Featured photo is AI generated, because I didn’t think to get a photo of our pile of discards this morning…
It’s about 9:00 AM, and a truck has already come here to pick up most of our bulky discards. This excites me, because that stuff has been cluttering the house for years. I’ve been bugging Bill to get rid of the old freezer he bought from a former co-worker for at least five years. He bought it in 2017 or so, when we lived in the old house, and it quit working in 2019 or so. It probably just needed a new freon bottle, but it seemed like that was more trouble than it was worth, so we never bothered. But it was a large appliance taking up space, collecting dust, and reminding me of yet another time when Bill should have listened to his woman. 🤨
I’m kidding, of course. He listens to me all the time. He just didn’t in that instance.
We also got rid of two US spec TVs that still work, but are outdated and not quite perfect. One was purchased in 2007 or so, when we lived in the Stuttgart area. The other was purchased at a Target in San Antonio. It was fine, until last year, when it became impossible to remove graphics from the screen. It bugged me enough that we got a new TV. The old one was collecting dust in the basement, next to the broken freezer.
At this writing, we’re still waiting for the trash pick up to get our old king sized mattress. That thing was a real bitch to move out of the house, mainly because it has no handles. We’d put it in Noyzi’s room after we replaced the old mattress. Last night, Bill and pushed that thing down the hall, and down the steps. It got hung up on the downstairs ceiling, but with some elbow grease and muscle power, we finally got it out the front door.
Bill’s two friends and co-workers came and helped us out last night, getting the freezer out of the basement. Bill had already taken the door off and removed the drawers. When they were picking up the freezer, the freon bottle released a puff of gas, which got Bill in the face. He wasn’t any worse for wear.
Noyzi and Charlie were absolutely DELIGHTED to meet Bill’s co-workers. I was so proud of Noyzi, especially, because there was a time when he was absolutely terrified of men. Now, he loves everybody. He’s learned that people are mostly good. And Charlie, of course, was his usual social self. He likes men, so he was very happy to meet the guys last night, both of whom are dog lovers, too! One of Bill’s friends noticed Charlie’s eyes staring out from a crack in the door. It was so cute. I wish I’d gotten a photo.
Now, as I look around the house, I see other items that need to be ditched. Bill says we can get stuff picked up four times per year. I don’t think we’ve ever had a bulk trash pickup in all the years we’ve lived over here, but it sure is a nice service. I see our next door neighbor is also ditching some stuff today, including a mattress.
I’m not sure what will happen next year. It’s entirely possible that we may have to move next year, but that’s true of any year. It’s a fact of life, when you’re in the military lifestyle– even after retirement. But it’s good to know that it’s easy to schedule these things, and they work out so well. There’s an app that is simple to use for scheduling. I have a feeling we’ll be using it again soon!
I’m not sure if this service is available everywhere. My German friend, who lives down near Stuttgart, says that it’s not available where she lives. It probably depends on the county. I’m sure she’ll tell me the scoop.
The weather was so gorgeous yesterday afternoon, that Bill and I decided to go to Wiesbaden and enjoy the last day of the Rheingau Weinwoche. As I mentioned last weekend, Sunday is our favorite day to go to this fest. It’s usually more laid back and low key than on Friday nights or Saturdays. I’m not sure what the fest is like during the work week. Our usual parking garage was “besetzt” (full) when we arrived, so we parked at the Kurhaus, which had plenty of parking.
We enjoyed a snack and some wines… I had a little quiche with bacon and garlic, and Bill had cheese bread sticks. We listened to the strains of live music and some American guy in a Nickelback t-shirt proselytising to a multicultural group. It was kind of annoying, because there was a smoker in the group, and when she finished her cigarette, she put her dirty ashtray at the table next to ours.
The carillon player at the Marktkirche was rocking out on what sounded like a very interesting cover of “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay. I love this about Germany… the churches are pretty secular.
This was a surprising music choice for a Sunday… I thought it was kind of cool, though.
We didn’t stay a long time at the fest. It was somewhat crowded, and Bill was not wanting to drink a lot of wine, since we drove. Still, it was a beautiful day with a perfect temperature– about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. I got a few more photos, just in case it turns out to be our last year getting to go to this particular festival…
We really have been fortunate to get to live here… Wiesbaden is a lovely place to live. Not that I didn’t enjoy Stuttgart, too… although the traffic was worse, and the local culture was a bit different.
