married. Friedberg is actually prettier, though.

After lunch, we walked to the castle grounds. There’s a large, impressive gate there, as well as what used to be a moat. Behind the gate there is a gymnasium (school for smart teenagers who plan to attend university), the castle itself, St. George Fountain, and of course, Adolfsturm. Friedberg Castle dates from the 12th century, and has a long, rich history. According to its official Web site:

With its 3.9 hectares, Friedberg Castle is one of the larger castle complexes in Germany. But it is not only the extent of its grounds, which have retained the closed character of a medieval fortified complex, that makes it stand out. For many centuries, it also occupied an exceptional legal position.

From the 12th century until 1806, the castle, which had been built before 1180 to protect the Wetterau, was the centre of a unique Burgraviate. From 1431 onwards, it was the only castle with a small territory subject to the kings and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire alone; its cooperative constitution was another special feature.

I don’t think it’s possible to tour the castle itself, but St. George Fountain is in front of it, and the tower is a short walk away. And as we approached Adolfsturm, I paused to take a few photos. It really is a pretty tower, and it only costs 2 euros (1 euro for children under 6) to climb it. It’s open from 2-6 PM on weekends and holidays, from the beginning of April until the end of October.

Somehow, I didn’t manage to get photos of the Friedberg Castle itself! I was too fixated on the tower, which dates from 1347, and had its turrets added in the late 19th century.

To access the tower, you pay the guy minding the “Kasse”, then climb up some steps that lead to just below the midpoint of the tower. When you enter the tower itself, you will see a barred door that has a sign that reads “Verlies” (which means “dungeon” in German– specifically a cell in a tower or castle). After we climbed the tower, we saw that people went down to the bottom of it, but neither Bill nor I wanted to go down to investigate, because it would mean climbing back up, and we were already getting sore! I figured there would be other people’s photos on the Internet, and I was right about that. Another reason why we skipped the dungeon was because I really needed to pee. There is a free toilet on the backside of the tower. It’s not the cleanest, but it was a most welcome sight after our climb!

*The parking garage had a free toilet, as it’s part of the “Nette Toilette” program.*

Anyway, here are some photos from our climb, which really wasn’t too bad at all. It was a lot less terrifying than the Cathedral Tower in Vilnius was. I am less sore today, too. The tower is about 54 meters high, and offers two open vantage points. There are a couple of enclosed floors where the weapons used to be aimed. You can stop for a rest there on your way up.

When we got to the first outdoor observation area, I was impressed with the view. I looked up at the steep ladders going higher and wondered if I needed to bother with them. Bill and I debated for a couple of minutes, and then I said, “Well, if we don’t go up there, we might regret it. And if we do, then we’ll never have to climb this particular tower again!” So, we went for it, and the view was worth it. At the top, there are signs showing how far away certain landmarks are, that, on a clear day, are easily visible from the tower.

We decided to walk through the lovely castle grounds to make our way back to the car. We stopped for a moment to take in the views and admire the beautiful wildflowers. The park around the tower has rules: Dogs, alcoholic beverages, and grilling is NOT allowed. And if the weather is inclement, the park may have reduced hours or be closed.

On the way out of town, Bill was stopped by some guy who was looking for Western Union services. He said in his best German that we were “Auslanders”. I got a kick out of the sign at a beer bar, which I wouldn’t have minded stopping at, if we’d had the time…

We got back to the car, and I gratefully reached for my purse, which I’d left inside. I badly needed some Carmex for my lips, which were drying out. As we drove out of Friedberg, we passed the church and what appeared to be a minor fender bender. A distressed looking woman was shaking her head while a young female cop wrote a ticket. A young male cop was smiling as he leaned by the window of the vehicle ahead of the distressed woman’s van. It looked like a very minor accident, but the woman was obviously upset, nonetheless.

*Just past where the fender bender took plac*e…

And then, Bill turned left on the main drag, and I finally saw the Elvis Presley traffic lights and an information panel about Elvis! I realized we should have extended our stay by a half hour or so, so I could have gotten some photos. Oh well. Now, we have a reason to return to this very pleasant town, so close to where we live!

Below is a video about Elvis in Friedberg. It’s in German, but you can see the “Elvis Presley Platz”.

The King lives on in Friedberg… and helps save lives.

memories, Rhein, Rheinland-Pfalz, Sundays

Another short visit to Bacharach… a special German town to me…

Yesterday, I was lamenting to Bill that I wanted to get out of the house for awhile, and remember why we moved to Germany in the first place. Unfortunately, I’ve reached a stage in my life in which I don’t really feel like going out as often as I used to. Part of the problem is that our house is very comfortable, making it harder to leave. Another issue is that I’m getting older and less impressed with things. And then there’s the weird weather for this time of year. It’s chilly and a bit overcast today, although we did see glimpses of the sun.

Originally, Bill suggested that we visit Mainz and go to the Gutenberg Museum, a place we have yet to see. Then he thought maybe we’d go to an Armenian/Greek restaurant downtown. But I like to save museums for when the weather is cold. I really kind of wanted to visit the Rhein River… or perhaps a waterfall or a cave. I was really in the mood to do something outside, in spite of the weather. I suggested Bacharach, a beautiful town on the river that also has the distinction of being the very first German town I ever visited.

Back in the summer of 1997, I was finishing my Peace Corps service in Armenia, planning for a month long Eurail trip. I read Europe Through the Back Door, by Rick Steves. He constantly mentioned how adorable Bacharach is. I was to be alone for that part of my trip, so I decided that once I got off the plane from Yerevan, I’d get on a train at the Frankfurt Airport and head for Bacharach for a couple of nights. When I finished my service in August of 1997, that is precisely what I did. When I landed in Frankfurt, I took a couple of trains to the beautiful riverside town of Bacharach. It was a great place to start that trip. I never dreamed I’d be back ever again, let alone live about 45 minutes away.

