Tag Archives: Media Markt

Hessen, Purchases

What a difference a new mattress makes!

After I did my blog writing yesterday, I was sitting in my steamy office pouring sweat, rather impatiently waiting for our new mattress and air conditioner to be delivered in two different shipments. I had moved the old air conditioner to the bedroom, until the new one got to us. I have since moved that AC back into the office, so my sweaty days are over, for now.

The mattress arrived first. I had already completely stripped the bed by 1:00 PM, when the two guys arrived with our new bedding. We were expecting to have to schlep it up the stairs, but the delivery guys kindly did that for us.

Once the new mattress arrived, Bill and I wrangled the old mattress off the bed, cursing the fact that, for some reason, it didn’t have handles on the sides. We pushed the old mattress into the hallway, and then while Bill unwrapped the new one from its plastic, I vacuumed up all of the dust, dirt, hair, and trash that was under the bed since we moved in back in 2018. It was pretty gross, though not quite as gross as it was when we moved out of Jettingen in late 2018.

We put the new mattress on the bed, and worked up a sweat putting the cover, foam topper, and feather bed on it, then the sheets and duvets. I sat down on it and was immediately impressed by how much better the new mattress is. For one thing, there’s no “hill” in the middle of it! We do have the old box springs, but that’s okay for now. We’ll check back again to see if they get any in at AAFES so we can replace those, too.

About an hour later, the new AC showed up. We did have to haul that upstairs, and it wasn’t easy. But, we managed to get it into our bedroom, and Bill set it up quickly. It’s much quieter than our old one, and does a good job keeping the room cool while we sleep.

This morning, Bill was noticeably well rested and in a good mood. It occurred to me that once you get to our ages, things like mattress replacement should be a priority. Good rest is essential for good health, and better work. I did wake up a time or two last night, but I don’t think it had more to do with the mattress than my need to pee.

The new air conditioner is a bit more compact than its predecessor and came with a remote control that works well. I think the other AC also had a remote, but we bought it as a floor model at a Media Markt in Nagold. So this new machine is a step up, and well worth the money. I’m too old and crotchety to wake up hot and sweaty… and given that menopause is upon me, it’s even more important to have an AC. I know the AC will probably be tucked away for the winter a month from now, but to me, the money to be comfortable for the last few weeks of summer was very well spent.

The air conditioner came from Amazon.de. I’d rather not give Bezos money, but sometimes, the logistics are just easier with Amazon. This was one of those occasions. I had to give the driver a six digit code to accept this shipment. I guess they’ve had problems with people taking stuff that isn’t theirs. I didn’t have to give anyone a code when we got our new washer and dryer in 2023.

Now, it’s time to do something about my OLD Mini Cooper, which is long overdue for retirement. Stay tuned for that update.

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Hessen

Shopping American in Wiesbaden…

Bill and I spent last weekend getting to know our local military installation.  Wiesbaden is a bit different than Stuttgart, which at this writing, has commissaries on each of its four installations.  In Wiesbaden, there’s only one commissary, and it’s located on Hainerberg, which is not the installation where Bill works.  We wanted to buy a few items that aren’t generally available in German grocery stores.  AAFES, too, is located on Hainerberg, which is also where the American schools and stairwell housing are.  Hainerberg is close to Wiesbaden proper.

This week, I knew I would be getting Internet access and we also planned to get German TV.  Prior to last weekend, we had two TVs.  One was a Hitachi model we bought in 2007, when we lived in the Stuttgart area the first time.  That one is compatible with German TV and is dual voltage, although it’s showing its age.  It works fine, but it’s kind of small.  It’s funny, because I remember we paid $899 for it at Panzer Kaserne and I remember thinking it was a huge, snazzy TV back then.   Now, it looks puny and prehistoric.  Even though it’s a “flatscreen” TV, it’s at least twice as thick as today’s models.  I remember thinking it was such a new fangled set, having grown up with a huge floor model box TV that had no remote control.  Times, and TVs, have really changed.

