This morning after breakfast, I wrote a book review. Then I took a three mile walk, thinking maybe I was going to end up in a different part of the city. I wound up by the river, and my ankle was hurting from all the walking I’ve done since Sunday. I decided to head back to the hotel. I sat in the lobby for about 45 minutes, figuring the housekeepers hadn’t had a chance to get to our room.
I was going to get a beer from the vending machine, but the machine only takes tokens and I mistyped my selection. I wound up with still water and M&Ms. When those were done, I went up to the room. It wasn’t done yet, so I dropped off my big camera and took a whiz. Then I went back down to the lobby and played with my iPad for another 45 minutes or so. I noticed that the cleaning cart was at the room across from ours, and its door was open, so I figured our turn might be soon.
I went back to the room at about 12:15 PM. It still wasn’t done, nor had they moved from the room across from us. I wondered if maybe someone threw up in there or something. I decided to look for lunch, but I really hate eating alone. I walked around the area near the hotel, logging another mile or so, bringing me up to four miles. Nothing seemed appealing, and no one was particularly welcoming. It was about 1:00 PM. I thought surely the room would be done.
Went back to the hotel… ordered a large lager, just in case they needed more time. Went to pay for it. Was told one of my 1000 Forints notes is no longer valid. It’s old currency. I made what I’m sure was a hideous face when the lady told me that. Fortunately, I had another 1000 note that is good in 2025. Gave her that to cover the 2173 Forint bill for my beer, and told her to keep the change. Drank the beer, feeling really pissy and wanting to go home.
Went back to the room, opened the door. It’s now 1:30 PM and it still wasn’t done. The housekeeper asked if I wanted her to do it. I asked how long would it take to get to it. She said in about ten minutes. I told her to just give me new towels and a roll of toilet paper. I don’t want to hang out in the fucking lobby for another 20-30 minutes.
I gotta say… I know it’s not their fault, and they work hard… and for the most part, this hotel has been okay. But I’m so glad I got to pick the next place we’re staying, when we go to Kusnacht, Switzerland next month. We’re going to stay in a hotel where people at the Jung Institute often go, and where Jung himself liked to drink beer. The funny thing is, when Bill and I were there in July, we stayed in Seefeld and he took the train to Kusnacht. This time, he has appointments in Seefeld, and we’re staying Kusnacht.
I do like Budapest, but I hate wandering around alone, like a refugee. And I hate eating in restaurants by myself.
Featured photo was one of a group of four little dogs near the Soviet War Memorial. I did get to see that today, before my ankle started to hurt. I really just wanted a shower and peace and quiet. Maybe I’ll get that now. Wonder why that room across from us took so fucking long…
Yesterday was a memorable day that turned out to be quite special. I’ll be writing a longer, more detailed version of this story when I write about this trip, but for now, I want to preserve the memory while I can.
I did a whole lot of walking yesterday. I used to walk a lot, but nowadays, I’ve gotten pretty out of shape. What I did yesterday is no longer normal for me. I probably won’t repeat it today, when I venture out on my own.
I went from the hotel, across the famous Chain Bridge to the Buda side of the city, down the Danube to the Margaret Bridge, around Margaret Island, and then back to the hotel. It took several hours, and I walked close to six miles. I got tired and thirsty, and never managed to eat lunch, although I did have a wonderful cold lager that tasted so good…
After a nap, it was getting close to Bill’s quitting time. I decided to rest in the hotel room. I thought maybe we’d go to the Italian restaurant near our hotel that looked really cool. But since Bill had walked to his conference yesterday morning, he wanted to show me a shopping area very close to where we’re staying. I didn’t bring my purse with me. Instead, I left my bag in hotel room, and carried my phone, some Carmex, and my keycard in my pocket. We were looking at a display in the street, and I dropped my keycard. A few minutes later, I noticed I didn’t have it, and we were walking quickly back to the display to see if we could find it.
On the way there, a modestly dressed, overly friendly woman tried to stop us because she wanted to talk to us… (probably about Jesus, but I don’t know for certain). I was anxious about the keycard and annoyed by the woman. I snapped, “We don’t have time to talk.”
We found the keycard and decided to leave the busy plaza. The intrusion by the proselytizer had put me in a foul mood. I was hungry and tired, and in no mood for people and their bullshit. So I forgot about the Italian place, and we rounded a corner, where we were confronted with a bunch of touristy restaurants… the kind with pictures of the food.