In late May 2014, just weeks before Bill finished his active duty Army career, we took a “Space A” hop from Baltimore to Germany. We spent most of our time in France, but then flew back to Frankfurt from Nice, and took a train to Landstuhl to work on getting our Space A flight back to the States. We weren’t able to get out the day we wanted to, so we had an extra day in Germany. I suggested that we visit Bacharach. Bill had never been before, and I remembered it to be a lovely town. So we went from Landstuhl… and it took a couple of hours to get there. The town was just as quaint and inviting as I remembered it.

Bill and I happened upon a Biergarten made of an old carousel. We stopped in for beer, and there were a bunch of drunk guys in there. It was Father’s Day, and they were all celebrating. When one of the men heard us talking, he asked if Bill was in the Army. Bill said he was, and the guy told us that American soldiers had saved his family from being stuck in East Germany. He got quite emotional and thanked Bill for his service. It was at around that time that I told Bill that I had a feeling that we were going to be moving back. Sure enough, six weeks later, we moved back to Stuttgart. The rest is, of course, history.

We also visited Bacharach in 2019, or thereabouts… around the time we moved to Wiesbaden. I had wanted to come back again after that visit, but we couldn’t do that easily because a bridge that connected Wiesbaden to the Rhein area was deliberately destroyed and rebuilt. It took a long time. And then, of course, we had the pandemic… and after that, we got out of the habit of enjoying weekend outings.

In any case, you can see photos and read about our previous visits. In 2014… and in 2019… I wrote this about my 1997 trip in 2013.

Below are some photos from today. The weather wasn’t the greatest, although we did stop by the Kleines Brauhaus at the Rhein Theater again. That’s become a tradition for us in Bacharach! It looks like they changed the canopy since we were there in 2019. Also, they don’t have wait service anymore. Now, it’s self-service, which is fine. We both had schnitzels and fries today. Bill had his with cream sauce. I see that the sun is now out, too… SIGH.

We passed by the little hotel/B&B where I stayed in 1997. I remember it was no frills, and I was asked to pay in advance, which I did in Deutsch Marks. A lot of people were walking around Bacharach today, but it wasn’t teeming with people, probably because the weather wasn’t that great. But it remained a lovely place to spend a few hours, watching river cruise ships pass by on the serene Rhein, and a cute little dog in a tiny carrier, hanging out with its people. I wouldn’t have minded having coffee and cake, or maybe some wine in another establishment… but I feared that if we sat down somewhere, we’d stay longer than we should. So we decided to head back after a couple of hours. It was long enough to remind us of why we wanted to move back here so many years ago.

I didn’t get any premonitions today… which I take as a positive sign. Bacharach remains a favorite German destination for me. We should visit more… In fact, we should go to more adorable German towns on the Rhein. I just have to get my ass off the couch or the bed and get to it.

Unfortunately, when we got home, I found out that the rivet securing the strap on my purse broke. I bought the purse in Florence back in 2022. It’s served me well, so I ordered another one from the same shop in a different color. Maybe we’ll get the strap fixed on the one I have now. It just needs a new rivet. I also need to clean out my bag!

Well, I think I’ll close this post and go enjoy the rest of the evening with Bill. Hope you had a lovely Sunday.

adventure, art, house hunting

Hello Vipiteno… long time, no see! (part eight)

As I have mentioned in previous blog posts (and videos), I first discovered the formerly Austrian and currently Italian town, Vipiteno/Sterzing, back in June 2009. I went on a bus trip out of the Edelweiss Lodge in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. They advertised a day trip to Italy in Vipiteno and Bolzano. I went for it.

I remember that week spending every day on a tour somewhere with other military spouses and their families. On that particular day, I was seated next to a very hostile man who seemed angry that I existed. I guess he was mad that he had to sit next to me, instead of with his wife. That’s why you should get to the bus early, so you can stake out your territory.

In any case, I enjoyed both Bolzano and Vipiteno in June 2009. Bill and I went to Bolzano in August 2020. And now, we have enjoyed Vipiteno together. Below are a few Vipiteno pictures from my first trip. I remember our group was herded to a purse shop there. I bought a leather bag that I used for some time before it was time to replace it. We also visited a very old church that dated from the 14th century and is famous for its frescoes. I don’t know why I didn’t post more pictures. Bill and I didn’t have a chance to go there during our visit together.

On Saturday, March 15th, we woke up to snowy skies, which later turned to rain. We enjoyed a good breakfast at Hotel Erna– cold cuts, cheeses, breads, fruits and vegetables, and these incredible rolls that were shaped liked crescents. They had a sweet filling and toasted almonds on top, and they were served warm. They were so good!

It was raining during our visit to the town, which literally put a damper on things. Luckily, there are many shops in Vipiteno. It’s a great place to buy things. And, indeed, we did buy lots of gifts for the grandchildren and stuff for ourselves. Bill also insisted on buying me an umbrella. Aside from that, I took a lot of photos, and availed myself of the very welcome free public restroom near the tourism office. I am relieved to report that it was also pretty clean!

*The tower is pretty much the main attraction!*

Vipiteno is also where I purchased my latest prop… I bought a middle finger paperweight. I feel pretty sure I will get my money out of using it. I even made a video about it.

I made this video for my friend, Dave, and to show off the new toy I bought in Vipiteno!

We bought toys and delectables for ourselves and the kids, then went searching for lunch. The town has many pizzerias, and a few places that appeared to offer cuisine that is more for the Austrian/German palate. We ended up at a pizzeria ourselves, a place called Ristorante Bellavita. It looked like they were doing some cosmetic work on the outside of the place, which isn’t on the main drag.

We sat down at the back of the restaurant and both decided to have pizzas. Bellavita offers some special ones. Mine was called Aline, and had Brie, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, bacon, and oregano. Bill’s was a white pizza that had pork bellies, mozzarella cheese, and basil pesto. He managed to finish his, but I only got through half of mine. Then, for dessert, I had Blanco profiteroles, which were chocolate filled and covered with whipped cream! We took the rest of my leftover pizza with us, but Bill ended up eating it.