Our other TV was purchased in 2013 at a Target near San Antonio.  That one I figured wouldn’t be compatible with German TV and isn’t dual voltage.  We used it for DVDs and Apple TV in Stuttgart. Now that I know a bit more about modern “smart” TVs, I realize our Target purchased television probably would work with German cable.

Saturday, we decided to go to AAFES to look for a new TV.  We found one.  It’s a 55 inch Samsung model with a curved screen.  It’s a huge TV for us.  I never thought we’d ever go that large.  At $799, it was $100 less than what we paid for our comparatively puny Hitachi from 2007.

It was probably not the best idea to buy a TV at AAFES, since they really only sell American electronics there.  I mean, there are times when you can find 220 appliances  there, and we did find our dual voltage PAL/NTSC compatible TV at the Panzer AAFES.  However, as a general rule, most of what they offer isn’t really Europe friendly.  If you’re planning to move back to the States after three years, that’s probably not such a big deal.  But we’ve been in Germany four years so far and may be here for at least a couple more years.  We probably should have hit Media Markt.

The sales guy at AAFES explained that the old PAL/NTSC thing of old TVs is no longer a thing.  Now, if you have a receiver, you can access German TV with a smart TV.  We were also under the impression that our new TV is dual voltage and, we thought, like our old Hitachi from 2007, it might even come with both American and European plugs.

Well… sadly, we were mistaken.  The new TV is not dual voltage and did not come with compatible plugs.  Like our other “smart” TV, it requires a transformer.  And, when the Deutsche Telekom guy came to install the Internet and our TV service, he said that we needed more Internet equipment besides the receiver they sent us.  I think he said we needed another router and somewhere to hook up to a phone.  There is a phone outlet in our bedroom, but it doesn’t function.  So… our new TV will handle Apple TV and DVDs.  I don’t know if we’ll get German TV or not.  I guess it doesn’t matter.  I’ll let Bill sort it out.

While we were waiting for pay for the new TV, we ended up talking to a very friendly lady wearing an Irish fisherman’s sweater.  Bill can’t resist interjecting whenever someone starts talking about Ireland.  He overheard her talking about the sweater and started telling her about how fishermen in Ireland all have sweaters with special patterns that apply to their families.  It turned out the friendly woman runs a ministry.  She wanted to know if we have kids.  Nope… just dogs.  I guess I don’t have a problem with ministries for those who like them.  I, myself, am not a very religious person.  If I did have children, I’m not sure if they would be religious.  Maybe they would be… but it was kind of an awkward conversation.  On the other hand, it was also nice to be warmly welcomed.

Anyway, we were not the only ones buying TVs on Saturday.  There was a lady ahead of us who was being rather demanding with the sales guys.  She left with a 70 inch TV that barely fit in the back of her SUV.  I heard the sales guy say it was a good thing she didn’t go for the 75 inch model.  I saw several other people carting huge TVs out of AAFES on Saturday.  As for Bill and me, we managed to get the TV in the RAV 4 with no help from anyone.  However, I did almost lose the receipt.  It was very windy on Saturday and the receipt blew out of my hand.  I went chasing after it, looking like the fool I am.

A very nice teenaged girl helped me chase it down as it skittered in front of AAFES.  Every time we thought we had it, a gust of wind would blow it just out of our reach.  Her reflexes were faster than mine were and we finally captured the receipt after a few minutes of chasing it.  Normally, I wouldn’t worry so much about a receipt, but for $799, I figured it was important to keep it in case the TV didn’t work out.

One thing I noticed at AAFES in Wiesbaden is that there is no Turkish rug store there.  I’m kind of sad about that, since I would like to buy a couple more rugs for our house.  Another thing I noticed is that people are completely oblivious at AAFES.  As crowded as the one in Stuttgart is, the one in Wiesbaden was more so, and has a different layout.  And the aisles were packed with products and people who weren’t paying attention.  This was especially true in the food court area, which is where we entered the building.  Next time we go to AAFES, I’m going to skip walking through the food court.  Not only is it very crowded, it’s also packed with people with a one track mind.  I almost got run over by a woman on the way to the fountain drink machines.