I’m not sure what we’re going to do next weekend. There will probably be another wine fest somewhere close, or maybe we’ll visit another town. The possibilities are endless, and we really should get out more. Anyway, a new work week has started for Bill. Hopefully, it will be a productive one.
Bill and I were supposed to go to the first night of the annual Rheingau Wine Festival on Friday evening. His company had reserved a tent for employees and their families. We usually go to that gathering and have a good time. But this year, Bill decided he’d rather hang out at home with me instead of being crowded, hot, and breathing second hand smoke. We usually go to this particular festival on our own, on our preferred Sunday afternoons, when it’s usually a lot less crowded.
So, that’s what we did today… We had beautiful, sunny, relatively cool and breezy weather. The lovely weather made it even nicer to visit this yearly event, which always seems to herald the onset of the fall season for me. I know we have about a month to go before summer is officially over, but years of living in Germany has taught me that in about a month, it’s possible jackets will be necessary once again. On the other hand, I have noticed that things are warmer now than they were in 2007, when Bill and I moved to Germany together with the Army.
Anyway, I don’t have much of anything to report on things that happened today, but I did get some photos and a few recordings…
The first thing we did was go to the WC, where a very cheery Klofrau (toilet lady) was taking one euro per person. She was kind of funny, so I didn’t mind giving her the money. At least the toilets were clean and stocked, right?
We started looking for a place with plenty of shady tables, so we could have something to eat. I finally spotted a good table near some live entertaininers– a guy from Ocean City, Maryland who sang and played keyboards and his German sax player. They were really good, and played music I loved. Bill went to get some bratwursts and pommes (fries), while I drank Riesling. I wish the food had been as good as the live entertainment was. But, the wines were all decent, so there was that.
I really enjoy Wiesbaden, if only because of the fests!
Just before the musicians were about to take their pause, a family sat at the table right behind us. I kept getting bumped by one of them, whose back was against mine. Then, someone from that table kicked rocks, and some wound up in my shoe. Next, a woman sat on the bench in front of me. She was nice enough not to block our view, but her husband then sat down and lit up a cigarette. It was allowed, of course, but pretty annoying. We decided to get up and move to the next booth, run by Barth Weingut, which is a local favorite of mine. When they saw that we were moving, the table muggers quickly moved to take our vacated spots.
Below are some more photos from the other booths we visited. I hope we’ll get to go back again, before the festival ends a week from today.
As for yesterday, we mostly spent it hanging out in the backyard, listening to music, drinking wine and beer, and tearing down the ivy on one of the fences. We didn’t quite finish the job, but now the yard looks both a little naked, and like a tornado hit it.
Bill loves the t-shirt. I ordered it for him a month ago, but it just got to us, along with a couple of others. This coming Saturday, we’ll finally be getting a new mattress, which means somehow hauling the 16 years old one out to be picked up. That will be fun.
I wish I had more fun things to report on… but it does look like I might be able to go somewhere with Bill soon. When the plans are in place, I’ll announce where.
Last night, we decided to go to the wine stand, which happens every other Friday, here in Breckenheim. There wasn’t a big crowd, probably because the weather was a bit iffy. We had rain and storms yesterday, but the sun also came out for awhile. The temperature was slightly brisk, especially for June. I brought a light wrap with me to ward off the chill.
I’m glad we decided to go, even if I did drink too much wine and woke up with a hangover. We ran into a really lovely elderly German couple who are always kind to us when they see us. They joined us at our table, and we practiced our German, while the wife practiced her English. They ate pizza, and offered us some, but we had chili on the stove.
Even though sometimes we feel a little party crashers when we go to the wine stands, we’ve really come to enjoy these community events. The people in Breckenheim are mostly friendly and inclusive… moreso than what we experienced when we lived in Jettingen and Pfäffingen. Sometimes I do miss living down near the Black Forest, though, if only because there was a lot to do, especially on the weekends. There’s a lot to do up here, too, but it has a different vibe. I especially miss taking hikes in the Schwarzwald. I could do that here, too, I guess… but the scenery is not as beautiful to me.
Anyway… here are a few photos.
My favorite photo of the night!
We don’t always go to the wine stands anymore. Sometimes, we just don’t feel like it, or the weather isn’t good. I tend to drink too much wine when we do go… But I have to admit, with a few exceptions, we usually have a good time hanging out with our neighbors. We’ve been told that Breckenheim actually started the wine stand trend in this area, which is used to raise funds for different clubs. The clubs host the stands at the weekly markets, too.