I see the this particular restaurant doesn’t get the best ratings, but we definitely enjoyed our lunch there. Service was good; prices were reasonable; and we felt comfortable. Also, the pizzas were interesting and delicious!

After a bit more walking around, we realized the weather was getting worse. It was colder and wetter, and frankly, it wasn’t fun hanging around outside in it. So we decided to stop by a Spar grocery store (Austrian chain) and pick up some more goodies for home and the kids. As much as we shopped in grocery stores, there are still some things I wish we’d bought.

After that, we headed back to the hotel, and I played with my new pink hand. I also took selfies, and then a long nap… When I woke up, someone on YouTube had left me a comment on one of my best videos, advising me to take it down because of the election results. Bill and I made a video response to that, and I got to put the new pink hand to good use.

I’m glad we visited Vipiteno. It really is a charming town, even when the weather is bad. There’s good food and shopping, and it’s a nice place to spend a Saturday afternoon! For those who want to do more than shop, there’s also good skiing and hiking, as well as the train to lovely Bolzano, which is well worth a look. We might have gone there, if we hadn’t already been. I would probably rather stay in Bolzano, although the area around Vipiteno and Brennero is very charming. March was a good time to be there, too. I would imagine there are many crowds in season. I noticed lots of bus parking, and of course, my first time there was on a bus tour!

It kind of gives you a look at Hotel Erna, and the hand, which comes from Hong Kong, but was imported through The Netherlands.

And, as was our custom on this particular trip, we decided to stay in and watch movies as we wound down our trip. In the next post, I will describe the drive back to Germany, and that will end the blow by blow account of this trip. It will be followed by my usual “ten things I learned” post. Stay tuned!

Hessen, Sundays

We visited Marburg for Bill’s birthday!

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.

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.*

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.

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!

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!

Champagne Bucket trips, Regent Seven Seas Cruise Lines

A warm welcome back to Tallinn, Estonia!

In June 2009, Bill and I visited Tallinn, Estonia for the first time, as Vision of the Seas pulled up to the rather primitive looking harbor. I remember getting off the ship and being serenaded by a local brass band. Royal Caribbean had local bands playing at each stop, which I thought was really cool. In fact, I even recorded some of their performance and put it on YouTube. Check it out!

This was a nice welcome to Estonia in 2009.

On June 25th, 2023, we were back in Estonia, having signed up for a “free” beer tasting excursion, courtesy of Regent Seven Seas. I immediately noticed, as we pulled in, that the port looked a lot more developed than it had in 2009. There was a large cruise terminal that I don’t remember being there when we visited 14 years ago. I also noticed what appeared to be an AIDA ship in port. It was unusually rusty. I didn’t think much of it, though, as we made our way from the Constellation Theater to the tour bus.

Our excursion was in the morning. I had a tough time choosing which trip I wanted to do. They were also offering a tour to a local museum dedicated to Estonia’s Soviet years. Since I spent two years living in Armenia, another former Soviet republic, just after the fall of the Soviet Union, I am especially interested in the history. But I needn’t have worried. We met our hilarious guide, Raul, who seemed to effortlessly channel the late comic Robin Williams as he delivered witty one liners and told us about Estonia. He added a fair amount of commentary about the Soviet years, making it very clear that the Estonians were delighted to be rid of that regime, even though the ensuing years after the Soviet Union fell apart were quite difficult.

When we visited Tallinn the first time, Bill and I walked from the port to the old town. It’s not that far as the crow flies. However, since 2009, there’s been a whole lot of construction. I think the walk today, while technically possible, would be more dangerous, due to all the traffic.

Raul explained that Estonia doesn’t have many inhabitants and, in fact, the COVID crisis was probably not so bad for their society, since they naturally “social distance”. He said that large families are not very common, and that their population is aging.

We started our tour in the “upper town”, which is different from how Bill and I did our self-guided tour in 2009. In fact, the one thing that disappointed me about Raul’s tour is that we missed the entrance to the old town, where “Fat Margaret” is. This tower, which dates from the early 16th century, is now home to the Estonian Maritime Museum. I remember taking some good pictures in that part of town. I also got a video of some Hare Krishnas!

Hare Krishnas in Tallinn, back in 2009…

And here are some of the more interesting photos I took in 2009…

But Raul did hit the highlights, including the beautiful Russian Orthodox church, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. I distinctly remember that when we visited in 2009, it was a Sunday, and there were many women with scarves on their heads in the church. I remember the heavy smell of incense and old ladies standing outside the church collecting donations from men.

It was Sunday when we visited this time, too, and we were reminded not to take pictures inside the cathedral. Those who did try to sneak pictures were quickly spotted and reprimanded, as a service was going on when we visited.

*Apparently, the port in Tallinn now has a mascot!*

We also visited a Lutheran church, just before a service was to begin. Raul was talking when the organist erupted into a rendition of “Amazing Grace”. It was actually very beautiful. I left the church with tears in my eyes.

The organist played beautifully!

We had a chance to view the lower part of the town from a picturesque spot in the upper part, where we got some photos and shopped for souvenirs. We picked up a new beer stein for our collection.

After our potty and shopping stop, we went to the lower part of town, where we stopped by a chocolatier and bought some chocolate. I still haven’t opened the box to see if they’re any good. A lovely young lady was playing a key harp (Nyckelharpa)– an instrument from Sweden that looks like a combination of a violin and a keyboard. I dropped a couple of euros in her hat, because I have a soft spot for buskers. She played well, and her music added to the atmosphere.

At the end of the tour, we went to a restaurant to taste local beers and eat fresh local sausages. It was at this point that Bill and I met Lynn and Ron, a very nice couple from Dundee, Scotland. The beer tasting was a treat for me, since I liked the three beers that were offered. Not everyone did. Especially the delicious cherry beer! No one discussed the beers or even mentioned who made them. They were simply served with the sausages.

As we made our way back to the bus, I thought to myself that we really do need to come back to Tallinn and spend a couple of days in the city, then maybe venture out to the countryside. Maybe after the train is ready, we can do that. Tallinn by itself is a really cool city– literally and figuratively. But I think the country as a whole is interesting, as I watched a great documentary years ago about Estonia called The Singing Revolution. I happen to own this film and found it fascinating.

