Hessen, markets

A wine stand… and shopping at Fornara in Taunusstein…

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might remember back in May, when Bill and I paid a visit to an Italian Feinkost called Fornara. I had discovered it a week prior, when Bill and I went to an Italian supermarket in Mainz-Kastel. I searched to see if there were other Italian markets near us. Fornara, which is a chain Feinkost, has a small satellite location near the train station in Wiesbaden.

After Bill and I shopped there, back in May, we decided we wanted to visit the flagship store in Taunusstein, located about 20 miles from us. The flagship store is much larger, and has space for events and classes.

I thought we’d get to Fornara’s flagship store before today, but then we got sick… and the fridge died… and we went to Switzerland. Thankfully, we now have a new refrigerator; we’re both over the sickness; and we had nothing else to do today. So Bill and I visited Fornara’s main location in Taunusstein, which is situated in a large industrial park with plenty of free parking.

I got some photos of the store, which looks like a larger version of the location in Wiesbaden. Once again, we enjoyed friendly service from an employee who speaks English. There’s also a restroom in the store, which they openly advertise. That’s a plus, although we didn’t avail ourselves of the WC today. Below are some photos. We came home with lots of wine, some olive oil, steaks, and Wagyu burgers.

As far as the shopping experience goes, I found the Fornara in Taunusstein to be very similar to the Wiesbaden location. It’s just a bigger space, and the parking lot is a little larger. They had many of the same products available. I probably wouldn’t go back to the Taunusstein location unless there was an event, or it happened to be handier than the Wiesbaden location.

On the other hand, the drive to Taunusstein is very pleasant. You go through forests and a cute little town with many buildings that still sport Fachwerk (timber framing). And you pass farms where you can pick up fresh items like eggs and wild meats, as well as an amusing graffiti project of a middle finger and the caption “Fuck the system”. To go to the location in Wiesbaden, you have to drive into the city, and it’s potentially more of a pain in the butt because of traffic.

Anyway, it’s nice to know that Fornara exists, especially for those who need special groceries or wines. I expect it’s going to expand in the future, which will be good for foodie snobs.

I also have some photos from last night’s wine stand. It was hosted by the local Volleyball Club, and was pretty well attended. It helped that we got a break in the temperature.

We saw our American friends, who told us they’d bought a house just across from where they are currently renting in our neighborhood. I think I also annoyed a crotchety old German lady, who gave me a dirty look as I spoke English to my friend. Sorry lady… I’d been mostly quiet during the two hours we were attending. If you were in the USA with one of your countrymen, you’d be speaking German, right?

Anyway… below are some photos. We had dinner there– We shared a pork sandwich and potatoes from Breck & Flame, which we couldn’t finish. I had ice cream in the afternoon, to celebrate the new fridge! The sandwich was really good, but it was a bit messy. The potatoes needed salt. But I would definitely get the pork sandwich again, only have them give me a plate, utensils, and the roll on the side. Also… plenty of napkins. One lady who witnessed my reaction to the messiness was laughing at me. Or… maybe it was because of my TRUMP SUCKS t-shirt. 😚

I’m not sure what we’ll do with the rest of the day. Maybe tomorrow we’ll have lunch somewhere. We’ll see.

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German lifestyle, Hessen, Purchases

Our first visit to Fornara Feinkost in Wiesbaden…

A couple of weeks ago, Bill and I decided to visit Celpro, an Italian market in Mainz-Kastel. That store is like a traditional market, and it carries things one might find in a small Italian grocery store. While we were at Celpro, I couldn’t help but notice that it was kind of stressful to shop there. The aisles are jam packed with goods, and it tends to be crowded on Saturdays. However, they have some really nice products from Italy, so it’s great to have them nearby.

I got curious and wanted to see if there were other Italian markets near us. That’s when I discovered Fornara, a Feinkost with its flagship store in Taunusstein. I also noticed that Fornara has a satellite store behind the train station in Wiesbaden. Even after living here for going on eight years, I didn’t know we had such a store so close. Today, Bill and I decided to visit.

It turns out that two weeks ago, they moved into their brand new space, which is very close to the old one. Consequently, it looked to me like they are still setting things up somewhat. However, they had enough there that we ran up a 300 euro bill… 😈

I found high end pastas, lots of sauces, liquor, lots of wines from Italy, France, and Germany, and plenty of frozen seafood and meat. They also had frozen Italian desserts like tartufos, and frozen sorbet filled lemons and oranges. Pour a little vodka in those, and you have yourself a classic French dessert called a “Colonel”.

