Tag Archives: fests

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Our Heidelberger Birthday Holiday! Part six

Yesterday morning, we enjoyed another “lie in”, then packed up everything for the relatively brief trip home to Wiesbaden. I’m glad we went to Heidelberg. It’s not far from where we live, but it has a different feel. It was nice to leave Hesse, even if we were just over the line. I could have used another day, to be honest.

I didn’t take pictures of yesterday’s breakfast, which was much like the one before it, although we had it inside instead of out in the courtyard. I mentioned that it was my birthday and was hugely surprised by a special gift from the kitchen…

This was a delight! I truly wasn’t expecting it.

After breakfast, we brought our own bags down to the reception desk. They greeted me with a “Happy Birthday!”, having noticed it on the paperwork. All told, our extravagant weekend ran us about $2000 or so– including two nights in the junior suite, a couple of trips to the bar, breakfast, parking, one dinner, and a couple of bottles of wine. Yes, it was very expensive, but we felt it was well worth it after such a difficult and strange year. For us, personally, it wasn’t as difficult as it’s been for a lot of people… but it was definitely weird. I’m hoping for better and less odd days in the near future, as more people get vaccinated against COVID-19. We choose to enjoy life while we still can… and splurge when we can. Bill’s latest TDY per diem will be paying for this trip.

Since we couldn’t pick up the dogs until 6:00pm, we decided to go home a different way and spend a couple of hours in Speyer, a town in Rheinland-Pfalz I had heard a lot about but never had a chance to visit. On the way there, my German friend shared this adorable happy birthday video with me.

Bwahaahahahaaha!

After we parked the car, we started walking toward the picturesque city, when I spotted this…

  • I’ll pass on the one with the face mask. I’d like to forget those as soon as possible.

We decided to just stroll through the town and take some photos, since we were really full from breakfast. Founded by the Romans, Speyer is one of Germany’s oldest cities. It’s the kind of place where it’s just cool to be there. It has a unique look and a different vibe. After our brief look, we’ll definitely have to go back for another visit and perhaps an overnight or two. Parking was cheap and easy in a huge lot near the downtown area.

  • St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
  • Gedächtniskirche
  • I loved the quiet, quaint neighborhoods…
  • I don’t know what is so special about Speyer’s pretzels, but I saw these little booths scattered everywhere.
  • The stuff of nighmares!
  • Mushrooms give me the willies, but Germans seem very fixated on athlete’s foot– aka
  • Even the bank is quaint.
  • Maypole!
  • The Speyer Dom…
  • Bill lit a candle for his father, who died in November 2020 and was Catholic. Bill had to miss the funeral, thanks to COVID-19.

After an emotional visit to the Dom, we strolled through the park, where there was a small fest going on. I kind of wanted to hang out for awhile, but Bill only paid for two hours of parking. Bummer… we will have to go back. This cute little festival was a nice reminder of what was, and what hopefully be again. Gotta keep the faith.

  • There was food, wine, and beer…
  • And rides for the kids.
  • Sister cities.
  • We need to take a closer look at Speyer.
The dog was enjoying watching the kids on the ride!

We got home in the afternoon, just enough time for me to start the laundry and this travel series. We picked up Arran and Noyzi at the Tierpension Birkenhof 6:00pm. I could hear Arran all the way out to the car. He has a very distinctive bay! I’m happy to report that the boys did fine… When the caregiver opened the gate, Arran came right out to us.

Noyzi needed to be redirected. I’m glad to see he enjoyed his accommodations at the Tierpension Birkenhof!

Noyzi got confused and went back to his “room”. It actually took some convincing to get him to come out to us. Both dogs said goodbye and were relaxed and happy as we loaded them into the Volvo. I felt good about that. I didn’t expect Noyzi would have any trouble and he didn’t disappoint. I think the lady who watched them fell in love with Noyzi, which doesn’t surprise me, either. He’s a very sweet, gentle, easy to handle dog.

Arran says hello before he had his accident in our backyard.

My birthday would have ended up on a great high note, if not for Arran’s exuberance when we got home. Once we let him off the leash, he took off running outside. At some point, he must have careened under the bushes at a high rate of speed. He and Bill were having a reunification bonding session when I noticed blood on Arran’s shoulder. I took a closer look at the fresh wound and realized that he’d torn a big gash open, with a flap hanging down. It wasn’t bleeding a lot, but it was kind of deep.

So poor Bill had to take Arran to the Tierklinik Hofheim for debridement and stitches. Sadly, a lot of people were having pet emergencies last night, so although Bill got there at 9:30pm, he didn’t get home until 4:30am, about 825 euros poorer. The vet clucked sympathetically over the cost, which was pretty high… but in the United States, it would have cost a hell of a lot more than 825 euros to get emergency stitches for our dog in the wee hours of the morning. So while we wish the accident hadn’t happened, we’re grateful the clinic was available and Arran’s situation wasn’t worse. Bill said he counted three people who lost their pets last night. 🙁

Arran seems no worse for wear today, except for the stitches. They loaded him up with antibiotics and painkillers, and I suspect the forced rest will cramp all of our styles a bit. He jumped up on the bed at 4:30am, gave me a kiss, and went right to sleep. He’s been napping all day today. We’ll be taking the hedge trimmers to that bush in the backyard. This is the second time Arran has cut himself on it.

Well, that about does it for my birthday celebration for 2021. If you’ve been following along, thanks so much for reading. We really had a great time. I guess if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the pandemic, it’s that travel is a wonderful privilege that shouldn’t be wasted or taken for granted. And every once in awhile, it’s a good thing to splurge. I suspect our next splurge will be when we book our long awaited dentist appointments in Stuttgart. That will probably be next on the agenda… and after that, maybe a real vacation! Dare to dream!

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Sud Tyrol and beyond… part four

Chasing a waterfall in Mittenwald, gazing at the Eibsee, and views from Germany’s highest mountain!