A trailer for The Singing Revolution.

Raul did a great job of telling us about Tallinn and showing us the sights. I was sorry to be leaving Tallinn, as it really is such a neat city, with so much color and personality! The beer is pretty good, too!

The ship was going to be leaving Estonia in the early afternoon, as our next port was Riga, Latvia, which is quite a distance when you’re in transportation that moves as slowly as a cruise ship does. So, we sadly bid farewell to Estonia that afternoon. As Bill and I watched the skyline disappear, I looked up the rusty looking AIDA vessel that was sitting in the harbor and learned that it was a ship that was sold to new owners and is now flagged in Liberia. But it’s been sitting abandoned in Tallin’s port since November 2021. Another AIDA ship was also sitting in the port for over a year, but finally left.

We decided to enjoy the afternoon on our balcony, drinking some of the beers brought by the steward the night before. Unfortunately, they weren’t very cold. I think it’s because when no one is in the staterooms, the power is completely shut off. Anything plugged in is unplugged, and you have to use a card to get the lights to work. But it was still a pleasant afternoon’s cruise. We were blessed with nice weather, which I understand is not the case for those who are cruising this week!

*A former AIDA ship, sitting idle in port.*

After awhile, we decided to visit the Splendor Lounge on Deck 4, then have dinner in the Compass Rose restaurant. Aldo and Dimas– a singer and pianist– were there performing, playing slow hits from the 70s. I commented to Bill that I thought the playlist was a little depressing. Nevertheless, we enjoyed their performance, and then met another couple from Germany, who actually live near Wiesbaden and know Breckenheim (our village), because they go to a restaurant there.

George and Claudia were interesting to talk to. Claudia spoke some English, but was delighted when Bill spoke some German. I think she was very happy to talk to someone besides George, who was in a wheelchair and appeared to be profoundly physically disabled. I had first noticed them in the dining room. Claudia said that she and George had traveled all over the place together, and she loved America, because there was so much consideration for people in wheelchairs. For instance, in Germany, a lot of facilities have toilets upstairs or downstairs, making it hard for physically disabled people to access them. But in the United States, most modern buildings have ramps, wide doors, and wheelchair accessible bathrooms. I noticed that Regent Splendor, more than any other ship I’ve ever been on, also catered a lot to people in wheelchairs.

Claudia did not let George’s disability slow her down. She got up and danced, holding George’s hand as she sashayed to the music. She said she loved American rock n’ roll, especially Elvis Presley. And she reminded us that Elvis spent time in the Frankfurt/Wiesbaden area, back when he was in the Army. We will have to visit where he once lived!

*Taken on June 24th, just before the lounge opened.*

After we had dinner in the Compass Rose, we came back to the Splendor Lounge, where Aldo and Dimas had picked up the tempo considerably. More people joined us and there was soon much singing and dancing. It was a nice way to end a great day!

Bill and his cheese!

A little singing and dancing in the Splendor Lounge!

Hessen

A beautiful evening in Hochheim, dining at Riesling Stuben…

A few days ago, I asked Bill if he might like to go out to dinner on Saturday night. He was agreeable to my suggestion, so we went on OpenTable.de to see what restaurants were available. One of the very first suggestions was Riesling Stuben in nearby Hochheim, an adorable wine town located about twenty minutes’ drive from Breckenheim.

When I mentioned the restaurant to Bill, he said he’d seen that place recommended a bunch of times. However, we haven’t gone to Hochheim very often, because parking in the town can be a challenge. The first time we visited there was at Christmas time in 2018, just after we moved from the Stuttgart area to Wiesbaden. Bill’s former boss, who had lived in Hochheim, had arranged for a wine tasting and company Christmas party at a hotel literally steps away from his rental home. I remember thinking the town was absolutely adorable, but we had a terrible time finding a place to park. We never did get around to visiting the town again the following summer.

Then came the pandemic, which kept us pretty close to home for a couple of years. Hochheim is close to where we live, but we didn’t have enough experience with it to just go there to look around. We didn’t actually do that until last August, when we randomly showed up there on a summer day and stumbled across a wine stand. We had a couple of glasses and walked around. Once again, I wondered where Hochheim had been all of my life and why we weren’t hanging out there more often.

Last night, Bill was a little worried about parking, but it turned out to be a non-issue. There’s at least one lot where it’s free of charge to park. It’s on the edge of town, and maybe a five or ten minute walk from where we were going. The weather was gorgeous last night, so it wasn’t a hardship to stroll through the quaint village. We passed Bill’s ex boss’s former home, past the hotel where we had our Christmas party, and the winery where we had our tasting, and soon easily found Riesling Stuben. We were about twenty minutes early for our 7:00pm reservation, but decided to show up anyway, since I was hungry.

Below are some photos from our walk around before we got to the restaurant. As you can see, this is a place where German wines are produced and sold. It’s also very stylish, with lots of beautiful homes owned by people with money. I don’t think I would have been sad to find a home in Hochheim when we were looking!

*We ran into a couple getting wedding photos done.*

When we got to Riesling Stuben, we noticed a couple sitting in the adorable courtyard. A large chalkboard with the word “Cheers!” greeted us, along with grape vines, and a string of lights. I easily spotted our table, as there was a sign with our name on it and the time of our reservation.

Bill went looking for someone in charge, but the proprietor found me before he saw Bill. I told him we had a reservation and pointed at the table. We sat down, noticing that there were faux fur outdoor blankets on each chair. We sure didn’t need those last night, although maybe they were provided to make the metal and plastic chairs slightly more comfortable.

It looked like the restaurant had a lot of reservations, as I took note of the signs on the tables. Not everyone seemed to show up, though. The 6:45pm table near us was never occupied.