I don’t like to eat in touristy restaurants. I find that the food is usually overpriced and mediocre, and the service is half assed. When we went to look at the menu, there was a very young, pretty woman in a very short skirt, clearly there to lure in male customers. That, too, was a bit of a turn off.
Then a group of Asians rudely pushed in front of us as we were talking to the hostess. They didn’t even end up eating there. By all rights, we should have just walked away and found someplace less obnoxious.
Nevertheless, I really needed to eat something, and didn’t want to repeat the process at the next restaurant. So although I had low expectations, and was put off by the tackiness of the menu and the hostess’s attire, we said yes to the “tourist trap”.
The short skirted hostess pointed to a four top table, right by where the stream of guests were walking in, which I didn’t like. The chair was also not very comfortable. The faux arm rests, which weren’t actually functioning arm rests, dug into my thighs (more long walks without lunch might solve that issue).
I was not all that enticed by the menu, which was a lot of heavy Hungarian dishes, along with pastas, salads, and other stuff. I ended up ordering a draft beer and a Caesar salad with shrimps. Bill had chicken paprikash.
As expected, the food was fairly mediocre. My salad was mostly iceberg lettuce, with quartered toasted white bread, a small slice of bell pepper, some greens, dressing, and Parmesan cheese. I think there were six medium sized prawns. I was glad they weren’t overcooked.
About halfway through dinner, a quartet of musicians showed up. One guy was playing what looked like a dulcimer, while the other three were playing a violin, viola, and upright bass violin. I shouldn’t have been surprised that they played extremely well.
The violin player was obviously leading the act, and he noticed me enjoying the music. He acknowledged my admiration with a big smile, and kept playing Hungarian hits of centuries ago. And then they started playing “I Could Have Danced All Night”, a song from My Fair Lady I often tease Bill with by changing the lyrics to something obscene. Before I knew it, I enthusiastically burst in, singing along like Julie Andrews. People stopped to listen, like it was something out of a movie. The fiddle players came over and started accompanying me. Then they played “Memory”, which I could have sung, but the key wasn’t ideal.
Bill gave them a big tip and we bought their CD, which made me happy, because I love buying music from buskers. It’s probably my favorite souvenir. However, Bill had given them such a big tip that he was short on cash to cover the price of the CD. They wisely sold it to us, anyway. LOLOLOL… Well, it’s not like we didn’t already pay them with the tip.
They played to most of the other people sitting on the terrace and a group of Brits really got into singing “Edelweiss” and “Do-Re-Mi”. One of them came over and paid me a compliment on my voice, and I returned the compliment to him and his group, when he jokingly said, “You weren’t as good as we were!” 🤭
Bill and I had wine for dessert, and left there feeling a lot better than we did when we arrived. And it later occurred to me that this is something that happens to me quite often. I show up somewhere in a foul mood; something amazing happens; then I leave with great memories, or a new story to write about in my blog. When I am back at my usual computer, I’ll have to write more about that phenomenon. I don’t know if this is something unique to me, but it’s happened to me a lot of times in my lifetime.
Anyway, I’m sure this is what the band does all the time… get the crowd going and earn tips, which is exactly what they should be doing. But they were truly kind and talented gents, and I couldn’t help but realize how much time, money, and energy went into what they do. They were stellar musicians. I didn’t hear them put a single note wrong. And as someone who is also somewhat of a musician, I really appreciated that. But I also love that they gave me a wonderful memory and a new story to share.
Bill was emotionally overwhelmed last night, and so was I. The musicians brought tears to my eyes, because they were so good. And when we left, they bid us an enthusiastic good night. I felt like I made new friends! 😁 Music truly is an international language that brings people together.
Every time we travel, something crazy happens… But even if we hadn’t encountered the wonderful musicians, we also saw a guy who came up, perused the menu very obviously, and then walked along the terrace and tapped all of the flowers in an odd and entertaining way. If anything, Budapest is a great place for people watching.
I don’t know what today holds. I’ll probably try to explore the area we vamoosed out of last night, since it looks like it might be a good place to buy stuff for the grandchildren. I don’t think I’ll walk six miles again, though. I need to let my thighs heal from all the chafing.
We arrived yesterday morning, after a mostly smooth flight from Frankfurt. Bill is here on business, while I’m tagging along. So far, it’s been warm and crowded, but I did get some very nice photos of the Danube River last night, along with some shots of some of the sights.
At one point, an older couple randomly stopped in the street in front of the famous (and very beautiful) Parliament building and started tongue kissing. I blurted out, “Gawd! That was totally for us, and not for them…” Hello… it’s a government building! Why do you need to swap spit in front of it?