Saturday was a full day for us. It was definitely fuller than what I’ve been used to lately. We walked several miles in warm weather and the pedometer on my iPhone was giving me bursts of celebratory praise in the form of virtual fireworks. Still, even with all of the walking we did on Saturday, we missed the majestic waterfall at Leutaschklamm, which is most easily accessed from Mittenwald, Germany. So, on Sunday morning, we decided to visit the German side of the gorge.

We were a little bit confused about this part of the walk. When we read up on visiting the gorge, people mentioned a three euro fee to “see the waterfall”. I was under the impression that it was on the gorge trail itself. It’s not. If you go to the German side of the gorge with your car, you have to park at a lot in the town, walk down a pleasant country road alongside the rushing brook, and then you will encounter the German entrance to the gorge trail. However, you won’t find the waterfall on that trail, which looked pretty steep and obviously leads to the panorama bridge. I shared pictures of the bridge in part three of this series– one post previously.

Instead, you have to go to the nearby snack bar– which you can’t miss– pay three euros, go through a turnstile, don a mask, and then walk through a misty crevice on a wooden planked trail. Your three euros also gets you access to the toilet, which is pretty handy. I didn’t take a picture of it, but the sign on the men’s room reads that that toilet is for men only. The ladies room is for both men and women. I guess the men’s room only has a urinal. Unlike the gorge trail, the waterfall path is narrow and it’s impossible to “socially distance”, hence the mask requirement. If you don’t have one, you can buy one at the snack bar.

I took video of our walk to the waterfall. At the end of the video, there are a few clips from Saturday’s walk on the Austrian side. Here it is!

It was worth the three euros!

I also got a lot of nice pictures of this excursion. The walk took about twenty minutes or so, and only because we stopped to enjoy the waterfall and the cool mist it created. I would say this experience was easily one of the highlights of our trip! I’m so glad we didn’t miss it.

On the way to the waterfall, you cross a bridge that begs you to stop and take a photo.
One of many shrines…
Lovely meadow view along the country road.
Sigh… future Facebook cover photo.
At this point, you can stand and feel the cool mist from the waterfall, but to actually see the waterfall itself, you have to pay admission.
Wear a mask… You can even buy one at the snack bar.
It’s a narrow path that can get slippery due to the water. Hold hands with your children. We saw a few who looked scared!
Another shrine.
If you look carefully, you can see the panorama bridge above the crevice of the waterfall.
Not the best photo. I was rushed… but this is the story of how the waterfall was found.
I think the waterfall itself is in Austria.

It was late morning by the time we were finished seeing the waterfall. Once again, I was glad we arrived early. Parking spots were filling up fast, and just as they were on Saturday, people were lurking for a place to park. We noticed that the lot on the Austrian side was completely full when we passed it on the way to Mittenwald. And as Bill was trying to vacate our spot, two dumbass guys parked their car directly behind us temporarily so they could get a Parkschein (parking ticket). They were completely oblivious to the fact that they were blocking us, too. But even once they noticed Bill’s annoyed face, they still didn’t move, and they almost caused an accident. Unfortunately, they weren’t the only dumbasses we ran into on this trip. But, in fairness, I’m sure some drivers thought Bill was a dumbass, too.

After the thrill of the waterfall, we decided to visit Eibsee, which is a huge, beautiful lake at the base of the Zugspitze. First, we’d have lunch in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which we hadn’t visited since 2009. It was a bit of a ghost town, probably due to COVID-19. I noticed a favorite Konditorei that we visited a few times back in the day was closed. I was sad to see it. Last time we were there, we parked next to a car that had been keyed… looked like maybe the owner’s ex girlfriend was a bit of a psycho. S/he had scrawled “Fucking bastard” on the side of the car, or something like that. I remember feeling sorry for the guy, having to drive around with that on his car. He might have been a bastard, but it was still not a great look. Plus, the thought of the sound the key must have made on the metal set my teeth on edge. That was at least twelve years ago and I could see that the Konditorei, which had served such delightful pastries, coffee drinks, and beer was closed up tightly. What a pity. Edited to add: my German friend says the person who ran the Konditorei when we visited had a bad reputation. Maybe he was the owner of the “Fucking bastard” car. He disappeared sometime in 2009 (same year we left) and a much better tenant took over. She closed the business last fall.

We had lunch at an Italian restaurant called Pizzeria Renzo, although I would have loved to have stopped in at El Greco, which was a favorite Greek spot we used to visit back in the day. We thought El Greco had closed, but as we passed it on the way back to the car, it was obviously open. I guess they took down their outside menu because of COVID-19. A lot of restaurants are offering abbreviated menus right now, since a lot of them are printing them on single sheets of disposable paper instead of handing out thick books of pre-COVID days.

Mittenwald is a cute town!
The mountains on the way to Garmisch…
I remember being thrilled by this when Garmisch was the only place I’d ever seen in this area. There’s so much more to it.
Studying the menu at Pizzeria Renzo. We wore masks into the restaurant and to use the restroom. Otherwise, business as usual.
I had cannelloni, which was stuffed with ham and cheese and came with a side of tomato sauce. Bill had basil pesto spaghetti.
This was surprisingly good! Bill said he’d get the cannelloni if we ever come back to this restaurant.
Vending machines in the restroom… classy place. 😉
A shot of the outside of the restaurant as we crossed the street.
The Rathaus.
Sad that this Konditorei closed. It was a good place with dirndl clad ladies and beautiful pastries… and guys with angry exes who like to vandalize cars.
Bill’s big dreams… Property in Garmisch-Partenkirchen doesn’t come cheaply.
El Greco!

