Tag Archives: Hessen

Hessen

A visit to Martino Kitchen’s “new” location…

When Bill and I first moved to Wiesbaden in late 2018, we surveyed the local eateries. One place we quickly found was Martino Kitchen, which was at that time, located within a hotel and next to a Feinkost. We dined there for the first time in April 2019. I remember raving about the innovative menu, and the wild garlic soup Bill ordered that blew my mind.

Our second visit to Martino Kitchen, when it was still in its old location, was in November 2019. Once again, I enjoyed our visit. That time, we got to sit at the shared “chef’s table”, and I got to watch the chefs hard at work.

Then 2020 came, and we all remember what happened in 2020… We didn’t visit Martino Kitchen again until November 2023, just before Bill and I visited Armenia. We stopped in for lunch after I bought a gift for my former student from my Peace Corps days. He now works as an associate director for Peace Corps/Armenia. I remember being somewhat less impressed by Martino Kitchen that time, although the lunch we had that day was fine.

In July 2024, Martino Kitchen changed locations and moved to a smaller venue right off the Marktplatz in Wiesbaden. I wanted to try the new location, especially since the menu seemed to have changed somewhat. Unfortunately, we usually go to Wiesbaden on Sundays, and Martino Kitchen is closed on Sundays and Mondays. They also only do lunches on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and we don’t often go out for dinner these days.

Finally, a couple of weeks ago, Bill asked me if I’d like to go out to lunch. We remembered Martino Kitchen and Bill went to see if he could score us a table. There were no reservations available at the end of August. We figured they were on vacation, and after yesterday’s visit, I suspect we were right. Anyway, he made us a reservation for yesterday afternoon at 1:30 PM. I see from their Web site that congratulations are in order. In 2026, Martino Kitchen got a recommendation in the Michelin Guide!

In spite of a brief traffic jam, we arrived at Martino Kitchen slightly before our appointed time. There was one party of three sitting out on their terrace area, and one party of three sat in their very small dining room. I was surprised by how tiny the new space is, but I have to admit, the location is excellent. It’s right next to the music school on the Marktplatz.

We decided to sit inside, mainly because the chairs looked more comfortable to me. As I took a seat next to the window and looked outside, I was doubly glad we were indoors. One of the ladies sitting outside was smoking pretty much non-stop. Fair enough, since that’s allowed here. I’m just glad I had the choice to avoid it.

When we sat down, a woman I now recognize as Kathi from Martino Kitchen’s Web site, welcomed us. I noticed the menu was somewhat different from what it was at the old location. It seemed to be more focused toward Italian food, which suits me fine. We ordered a bottle of sparkling water, and Kathi asked us if we were from the United States. We said we are, but we live here in Wiesbaden. She apologized that she only had menus in German, and we reassured her that we know “restaurant German!”

Kathi said she had just gone on a trip to the western part of the United States. She listed lots of places I’ve never been, since I come from the East Coast! I was relieved to hear that she had a great time during her vacation to our homeland.

We quickly decided on what we wanted for lunch. Bill opted for the melon gazpacho with mozzarella as a starter and the “catch of the day”, which was grilled tuna with seasonal vegetables and risotto. I opted for the salmon tartare and spaghetti carbonara. Kathi soon returned to apologize that they’d run out of gazpacho, so Bill ordered their insalata verde, instead. She also told me that my spaghetti would be linguini, which was fine with me.

We had some lovely fresh bread and Bill ordered a bottle of white wine from Abruzzo, in Italy. Meanwhile, more people sat down inside, and a couple more tables were occupied outside.

After a short time, our first courses arrived. Bill was very pleased with the salad, which came with very sweet tomatoes, romaine lettuce, goat cheese, and what tasted like peaches. My salmon was served with capers and lemon. It was supposed to have Schmand (sour cream), but I didn’t see it there. That was okay with me, though. I’m not a big fan of sour cream, anyway. Kathi said they’d see the setup for my salmon dish in the States and ordered it for the restaurant. I’m not sure what was in the bowl under the salmon… looked like seeds or some other decoration. I didn’t investigate.

Next came our main courses. Bill’s beautifully prepared rare tuna was served with cauliflower and Pfifferlingen mushrooms, as well as creamy risotto. I had been considering the tuna, but since I had mushrooms, I’m glad I opted for the carbonara, which was excellent. It was satisfying, without being too rich! The presentation was also very nice.