At another point, some obnoxious ass was peeling out in front of everyone with his car. I said, “Someone has a very small penis.” A passer by heard me say that and cracked up. By the way, it’s hard not to be overheard here. There are a lot of people in Budapest right now. Maybe that’s why the hotels were so expensive.
We had lunch and dinner, and are staying in a hotel that, frankly, I wouldn’t have booked. But when you’re staying places on the company dime, you don’t always get a choice. Anyway, Budapest is still a beautiful city. I expect I’ll experience some things… Eventually, I’ll go across the river and get some photos of the Parliament building from a distance. That will replace the one I took in 2009, with an inferior camera.
Anyway… it’s always nice to get away for a few days. We’ll be here until Saturday, so there will be more pictures and stories to come. And then, I will get to work on booking us a fabulous hotel in Zurich, because I get to tag along on Bill’s next trip there, too. That happens in early October.
It’s Labor Day weekend. In previous years, that meant going away for a short break. This year, we stayed home, because tomorrow, Bill has to fly to Lausanne, Switzerland for an overnight. He’s going to meet with one of the analysts at the C.G. Jung Institute as he progresses through the admissions process. Then, next Sunday, we will both be flying to Budapest, Hungary for several nights. Bill will be working, and I’ll be tagging along, looking for interesting photo ops.
We did a few things this weekend, though. On Friday night, we went to the wine stand. We talked to our American neighbors, a married lesbian couple with two children. One of the wives is a reservist in the military, though not posted here. The other is applying for German citizenship for herself and their children. The reservist is pursuing a doctorate in social work, so she was interested in hearing about Bill’s journey at the Jung Institute. She’s setting up a private practice for Americans and other English speakers here.
It stormed, so we sat under the tents and waited for it to pass. I couldn’t help but remember that in 2017, the awning from hell collapsed, and our former landlady accused me of negligence, because later that day, there was a storm. She claimed I was negligent for using the awning in a storm, which I hadn’t done… but obviously, it’s not uncommon for Germans to use awnings and tents when it storms. Yesterday was the anniversary of that sad event, which led to a lawsuit.
Saturday morning, I got up and went into the backyard to clean up dog poop and check the water bowls. I noticed one of the bowls was dirty. It wasn’t the first time. Then I saw a feather floating in the bowl and assumed that a bird has been using it as a bird bath. It occurred to me that maybe we should have a bird bath for the backyard. That would be a good excuse to get out of the house, anyway.
So we went to the hardware store– the one with the cool slide for kids. We searched the whole store, but they didn’t have any bird baths for sale. We also tried the Globus, which is a HUGE hypermarket. No luck there, either, although we did leave with a booze haul, Belgian beers, some groceries, and some really tasty snacks called Fonzies, which are like Parmesan flavored Cheetos. I’d say they’re superior.
Then last night, as I was sitting in the backyard, listening to music and drinking beer, I saw what appeared to be a female blackbird eating bugs. I assume she’s the one who keeps dirtying the dog’s water bowl. I put two out there, and they really only use the one on the right. The bird uses the one on the left. I am still looking for a bird bath, but maybe I shouldn’t bother. It’s going to be winter soon enough. I got some pictures of her. Looks like she was eating the bugs on Bill’s tomato and pepper plants. They say blackbirds don’t eat aphids, though… Maybe that’s not a female blackbird, after all.
As I was taking photos, the song “Maneater” by Hall & Oates came on. I changed the lyrics to “Bug eater.”
And then this morning, after being repeatedly pawed by Charlie, Bill got up and made breakfast. The biscuits turned out perfectly. So did the grits. I’m so blessed to be married to a man who knows his way around comfort food. He has really perfected making perfect biscuits. It’s not as easy as it seems!
I’m not sure what we’ll do today. Bill just asked if I want to go out. There is a wine fest going on in Mainz that we could attend. Do I want to go? I don’t know… The Mais Labyrinth is also going on, and we passed it on the way home from the store, but after we went to Globus, we were too tired to consider visiting. I always feel drained after going to Globus. It’s a HUGE store. But it was cool to watch the ladies making the melon displays as we passed. They take melons and turn them into people or animals or other decorations. Quite an impressive skill!
Anyway, that’s about all I have to write about for now. If we end up going out, I’ll update.
Although we had somewhat decent weather over the weekend, Bill and I decided to stay home and take care of a few chores. Or, actually, Bill did chores, and I made anti-Trump song parodies based on old songs by Blondie.