We left the wine stand at just the right time. Bill was getting hungry, and he was very tired from an early flight back to Germany from Poland. Not long after we left, the sky opened up with rain!
Tonight, we have reservations at Landhaus Diedert. It will be the first time we’ve gone there for dinner. Tomorrow, we have lunch reservations at Villa im Tal. So stay tuned for lots of food pictures over the weekend! It’s also a religious holiday on Sunday and Monday (Whit Sunday– the final day of the Easter season– and Whit Monday). I think there are community events going on for that, too, including a raffle that Bill bought tickets for.
Bill has been in Norway all week, and I’ve been left to my own devices here in Germany. I’ve been keeping busy with random chores, making song parodies, and watching lots of YouTube videos, while I ponder and worry about the future. Nevertheless, I can’t deny that we had some beautiful weather this week. The temperatures are up; the sun is out; and I’ve been fighting the urge to drink wine on the terrace. This week, my liver has gotten a much needed break from booze.
I did take a few pictures this week, to show our lovely little town erupting into spring. Yesterday, I noticed they put up the Easter display in our Dorfplatz, just like they do every year. I may not be German, but I sure do enjoy living here. It’s nice and quiet, predictable, and civilized.
Charlie strikes a pose. He sure looks happy!Easter is here!
I wish I had more to report. When Bill goes away, I just kind of hunker down and get through things. I did go to the Rewe yesterday to get some groceries. I had a big brainfart while standing in line. Everybody seemed to want to check out at the same time, and the lady in front of me wanted cigarettes, which required the cashier to fetch them.
When she brought them to the register, I guess they either weren’t what she wanted or were too expensive. So then the cashier had to take them back. Meanwhile, my blood sugar was in the toilet and I was getting irritable. I counted out some money, but didn’t realize that I had mistakenly counted a five euro bill as a twenty euro bill.
And the lady in front of me said something in German, so much to my shame, I blurted out “I’m American.”
She came back in perfect English with, “I hope you aren’t in a hurry.” (or something along those lines)…
By the time she left, I was all flustered, and the cashier was telling me that I needed to give her more money. Fortunately, I noticed the shortage and gave her the twenty I had originally meant to give her. And then, on the way out of the Rewe, which is about a ten minute walk from my house, but I had the car, there was a huge group of people on bikes to navigate.
The only other significant thing that happened this week is that the dogs got much needed dentals done. That was no big deal, except for when I needed to find a parking spot. Our vet has little parking, and everybody seemed to be collecting their pets at the same time. After I paid the 1100 euro ($1400) bill for Noyzi and Charlie, I took them home. Today also happens to be the fifth anniversary of the day I saw Noyzi’s photo for the first time and fell in love with him. It took about six months to bring him home from Kosovo.
Oh… and today, I learned how to refill the salt in our dishwasher. That was quite a life skill. Seriously, Bill always handles that task, so I didn’t know. I had to guess that was why the dishwasher wouldn’t run. Below is a helpful video for those who are similarly questioning:
Let’s hear it for doing it yourself…
This week should be even more tranquil… although given what’s going on in US politics, maybe not. Ah well. Bill will be home on Saturday, and he’s taking the following Monday off. So maybe there will be something new to report then. As for today, I’m probably just going to hang out in the house…
I guess this post turned out to be more than I thought it would be.
I’m interrupting my Italy series for a quick photo dump of pictures from this week. We have some photos from our weekly market on Thursday. Bill and I picked up a few items for dinner, including chicken shawarma sandwiches from a new Syrian vendor we’d never seen before. The guy spoke English, was very friendly, and seemed delighted to talk to Bill about Doha, Qatar. As for the rest of the people at the market, they seemed to be giving us the side-eye more than usual. My guess it’s because they know we’re Americans and Trump is a major league asshole… Oh, and there’s also a photo of me in a Guinness hat Bill got at the drink market.
Charlie is glad to be home.
And then today, we went on post so I could buy makeup. Afterwards, I was feeling hungry, so we went into Wiesbaden and had lunch at the Ratskeller Biergarten. There, I had a Haxn Salad and a Hefeweizen. Bill had Tafelspitz (beef with horseradish sauce) and a Dunkel. Nice to see people and dogs out and about, flowers blooming, and open outdoor spaces! Our IKEA also set up a Swedish Easter decoration!