Since lunch was so good, we decided to have dessert. That was a good call, since they had their delicious cheesecake. I had forgotten how good the cheesecake is at Martino Kitchen. It’s very creamy and light, and yesterday’s version came with plums and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. I had the tiramisu, which was also light and creamy, but tasted of coffee instead of fruit, with coffee soaked ladyfingers at the bottom of the bowl. 😁 I probably should have had the cheesecake, though… It was a real star!

We finished off our wine and called for the bill, which came to about 140 euros. After last week’s lunch at Landhaus Diedert, we were pretty pleased with the price for yesterday’s indulgence. No, it’s not exactly “cheap eats”, going to Martino Kitchen, but it was significantly less expensive to dine there. We had a very nice time, and I’m sure we’ll be back again.

Kathi said she recognized us… which wouldn’t necessarily surprise me. On the other hand, I’m sure they see all kinds of us “Amis” around. The whole staff made us feel very welcome.

After lunch, we decided to go home, because we thought there was going to be an event by the fire department in the Dorfplatz. On the way to our car, we encountered a German couple who shared the elevator with us. They said something in German that I didn’t understand, but then I said it looked like the elevator canceled our floor request. The Germans, who were very friendly said, “Oh, English speakers!” It was pretty funny, and flattering… We certainly do pass as locals, until we speak! Below are a couple of ads for the local casino, near where we parked.

As it turned out, the fire department’s event was elsewhere (and it’s apparently still going on today), and we didn’t feel like hunting for it. So we went back home, and ran into one of our American neighbors who was celebrating her birthday. She was wearing a beautiful red dress. Later she came by and invited us over, but by then, I was already in my nightie and sitting outside with a beer. So, we decided to stay home… I kind of suck at parties, so we probably did her a favor.

The weather has gotten very nice over the past few days. Today, it’s sunny and pleasant, with a cool breeze. I’m hoping that soon, I can close the windows at night, so the mosquitoes will stop eating me alive. I don’t like spraying myself with OFF before I go to bed.

Bill has to fly to Budapest in the morning, so I think today, we’ll just relax at home, even though there are some events going on right now that might be fun to attend. Bill will be gone until the middle of next week, so I will probably be doing a lot of music projects. Hopefully, I’ll feel like it, anyway.

So ends today’s “travel post”. I hope it was edifying!

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casual dining, Hessen, Hofheim

Delightful take out food from Mukhlo… and wine that makes me shit…

The latter part of this post is a bit frank and rank… reader discretion advised.

Last night, Bill and I were sitting outside and I asked what we should have for dinner. Bill listed the things we have available, and then got on the Lieferando app. He noticed a new entry for a place called Mukhlo. It appeared to offer Middle Eastern food– stuff like pitas, hummus, falafel, and salads with feta cheese.

I noticed Mukhlo gets really good reviews on Google and Uber Eats, so we decided to make our first order last night. I got a Green Bite Tray for 17,50 euros. It came with shaved Angus beef, grilled vegetables, avocado smash, a salad with cherry tomatoes and feta, fries, and yogurt dressing. Bill got the Plant Power Tray, which was falafel, hummus, tomatoes, tahini, and wild herb salad with pomegranates. We also got sides of hummus and paprika and walnut dip, which each came with pita bread. Both were priced at 5,90 euros.

The driver called to tell Bill the order would take a bit longer than planned. I guess they were really busy. Now that I’ve tasted their offerings, I can understand why. Next time, I’ll get something without the feta, because I’m not a feta fan. The rest of it, though, was absolutely delicious and very fresh!

Bill looked up the location of Mukhlo, and he says it’s in the place where the old Spirit of New Orleans restaurant used to be. That place is not far from where we take Noyzi and Charlie for veterinary services.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might remember my posts about that restaurant, which was run by a CRAZY American veteran who made pretty good cajun food, but also had an insane temper and a foul mouth. I kind of enjoyed him, but he offended a lot of people, as evidenced by online reviews on sites like TripAdvisor.

Anyway, I think we’ll be ordering from them again. I can see why people have given them such high marks! They even package their wares in really decent disposable dishes.

Sorry that Bill’s dish is a little blurry. I guess I was a little quick on the draw. I didn’t get a picture of the side of hummus, either.

Earlier this week, we tried some Danish cherry wine that one of Bill’s co-workers brought back from a work trip in Denmark. It came in a 500 ml bottle, which is a good thing.