On OpenTable, it said the suggested dress at Riesling Stuben was casual. Bill wore jeans and a t-shirt. I wore shorts and a t-shirt. We noticed the couple near us was similarly dressed. However, we noticed an upper deck, where more people were sitting. Some of those folks were dressed with a bit more flair. I mention the dress because the food turned out to be fancier, and frankly much better, than I was expecting it to be!

I read that the Riesling Stuben used to have different owners and its reputation had slipped somewhat since new people took over a few years ago. I once worked at a rather famous restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia whose chef owner was very well-known and liked. When that restaurant was sold, but the new owners kept the old name, a lot of people complained about how the quality had slipped and everything had changed. It looked like Riesling Stuben might have had the same issue; people who had been used to the old owners hadn’t liked the way the restaurant had changed with new people running it. But, since Bill and I had never been to Riesling Stuben before last night, we had no preconceived notions. And, as it turned out, we had a wonderful evening. I’m glad I didn’t read about the restaurant’s old reputation before we actually visited.

A young and sweet looking server greeted us and took Bill’s order of our standard sparkling water and a bottle of locally produced Riesling. Then, when she came back with our water and wine, we were ready to order food. I don’t often bother with starters nowadays, since I usually don’t have room and I don’t need the extra calories, anyway. However, I couldn’t resist the cold apple-cucumber soup, which sounded perfect and refreshing for a warm evening. And, since it’s now the tail end of “Spargel” season, Bill had the asparagus soup.

For our main courses, I ordered the smoked pork cheeks with herbed risotto, strawberries, and balsamic vinaigrette. Bill went with Parmesan encrusted corn fed chicken breasts, served with Romaine salad, smoked tomatoes, and tarragon “Schmand” (sour cream). While we waited for our food, we enjoyed bread with butter and Spundekäs, a locally produced cheese spread usually served with pretzels.

The server didn’t do a formal wine presentation. Instead, she just brought the wine out, opened it, and served me first. She looked like a teenager, so my guess is that she doesn’t yet drink wine herself. She might not yet know to offer guests the opportunity to taste the wine before it gets served. However, in spite of her youth, I thought she was very charming and did a very good job serving everyone.

A few minutes after she brought us our wine, the proprietor came out and checked out which wine we ordered. He spoke English to us, which was much appreciated, and apologized that he didn’t have menus in English. We didn’t need English menus anyway, thanks to years of dining out in Germany, and the availability of smartphones with Google Translate! Besides, although my ability to speak German is extremely limited, I do understand a fair amount of it when I’m paying attention. Bill can speak basic conversational German with confidence.

Here are some photos of the food… It was a real hit with us!

We both really enjoyed our dinners. I hadn’t been expecting the food to be as good as it was. Since the restaurant was called Riesling Stuben and the dress was casual, I was expecting more traditional, stereotypical German fare. I was pleasantly surprised, both by the originality of the dishes and the way they were presented. They tasted good, too, although I think some of the reason we enjoyed everything so much had to do with the weather and the cool “cocktail” music they were playing– think old school jazz, from people like Desi Arnaz, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra. Yes, I did a lot of “Shazaming”. In fact, I even downloaded an album while we were eating.

As you can see from the second set of photos, we did get some clouds, and a few raindrops. One party moved into the restaurant. Another paid up and left. We waited out the very short rain spell, along with the couple who was there before us. They were drinking a lot, and it was soon pretty obvious that they were friends of the owners, who even joined them for a couple of rounds. I felt like we were watching a dinner party.

After we were finished with dinner, we decided to order dessert, but told the proprietor that we would finish the wine before it was time for the Nachtisch (dessert). He took our order and left us to enjoy the rest of the Riesling. About ten or fifteen minutes later, we were finished with the wine. The waiter came out with what looked like dessert for us, but then he walked out of the courtyard to– I’m not sure where!

This was where dinner became a little strange, as the service went off the rails. We sat in the courtyard for a long time, with no sign of anyone in charge. I didn’t mind it at first, because the weather was nice, and the music was entertaining. But, after awhile, it did get a little bit awkward and weird. I was wondering what was going on. Finally, the guy came back and asked us if we were okay. We reminded him about dessert, and he smacked his head. He had forgotten! And he had noticed me noticing him with the desserts he carried out of the courtyard, but it didn’t occur to him that we were waiting for ours.

He gave us a round of dessert wine for our troubles, which was much appreciated. The dessert wine went well with my chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce, and Bill’s apple “Kuchle”, which was basically slices of apples dipped in batter, fried, and dusted with sugar and cinnamon, then served with vanilla ice cream.

I have had better chocolate mousse, but I really liked Bill’s dessert. The mousse would have been improved with less raspberry sauce, which overwhelmed the chocolate somewhat. I didn’t even taste the chocolate at first, until I got past the intense raspberry. I noticed that raspberry was a prominent ingredient at this place. All three of my courses had elements of it. I think if we went back, I’d have what Bill had. Unless, of course, they have the lemon tart listed on the menu available again.

I visited the ladies room while Bill handled the check. It gave me a chance to take a couple of photos on the interior, which is very cute and cozy! I got a kick out of the ladies room. I will warn that getting to the restrooms could be a challenge for those who have limited mobility. They are located up a creaky staircase.

We enjoyed an on the house round of wine liqueur as Bill paid the 112 euro check with his credit card. As we were about to leave, the people at the next table asked if we were on vacation. I said, “No, we live in Breckenheim. And we’ll be back!” They laughed and wished us a pleasant evening. We really enjoyed ourselves, in spite of the wait for our desserts. The waiter handled that situation with grace. Fortunately, we weren’t in a hurry, and the weather and charm of the place made waiting less irritating.

On the way back to the car, we passed a wine stand being held at one of Hochheim’s many Weinguts. I got a kick out of the vending machine, which sold wines and wine glasses. Sadly, though, one needs a German “Ausweis” (ID card) to make a purchase. I guess that machine is only for true locals! Oh well.

We were raving about the evening all the way back home, promising to spend more time in Hochheim, not just for dinner at the Riesling Stuben, but also to try other restaurants in the town and, of course, buy some wine!