After yet another boring Saturday spent holed up in our house, Bill said he wanted us to go out to a restaurant. I agreed that we needed to go somewhere, simply so I could write something for this blog! Originally, he suggested that we go out to lunch on Saturday, but I just didn’t feel like it. So then he said, “Here’s a new Georgian restaurant over near the Globus. It gets good reviews.”
The Globus is very close to where we live– not even a fifteen minute drive. And we like Georgian food, especially when it’s coupled with wine. Bill noticed that the restaurant got good ratings, not just on OpenTable, but also on Google. So, he decided to make reservations for 6:30 PM last night.
The restaurant’s listing on OpenTable mentioned that the suggested dress code is business casual. Now that we’ve been to Kinto, I would say emphatically that this is a casual place. No need to break out your glad rags to eat there. According to the restaurant’s official Web site, it was founded by young David Shalikashvili, who is just 18 years old! Or, so I assume… Bill says the restaurant hasn’t been open for long, and it’s located in a rather industrial area. Kinto is also the first and only authentic Georgian restaurant in Wiesbaden.
It was already dark when we arrived at Kinto last night. The clocks just changed in Germany this past weekend. Bill found a parking spot on the street, as the restaurant doesn’t have its own lot. When we approached, a woman immediately greeted us and welcomed us to the dining room, which is separated from where the food comes out.
I was kind of intrigued by the dining room, which reminded me a bit of a large industrial shed, but with glass panes around it. The panes let in light, but don’t allow for easy viewing of the grilling area, which I could just make out from where I was sitting. It was not a chilly night, so I left my wrap in the car. In retrospect, I should have brought it with me, because although there were flame heaters in the dining room, it was just slightly chilly in there.
We sat down and waited several minutes before a server approached. She spoke German, but seemed slightly uncomfortable with the language. I got the sense that she probably comes from Georgia or perhaps Ukraine. I’m not criticizing her language skills, by the way. Her German is much better than mine is! I’m just saying that the staff seems very authentic! There was a man who was also serving, and we definitely got the impression that he isn’t German. Ditto to the clientele, as the people sitting next to us spoke Russian, and I think a young family on the other side of the restaurant might have been speaking Georgian. I think it’s great! I love that a greater variety of cuisine is becoming more available in Wiesbaden!
The menu at Kinto offers some familiar cuisine from Georgia, to include khinkali, khachapuri, and kebab, and other dishes made with pork, chicken, veal, and lamb. They also have soup and salads, and plenty of lovely Georgian wines.
Bill seemed to upset the apple cart when he asked for a bottle of Mukuzani, a delightful red wine from Georgia. I got the sense that maybe they don’t get a lot of people ordering bottles of wine at the restaurant. The server said that the wine wasn’t in the database. She left us for a moment to ask for assistance, and finally came out with the wine a bottle of sparkling water we ordered.
For dinner, Bill ordered the Georgischer Kebab, which was ground lamb served with lavash, tomato, onion, pepper, and a side of fries. Actually, when Bill asked about the sides, he assumed he would get fries, and the server said it would be rice. But then the dish came with fries. It wasn’t a problem, but it did seem like maybe she wasn’t quite sure of what we’d be getting.
I ordered the Mtsvadi, which was basically grilled pieces of pork on a strip of lavash, with the same vegetables and fries. Both dishes came with housemade Georgian sauce– tomato sauce with cilantro, onions, and peppers.
The menu was in German, but had an English description, as well. We didn’t try to speak English with the staff, but I almost think maybe that would have been easier than German. I don’t speak Russian, but I do speak some Armenian. Armenia is south of Georgia, but from what I can tell, it’s not a similar language… except some of the words for the food were the same. For instance, the word “badrijan” was on the menu. In Armenian, that means eggplant. It was the same on the menu. The word “lobi” was also used– beans– which is the same in Armenian.
We enjoyed some bread and some of the Georgian sauce while we waited for our food. It came out quickly. The food was very good, and a nice change of pace! I noticed the couple next to us had what looked like pork ribs, which they ate with much gusto. They even used their fingers to eat it, rather than the usual knife and fork. I’m teasing about this. Germans seem less inclined to eat things with their hands than Americans do! But the couple next to us were not from Germany… If I had to guess, I’d say they were Russian or Ukrainian.