After lunch, we made our way to the Eibsee in Grainau. We knew it would be crowded. I wasn’t expecting it to be the way it was. I thought the lake would be like a lot of the other lakes I’ve seen in Germany… kind of low key. Well– the Eibsee, which is right next to the huge tourist attraction of the Zugspitze and either the Seilbahn (cable car) or cog wheel train to the summit– is not an easygoing place. Lots of people were taking advantage of the lake– swimming, sailing, paddle boating, hiking, and picnicking. I had really just wanted to get a few photos, so that’s what we focused on… then, kind of on the fly, we decided to take the cable car to the top of the Zugspitze, where we enjoyed a beer and got even more photos.

On the way down the road to the Eibsee/Zugspitze complex. It’s a much bigger deal than I realized.
Everybody welcome! And it seemed like everybody was there!
The parking lot… but it wasn’t totally full.
Boating…
Gazing at the lake’s beauty…
Sailing…
Swimming…
Hiking…

These pictures of the Eibsee are kind of misleading. I managed to get some that don’t show a lot of people. The place was very crowded, and we would have been hard pressed to find a spot if we’d wanted to go swimming or boating. I didn’t have a bathing suit with me, anyway. I was glad to get the pictures, though, and now that I’ve seen the Eibsee, I don’t have to visit again. Since we were already there, we decided to see the Zugspitze, too. Bill was last up there in the 1980s, when there was no Seilbahn. The cog wheel train still runs and you have a choice as to which method you want to use to get to the top of the mountain. Since face masks were required for either method, we chose the Seilbahn, which is super efficient and only takes ten minutes. The basic cost for either method of getting to the top of the Zugspitze was 59 euros per person, although they had other tickets for families or those who wanted to visit other attractions.

Masked up and ready to go…
The inside of the Seilbahn. It’s very fast, clean, and safe!
Up we go!
It felt like we were in outer space…
The lake seems so much smaller from up here…
Yes, that’s snow.
The summit. We didn’t bother going up there. There was a line like at Mount Everest…
A few clouds.
With my luck, I’d fall and bust my ass or something.
I scored us a seat at a table. It was about thirty degrees cooler on top of the mountain.
Prost!
Going down…
I’m glad we visited!

We could have spent a lot more time exploring here if we’d wanted to… They have lots of exhibits as well as other activities that we didn’t try. It’s obviously a popular attraction for children, too. But it was a very full day for us, so we were ready to go back to the hotel. Getting out of the parking lot was obnoxious– we encountered a trifecta of dumbasses. As Bill was backing out of his space, an oblivious young fellow with water toys almost collided with the hood. Then, another dumbass with his buddies and perhaps a girlfriend, decided to aggressively angle for Bill’s spot. He came very close to hitting our 2020 Volvo. I sure as hell am not looking for another legal issue this year, although it would not have been our fault if he’d hit us. Bill just sat there and stared the kid down until he let us leave.

Finally, the last dumbass of the day was an old guy on a moped. He suddenly got a wild hair up his ass and cut Bill off as he carelessly pulled into traffic without even looking for oncoming cars. It was a very near miss. The guy could have met his maker if Bill weren’t such a good driver.

On the way back into Leutasch, I spotted a little fest going on. We stopped and listened to some Austrian folk music, bought a small piece of art and some locally produced gin, and checked out a camel who was brought in for camel rides. They also had pony rides.

Back in Austria!
Such a beautiful place!
I could never get tired of this scenery…
Some folks and their dog were enjoying the cool creek.
Vending machines in Europe aren’t just for refreshments!
A market. I bought a little piece of folk art here.
The lady who sold us the art wondered if we were Dutch. She turned out to be a retired tour guide.
I was delighted by the Austrian band playing folk music.
And the cute pony!
As well as the camel…
A little gin tasting. We bought a bottle.
This was a delight!
A short video with the folk music. I wasn’t trying to capture people on film, so it’s not a great video. But the music is delightful!

And finally, our last dinner at the fabulous Hotel Kristall to cap off this gargantuan post about our Sunday. I really enjoyed Austria and it was far too long since our last visit. We need to come back again and explore more of this underrated country with its warm hospitality and breathtaking views!

A lovely Italian red…
Housemade ravioli with mountain cheese that was mild enough for me to enjoy.
Consumme with a Leberknodel. I let Bill enjoy that alone.
I had fish with lentils and potato pancakes.
Bill had goulash with spatzle and vegetables– Brussels sprouts and carrots!
And warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream for dessert. I was delighted that this wasn’t a lava cake!

I would say that Sunday, August 9th, was the best day I’d had in a long time. It was worth the cost of the entire trip. But there were more thrills to come in Italy. More on that in the next post!

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A weekend at home and in the city…

Saturday morning, we got up later than usual. The weather is changing inexorably to autumn, which means random rain showers and cooler temperatures. I’m mostly happy to see the weather change. It kind of matches my mood these days.

Saturday, we stayed home, listened to music, and drank wine. Bill finally broke out the electric pasta maker I got him last year. He made homemade bread and fresh Fettuccini Alfredo. Here are the photos… I have created a cooking monster.

This all started with me telling Bill I wanted fresh bread…
Then I reminded him of the pasta making equipment I bought him.
Including a drying rack…
We have a hand cranked pasta maker in storage…
But this one has a motor.
Makes easy work of flattening the pasta dough…
We also have ravioli stamps.
The pasta dried…
After Bill cut it with the machine…
It turned out beautifully.
He’s determined.
And we have success!
He’s probably a better cook than I am, now.

We drank lots of wine all day and enjoyed each other’s company. I think we’ll have to make fresh pasta more often, especially as the weather gets colder.

Yesterday, the weather was kind of crummy, but Bill wanted to venture into Wiesbaden to catch the last day of the annual city fest. It was very well attended despite the weather. I’m sure it helped that it was also a Sunday shopping day in Wiesbaden. I got lots of pictures. My favorite attraction, of course, was the Shetland ponies. They had quite a few people selling crafts, lots of food, wine, beer, and agricultural exhibits. There was also a car show going on in the Market Square.