I actually liked the wine. I love cherry anything, and the wine did eventually open up nicely, and it was surprisingly dry, with a nice spicy essence. It wasn’t even all that cloying, and it paired beautifully with the dark chocolate Lindt wafer pictured below. That’s something new I ordered when I broke down and bought a shitload of Lindt chocolates…

I think the cherry wine is best as a dessert wine, or perhaps served in colder weather with poultry like goose or duck. It probably works best with dark chocolate, though.

So good… especially with cherry wine!

But then later, something unexpected happened. Bill and I went to bed, and I woke up at about 1:00 AM, urgently needing to take a massive dump and expel a lot of gas. Sorry, that’s TMI, but it’s the truth. I thought nothing of it until a few hours later, when the trend continued for a couple more visits.

I was puzzled, so I decided to look up whether or not cherry wine has a laxative effect. I found evidence that, in fact, it does. Or, at least cherries as a whole, do. I guess missing some sleep isn’t such a bad thing, if you need to “clear the decks”, so to speak.

I did like the Danish cherry wine, though, and would drink it again. I think it would be fun to do a tasting. But maybe it’s best to do that earlier in the day… which is a good excuse to day drink, I suppose. (kidding, of course)

One thing I enjoy about living in Europe is getting to try new things. Later today, we will have lunch at Martino Kitchen, a restaurant we’ve tried in its previous location on a few occasions. It’s now moved, and we usually aren’t in Wiesbaden when it’s open (it’s closed on Sundays). We don’t usually make reservations, but we did today. Stay tuned for a new review later– either today or tomorrow.

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Person walking two dogs through a historic half-timbered village
Charlie and Noyzi, communication, customs, Hessen, laws, rants

AI teaches me about the German stare… Soziale Kontrolle…

Yeah… the AI picture is pretty much what it looked like.

Bill and I have now spent over half our marriage living in Germany. He spent three years here as a young lieutenant in the 1980s. Then, we moved here in 2007 for two more years. Then, we came back in 2014, and have been living in Germany ever since. We’ve also visited Germany on vacations, when we weren’t living here.

The one thing I don’t think I’ll ever get used to is the German “stare”. It’s a phenomenon I’ve experienced more times than I could ever count.

The German stare isn’t like your garden variety stare. It’s a certain look of disapproval. Sometimes it’s subtle, like a quiet side eye. Sometimes, it’s very obvious. Sometimes it’s silent. Sometimes it’s delivered with a stern dressing down.

It always amazes me that some people feel perfectly fine about conspicuously staring at what other people are doing, looking on in disdain, or even feeling like they have the right to “speak” to a perfect stranger who is just going about their business and wants to be left alone. But this this is a fact of life in Germany… which doesn’t mean I dislike living here. It’s just something I feel like writing about today, as I wait for the laundry to finish drying.

I’m prompted to write about the German stare this morning because of something that happened yesterday, as I was walking Noyzi and Charlie. If you follow my other blog, you might know that yesterday’s post was a song parody. And while the song parody is basically just an old pop song with new lyrics about Trump’s flatulence, it still took me awhile to create it and turn it into a video.

I make music videos for fun, and as a way to express myself creatively. Sometimes, I actually feel compelled to write song parodies. They help me cope. But they take a lot of work, and significant time, and because of that, yesterday, I was walking the dogs later in the morning.

The Dorfplatz was busier than usual, as the dogs and I walked down the hill from Am Rathaus. Several people were sitting there, enjoying our town’s central meeting spot. There was a woman with a small child, another woman with a baby in a pram, and an elderly lady with a cane. I walked past them on my normal 15 minute route.

Less than a minute after we passed the ladies in the Dorfplatz, Noyzi suddenly decided to crouch in “dump” position. He dropped a big pile of crap on the side of the street.

As Noyzi was pooping, a man in a black SUV was approaching in the opposite direction. He obviously noticed Noyzi’s activity and STOPPED his car to rubberneck. I glared at him as I pulled a bright red shit bag out of my pocket, so I could clean up the pile of excrement.

As I opened the bag and bent over to pick up Noyzi’s deposit, the man sped off. Meanwhile, the elderly lady who had been in the Dorfplatz started yelling something at me. I could tell she was talking about the dogs, and it sounded like she was asking a question.

Unfortunately for her, I was in no mood for chatter, and I suspected she was concerned about having to share the sidewalk with us. I quickly picked up the poop and scurried off ahead of her. I didn’t want to cross the street or hinder, or be hindered, by her.