Below are some photos from our visit:
We inquired about dessert. Although it was listed on their menu, there wasn’t any dessert available. So, they brought out a small plate of French macarons for us… and didn’t charge for it. The bill came to about 66 euros. Bill gave them 80 euros and told them to keep the change. Yes, it’s a big tip for Germany… but he wanted to keep it simple!
In spite of the few hiccups last night, we really enjoyed dining at Kinto. I think we’ll be back soon. Bravo to David Shalikashvili for bringing new flavors to the suburbs of Wiesbaden! It’s very impressive that he’s opened his own restaurant at such a young age! In America, he wouldn’t even be old enough to drink the wine he’s selling! I wish him the best of luck, and I hope we can help him succeed with our repeat business. If you’re in the Wiesbaden area, I highly recommend checking out Kinto!
On August 20, 2023, I wrote a blog post about how we took our Kosovar street dog, Noyzi, to the Birkenhof Hofladen’s Biergarten, the Bembelschänke. Noyzi had a great time during that visit. I was thinking we’d go back there more often this year, but we’ve been so busy that we never got around to it. Yesterday, the weather was warm and sunny, and we decided it was time to go back to the Biergarten. Charlie has now been with us for three weeks, and we wanted to see how he’d handle a car ride. We already know that Noyzi is always up for a road trip!
We arrived at the Bembelschänke at about 3:00 PM. The Biergarten had plenty of empty tables, so we chose one far from the crowd. I noticed the owners had put in a sprinkler/fountain that kids were playing with. It wasn’t there last year. Other than that, it was a comfortingly familiar place, as I recognized several of the wait staff who were there last year.
There was a large family in one corner of the Biergarten. They were having some kind of celebration, as they were singing a song together. This isn’t the first time Bill and I have stumbled across a celebration in a public place involving some of kind of performance. I found it charming!
Bill had a cheese plate, while I had wurst with farmer’s bread and a nice fresh salad. I don’t usually get that excited about wurst, but I really liked what they had… and I especially enjoyed the salad. I’ve noticed that cherry tomatoes in Germany are sweet and delicious– almost like candy! In the states, tomatoes taste kind of sour to me and I don’t enjoy eating them raw. But here, they are completely different and vastly superior. As someone who needs to eat more produce, I appreciate that tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce are so lovingly grown here.
The boys behaved pretty well, although Noyzi was barking a bit. Charlie was completely chilled out and at home. He’s going to be the kind of dog we can take anywhere. After we enjoyed some beer, we stopped by the Hofladen’s self-service fridge and picked up a couple of farm fresh items for home. You just pick out what you want and you’re on your honor to pay for it, although that particular Hofladen has security cameras.
Below are some photos…
Noyzi loves car rides!This was really good!The hall they have for parties.A good venue for winter!Charlie was exhausted after our visit to the Biergarten. He took a nap in our backyard.
Our visit to the Bembelschänke was an excellent way to cap off a memorable weekend in Germany. I hope we can do it again before fall arrives. But… actually, we’re going to be in Iceland very soon, so maybe our next visit will have to wait until 2025.
Yesterday, we got the letter from the German doctors who recently evaluated me, due to some lingering abdominal pain I’ve been experiencing. I wrote about the contents of the letter here. This post is about the decision we made after we read it. We had sunny weather yesterday, and the temperatures were pleasant. So we decided to take Noyzi for a walk to the “nature” area near where we live.
Now, this particular area isn’t as lovely as the Naturepark near our old home in Jettingen is. That park in Jettingen is huge, with lots of trails in the forest. This area in Breckenheim is nice, but not as rural. I don’t get the sense that it’s as easy to get lost in the woods here. It also takes longer to reach it from our house.
But, anyway, we decided to walk a couple of miles. I’m glad we did. It reminded me that I need to remember how much I like walks… and we also ran into an adorable pony who seemed kind of lonely. She whinnied at us a few times and came up to the fence as if she wanted to be petted. I wasn’t going to risk it, though, because there was an electric fence. I’ve been shocked by those a time or two.
I got pictures and video, and just seeing her put a big smile on my face and helped me forget my troubles. It also made me really miss having my own horse. I’d like to have one just for the companionship and the wonderful aroma. Horses and ponies are excellent company, especially if you have a sympathetic dog with you, too. Our dogs, Zane and Arran, would not have been nearly as cooperative as Noyzi was. They would have barked their heads off at the pony. But it seemed like Noyzi might have seen her as a kindred spirit. Indeed, he has the personality of a horse, right down to spooking when something startles him. Below is a video…
She was so sweet and friendly. She made me smile, and forget about my healthcare woes.