These horses were giving people a ride. They seemed very relaxed. I love the way they smelled.
These ponies were so cute.
I wanted to take them home with me.
I think they may have been the ones Bill and I saw in a pasture near our home.
Kids were having fun in the straw…
These horn players were almost Olympic.
Kids were helping process the apples… into juice or wine? I don’t know.

To be honest, for several reasons, I’ve been feeling a bit down on Germany lately… but one thing I do like about living over here is that there’s always something to celebrate. The Germans will have a festival for anything. And the ones up here in Wiesbaden are kind of different from the ones near Stuttgart. They tend to be less focused on beer and more on wine.

I was hungry, but not in the mood for fest food or the crowds. We wandered around looking for someplace to eat and finally ended up at Casa del Sabor, an Argentinian steakhouse. We ate there a few months ago and I really enjoyed the rib eye steak I ordered. This time, I decided to try a cheeseburger. This was an act of bravery on my part, since burgers can be iffy over here…

I decided to have an apple, mint, and lime drink… Alcohol free!
Bill had a Dunkelweiss… also alcohol free.
The bread and these dips were probably my favorite part of the meal. That garlic spread is addictive!
Bill had a fried zander filet…
The cheeseburger was okay. I would have liked it more if the patty had been handmade instead of pressed. But at least it was all beef.
Bill’s sides… rosemary potatoes and spinach. He especially love the spinach.

The cheeseburger had tomatoes, onions, cucumbers (not pickles), lettuce, ketchup, and mayo on it. I don’t usually put mayo on burgers, but I think Germans often do. I had to cut it in half and struggled to finish it, mainly because I went to town on the bread. I was really hungry when we came in and both of the spreads, but particularly the garlic, were delicious. I like Casa del Sabor. We’ll have to go back and try some of their other stuff, if only so I can have more of that garlic spread.

I was feeling kind of tired and listless and the weather was getting worse, so we decided to go home. I relaxed for awhile, then joined Bill for more music and wine. I went on a buying binge on Saturday and got a few albums by classic bands from my youth… the Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, and Chicago. Sometimes I miss being young, but I am grateful I grew up at a time when there was so much fantastic music.

So begins another week here in Deutschland… Columbus Day weekend is coming up. I usually plan trips for the long weekends, but I am not feeling very inspired to this year.

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Rheinland-Pfalz

Appel-Happel apple fest!

A little birdie told me that today would be the last sunny, warm day for awhile. So Bill, Arran, and I decided to go to Mainz to the annual apple festival at Appel-Happel. I had not been to this place before, but it appears to be a big apple market that also hosts events. I see on their official Web site that there are other events happening into November. There’s also an on site restaurant.

We didn’t stay long at the fest because there were a lot of people and Arran isn’t used to hanging out with us at fests. However, I am very proud of the way Arran behaved. He was mostly a perfect gentleman, with only a couple of loud outbursts. At one point, he even made a friend with a long haired American who drove a German car with Kaiserslautern plates. The guy clearly thought we were Germans, because though we spoke perfect English, he said danke schön after he petted Arran. He also said he has basset hounds. As we were headed to the car to leave, we encountered the same guy driving out and he leaned out the window and said, “Bye, Mr. Beagle!”

The festival had food and lots of apple inspired treats to include cider, juice, and wines, as well as apple cakes, strudel, and chocolate dipped apples. There was also entertainment in the form of dancing and music, bouncy house and playground equipment for the kids, and the opportunity to pick apples in the orchards. We already have a tree that dumps more apples than we can possibly eat, so we were content to just enjoy the libations. Here are some photos from today’s outing.

Come one, come all…
Lots of people biked, took the train, which stops just outside, or drove…
There was plenty to do.
I got a kick out of this sign in the portajohn.
As well as this seat… clearly perfect for the venue.
Apple lovers would be in Heaven here.
I tried cherry Sekt. Bill had apple cider. Both were delicious.
Then I had this grape Federweisser, made from new pressings and about 4% ABV…
This flying, stinging creature stopped in for a sip and was pretty drunk. It flew away once it recovered.
Chocolate dipped apples.
Pumpkins…
And a place to dine…
A parting shot of the orchard as we left.

I was very pleased by how well behaved Arran was. He doesn’t go out much because he gets overwhelmed, but he was so good this time, maybe he’ll take him out more often. There were other dogs there, too, along with many children. We decided not to eat there because most of what was offered was wurst and pommes and we have better stuff here at home. But it was definitely a nice festival. We’ll have to go again next year, if we’re still living here.

The fest ends at 6:00pm, but I can see there are a lot of chances to visit Appel-Happel. Maybe we’ll get another opportunity soon.

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Frankfurt, Hessen

Damned good burgers at Fletcher’s Better Burger in Frankfurt…

We had absolutely perfect weather today. It was so perfect that we were seriously considering going to an apple festival in Mainz. We decided to go to Frankfurt instead, since Bill discovered a new burger restaurant we had to try. A friend at a conference he just attended at Ramstein Air Base told him about Fletcher’s Better Burger, a chain in Frankfurt that was started by an American. At this writing, there are four locations, all of which are in Frankfurt. I have a feeling this restaurant will take off and there will soon be more places to enjoy one of Fletcher Davis’s juicy burgers.

We tried the location at Katherinenpforte, which is right next to Frankfurt’s big main square and just around the corner from Five Guys. There’s a huge parking garage located right next to the square. It was a bit of a mad house getting in and out of it, and we had to park on the top floor because so many people did a shitty job parking. However, Fletcher’s burger was so good, I didn’t mind it so much. Here are some photos from today’s visit.

The Katherinenpforte location is in a round building…
I had no trouble eating mine with my hands, but did spot one guy eating fries with a fork.
You stand in line and order…
They give you a beeper…
This was what we paid…
Bacon cheeseburger with no mayo! Perfect!
Cross cut fries. They also have sweet potato fries, and veggie burgers.