On the way back through the Dorfplatz, I dropped the sack of crap into a public trashcan. The walk was soon completed, and I temporarily put the incident out of my mind.

While I was chatting with Bill after dinner last night, I decided to do a Google search to see if other people had posted about this phenomenon… the German stare… which I definitely received from the guy in the SUV. I typed the following search string:

“german stopped his car when my dog pooped”

Google now has AI in its search bar, and my query prompted AI to give me an answer. I have to admit, it was an amusing exchange:

Well… yeah, nobody likes to step in dog poop. But why would you automatically take it upon yourself to police a total stranger? Especially when you’re driving?

I was intrigued by this exchange with AI, so I responded again.

“he moved on when I pulled out a bag and gave him a dirty look”

Yeah… but why did he feel like it was right and proper to just stop in the middle of the street, perhaps inconveniencing other people? Was it really that earth shattering to make sure I cleaned up after Noyzi?

And what if I didn’t clean up the mess? Was he going to get out of the car and yell at me? Would he roll down the window and chastise me? Call the Polizei, maybe? Obviously, what I was doing was VERY important to this dude. But to me, his sudden attention was creepy, weird, and most unwelcome.

I responded again with this:

“It was silent.”

AI gratified me by reassuring me that I did the right thing…

He didn’t “force” me to do anything, though. It’s my habit to clean up my dogs’ messes. He prompted me to look at him with extreme irritation.

I gave AI another response:

“I live in Germany.”

AI made another response, full of assumptions about the conditions of my life here.

They aren’t “trying” to be rude, but it IS kind of rude to assume someone might not clean up after their dogs. On the other hand, I have seen plenty of evidence that a lot of people don’t clean up their dogs’ shit. 🤷‍♀️

I ended the “chat” with AI with this:

“it definitely wasn’t my first time being stared at.”

AI, once again, complimented and edified me, congratulating me on my “thick skin”. Yeah, my skin is thick with adipose, but I’ll always find the “German stare” impolite and annoying… and I will respond accordingly, because I’m childish that way…

Again, another assumption. I don’t think I’ll ever “get used to” the monitoring. I do find it irritating. But I understand that’s just how life is here, and I’ll never change it.

At that point, I decided I was bored with my exchange with Google AI about cleaning up dog shit. However, that exchange made me realize why some people see AI as a friend they’ve never had. It’s weird to be having that kind of an exchange with my computer, with it reassuring me and teaching me about a place I’ve lived in for years, now. AI could be your best friend or worst enemy, I suppose.

I often think back on my life and realize that when I was born, The Brady Bunch was still in its first prime time run on ABC. Now, in my 54th year of life, I’m having conversations with artificial intelligence on my iPad, and it’s telling me about German laws.

As the man in the 90s used to sing, “How Bizarre!”

I guess this dates me, too…

Also… Facebook memories tells me that this same thing happened on September 1 five years ago…

Yup. Maybe it’s a seasonal thing. I do remember, in this case, taking my time cleaning it up, so she’d be forced to linger longer. What can I say? Sometimes, I’m pretty petty. 😈

Ah well… maybe today’s walk will be less obnoxious. On the way back home, I had to wait for several cars to pass before I could cross the street. And this is in our little village, which has no stop lights. But at least no one showed me their penis. So that’s a plus…

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German lifestyle, Hessen, Sundays

A late summer visit to Landhaus Diedert…

Yesterday, Bill asked me if I’d like to go out to lunch today. I said sure, so he booked us a table at Landhaus Diedert, one of our favorite local restaurants. I’ve written quite a lot about this restaurant, located on the outskirts of Wiesbaden. We go there a few times a year and enjoy their rustic dining room, or their beautiful Biergarten. Today, since the weather was fine, we sat outside. And, an added bonus… parking was plentiful!

Landhaus Diedert is not just a restaurant. It’s also a hotel, and a former monastery. We have not had the pleasure of staying at this place, but we have dined there quite a few times. Every time, the food and service have been excellent. Today was no exception.

Our server was a lovely young woman who spoke English and lamented that there were a few words she couldn’t translate for us. For instance, the catch of the day was Lachs Forelle. She didn’t know the English words for this. Surprisingly enough to her, we know what Lachs Forelle is. We reassured her that we know some German. Failing that, there’s always Google Translate on our phones. 😁

Bill started with a non-alcholic cherry juice. I went with the house aperitif, which was orange and rose based and effervescent. I noticed that when they were next to each other, they looked like my high school colors.