I took some photos from our walk, and made a note to myself to go back there more often to burn calories and dissipate stress and frustration. It’s not as pretty as the park in Jettingen is, but the park in Jettingen doesn’t have ponies in paddocks I can visit. It’s also got way more ticks, and people on horseback! But the natural area near us is close to the Autobahn, and it’s very easy to hear the sounds of cars. One good thing about our place in Jettingen is that it’s not close to the Autobahn at all.
As you can see from the photos down below, there was another paddock with a couple of mares in it. One was a horse, and the other another little pony. The smell was intoxicating. I love the smell of horses so much! But I’m sure if I told most Germans that I spent much of my childhood around horses, they wouldn’t believe me.
My own neighbor has a horse, and she didn’t believe that I used to ride until I showed her a picture of me jumping at a horse show. And even then, she didn’t even believe me when I told her I owned an Appaloosa… she thought she knew better. But then I showed her another photo of us after we won reserve champion for the state of Virginia in our division. In that photo, she could plainly see Rusty’s spots, clearly identifying him as an Appaloosa. I don’t know why some Germans seem to be like this… But I also remind myself that they aren’t all quite so “all knowing”.
This is actually kind of a heartbreaking photo… We missed out on winning champion, because I was engaged in self-destructive eating disordered behaviors that day…We won the first class, but the judge never saw me in the second, and we didn’t place. But we were tied for reserve champion, and won the hack off. Afterwards, the judge asked me where I was in the second class!
Sigh… he was my best friend!
Anyway… photos from yesterday’s walk…
Keep your dogs out of the wild preserve!
When we got to our main drag, I took a few more photos, noticing all of the historic buildings in our town. We don’t usually go the route we went on yesterday. Breckenheim is a nice suburb, though. We should explore it more.
This looks like a historic building. This is where Bill goes to the bakery, when he doesn’t want to make breakfast.
I hope I can muster the desire and energy to take more walks. I think it would help me feel better. I think COVID really did a number on us. We got used to staying home and drinking wine, instead of getting out and exercising. But I think if we take more walks and change some elements of our diets, we’ll both feel better. And then I can avoid going back to the doctor for awhile. I’d like that, because I passionately HATE going to see doctors. But, even if this most recent visit didn’t go perfectly well for me, at least the German ones didn’t freak out, the way some American doctors do. That’s definitely a plus.
I’m sure people who have been reading this blog for awhile might have noticed that Bill and I have sort of fallen out of the habit of enjoying Germany. I think a lot of it has to do with the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, we made a point of going out on the weekends, exploring new places and/or trying different restaurants. But then we were locked down for months on end and we got out of the habit. Then I got out of shape and started dealing with some minor health issues.
Sometimes we do remember the old days, though. I was in kind of a bad mood on Saturday, plus we had cloudy, rainy skies. By the time I realized Saturday was getting away from us, it was already afternoon. Bill decided then that he wanted to be sure to go out yesterday, in honor of his 60th birthday. We made plans to have a simple breakfast and get on our way before noon. Our destination was Marburg, a town I’d seen many pretty pictures of on Facebook, and heard about due to the Marburg virus outbreak in 1967. Bill’s co-worker told him his family loves to visit Marburg and visit the castle, which overlooks the city.
Marburg is a little over an hour’s drive north from Wiesbaden, mostly on the Autobahn. It’s not too far from Frankfurt, or Gießen (Giessen), a city that is well-known to a lot of older US Army servicemembers. At one time, there were thousands of Americans living there. Nowadays, I know of Gießen because that’s where most of the veterinarians at our local clinic learned their crafts. Marburg is about 25 kilometers to the north from that town.
As we approached Marburg from the Autobahn, I noticed the imposing Schloss. Bill said that was where we were headed first. Since it was his birthday, I didn’t argue with him. Driving into the city reminded me a bit of the many times we’ve visited Tübingen, another university town in Baden-Württemberg, close to where we used to live when we lived down there. Below are a few photos from our arrival. I was happy to meet the friendly cat who greeted us as we parked.