It’s a pretty low key affair. They just have burgers (beef and veggie– made with peas), fries, soft drinks, and beer. The meat is fresh daily, and they make their own buns. Burgers come with tomatoes, onions, ketchup, mayo, honey mustard, lettuce, and pickles. You can also get jalapenos, fried onions, BBQ sauce, hot sauce, mustard, and grilled mushrooms free of charge. Irish cheddar cheese and bacon is extra.

Unlike Five Guys, Fletcher’s Better Burger only gives you one patty with a standard burger. Of course, if you want more meat, you can add it for 1,60 euros or 1,90 euros for an extra patty with cheese. You can also order your burger wrapped in lettuce if you’re watching your carbs.

I have to say, we were really impressed with our burgers. They were juicy, fresh, flavorful, and a good size. I also liked the cross cut fries, which were robust with potato flavor and cooked to perfection. I definitely think Fletcher’s Better Burger could give Five Guys some competition. I noticed they weren’t nearly as busy, either.

The only thing I didn’t like about our experience was the music. They were playing godawful dance versions of classic 80s songs, including “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman and a cover of “With or Without You”, which was originally a U2 song. I found the music very annoying. But we could have eaten outside, as they did have plenty of tables available. Also, the bathrooms, which are at the bottom of a flight of stairs (bad news for wheelchair users), could have used some attention today. We would still go back, though. It’s nice to see the humble hamburger getting better treatment in Germany.

After we ate, we walked around a small fest that was going on. We didn’t stay long because there were a lot of people crowded into a small space. But I did take some pictures.

More meat!
I probably could have done some real shopping here. Lots of down products for the bed.
There were mushrooms everywhere. Yuck.
We went into the church. It was nice, but a little mod for my taste. It had a 60s vibe.
Marco the pony sized mule…
He’s 30 years old and very chilled out.
Cows…
I think this same cart was in Mainz two weeks ago.
Regional specialties.
Frankfurt is vibrant and lively.
And sometimes it’s even lovely… although I’d say as German cities go, it’s homely.

People were selling gifts, crafts, and lots of food. I was disturbed by the number of stalls specializing in mushrooms… the one food I will not eat under any circumstances. Some guy was also selling mushroom lawn ornaments. Creepy!

I’m sure we could have found more to do, but Frankfurt was even more of a zoo than usual today, so we decided to head home so I could write this post. Tomorrow, we’ll hit the apple fest… or, at least that’s the plan.

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Bars, Hessen

A little Scotch N’ Soda… an Irish pub in Wiesbaden

We almost didn’t make it out yesterday. It rained until the afternoon and Bill spent most of the morning and early afternoon in search of Betadine for Arran’s paw. I had some when we lived in Stuttgart, but it somehow got displaced during the move. I’m sure I’ll find it when I don’t need it anymore.

Bill’s search sent him to several stores and a couple of pharmacies, where he finally scored a small bottle for about 16 euros. Some things in Germany are way more expensive than they are in the United States. I’m going to order some from Amazon to have on hand.

When the much needed rain finally let up, I told Bill that I really needed to get out of the house. It’s mostly been a depressing week without Zane around, and I was in need of some fun. A person in my Facebook wine group was in Wiesbaden yesterday, and she recommended a visit to Scotch N’ Soda, an Irish pub downtown. I also knew there was an international food festival going on. So, although it was early evening and rain was still threatening, we headed that way. I must add, Arran was a perfect gentleman while we were gone.

We started out with the festival. It turned out to be pretty small, although there were some interesting looking food booths there. But because it was getting late, and the weather wasn’t cooperative, it appeared that some of them were closing. I took a few pictures anyway. I seem to remember a larger incarnation of this festival in Esslingen and Stuttgart in years past.

Some were dressed in local dress…
Despite the rain, the fest was well attended.
The drum group was fighting the very loud bells from the Marktplace church.
Portugal was represented… Looked like they were pouring port.

We didn’t stick around the fest for long, though, since it appeared to be wrapping up. The church bells were going off extremely loudly, so I kind of wanted to get out of the area. They went on for several long minutes…

But I did take time to hit the loo… and the graphics on this truck amused me, even if the condition of the WC didn’t.

We took a stroll around the area, looking for dinner. I had Scotch N’ Soda in my head, but wasn’t averse to trying a different restaurant. I love a good Italian place, although I have had enough Italian food in Wiesbaden and really need to branch out. When we got to the Irish pub, it wasn’t hard to make the decision to go inside.

Scotch N’ Soda is located near a kind of “restaurant row”. There are a bunch of eateries there, including the excellent La Cantinetta, where we’ve dined a couple of times so far. La Cantinetta was very busy yesterday and I wasn’t in the mood to be upsold on expensive wines and appetizers. By contrast, Scotch N’ Soda is very much a low key place. It has a cozy round dining room, with lots of tables and chairs… almost too many for the room. One can also go upstairs, where I assume there’s more seating.

Bill was excited because they have haggis.
I was more excited by the names of the burgers.
But I went with fish n’ chips, because burgers are hit and miss in Germany. So are fish n’ chips, to be honest.
Bill had the spicy cottage pie.
Check out the ceiling. Lots of dollar bills turned into “birds”.
First time I’d had a Samuel Smith chocolate stout in a long while.

Scotch N’ Soda has a sports bar like atmosphere. You can sit outside, weather permitting, so sit inside and listen to British rock or watch European football. I commented to Bill that this place appears to be Wiesbaden’s version of “The Auld Rogue”, which only makes sense if you’ve also lived in Stuttgart.

The Auld Rogue in Vaihingen was a Greek restaurant called Taverna Faros when we first moved there in 2007. It later turned into a really shitty dance bar, then eventually became a very successful American hangout, where everyone speaks English. Bill and I visited The Auld Rogue many times during our most recent Stuttgart stint. I’ve blogged about it plenty of times.