Go Dukes! Red and gold forever! 🤪

Our waitress explained that they’re getting ready to change menus. Tuesday, September 1, the fall choices will be offered. Consequently, some of the items on the summer menu are no longer available. For example, if we’d ordered anything with Spargel (asparagus), that would be replaced by broccoli. Also, one of the desserts– a plum vanilla parfait– was replaced by chocolate mousse.

Bill ordered our usual sparkling water and a bottle of Italian Primitivo. They brought out white and whole grain bread with butter and chili flavored hummus. And then we made our choices. I started with a pea and mint soup. Bill had burrata…

Both of these dishes were outstanding, but I especially loved the soup, which was creamy and comforting. Bill marveled at the tomatoes in the burrata, which he said were kind of “jammy”.

For our main courses, I chose the catch of the day, Lachs Forelle (salmon trout), which came with polenta, artichoke hearts, Barigoule sauce, and potato chips. Bill had the venison loin, which came with Pinot Noir jus, potato, mousseline, and sugar snap peas.

And then, after a leisurely second course, we had dessert. He had the chocolate mousse with mango sorbet, which replaced the plum vanilla parfait. I had the Yuzu lemon cake, which came with salted caramel candy and verbena sorrel ice cream.

Both of the desserts were delightful, and we didn’t feel totally stuffed when we left. I don’t know how many Americans Landhaus Diedert gets. My guess is that those of us who live there don’t venture out to that restaurant often. Of that, I’m pretty grateful, because it’s a nice find. It’s especially nice to enjoy the beautiful Biergarten, with it’s huge oak and sycamore trees.

Very soon, it will be cold and rainy again, so it’s great to be able to enjoy the nice weather while we still can. This particular meal came to about 233 euros, which isn’t cheap, but the food was definitely worth the expense. I always enjoy this restaurant on Sundays, and I look forward to our next visit with great anticipation! The soup alone was well worth the trip!

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Hessen

The last wine stand of August 2026…

Last night, Bill and I attended the final wine stand of August 2026. We almost didn’t go, because Bill was supposed to have a late meeting. The weather was also a bit unpredictable. We had some much needed rain during the day, which also dropped the temperature a lot.

Bill got home at just before 6:00 PM, which is when the wine stands start. There were some clouds in the sky, but they had parted for sunlight. And we’re probably going to miss the next wine stand, because Bill has to go to Budapest, and I don’t go to them when he’s not home. So we decided to go, and in spite of a few side eyes and dirty looks from some of the elderly folks who attended, we had a nice time.

Below is a photo dump from last night. We didn’t end up talking to anyone for a significant length of time. But we did have some nice local wines from Weingut Faust, and enjoyed people watching. We also had sausages for dinner… which ended up not being enough for me, as I woke up pretty hungry this morning.

I focused on taking pictures of Bill… 😉

I had a Rindswurst– made of beef. Bill had a Bratwust– made of pork.
We left at about 9:00 PM. Things were winding down.

We came back home and had a chat. I got a little depressed about the state of the world, and a string of losses. We lost Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, Jaye P. Morgan (of The Gong Show), and Shelley Fabares…

But I also lost an old friend/co-worker/classmate, who died unexpectedly. She wasn’t a close friend, and I hadn’t seen her in person in decades. I rarely interacted with her on Facebook. But she worked with me at my very first paying job. It turns out I had some thoughts about this sudden event, which came out last night.

I probably should have just taken a look at the pictures I got of Noyzi and Charlie the other day. I confess, in the top row of photos, they were looking like that because they were hoping I would share my lunch with them. In the bottom two, they were waiting for bedtime. Noyzi never lies on that blanket. It’s usually where Charlie sleeps until he can’t stand it anymore and jumps up on the bed.

At the very least, I’ve been able to help give these two dogs a good home… But sometimes, I do wonder what is the point of any of this. The dogs help me stay grounded, which is a good thing. Noyzi is currently parked behind my chair, as he likes to hang out there while I write blog posts. 🤭

It’s nice that the weather is changing… I enjoy the onset of autumn, if only because it means I can close the balcony door at night and stop getting eaten alive by mosquitos!

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German lifestyle, Hessen, markets

A rare weekly market rendezvous…

Bill took the day off of work today. Our dog, Noyzi, needed some blood work done, and it was going to take a few hours. So, rather than come and go at work, or task me with the job of taking him, Bill stayed home. We did some boring housework, which you can read about on my main blog.