They sold Tomahawk steaks, Wagyu steaks, flat iron steaks… but they also had huge scallops, tiger shrimps, octopus, and salmon filets. I think they’re still working on expanding their stock. The helpful English speaking staff said they were expecting a shipment this week of more goods.

This Feinkost is very convenient to downtown Wiesbaden, as it’s very close to the train station and bus services, and even has free parking. You can pay with euros or credit cards. The guy who rang us up said that Fornara was founded by one Italian guy, and everybody else is German!

I really enjoyed the ambiance in Fornara. They played energetic music, and the lighting was not too harsh. The store is in what looks like it used to be a warehouse, so I think they will turn that space into something very cool, indeed… and I don’t mean literally, because of all the freezers. Below are some more photos from today’s visit.

I look forward to another visit to Fornara, especially after they get everything set up in their new space. I also hope Bill and I can take a “field trip” to their flagship store in Taununsstein, which is about 18 miles away and appears to be much larger and more expansive.

The flagship store has event space that can be rented for private affairs, as well as classes on different foods and wines. For instance, at this writing, they’re offering a class in different cuts of meats, a Primativo wine tasting, and a summer wine tasting, among other events.

There is also a store in Norderstedt (near Hamburg) and another one coming to Berlin. Bill said Fornara gave him “Eataly” vibes, although I wouldn’t go that far. Eataly is a lot bigger and more overwhelming… but I don’t mind a smaller version of Eataly in these parts.

Bill has to go to Spain next week, so a visit to the store in Taunusstein will have to wait until he gets back. The good news is, we got word that my driver’s license application was approved, so I will soon have my new license in hand. Maybe I can do the driving when we go to the big Fornara store. 😁

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Health, Hessen

Italian delicacies from Celpro Italian Supermarket…

This week, I had a very unpleasant exchange with an Amazon seller, who failed to send me Sperlari Candies I had ordered from Italy. I don’t want to get into the story of what happened in that situation on this blog, because I like to try to keep this space somewhat upbeat, when I can. If you want to read that story, click here. Suffice to say, I didn’t get my candy, and the seller was miffed that I left a low seller rating.

That situation made me remember visiting the Celpro Italian Supermarket, back during the height of the pandemic. I wondered if maybe they had some Sperlari goodies. I told Bill I wanted to visit, so off we went. We were definitely not the only ones who had the idea of shopping for Italian treats today.

It had been so long since our last visit, I had forgotten how small the market was. But for being such a small market, they offer a lot of Italian goods– everything from laundry detergent to fresh meats and cheeses. I couldn’t stand to be in there for too long, though, because it was pretty busy and crowded. We did manage to spend about 127 euros. It would have probably been more, if we could have gotten close to the meat counter!

When we got home from Celpro, I looked to see if there were any other markets nearby. I found one called Fornara, which is a small chain. Apparently, they are near the train station in Wiesbaden. They have another location in Taunnustein. I think we might have to visit there, too… although maybe not today, since it’s already getting close to 2:00 PM, and the store closes at 4:00. It looks like a much bigger market, though– at least the one in Taunnustein does. At the very least, we’d probably find more wines!

Yesterday was May Day. I completely forgot about it. I was too busy thinking about Bill coming home from his latest TDY trip. We had beautiful weather, though, and it’s pretty today, too. It’s also finally getting warm.

I got an email from the driver’s license people in Texas. Naturally, they need more stuff from me. I have to go get my eyes checked at an optometrist’s office, because they need a field of vision test (this is a new thing– never needed that in previous years). I also have to send a copy of my voter card, and complete a couple of items of the form that got overlooked.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by the communication I got. The lady provided everything I needed– from the information as to what documentation is acceptable to prove Texas residency, to the spots I missed on the form. I feel pretty confident that by June 20, which is my birthday, I will have an updated license. Kudos to Mary, handling the out of state driver’s licenses. She’s a professional. I just wish they’d make it easier for people in my situation to find them. It would cut down on a lot of stress and confusion.

I need to go see the eye doctor anyway. I need a new prescription, and perhaps to get myself some bifocals. It’s a pain to have to do it, but it does need to be done. I think we’ll go to a different provider this time, though. I didn’t like the place I went in Wiesbaden, last time I had my eyes checked. I just hope the person I see doesn’t piss me off. 😏

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