Well… Scotch N’ Soda seems to be Wiesbaden’s version. Lots of Americans were there last night, and more than a few appeared to be affiliated with the U.S. military. However, I don’t think Scotch N’ Soda is quite as comfortable as The Auld Rogue is. It’s definitely not as large. I was impressed by their beer selection, though, which was better than The Auld Rogue’s. And their menu was also somewhat different, and somewhat less kid friendly.

I enjoyed the fish and chips. I couldn’t quite finish them, so the waitress kindly offered to box them up for me. Bill and I were admiring all of the whiskies on display. They had a nice variety of them from Ireland and Scotland. I counted how many whose distilleries I’ve now seen. Bill liked the cottage pie, which had some spice to it. I was kind of laughing to myself, though, because it was just such a “British” dish in the traditional sense. Britain is not exactly known for its food, although good food can definitely be had there if you know what to order. I happen to love British food, but that’s because it’s mainly comfort food. It’s not really “highbrow”. That cottage pie was decidedly not “highbrow”, but Bill liked it.

One guy at the bar did order a burger. I don’t know which one he had, but it had two very thick patties on it. I wondered if it was the “Fuck You” burger they had advertised in the menu. It looked pretty good, but again, I have been disappointed by burgers in Germany too many times to take a chance. Maybe next time, Bill will get one and I can determine if I’ll ever take the plunge. They did also have other sandwiches made with chicken or salmon, as well as soups, ribs, steaks, and even breakfast.

The bill came to about 37 euros. Bill rounded up to 40 and we made our way home. As he was paying for the parking, I couldn’t help but notice this manic looking ad for dental implants.

I’m not sure if I’d trust this guy with my teeth. He looks a little crazed. German ads crack me up.

It’s raining again today. We definitely need the rain. I’m kind of hoping we can go to Mainz, though, since today is the last day of the wine market. We’ll see what happens.

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We just made Wiesbaden’s Weinfest…

It’s been going on since last week, but we were away, so we only got to it today. Despite some clouds and heavy rain, we had a good time. I got to try several good wines, including some from Turkey. We listened to good music. I got some photos, too. Here they are…

  • There was a lengthy segment featuring Celtic dancers…
  • Germans seem to love Ireland and Scotland…
  • Especially Scotland… can’t say I blame them!
  • Inside of the protestant church.
  • Loved the blue bottle for this Landwein!

We happened upon some live entertainers who were doing a great job of channeling Stevie Ray Vaughan. Actually, the guitar player was like Vaughan, as his female singer was more like Bonnie Raitt. As a singer myself, I was quite impressed. One thing I do love about Germany is that there is never a shortage of entertainment. There’s always a fest going on, and there’s good food, good entertainment, and clean toilets aplenty!

Today, we also finally visited the inside of the huge Protestant church in downtown Wiesbaden… and it was just as beautiful as I’d imagined. I just want to hear the amazing pipe organ, now.

Our landlord said yesterday not to worry, because he knows we’ll be here next year, and they do this every year. He’s probably right, but I’ve learned not to count on it. Still, I liked this more than Stuttgart’s Weindorf. If we are here in a year, we will definitely go back, and hopefully visit more than once.

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Two nights in Edinburgh… living life on the Fringe.

As I mentioned in the previous post, we arrived in Edinburgh just in time for the city’s annual Fringe Festival. When I booked our room at the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel back in early April, I had no idea this huge festival was going to be happening. If I had to do it over again, I think I would have avoided Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival, not because it isn’t a fantastic festival, but because I don’t enjoy crowds. Edinburgh was bursting at the seams during our two nights there.

Our flight to Edinburgh from Frankfurt occurred on August 2nd. I booked us in business class, not just because I like luxury, but also because we were bringing a lot of bags. During our last visit to Scotland in 2017, Bill had a kilt custom made expressly for gala nights on Hebridean Princess. He doesn’t own a tuxedo and doesn’t particularly want to purchase one. I kept bugging him to get a kilt, even though he’s more Irish than Scottish.

On prior cruises, Bill wore his Army dress blues, but he’s now five years retired and it’s not so easy to fit into the old uniform anymore. Moreover, technically he’s not supposed to wear the uniform at non-military sponsored events, since he’s no longer on active duty. Now, that doesn’t mean he’d get “busted” on Hebridean Princess. In fact, when he’s worn the uniform, he’s mostly been well-received by the other passengers. Most of them have been from Britain and on every cruise we’ve done so far, Bill has met at least a couple of people who have served in Britain’s armed forces. Fellow Americans tend to be scarce on Hebridean cruises. The ones we have met had nothing to do with the military. Still, it was time for a change in wardrobe. The uniform serves as a great conversation piece, but it’s cumbersome and requires crash dieting.

We had to transport the kilt and all that comes with it, as well as a few nice dresses for yours truly. In business class on most airlines, passengers get a generous luggage allowance. On Lufthansa, we each got two free bags. We only checked three bags, which was way more than enough! I really need to learn to pack less!

Our flight to Edinburgh was to commence at 4:15pm. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time, although we couldn’t find any luggage carts near where Bill parked. The one machine we found was broken, so we ended up hauling the bags well into the airport before we finally found someone’s mercifully abandoned cart. My mood was rapidly turning to irritation as we searched for a place to check our bags. Although we had just flown out of Frankfurt in late June when we went to Sweden, the check in desk we’d used was moved.

Complicating matters was the fact that the check in desks were on a lower floor and there was no elevator nearby. Somehow, we managed to wrangle the bags onto the escalator without major injury. Then, instead of searching for a proper full service check in, we headed for the self-service luggage drop. That was a bad idea, and didn’t turn out to be self-service, since we ended up requiring assistance. I don’t know what we were thinking. I don’t even like using the self-service checkout at the grocery store. As we were trying to figure out how to get the luggage tags, I remarked to Bill that since we paid for business class, we should have enjoyed all of its perks… like someone who knows what they’re doing and can efficiently get our luggage sorted. Hindsight is 20/20.