On Friday of this week, our old mattress, along with a freezer Bill bought from a former co-worker in Stuttgart, and a few other odds and ends, will be picked up and hauled somewhere. Since the freezer is tall, cumbersome, and heavy, Bill decided to disassemble the freezer as much as possible. He took off the door, and removed the drawers.
He also went out to buy more dog food, and while he was out, acquired a couple of large plastic bins. He put our Christmas stuff into the bins, and cleared out more junk that needs to be discarded or donated. Our basement looks a lot better now, and I look forward to having the space that will be made once we get rid of the freezer, which hasn’t worked since 2019.
Back in 2017, when we still lived near Stuttgart, I had suggested to Bill that maybe we should buy a stand alone freezer. That was because the house we lived in only had a tiny “dorm sized” fridge, with no freezer space to speak of. That fridge also barely worked, and though the landlady had presumably provided it, she accused us of DUMPING it on her when we moved out, and stealing our own fridge, which I purchased when we moved into that house. Anyway, instead of buying a new freezer, Bill decided to help out his buddy, an enthusiastic hunter, who was moving back to the States. He bought one of the three freezers the guy was unloading.
I was actually against that idea, since in my experience, used appliances don’t always work so well in the long run. We could also afford to get a new freezer, and I would have chosen a smaller freezer, in any case. But anyway, that freezer worked for a couple of years. It was a lot bigger than what we needed. And then, in 2019, it stopped functioning. It’s been taking up space in our basement ever since.
Aside from cleaning up the basement and dismantling the freezer, Bill also made homemade tomato sauce for pasta, which we’ll probably have tonight, and he brewed another batch of beer. It always amazes me how domestic my husband is, especially considering his background, and the fact that he actually has a wife who stays home. Some of the tomatoes were supplied by our landlord, who brought them over yesterday morning, while I was sitting on the toilet. It took me a moment to get to the door, and he was afraid he’d gotten me out of bed! Not quite! We also have a lot of cherry tomatoes from Bill’s gardening efforts over the summer.
Not surprisingly, the weather has gotten a lot cooler. That new air conditioner we bought last week is now becoming a lot less necessary, although we still use it at night, if only because the noise makes it easier to sleep. The new mattress is also an enormous improvement, although I’m finding that we need to break it in. Or maybe I need to get a new topper for it. Maybe next time Bill schedules a bulk trash pick up, we’ll get rid of the topper, along with the old sun umbrella in our garage, and maybe the air conditioner we replaced.
Bill also worked on lining up interviews for the C.G. Jung Institute. He has to go to Switzerland and have in person interviews with three analysts before he can complete the application process. Lining up the appointments hasn’t been easy, as two of the analysts are in Zürich, and one is in Lausanne. But he’s planning an overnight trip to Lausanne next week. Then, in October, he will travel to Zürich again for the other two appointments, as the analysts there have offices within walking distance of each other. I may go with him on the trip to Zürich, since it might also give me a chance to see Dr. Blair in Stuttgart and get my teeth cleaned. Bill has to pay for the interviews in Switzerland. But he’s so excited and interested in the program, that he’s willing to jump through the hoops.
The featured photo is of the rose bush in the backyard. It has a few blossoms. It’s been known to produce flowers until December, but this year, I think it will go dormant early. Our neighbor’s apple tree, which usually dumps apples all over the yard, is also pretty sparse in fruit production this year. That’s okay with me, since the apples that fall in the yard are usually eaten up by worms and such. There is no doubt about it, though… autumn is rapidly approaching.
Every German house we’ve lived in has had at least one rose bush– and they’ve all been different colors! Our first house had pink ones; second house had yellow ones; and here, we have red roses. The red ones are my favorites. I think this house might be my favorite, too, which makes sense, since it’s also the most expensive of the three!
This isn’t the most exciting post, I know… but on a more interesting note, Bill and I are going to Budapest, Hungary on September 7th, and we’ll be there until the 13th. So the travel blog will be waking up again soon.
Since we moved to Germany in 2014, our Thanksgiving celebrations have been decidedly less traditional. There’s only two of us, and we have small German appliances, so it hardly makes sense to roast a turkey. Yes, I know we could just do a breast, but I like dark meat. I think in 2020, we ordered a Thanksgiving feast from a local restaurant that was obviously catering to Americans. Otherwise, we’ll often go out to eat somewhere, since it’s not a holiday in Germany, or we’ll have something more mundane.
