Tag Archives: Dunkin’ Donuts

Hessen, Military

Time for another ID update…

Yesterday, Bill and I had an appointment to update our ID cards. We’re kind of cutting it to the wire, as our old IDs were due to expire June 25th. German authorities were taking awhile to update paperwork that allows us to stay in the country legally. Then, there was another person in Bill’s office who had to complete a procedure before we could get the IDs updated. Next week, we’re going to Lithuania, to be followed by yet another long planned trip to Switzerland…

Fortunately, everything came together, and Bill was able to pick me up and take me to the ID office yet again for new identification credentials. Had he not been able, he had another appointment for next week ready… but that would have REALLY cut it close. We also have to update our SOFA cards, which are basically the permits that allow us to be here legally.

The appointment was for 1:00 PM, and as usual, Bill got me there too early. It’s unusually chilly for June right now, and there’s nowhere to sit near where our appointment was, as the door leading to the waiting room was closed. We didn’t want to sit in the car, because that might signal that we’re about to vacate our parking spot and attract lurkers.

Bill and I went to Dunkin’ (formerly Dunkin’ Donuts) and picked up six donuts for this morning’s breakfast. We haven’t been to a Dunkin’ in years. Although the donuts were tasty this morning, I’ve noticed a downturn in quality. But at least it was something different… a nice treat for today. Bill also showed me the concessions at Clay Kaserne, which is where he works. Aside from Subway and a couple of other fast food restaurants I’ve never seen before, there are also a couple of food trucks that looked pretty decent. I had already eaten lunch, so there was no need to visit them.

On the way off post… I guess a bunch of these are rolling into DC now.

Eventually, I spotted a picnic table on the other side of the road, so we went over there… and we actually found two picnic tables, but they were mostly covered with dried bird shit. One of the tables wasn’t as bad as the other, so we sat at that one until the wind grew too chilly. By then, it was close to 1:00 PM.

When we got back to the ID office, there were a bunch of people waiting at the door. Bill whispered with some disappointment that they were going to open right on time. “You expected anything different?” I asked.

It was lucky we had an appointment, because there were a bunch of people at the office, hoping to get in for an ID update. Most of them were walk-ins, and the lady who took care of us warned them that her co-worker was unavailable because of mandatory training. We ended up being the first ones called in, and the worker turned out to be very friendly and professional.

As we were filling out and signing paperwork, I noticed the “retiree spouse” military ID I carry, but don’t use over here, had expired in April. So I got that one updated, too. I would use that ID in the United States, if I’m ever there and need access to military facilities. They’ve gotten pretty strict about ID requirements. I had to show my passport and my Texas driver’s license, which is a “Real ID”. As I handed over my old IDs, which had my name on them, I realized how absurd and overkilling the requirements are these days, but God forbid an undocumented person get access to anything. SIGH…

Anyway, I’m glad that chore is now done. It took about an hour. I wonder how many of those folks who walked in got their business taken care of. Bill brought me home and I soon ended up taking a nice, long nap. Once the SOFA cards are updated, I can feel safer about leaving the country. Don’t want to end up like the people who have been detained in the USA right now.

Below are a few signs for upcoming events in the neighborhood. We will be in Vilnius when these are going on…

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knotty’s big trip to the mall…

I usually like to do new things on Saturdays.  That’s the one day of the week when my husband is home and things are open.  Bill is trying to write a paper for one of his cybersecurity classes, so he wasn’t all that keen to go on a long outing today.  Since it was getting a bit late when I finally convinced him we needed to get out for a bit, this afternoon we visited the Mercaden Mall in Böblingen for the very first time.

The Mercaden is a new mall.  It didn’t exist the last time we lived here.  Last time we were here, the only decent mall was Breunigerland in Sindelfingen (There is also Schwaben Galerie in Vaihingen, but that mall doesn’t thrill me much).  Breunigerland is terminally crowded and offers a lot of European shops and eateries.  We were last there at Christmas, when we rejoined ADAC (the German auto club).