While Bill was at the vet’s, he ran into our neighbor, the veterinarian who owns the practice where we take our dogs. He immediately recognized Noyzi and gave him a pat. Sadly, Bill happened to be there as a family was saying goodbye to a much beloved family member. We lost our dogs, Zane and Arran, here. In fact, Zane’s anniversary is coming up on the 31st. 🕯️ I’m sending warm thoughts to that family. It’s so hard to say goodbye.

It was hard for Charlie to say goodbye to Bill and Noyzi; that’s for sure! He was really upset at being left home with me. He cried, barked, and stayed in the foyer, waiting for them to come back. However, unlike Noyzi, Charlie doesn’t like car rides, and he hates the vet. I think he got the better end of the deal. Noyzi wasn’t thrilled to be at the vet’s today! But he did get a treat.

One unexpected thing that happened today is that I ended up ordering a new steam mop. The one I bought in late 2018, when we were fixing to move from Baden-Württemberg, seems to have bit the dust. It started to heat up, as usual, and then just kind of died. It didn’t die all of the way, mind you. The little green power light was on, and I could feel the electrics trying to heat up. But it just never got there.

I got tired of waiting for our old mop to try to heat up, and broke out the Tineco wet vacuum I bought a few years ago. I cleaned the floors with that. It does do a good job. But I still like having a lighter, less cumbersome steam mop for upstairs. So I ordered one from Paris that will probably get to me in a few days.

Then, after all of that stuff was done, we decided to go to the weekly market in our village. It just started up again after a brief summer pause.

I love the weekly market. One can purchase deli meats and cheeses, fresh breads, fresh vegetables, Middle Eastern goodies, and wine… The ice cream man also comes with his goodies. He has a good sense of humor, speaks English, and offers delicious ice creams. I think he gets a kick out of us, because when we first met him several weeks ago, we said we were hiding out in Germany.

Bill bought some cold cuts and cheeses from a Tyrolean farmer’s market seller. They had a nice conversation in English and German. An older gent asked us if we were British. We told them we’re American. I was flattered that it wasn’t obvious, in spite of my profane t-shirt…

Look carefully. I should probably buy another one.

We also bought a kilo of plums from the fruits and vegetables vendor. We would have bought bread, but the guy was busy, and Bill has an appointment with his Jungian analyst today. So we had some wine and ice cream from the friendly vendor…

As we were enjoying the low key weekly market, which the city manager attended, I was thinking about how lucky we are to live here. People around here mostly know us, but even the ones who don’t are very nice.

The Metzgerei vendor asked if we were new, because he’d never seen us before. I think he’s different from the folks who used to come. We said we weren’t. He kind of good-naturedly ribbed Bill for his attempts at German, then sang “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, when he heard that I’m from Virginia. Of course, Virginia is NOT West Virginia… but that’s okay. It’s a great song. Besides, Bill Danoff, who mostly wrote that song, had not been to West Virginia when he wrote it. The song was actually inspired by drives in Maryland. Germans love it, though. Who wouldn’t love Germanic John Denver’s beautiful tenor voice?

Another elderly gent asked if we were Brits. We said no, we’re American. Bill told him where we live, and he said, “Please come back.”

I did notice that the weekly market seemed a bit sparse… but that might be because it’s August, and people tend to vacation in August. Also, they host it during working hours. It’s hard to go to the market when one doesn’t leave work until an hour before the market closes. But I guess the people who run it sell their wares at bigger markets on weekends, and no one wants to be hanging out on a town square during the dinner hour.

We also saw our old neighbor, Daniel, who stopped to pick up some vegetables. Daniel moved to a smaller, cheaper place following his divorce. He’s a very nice guy. We miss having him near, but it was nice to see him today.

Anyway… I do love our little village, and I’m grateful that we get to live here. We were very lucky, because this was the last house we toured when we were looking, and it popped up the day before we were heading back to Jettingen, back in November 2018, having come up here to look for a place to live. I suspect we were the only ones to tour it when it came up, and you’re damned right we snapped it up quickly. It’s been a GREAT place to live… both in terms of the house, and the town.

Below are a few photos from today.

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Celebrations, German lifestyle, Hessen

Dorfplatzfest 2026…

It’s been pretty hot and dry lately. Bill has been very busy at work, so we haven’t been out and about. Actually, this summer has been pretty devoid of outings. I think part of it is that we’re both getting older and more tired, and going places can be exhausting. Bill and I both got sick in May, and Bill is still coughing a lot from that.