This year, Bill’s co-worker invited us over for Thanksgiving. I almost didn’t go with Bill, because I expected a couple of important packages. The one I was most worried about showed up in the morning. I was also waiting for dog food, which we really need. Sure enough, it showed up after we left. It’s sitting at our neighbor’s house as I write this. I’m surprised they didn’t just leave it on the stoop, like they usually do.
Bill’s friend’s house is enormous and beautiful, with charming, traditional accents, as well as the amazing international furniture one tends to find when one lives abroad for many years. My mom also collected some beautiful pieces when we lived in England. I inherited a couple of pieces, but they’re in storage.
Bill’s co-workers have a living room with a gorgeous view of the village, a large dining room, a terrace, and a lovely front lawn. I was there one other time, and had occasion to use one of the bathrooms in another part of the house. I even spotted an indoor pool! They had it covered up. Bill and I haven’t had a chance to buy a lot of nice furniture. Maybe someday, we’ll get lucky and acquire some, although now that I’m half a century old, it seems almost pointless. For instance, I always wanted to buy a home of my own, but now it seems like a bad idea, as Bill talks about permanently retiring. A house seems like something a person should buy when they’re young.
As nice as our house is, and as high as our rent is, my guess is that Bill’s friends are paying even more… But it seems fitting, as they have enough furniture to fill their home, and the furniture they have is good quality. We have a bunch of stuff that could be right at home in a college dormitory. I have to admit it. I was coveting their house, even as I realize that I’m allergic to dusting, and if I had a house that nice with lovely furniture in it, it would be cluttered in a heartbeat.
We had a very convivial group last night. Several of the guys were folks Bill knew early in his Army career, back in the era of Desert Storm. Now, several of them have managed to land in Wiesbaden, where they can talk about old times, sometimes to hilarious effect. One of the guys brought his huge dog, a female Hungarian street dog who weighs about 150 pounds. He said she can’t be left alone with his other two dogs, who are also from the streets of Eastern Europe. We bonded over our street dogs from Eastern Europe, as Bill and I have Noyzi, from Kosovo (and Arran, of course). The guy also has horses, which was another reason for us to bond. I spent most of my childhood in a barn. It’s probably obvious to some people.
An enormous street dog from Hungary who was bred to fight wolves. Her name is Ki (pronounced “key”) Oma.
Ki Oma was very sweet and friendly, but apparently she wants to fight other dogs. So she gets to travel a lot. Her master actually bought a van so he could transport her more easily. We were commiserating, as I drive a Mini Cooper and we can’t get Noyzi, our enormous street dog, into the back of that.
Another couple brought their dog, a very sweet shepherd named Izzy. She and Ki Oma didn’t interact, so there wasn’t any fighting.
It was really nice to hang out with people last night. I enjoy Bill’s friends/co-workers. Hopefully, I didn’t turn anyone off too much. Two of the guys brought their wives—one was from France, and the other was German. And one of the guys was, himself, half German. Two of them were even born in the same hospital in Stuttgart! It’s plain to see how long Americans have been living in Germany. There’s a very long history, and quite a lot of Americans are actually half German, too. Some have managed to find themselves making a home here, instead of our chaotic homeland.
At one point, we were talking about Mormonism, and the French lady was fascinated. She seemed okay with giving up alcohol, tea, and coffee… but maybe might have drawn the line at the temple garments (special underwear) required for the ultra faithful who have taken out their endowments. It probably wasn’t the most appropriate dinner conversation… but then it devolved into war stories, most of which were hilarious.
Bill and his buddies from way back… I had to take a photo so I could share it with another one of the gang who wasn’t there… He became Facebook friends with me because of a mutual friend. I knew the mutual friend from college, and he knew him from the Army, and he knew Bill from being in this cohort of Desert Storm veterans (although Bill didn’t fight in Desert Storm). The world is very small when you come from a military friendly state like Virginia.
We ended the evening with a photo of the four guys who spent time in Germany in the late 80s, early 90s. It was great to see everyone so happy and healthy. I’m grateful to be here, and I was grateful for the invitation last night. It was a lot of good food, good conversation, and bonding. A fun and festive time was had by all.
When we got home, we found that Arran hadn’t invaded the basement, like he did when we saw James Taylor. But he did tear up the box that held our pizza stone. I feel like he’s been regressing since he’s been getting chemo… acting like he’s 5 years old again. But then he makes up with us in the most adorable way. Noyzi, as usual, stayed out of trouble and camped out in his room.
You must be logged in to post a comment.