ADAC, by the way, is well worth joining.  We were members last time we lived here and our membership paid for itself when our car’s battery died on us while parked long term in a garage.  We called ADAC and some guy came out, tested the car, found out what was wrong, and sold us a battery on the spot.  That German battery lasted a good five years before it needed replacing.  Aside from ADAC, Breunigerland also has upscale shopping.  It kind of reminds me of Tyson’s II in the Washington, DC area.

By contrast, Mercaden doesn’t seem quite as upscale, even though it’s a lot newer and more pristine.  The stores and eateries are more American.  For instance, there’s a McDonald’s in the Mercaden Mall, while Breunigerland only has a freestanding McDonald’s in the parking lot.  The Mercaden also has a nice Edeka grocery store and a Dunkin’ Donuts, which I know really gets Americans excited.  We did stop by there today and picked up some donut holes.  I am here to tell you that they aren’t really the same, though they aren’t bad, either.

Not quite like home, but satisfying enough…  They aren’t as sweet as American ones.  There is also a Dunkin’ Donuts in Tuebingen.

The Mercaden has plenty of parking in a garage, which you have to pay for.  Breunigerland’s parking is free.  Mercaden is right next to the Bahnhof in Böblingen, so you don’t have to fool with parking if you don’t want to.  The first hour of parking at Mercaden is free, anyway.

I think– but am not positive– that the toilets at Breunigerland are also free, while they cost 70 cents at Mercaden.  The price to pee has gone up.  It used to be universally pretty much 50 cents everywhere, but now they have a fancy machine that takes the money that has to be paid for.  On the plus side, the Mercaden’s toilets are very clean and modern.  Someone was actually attending them, so I didn’t mind paying.

We ended up buying food today.  First, we had lunch at an Italian pizza and pasta place situated right in the middle of the corridor.  It made for good people watching.  I got to watch a guy walk his well-behaved labrador retriever around as Bill and I ate pasta washed down with beer.

Bill tells it like it is…

The menu.  On the other side, there was a pizza menu.  I probably should have gone for the pizza instead of pasta.

Sushi?  It also looked good.  And so did the doner kebab place next to it.

But I had spaghetti with tomato sauce and bacon…

And Bill had spaghetti with a light cream sauce and basil pesto…

And local suds…  I love that a restaurant can be in the middle of a mall corridor and have a full bar.

After lunch, we bought some cheese, wine, deer salami, and Italian butter at an Italian deli.  Then we bought a loaf of bread and a pretzel at a bakery.  Finally, we got our Dunkin’ Donuts… or donut holes, as it turned out.  I actually wanted donuts, but then when I saw them, I decided the holes would be better for my ass.  Since they are European Dunkin’ Donuts, they aren’t as sweet anyway.  Winning.

One other thing I noticed about Mercaden is that it was not really crowded today.  In fact, it seems to be a very pleasant place to shop.  Enclosed malls are disappearing in the United States, but they are still pretty popular in Europe, probably because the weather can really suck much of the time.  But since today was relatively nice after the rain stopped, there weren’t so many people in the mall.  If I’d wanted to, I could have spent a few hours there, but we were home within a couple of hours.  After we picked up our stuff, it didn’t seem necessary to stay longer.  There was a time in my life when I would have made up a reason to hang out at the mall.  I guess I have evolved.

I could go back there again, though I really like shopping online now.  The Italian deli might be enough of a reason to go back… and the bakeries, which were very impressive indeed and offered some enticing looking cakes.  There were also a lot of ice cream stops… more than I would have expected, really.

Getting out of the garage was an adventure.  Bill made a wrong turn and had to circle back around the way he came in so we could leave.  But once we were out of the garage, it was very easy to get back on the autobahn and go home.  In fact, even though Breunigerland has free parking, Mercaden is an easier mall to navigate into and out of.  I give it a thumbs up.

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