We decided not to eat at AAFES, although as we were gassing up the car, I did notice that Wiesbaden has an Asian restaurant on site.  It looked like it gets good reviews, too.  But we decided we’d rather eat in Wiesbaden, so off we went in search of lunch.  More on that in my next post.

Shots of the outside of our new home…

The license plate on our SUV is now different.  We are Wiesbadeners now…

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Baden-Württemberg

Keeping our cool on August 4th… and lunch at Fellini’s in Nagold

Those of you who have been reading this blog for awhile… and there may be a few of you out there in Internetland… may remember that on July 4th, 2015, Bill and I succumbed to the German heat wave of 2015 and bought an air conditioner.  Three years and one month ago, we went down to our trusty Toom in Herrenberg and bought a portable AC.  I will confess that I do use it every summer for the few weeks when it gets oppressively hot here in Germany.

This year, we are in the midst of another heat wave.  I don’t think it’s quite as hot as it was in 2015, but the heat has been very persistent and shows no signs of breaking.  Our yard is positively scorched.  We have a little more money because I recently paid off the last of my student loans and, it’s also not lost on me that someday in the near future, I will probably be having my first hot flashes.  Plus, I’m just sick and tired of being hot and sweating all the time.  It really saps the energy and puts me in a foul mood.  Bill has air conditioning where he works, but I only had it in my one big room.  I’m tired of being hot all night and waking up uncomfortable and not rested because I’ve been roasting in bed.

This morning after breakfast, Bill asked me what I wanted to do today.  Noting that it wasn’t even 9:00am and I was already dripping sweat, I said, “Why don’t we go to the Freibad.”

Quite predictably, Bill grimaced at that idea.  He hates going to the Freibad even more than he hates our nude afternoons at the spa.  So then I said, “Or we could go buy a new air conditioner for the bedroom.”

High tech or low tech?  The Germans have you covered.  Buy a portable AC for over 400 euros or buy a little battery powered fan with a mister for about 3 euros.

Last year or the year prior, I had Bill set up the window in our bedroom with a “hot air stopper”.  It’s basically a velcro kit you put on your windows and attach a piece of fabric with a zipper running through it.  You thread the hose of a portable air conditioner through the zipper and zip it tight so that hot air is filtered out.  However, we never did get around to buying another air conditioner for the bedroom.  It wasn’t as hot for as long in 2016 or 2017, so we just never bothered.

Much to my surprise, Bill agreed.  He also agreed to the Freibad.  I suggested we go to find the AC in Nagold and then hit the pool afterward.  I figured we’d be less likely to worry about early Saturday closing times that way.

So off we went to the Bauhaus/Media Markt in Nagold.  We checked the Bauhaus first, since our first AC came from a hardware/home improvement store.  There were no ACs at the Bauhaus.  So we went downstairs to Media Markt, and there by the front door, there were several air conditioners ripe for the picking.  They had several for 479 euros and one floor model for 499 euros.  They were more powerful than the one we already have in my “big hot room”.  Bill decided to buy the lone floor model.  That took some effort…

You see, buying stuff at Media Markt is not necessarily like buying something in the United States, especially when you’re in Nagold.  Nagold is one of my favorite local towns, but I have noticed that people who speak English are markedly fewer there.  In a way, it’s refreshing, unless you need to buy eyeglasses, set up a cell phone plan, or purchase an air conditioner.  Bill was passed to several different staffers until one who spoke some English was located.  He bought the machine, which was their last of that model, paid for it, and then drove around back to pick it up.

Now… you might think this would be a quick endeavor.  It wasn’t.  The warehouse guy insisted in packing up the air conditioner perfectly in its box.  That took some time.  He had to put the cumbersome machine into the box, make sure all of the stuff that came with it was packed perfectly, and the whole thing was taped to perfection.  I wasn’t too upset about that focus on precision.  I mean, at least we didn’t have to load it into the car ourselves, like we did at the Toom.