Marburg has lots of beautiful old Gothic buildings, and a rich history as a place where many of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales were born. Since I was also an English major and, as a child, was a lover of fairy tales, the fact that the Brothers Grimm lived in or near Marburg is also interesting to me. After visiting the castle, I can see where some of their inspiration came from. In fact, the painter Otto Ubbelohde was from Marburg. He was most famous for illustrating Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
The road going up to the castle was quite narrow and winding, and it was kind of a trick to manage it. However, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the area is. Some lucky people live in homes on the way up to the Schloss. I suppose the trickiest part is the parking, but they sure do have nice views, especially on days when the weather is as perfect as it was yesterday. For July, it was very pleasant, with light breezes, temperatures in the 70s, and lots of sunshine.
Bill parked the car next to the small Wanderweg near the castle. If we’d wanted to, we could have tried to park at the castle itself. There is a small lot there, and it didn’t appear to be full when we arrived. It was also one of the rare places in Germany where I didn’t see a requirement to pay for parking. This is a handy thing to know for those who are very fit, and very cheap. One can walk to the city from the Schloss, but getting there and back means walking up and down steep stairs. But you can park for free, so there is that… and it will burn lots of calories.
This is the way to the WC!
The first order of business for me was to find a toilet. Those, too, are freely available at the castle. Just go into the courtyard, which you can’t miss, and you’ll find WCs. Bear in mind that you have to walk down some narrow steps to reach them. Alternatively, you can visit the museum, which also has toilets that can be reached by elevator. No Klofrau is in sight!
After that personal necessity was taken care of, Bill and I visited the museum. Each ticket was 8 euros to be paid in cash. Credit cards aren’t accepted. For that, visitors get a nice tour of the well-equipped museum, which offers examples of pottery that were used at the castle, discussions on coffee culture (for the rich people, only), and a look at some of the art and treasures that belonged to the castle, which dates from the 11th century. Since 1981, the castle has been used as a museum affiliated with the local university, as well as an event site. We did notice a bride and groom having photos taken there during our visit. There is a restaurant near the grounds, but unfortunately, it was closed yesterday.
Below are some photos from our visit to the castle museum. We spent about 90 minutes there.
This is an event area that has been used for that purpose since the 16th century.A look into the “bones” of the building.
On the way out of the museum, we passed through the very simply chapel. A sign asked visitors to stay on the carpet, to avoid damaging the mosaic floor.
Once we passed through the chapel, we walked back out to tour the grounds. Below are some photos from around the castle and gardens.
Fresh drinking water!Soon to be married.Bill got a kick out of what was once a picture of a smiling Labrador thanking people for cleaning up after their dogs.Some people were dressed in medieval garb sparring in the park.Some events are upcoming. I didn’t know Kiefer Sutherland had a band.Careful!
After we visited the castle, we went to a parking garage near the center of town, parked the Volvo, and went walking around, looking for lunch. We eventually ended up in the Markplatz, which was alive with activity. There were several restaurants there, most of which were full of people enjoying food and drinks in the sun. We ended up at a charming Weinstube called Weinlädele at the top of the hill. Since the terrace was full, we opted to go inside, and spent a very pleasant time enjoying a leisurely lunch.
The food offerings at Weinlädele were somewhat simple, but the menu has an impressive list of wines by the glass. I happily availed myself of the wines, as well as a salad with chicken strips and raspberry vinaigrette. Bill had Maultaschen with Mediterranean vegetables. It really hit the spot.
And then, after lunch, I took some more photos of the very charming Marktplatz. A lot was going on there… and I was enchanted by the sights, smells, and sounds of life happening in Marburg. Bill and I both want to visit again and enjoy the ambiance of this pretty town in Hessen. An added bonus was yet another free WC near the parking garage. After our wine infused lunch, I really needed it before the drive home!
What a cool facade!Walking down to the garage from the Marktplatz.The passage to the garage. Plenty to eat here, too.Bill pays his six euros for parking.Crossing the Lahn River. I didn’t have a chance to get more photos. We need to come back and hit the Biergarten.
We missed the river scene. Marburg is on the Lahn River, and there’s a really cool looking Biergarten next to it, as well as boats… Again, not unlike Tübingen. We will have to try to come back and see more, now that we’re trying to get our weekend groove back. But I’m glad we were able to go yesterday, at the very least. What a lovely place to spend time on Bill’s birthday! A hearty thanks, once again, to the generosity of the German people for letting us Americans live here and enjoy their beautiful country!
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