*The liqueur softens the blow of the check.*

Well… I can’t say our dinner at Riesling Stuben was perfect, but we did have a wonderful time. And it is a very unique and cute eatery. Atmosphere and presentation count for a lot. I do think the weather helped a lot to make last night so special. Regardless, we left Hochheim smiling, and promising ourselves to return sooner, rather than later.

Baden-Württemberg

Stuttgart, Germany… it’s as lovely as ever in the springtime… part two

On Friday, March 24, Bill and I made our way down to a very familiar city. We were both relieved to be on our way. The lead up to this trip had been very stressful, as our dog, Arran, was suffering from lymphoma, and we were very worried about the prospect of boarding him. He’d been physically healthy enough until the evening of March 16, when he suddenly had what appeared to be a stroke.

On the morning of the 17th, it was pretty clear that Arran was fixing to make his way to the Rainbow Bridge. We helped him on his way. While it was very sad to say goodbye to Arran, the timing of his passing was kind of fortuitous. It meant we wouldn’t be worried about him all weekend, as we were in the fall, when we visited Hotel Bareiss just after he was diagnosed with cancer.

March 24th was a rainy and chilly day. Noyzi was delighted to get to go to the Tierpension Birkenhof, though. He hadn’t been there since the fall, when we last went to see Dr. Blair. In November, we had our 20th wedding anniversary holiday, in Ribeauville, France. We took the dogs with us for that trip. For this trip, we needed to board Noyzi. I booked the Wald Hotel’s suite, and though the hotel is very dog friendly, the specific room we were staying in wasn’t, as it is carpeted. Luckily, Noyzi LOVES the hundepension. Arran used to like going there, but as he got older, he made it clear that he’d rather be with us. It was good that he didn’t have to endure a last stay there.

I got a video of Noyzi on his way to the “dog hotel”. He absolutely loves going there– as you can see! I was surprised to see that they’d done some renovation since we were last there, too. But Noyzi also likes coming home. Bill is going to go get him in an hour.

Noyzi is joyfully reunited with his beloved human friend, Natasha, at the Birkenhof.

Once the dog was dropped off, we continued our journey south. I had suggested to Bill that we should stop for lunch in the town of Besigheim, a hamlet known for its wines. It’s just north of Ludwigsburg, a city in the Stuttgart area we used to visit all the time. We had never been to Besigheim before, but I decided it would make for a nice stop when I saw someone share photos of it in a local Facebook group. We didn’t have the best weather, but I did find the municipality to be very charming indeed. Better yet, it had plenty of cheap parking, and a garage that had a public restroom, which Bill really needed. 😉

*Spotted at a rest stop… I should have bought the top sign.*

I managed to get some photos, and then we had lunch at a historic restaurant on the main drag called Ratsstüble Besigheim. It appeared to be a local favorite, and we did have a nice lunch there. I think the waitress was kind of curious about us. Overall, we liked the lunch, although my fish was a little burnt on one side. Bill loved his salad, though.

I don’t think they get a lot of Americans in Besigheim, although I could be mistaken. My German friend says that one of Barack Obama’s forebears was born in that town in 1729. These days, it looks like it’s mostly known for being a place to buy lovely local wines. I’d like to go back, as I noticed a nice looking hotel, a wine bar, and some inviting looking shops. They also had several restaurants that were intriguing, and an Italian Feinkost (gourmet shop).

I would have liked to have stayed in Besigheim longer, but it was getting later in the afternoon and we were worried about traffic. It turns out we were right to be worried. Getting into Stuttgart via Heilbronn and state roads was a bit of a nutroll. There was tons of construction, as usual, as well as the annoying traffic patterns one often encounters in Stuttgart. But, after taking our usual route back today, we can say with all honesty, the Autobahn isn’t a whole lot better. 😉 There is a reason they call it “STAUgart.

We arrived at Wald Hotel in the late afternoon, and were welcomed by a young man who half-heartedly offered to help us with our bags. I was more impressed the last time we visited the Wald Hotel, and stayed in the Junior Suite (which is a better room, in my opinion). That was in May 2019. But anyway, I got photos of the Suite, too… and I don’t think I need to book it again. It was nice enough, but I liked the Junior Suite more, and it costs less. I actually like the rainfall showers better in the newer Superior Rooms. They’re awesome, and have mood lighting. The “suites” are lovely marble, but they don’t have rainfall capacity or mood lighting. I also think the beds in the Superior rooms are more comfortable.

I see in my review of the Junior Suite (502/500) in May 2019, I mentioned a “mysterious stairway”. I think I figured out that it leads to the Suite (501), as the two can be booked to accommodate a family of up to six people. There’s also a little bedroom in the Suite complex (500) that probably gets used for kids.

We also got a free round of drinks in the bar because I am an Expedia gold member and booked through them. Wald Hotel used to have a really cool bartender named Angelo who worked there, but he retired not so long ago. The current bartender was very good too, although Angelo was an old pro, and it really showed. I’m sure the current barkeep will eventually become legendary in her own right.

We decided to eat dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, Finch, so we had our free round at the bar and the bartender beamed when Bill tipped her on the “free drinks”.

It does appear that Wald Hotel is doing things a little differently now. It used to be they offered free drinks in the minibar. Now it looks like the minibar is no longer “free”. Still, we were glad to be back. We got to bed at a reasonable hour and slept mostly well. The mattress was very firm, which we’re not used to, but that could be because I just put a foam topper on our bed.

Saturday, we made new discoveries, which I will write about in part three tomorrow.

Frankfurt, Hessen, Sundays

Our first, but not last, visit to Bad Homburg!

Some time ago, I started following a Facebook group dedicated to sharing pictures of Hessen and day trip ideas. People were sharing photos that reminded me of how much fun Bill and I used to have pre-COVID, visiting different places, eating in restaurants, and enjoying our weekends. Bad Homburg, which is a spa town just north of Frankfurt, is about a half hour drive for us. People in the Hessen Facebook group often share pictures of it, making me think it was a place I wanted to see.