However, if there’s one thing Breckenheim is good for, it’s local events. This weekend, we’re having the Dorfplatzfest, which is a yearly party held in our little village square. This year’s fest started last night, and we had wine, beer, food, and live entertainment. Dr. Konrad Blendinger, our neighbor and veterinarian, was performing with his band.

We have never seen Dr. Konrad Blendinger for vet services, because he mostly works with animals intended for breeding. His wife, who is also a vet, has seen our dogs, as have most of the vets employed at the practice. But since he’s our neighbor, he’s seen Noyzi and Charlie in the neighborhood. I think he admires Noyzi, who can’t be bred, but strikes an impressive pose.

Dr. Blendinger plays guitar and sings, and he’s even written an original song about Breckenheim. I didn’t hear his song about Breckenheim last night, but there were some pretty good covers of classic American songs.

Bill and I didn’t eat at the fest last night, but we did enjoy beer and wine, and good conversation with Germans. One person who sat with us was a man we met several weeks ago. He brought his dog on that first encounter, but left her at home last night. It was pretty hot and busy, and she probably wouldn’t have enjoyed the party as much as we did.

As we were talking, we learned that our new friend grew up in West Berlin. Since he’s Bill’s age, he was born there during the Cold War, when the city was walled in. He said it was like growing up in a prison. I’m sure it wasn’t quite that extreme, but I got point he was trying to make. It was hard to drive anywhere without encountering the Berlin Wall.

Unfortunately, his English skills aren’t quite as extensive as he would have liked, and our German skills are even less sufficient. So it wasn’t easy to get too far in depth about what it was like to grow up when Germany was divided, and Berlin was split into two sections. Our friend also told us that his mother, who had come from Poland, managed to escape to the West by sheer luck. She got on a train before she could be stopped by the guard who had told her that her papers weren’t in order.

I really value conversations with people who have lived through that bygone era in Germany and other countries that were once behind the Iron Curtain. I fear that kind of totalitarianism could one day affect the United States, if we aren’t careful.

Another older man, whose name I didn’t catch, talked to Bill for a long time about traveling in the United States. He knew Gaby and Boris, a older German couple who don’t speak much English, but seem to like Bill and me. I wonder if it’s because we always get to the fests early and score a table. No one wants to sit with us, because we’re Americans, so they’re pretty much guaranteed a place to sit. 😁 I’m kidding, of course. They’re very nice folks, and we always enjoy practicing our crappy German skills with them. And yes, I know I should be fluent by now.

Bill wore a t-shirt I bought for him last year. There’s a picture of Socrates on it, and the quote “Meh… good enough” on it. Under the picture of the philosopher, it says “Mediocrates”. Another acquaintance asked Bill about the shirt, and he explained. I had totally forgotten that I bought him that shirt.

Below are some photos from last night…

He’s the best… and I am a crone.
We sat by the grape vine, and got accosted by wasps!

I don’t think we meant to stay as long as we did. It really was fun, though, and it continues today, starting at 2 o’clock. However, it’s raining right now, so I’m not sure if or when we’ll attend. My liver might appreciate a break. Below are a couple of photos I took of my neighbor’s flowers this week. Sadly, they both now badly wilted because of the hot, dry weather.

The only other thing that happened this week was some random older guy dressed in white banged on the door. I had just gotten out of the shower and wasn’t dressed. I opened the door, and he started speaking rapid fire German. I said, “I’m sorry, I don’t understand you. I have to go.” Then I shut the door. I think I heard him cursing.

I always feel bad doing that, but people who randomly bang on the door are usually wanting to sell something, begging, casing, or otherwise being pests. I don’t like being rude to people, but if I’m at home, minding my own business, and the visitor doesn’t have an appointment to see me, I also don’t feel obligated to interact. Still, it goes against my raising to be so abrupt.

Anyway… we’ll see if we go to the fest today. We might decide to hole up at home and enjoy the rain. We really need it!

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Hessen

Breckenheim Yard Sale 2026…

Today, our village had its annual yard sale. As usual, it was well organized and attended, with plenty of locals walking around, buying their neighbors stuff, and then enjoying wine, Brats, and ice cream. At one point, some guy rang our doorbell, wanting to know if he could park at the end of our street. Bill told him it was our landlord’s/neighbor’s decision, since it’s his property. He’s in Munich right now, though.