Fortunately, there were a couple of Lufthansa staffers on hand to help us get our bags checked. Then, after a somewhat painless trip through security, we headed to passport control, which is always an interesting experience when you’re on “SOFA” status. For those who don’t know, SOFA stands for Status of Forces Agreement. It’s what allows Bill and me to live in Germany and not be legal residents or pay German taxes. We’ve found that the passport officials don’t always know about SOFA, particularly in countries where U.S. forces aren’t typically based.

Even in Germany, which has a long history of hosting U.S. military folks, the passport officials sometimes have to be reminded to check for the blue card. We usually only deal with passport control when we’re headed out of the Schengen zone, like when we go to Britain or the United States. Bill, of course, has dealt with them more than I have on his trips to Africa.

We cleared passport control, then headed to Lufthansa’s business class lounge. Access to the lounge is another reason I usually book business class within Europe. I don’t like crowds and, although the lounge can get crowded, it’s never as crowded as the general areas are in most airports. Lufthansa’s lounges are nice, since they offer relatively quiet places to plug in electronics, comfortable seating, clean toilets, food, and beverages. The ones at Frankfurt Airport also have showers available, which I’m sure are great for people who are on long haul flights.

At about 3:30pm, we headed for our gate, where many people were already congregated. Boarding time was 3:45pm, but it came and went. Our flight was delayed due to weather problems and a computer glitch. I was pretty impatient to get out of Germany. I do love living here, but I also love getting away for a few days. I longed to get to Scotland, where I knew I’d see and hear inappropriate things that would make me laugh. For instance, in Germany, it’s technically against the law to flip someone off, particularly in traffic. I’ve never actually done that myself, but I’ve read that people who get caught doing it can be levied heavy fines. Scotland has no such oppressive laws, as we found out soon after landing in Edinburgh.

Lufthansa’s cuisine in business class. It wasn’t bad. Bill actually liked the green sauce, which is a Frankfurt specialty.

Our flight was okay, except there was a child sitting behind me who kept kicking my seat. Her brother sat in the aisle seat and kept whining for his mom, who was sitting nearby and looked really tired. I couldn’t blame her. Her kids were at a very energetic age, which they were sharing with everyone. The drama escalated when “mama”, apparently from Italy, took her son’s tablet away, causing him to protest rather loudly. I’m glad there was wine.

Somewhere over Scotland!

Edinburgh’s airport is pretty decent, especially compared to Glasgow’s, which we experienced yesterday. When we landed, we had a super quick, painless entrance. It was fully automated and took seconds. I put my passport on a scanner, was deemed “okay”, waited to have my picture taken, then scooted straight through to baggage claim. We had no trouble finding a luggage cart, and after a brief walk to the taxi stand, were soon experiencing our first taste of Scottish hospitality. The hilarious cab driver loaded our bags in the back of his van. As he was packing us up, the cab driver behind him honked. Our cabbie straightened up, smiled pretty, and shot the bird at the guy behind him! I howled with laughter! It felt like I’d come home!

Part 3

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Jettingen who? New discoveries in nature and more Breckenheimer rock n’ roll!

Last night turned out to be unexpectedly awesome.  After we came home from Idstein, we decided to hang out with the dogs for awhile.  Then, at about 6:00pm, the Breckenheimer Bikers were back to continue their fest.  I asked Bill if he wanted to go.  He said “sure”, so we walked to the area where they had set up their booths and tables.  The weather was better, so there were a lot more people.  It looked like they had different food, too.

Then Bill wanted to see if there was anything going on at the Dorfplatz, which is where they always have the wine stands every other Friday night.  Nothing was going on there, but we decided to keep walking.  I’m ashamed to say that in seven months of living in this town, I haven’t explored it much.  I don’t know why.  When I was younger, I’d always walk around my new neighborhoods to make new discoveries.  I usually have the dogs with me, though, and our new town doesn’t have very good sidewalks, since it’s very densely populated.  I guess I figured the area was too congested for them, making it hard to dodge cars.

We walked down Dorfgasse, which is the main drag, passed the antiques dealer, a Kurheil practitioner, a pension, a bakery, an architect, and a druggist with a gynecologist’s office attached to it.  Aside from the bakery and the druggist, I had no idea the other stuff was even there.  We also passed a bunch of guys sitting in their garage, drinking beer, and having a party.

Then we saw a country road on the edge of the neighborhood.  Yes… Breckenheim is on the edge of the country, and we discovered a large park where we can take walks with the dogs.  Perhaps my days of walking them in the poo and dildo infested fields near the Autobahn and the Rewe are over.  Here are some photos from our walk.

This looks familiar… our old town of Jettingen had a similar sign asking people to pick up their dogs’ crap.

Turns out there’s a pretty big walking area, complete with orchards.

There’s even a woods!

 

After a few minutes of walking, we came across a small paddock where a group of ponies were enjoying some hay.  I call them ponies, but they might have been miniature horses.  I mean, they’d be ponies because of their height alone, but they had the more delicate features of horses, with a lighter bone structure. I don’t have much experience with minis, although I have plenty of experience with ponies.  Whatever they officially were, I was delighted to see them!  I spent most of my childhood around horses and even used to have my own pony.  It’s been too many years since I last had a horse in my life.  They are wonderful company.  I even miss their wonderful aroma.

 

One of the mares had a colt by her side.  It looked like a couple of the others might also be expecting, although it’s a bit late in the year for that.  They might have just been fat.

They were very friendly, although I didn’t dare try to pet them.  I have a lot of experience with electric fences, too.  I’m glad we walked up this way, since my dogs go nuts when they see horses.  Now, if I try to walk them here, I’ll be forewarned.