Today was the perfect day for a visit, as we had beautiful, sunny weather, and pleasant temperatures. So, off we went this afternoon, after Bill had confirmed there were restaurants that didn’t take a pause after lunch. As usual, we got a late start that put us at our destination after prime lunch hours. He also found a well-rated parking garage. This was important, as when he arrived at the garage, he found it pretty hard to maneuver our SUV into a spot without parking over the line! He tried several spots before he finally got the car in without encroaching. I shudder to think about the poorly rated garages in Bad Homburg!

Just outside of the garage, I could tell we were in for a treat. Just coming into the city, you pass imposing looking tower gates. I also noticed that the Christmas market stalls were already going up, and they were all over town! I bet this will be a great destination when the markets open for the holiday season! I loved the tower on the Schloss grounds, and the saying at the gate “Walk in like you mean it.” I also loved the awesome cedar tree outside the gate. This castle dates from the 12th century, although all but the keep were demolished by Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg. The castle that exists today was built in the 1680s.

First, we walked up to the Schloss, which offered beautiful views and finally, some fall foliage, which I feel like I’ve missed since summer ended. Not only did I get some pretty photos, I also got a chance to use the bathroom, and it was FREE! That was lucky! Below are some photos from around the Schloss. We could have toured it if we’d wanted to, but we were short on time and needed lunch.

After the Schloss, we visited a couple of churches– Erlöserkirche, a Protestant church that dates from 1908, and the Church of St. Mary, a Catholic church. Both were beautiful in their own rights, but I also loved the gay friendly vibe at the Catholic church. I liked how the inside of the Protestant church glittered as if it was studded with gold. The Catholic church was a little more modern looking, but still very welcoming and comfortable, with the smell of incense in the air. The town itself, especially near the churches, reminded me a lot of France.

Bill lit a candle for his father, and then we made our way to a restaurant called Pane e Vino, an Italian place with a full menu and bar, and no afternoon pause! I had grilled salmon with potatoes and spinach, while Bill had veal scallopini with potatoes and pea pods. We washed it down with Primitivo and San Pellegrino, and enjoyed the convivial mood of the place, then finished with a glass of Merlot for me, and an espresso for Bill. We also had complimentary limoncellos as digestives! Check out the cool mural on the ceiling in the restaurant! Lunch came to about 65 euros, before the tip, but we had a couple of the pricier dishes.

We walked around a bit more, stopping to tip a violin busker, who was playing Mozart and Vivaldi, enhancing the European ambiance with his talents. Then we went to the Kurpark for a short stroll, as the sun was starting to set. I got a kick out of the statue of Dostoyevsky, who looked like he was thinking real hard. I found myself wishing we had gotten going earlier in the day. Bad Homburg has a lot to see. Next time, we’ll come on a Saturday, and I’ll get a better shot of the potted tree on the way in. I want to come back just to check out that Feinkost!

We will definitely have to go back for a longer visit. This is a really lovely, elegant, classy town with a different feel. I’m glad we didn’t miss it after living here for four years. I want to see more!

Uncategorized

We stumbled upon a wine stand in Hochheim…

Because I run a food and wine group on Facebook, I often find wine fests, food fests, and other food and drink related stuff, which I share with people in my group. Last weekend, we went to Limburg, which we might not have done if not for that group and my realization that having it encourages me to go out and see Germany instead of sitting on my can at home. I was kind of hoping for a similar discovery today, as there are two wine fests going on that I know of, and probably more if I were to do a deep dive into the calendars of communities around us.

I knew that a couple of the wine fests looked like they would be open at 5:00, since that’s when they opened last night. However, this was not stated on Facebook, nor was it the rule last weekend. So Bill and I decided we’d go to nearby Flörsheim’s wine stand, mainly because it’s super close to us, but also because we had never been there before. I decided that because we’d never been to Flörsheim, I was curious to see if it was “cute”, especially since it’s on the Main River. Maybe we missed the cute part of town, but to me it looked boring and suburban, and aside from a few interesting looking churches, I saw no reason to hang out there, especially today. The weather today is PERFECT… almost no clouds, and about 77 degrees, with a pleasant breeze.

We ended up driving past where the fest was to be… and clearly later in the day, probably in about a half hour as I write this, they will open up and people can sit at a table overlooking beautiful vineyards and sip wines from the region. But we decided that it wasn’t absolutely imperative that we go to a wine fest, so we ended up in very cute Hochheim, which is a town just a few miles from where we live. We went there in late 2018, when Bill first arrived in Wiesbaden. His boss at the time lived in Hochheim, and had arranged a wine tasting and holiday dinner. The boss has since moved on, but the town is still adorable, as evidenced by today’s photos. We need to spend more time in adorable Hochheim, especially when they have wine stands. We stumbled on one today! Below are a few random shots of Flörsheim that I took from th

When I think of Flörsheim, I think of shoes. In the USA, that was a brand name of shoes, especially in the 70s and 80s. Google says Florsheim (no umlaut) is still around. I don’t know if there is a connection. If there is, I saw no obvious evidence of it.

Anyway, we went through Hochheim on our way home, and noticed there was a wine stand going on, so we decided to stop, walk around a bit, and later, try some wine… And now I know that we need to visit this town more often, since it’s very close to us, super cute, and full of wine tasting opportunities. Seriously… where has Hochheim been all my life? See below to see how cute the town is.

We spent probably a good 90 minutes or so, quaffing whatever. Bill was good, and had a schorle (wine and sparkling mineral water) and a glass of grape juice with sparkling water. I, on the other hand, decided to abuse my liver. I tried a lot of what they had. We left when it was getting closer to 4:00pm. The dogs needed to be fed, and it looked like things were winding down. Several people brought their dogs, and it was just a really pleasant day.

Well attended and very friendly wine stand.

I got the sense that the people at the wine stand were locals who knew each other. I enjoyed how the biker ladies, all in matching t shirts, welcomed one later joiner. It was all fun, convivial, and I felt very safe and welcome there. Once again, I thanked Bill for bringing me to Germany to live. It really is a nice place to be, especially these days.