Bill and I didn’t really buy or sell anything, save for some strawberries that appeared to come from a local strawberry vendor. We did stop by the wine stand and enjoyed wine and ice cream. The ice cream vendor was friendly, and we were telling him about how we were hiding out from our government. He was sympathetic, and said Germans wanted to talk about it, but couldn’t really.

We also ran into the guy who has Stella, the awesome dog we met Friday night. He said hello, and tried out our neighborhood toilet, which I had lamented that I never seem to lock properly!

We saw our city manager, who is always attentive and shows up at every event. He brought a woman with him. I assume it was his wife. He may not appreciate Americans, because we can’t vote for him, but I do think he does a really good job. I’ve noticed an uptick of fun events since he got his job. It’s made Breckenheim an even better place to live.

The sale is set to go on until 4 PM, which is about 40 minutes from now. Below are some photos I took as we walked around…

I was particularly fond of the cat, who was friendly and looked like he or she wanted to hunt. Some German kids came over to ask what we were looking at while we were standing there at the creek. We answered in English, pointing out the cat… One girl was talking about the cat jumping, but that was about as far as I got.

I really love that our little community does these things, people show up, and they are very neighborly and friendly. We even ran into our neighbor, Massimo, who has always been so nice to us.

I know there will come a day when our time in Breckenheim will be in the past, but I am pretty sure it will always be a bright spot in my memories. We really lucked into a wonderful community. On another note, I saw some art I liked. I need more for our house. But maybe it’s better to find it on our trips.

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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”.

Never thought I’d find these in a store!

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.

Tartufos aplenty!
I found seven bottles of wine to take home!

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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Hessen

A wonderful Armenian and Georgian repast in Wiesbaden…

Those of you who regularly read this blog might know that I spent 27 months living in Yerevan, Armenia, where I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I was there from June 1995-August 1997, and the first half of my time there was during a severe energy crisis. Although I would be lying if I said I loved every minute of my time as an “A3” Peace Corps Volunteer (meaning I was in the third group to go there after the program started in December 1992), I am now left with lots of nostalgia. I still remember some of the language, and I have developed an appreciation for Armenian food, wine, and culture.

Last week, Facebook sent me a random ad for a restaurant in downtown Wiesbaden called La Bohème. This beautiful eatery, named for an opera by Giacomo Puccini, specializes in Armenian and Georgian food. I was excited to see that, as I had no idea that Wiesbaden had a proper Armenian restaurant. I have seen some Georgian places, but none that were really Armenian. I told Bill and about La Bohème, and today, we decided to visit.

This restaurant is located on Taunusstrasse, which runs along the perimeter of the old town. We parked our car in the Kurhaus Parkplatz, and then it was an easy and pleasant ten minute walk to the restaurant.

Wiesbaden’s hot spring!

When we walked into the restaurant, there were only two tables occupied. We took a spot by the wall, and the waiter, who spoke perfect English apologized that they only had German menus. As we’d say in Armenia, հարց չկա– (harts ch’ka, or no problem). We ordered our usual water with gas, and a lovely Georgian Mukuzani wine.

Then, we shared hummus with lavash, and xhorovatz (grilled meat). I had pork and Bill had lamb. I was very impressed by the food. It was beautifully prepared and presented. I was wondering where this place had been all my life!

This xhorovatz were outstanding! We both opted for the potatoes, and the dish came with drilled peppers and Armenian salad with pomegranate seeds.

The funny thing is, I never had hummus in Armenia. I didn’t eat in many restaurants because I couldn’t afford it, and there weren’t that many, anyway, during my time in Yerevan. By the time I left in 1997, more places were opening. Now, there are MANY good restaurants in Armenia.

After the main courses, we had dessert, but ended up taking most of it home. We were well satisfied by the Armenian dishes. Besides, the desserts were not as good as the starter and main courses were.

We finished up with a snifter of Ararat Vaspurakan 15 year old brandy for me, and an Armenian “Moka” for Bill, which just means coffee made in a moka pot. He read his future in the coffee grounds, which he said showed Western Europe. Personally, I thought they looked more like a dog.

Well, this looks more doglike from a different angle.

All told, we spent about 135 euros, and came home with leftover dessert. We both really enjoyed our visit and I think we’ll happily dine at La Bohème again. The food was excellent, and a nice change of pace. The prices were very fair. And the waiters were patient with me when I spoke Armenian. I’m better at speaking Armenian than German, although there was no need to speak either language, as they all spoke great English! Europe really does put us to shame when it comes to learning foreign languages!

Obviously, I highly recommend this restaurant. We’ll be back!

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