The further we went down the road, the quieter and more bucolic the views were.  I was reminded of the more country areas where we’ve previously lived in Baden-Württemberg.  I’m really a country girl at heart, so finding out our new Hessian town has country scenes did my heart good.  The one thing I’ve been missing about Jettingen are the beautiful wooded areas where I could walk my dogs.  Now I’ve found Breckenheim’s version.

 

The church on the other side.  I think there’s a concert there today.  We might have to check it out.

 

On the way back to our neighborhood, we happened to pass by a tree as several birds of prey had engaged in what appeared to be a violent attack.  I grabbed my camera and tried to film them in action, but was just a little too late to capture the fight.  But then I saw something strange.  A bird was hanging upside down by one talon.  It hung there for an agonizing minute as we looked on, wondering if it was just stunned.  I filmed the bird and my German friend told me it was an Eichelhäher, otherwise known as an Eurasian Jay.  It bore a slight resemblance to our blue jays.  Just after I turned off the camera, the jay lost its desperate grip on the branch and dropped to the ground.  It was still alive when we left it, but I doubt for much longer.  I was a little sad about witnessing that scene, but unfortunately, it’s the way of nature.

By the time we got back to our street, the fest had exploded.  Most of the tables were full of people drinking beer, Sekt, Aperol spritzes, and Jack Daniels.  There were several bands, all of which were quite good.  Our landlord and his wife were there, having a good time.  I like them both, although I haven’t really spent much time talking to them.  Our new landlady doesn’t speak much English, but she’s always very friendly and seems happy to see us.  The landlord seems to like Bill, and he speaks more English– likewise, Bill speaks more German than I do.  We said hello and watched a few acts.  The landlord said they usually do this fest every year, although some years they’ve skipped it.  I’m glad we were around for it this year.

The bikers put on a hell of a party!  I remember Jettingen had events too, but none like this.  A lot of the fests in Jettingen were religious or agricultural.

Cheers!

I got video of a couple of them, which maybe I’ll turn into something I can share here.  I did think to take a few pictures, especially of an enthusiastic gentleman who danced to several well covered classic rock songs.  The group before the rock band consisted of four very talented men singing a cappella in surprisingly good harmony.  I am myself a singer, so I know how hard to can be to stay on pitch when you sing unaccompanied.  They did a really good job of it.  I was especially impressed by their version of “The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond”.  For some reason, Germans seem to love Scotland, just like I do…  I got some raw video, which I might turn into something sharable at some point.

This guy was dancing his ass off.

This dude sounded like a mix of Bon Scott and Meatloaf.  He was singing songs by Foreigner, Billy Idol, and Bob Seger, among others.  His female partner covered a Bryan Adams song and Pink.  They were surprisingly good.

They brought up a young girl… a family member, perhaps, who joined them on the Bryan Adams number, “I Need Somebody.”

This guy was awesome.  He was inspiring people to cut loose.

We went back home and Bill cooked burgers on the new grill.  The party went on down the street.  At about 10:45pm, they set off some fireworks– maybe a minute or two’s worth.  At about 11, the party was over.  All in all, from Idstein to party time, our Saturday was amazing.  I’m not sure what we’re going to do today, but we sure did have a great day yesterday!

Fireworks!

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Breckenheim bikers throw a good party!

Every time we move to a new place, I’m always intrigued by our neighborhoods.  Some places have been better than others.  This time around, we seem to have chosen a very social neighborhood.  Last week, we had the wine stand.  This week, we have a street fest that was capped off by a concert hosted by a bunch of bikers from our current hamlet, Breckenheim.

The club members all had these vests.  Most of them were very personalized.  As you can see, this group was celebrating their 20th anniversary!

If we’d wanted to, we could have just sat out on one of our balconies.  The bikers had a band and were selling brats, brotchen, beer, and Jack Daniels.  I loved that they all had matching leather vests with their names on them.  I got the sense that during the work week, they were all working conventional jobs.  On the weekend, look out!  They were born to be wild!

We stayed at the fest for a couple of hours and listened to the band’s first set.  Here are a few pictures.

The view from our balcony.

 
We had a little bit of rain, but the locals were prepared.  They put up a tent and, with some teamwork, were able to put it over about half of the tables.

A plane on the way to Frankfurt, no doubt.  We live about twenty minutes away.

Bill was in a festive mood.  He likes a good Friday night fest, even though he knew he needed to stay sharp because we finally got the VIN for our new car and he had to call the bank about arranging the loan.

 

Drinks were flowing…  They even had four dispensers for Jack Daniels.  I guess that’s a biker thing.  I used to like Jack Daniels a lot.  When I used to fox hunt, the master of the hounds would pass around a flask full of the stuff.  I didn’t drink it then, because I was just a teenager.  I don’t drink it much now, but when I was in college, I was a fan.

The brats were grilling.

Lots of people were socializing.  This looked like a very friendly group.  I like that there are so many clubs in Germany, one for every possible interest.

 

This was dinner.  It was very good!  I don’t usually go for brats at these events, but I think the bikers put me in the mood.

The band was also pretty swell.  They were playing all manner of hits, from well-known pop songs in English to German songs.  One lady sang a well-known Adele song; another covered Amy Winehouse.  They were quite competent and even had a sax player!

 
The crowd was into it.
 

I tried one of the Jack and Cokes.  It was a lot sweeter than I remembered it, and not just because of the cola.  This one was a double…  I’m feeling it this morning.

 

They had lots and lots of Jack Daniels.  I didn’t know Tennessee Sour Mash whiskey was so popular here.

 

After awhile, we decided to go home so Bill could attend to his loan business and I could play him a new song I discovered yesterday.  I think there will be a lot of activity choices for us this weekend… lots of fests are going on right now.  We’re definitely spoiled for choice!

 

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