The Limoncello Spritz, by the way, is easy to make. One part limoncello, one part Sekt, finish with sparkling water, and rub lemon on the rim of the glass. Garnish with lemon. It was even served with ice, which is a rare thing here. Very nice!

Sundays

Where has Limburg been all my life?

First thing’s first. I had no plans to visit the Hessian city of Limburg, Germany today. I went there because I follow Wiesbaden Fest Finders on Facebook, and I run my own “wine and food” group, mostly for Americans in Stuttgart and Wiesbaden. My food and wine Facebook group started in 2017, when Bill and I lived in Stuttgart, and we made a point of trying new restaurants and doing new stuff every weekend. In those days, we had no clue that we’d eventually move to Wiesbaden, and we had even less of a clue that there would be a global pandemic.

In late 2018, when we moved from Stuttgart to Wiesbaden, just about everyone in my Facebook group was based in Stuttgart. It was a pretty active group then. Since I spent six years living there in two different stints, I decided to just tack Wiesbaden onto the name of the group. In 2018, I thought I’d be going to Stuttgart often, if only because that’s where my dentist is. The main difference is, I don’t belong to a bunch of Wiesbaden groups. Living in Stuttgart and dealing with social media drama there made me want to be more under the radar. So I kept the group going, but while I thought I’d be going to Stuttgart more often than I do, that hasn’t happened. Thank COVID for that.

I still have lots of Stuttgart members, and some Wiesbadeners have joined. It’s not a particularly popular group, and frankly, I’ve been thinking about going defunct. But just when I’m about to abandon the group, something exciting happens that makes me keep going. Today was one of those days. Today, we discovered Limburg! And no, it’s not where the infamously stinky cheese comes from; that’s in Belgium.

A whole shitload of wine fests are happening right now in the Rheingau. I posted several of them this morning. The Limburg fest happened to be the first one I shared in my group. I was a little curious about Limburg, because in 2020, when we were trying to adopt a dog from a German rescue, we had a home visit done by a lady who was from Limburg. She said it was about 45 minutes away. She approved us for adopting the dog, but tragically, it didn’t work out for us. But no matter. Now we have Noyzi, the wonder dog from Kosovo.

So anyway… that brings me to this morning, as I was contemplating whether or not I wanted to go out, having just recovered from my first official bout with COVID-19. I finally decided that I did want… and NEED… to get out of the house. Like I wrote before, there were many things going on today. We had our pick. But I decided I wanted to go to Limburg, so that’s where we went. And, I have to say, we had a great time! This was our first time in Limburg, but God willing, it will not be our last. What a cute town! It’s on the Lahn River, and there are so many splendid timbered buildings dating back hundreds of years. The weather was perfect, and when we got there, I was enchanted by the many adorable shops. I even found something I wanted to buy, but decided not to, when I realized how heavy it was.

We stopped at the Leon Gerhard Weingut stall and tried several wines. I would have liked to have tried others, but we were a little pressed for time, thanks to the parking garage. It was one where you prepay, rather than pay when you’re done. Bill’s credit card wouldn’t work, and for once, we were short on spare change. While I didn’t think the cops were gonna bust us for overstaying, Bill was in a hurry… and we did have hungry dogs to consider.

There were a whole bunch of vintners at the Wine Fest, as well as food purveyors. As we were leaving, musicians were setting up for live music. I couldn’t help but feel so grateful to be in Germany now… as my homeland is embroiled in endless political bullshit, Germany is having wonderful festivals, reminding us that sometimes you just need to chill out and enjoy some wine and company. God bless Germany. It will always have a piece of my heart.

As for Limburg, it definitely didn’t stink… again, the infamously smelly cheese, comes from the Limburg area of Belgium, not Germany. So although I will make jokes about stinky cheese and cheesiness, this town isn’t the one affiliated with famously pungent cheese. We’ll be back, because I’m sure they have lots of fests. We were only there for a few hours, but I feel like I got a short vacation, and it was great for my soul. Especially when we visited Limburger Dom, which is a uniquely beautiful cathedral that has its origins in the 9th century.

We did stop for lunch at Werner-Senger Haus, which is a very cute and historic restaurant in a building that dates from the 1200s. We ate in their garden, which was up a couple of flights of stairs, or accessible from a gate on the other side of the restaurant. It was hot, so we drank Weizens, and I had a Wildschwein Burger, while Bill had Wildschwein Bratwurst with Pfifferlingen mushrooms. The food was good, and there was plenty of it, although it was a bit messy! Both dishes came with a Preiselbeer sauce that was a bit heavily applied on my burger, which was “molded” rather than hand shaped. But it tasted okay, even if it was a little rarer than I like it.

As we were leaving Werner-Senger Haus, I noticed a portrait on the wall near the door. I thought maybe it was Werner Senger, but my German friend was kind enough to edify me with the startling truth. Apparently, the man in the portrait is the Schinderhannes, Johannes Bückler. The restaurant is in the house where he was brought after he was captured. Wikipedia tells me that Johannes Bückler was an outlaw and thief who lived from 1778 until November 21, 1803, when he was guillotined in nearby Mainz. Bückler was famous for organizing one of the biggest crime sprees in German history, so we were dining on true historic ground! I did marvel more than once that I thought the restaurant was really cool looking, but now I know it’s very historic, too.

I might have preferred street food at the fest, but I needed to pee, and as we walked through there, the public WCs weren’t quite open for business. They were when we came back an hour or so later. Our bill at the restaurant was about 49 euros. I would like to go back, if only because it really was such a unique and historic building, just as so many others in that town are. I felt like I got a half day vacation!

Below are some photos…

More fun with selfies. He makes me happy.

We had a great time today. I am sure we’ll be back to Limburg. It’s a very nice town, and I’ll bet they have some great fests. And once again, I am so glad to be living in Germany. I don’t know how long we’ll be here, but today was a reminder to enjoy and learn from every moment. Today was a treat, and I hope we can get back into enjoying them more often. At least until COVID gets bad again.

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Tag Archives: cute towns