After we bought our new air conditioner, we drove to a large parking lot in Nagold and went to lunch at Fellini’s Ristorante, a nice looking Italian place in Nagold that we hadn’t yet tried.

Bill checks out the menu.  It was pretty appealing, with a summer menu, pizzas, pastas, and a lunch menu for the work week.  We ordered off the summer menu.

Nice outdoor area.  Plenty of seating and shade, which my pale skinned, blue-eyed, blonde self likes.

 

We shared a bottle of San Pellegrino.  Bill had a glass of Barbera and I had a glass of Frascati, a white wine that comes from the town of Frascati, which is about 25 kilometers southeast of Rome.  I think it might be the only time I’ve ever had Frascati.  I liked it.  It reminded me a little of Pinot Grigio.

I had the Salmone Fresco, which I chose over several other appealing choices.  Unfortunately, the “bed of vegetables” it came with was loaded with mushrooms, which was a real turn off.  The description in the menu did not mention mushrooms, although mushrooms were mentioned for Bill’s beef carpaccio, pictured below.  Fortunately, he was a good sport and took them off my plate.  And the dish didn’t have the flavor of fungus…

Bill’s beef carpaccio was a hit.  He said it was like a steak salad.  

 

I couldn’t finish the whole dish.  The salmon portion was substantial and I was a little put off by the ‘shrooms.   Bill was proud of me, though, because I neither ran screaming from the restaurant or refused to eat it.  Truthfully, I thought it was a good dish.  Both came with a basket of fresh pizza bread, which was very nice.  Next time we go, I’ll make sure to specify no mushrooms.  I noticed other patrons getting dishes loaded with them.  I’m sure they’d rather save them for people who would appreciate them.  The waiter did seem concerned that I didn’t clean my plate.  I was genuinely full, though, and left satisfied.  I did have a nice glass of dry Rosado for “dessert”.

The facade at Fellini’s.  This restaurant seems to get mixed reviews on TripAdvisor, but is given high marks on Google and Facebook.  We’d go back.  I will just be sure to emphasize “ohne Pilze” next time.

We walked back to the pool area and I noticed it was really packed.  I decided I’d rather go home, set up the new AC, take a shower, and drink in the privacy of my own home.  We may try the Freibad tomorrow.  Maybe we’ll go early, while some people are at church.  We did go to Lidl, though, to pick up a few things.  I love going in there, because you never know what they’ll be selling…

Our Lidl in Nagold has sewing machines… and next to this was a large cardboard display with CDs ranging by everyone from Barry Manilow to Amy Winehouse.  It was truly a bizarre mixture of artists.  There were a couple of German artists, at least one Italian (Zucchero), a CD by ABBA, and one by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

 

Junk aisle!

 

At that point, Bill asked me if I wanted any sandwich meat for the week ahead.  I said sure.  Then we stumbled across the monstrosity pictured below…

This ain’t no Bisquik.  McEnnedy “American” style junk food is always a hoot.

Meatballs and pulled pork!  Oh my!

And “Funktionsshorts”… whatever the hell those are.  The sparkly garment above was actually a form fitting spandex minidress with a zipper down the back.  If you need a last minute party garment, Lidl has you covered.

No, these aren’t leftover Easter eggs.  These are pre-cooked hardboiled eggs that are supposed to be put in kids’ lunchboxes.  One of Bill’s co-workers bought some thinking they’d be raw and he could cook himself a nice omelette.  He was surprised when the eggs were already cooked through.

 

We came home with some Magnum ice cream bars, which I had to wait for due to a gaggle of excited kids out with Opa.  As we were checking out, I noticed Opa had also gifted them with Kinder Eggs.  I had to smile, since Kinder Eggs are banned in America due to a perceived choking hazard.  We won’t let American kids be threatened by hollow chocolate eggs with toys in them, but we have no problem letting them have access to guns.  The longer I live in Germany, the weirder the United States seems.

Anyway, while I was showering, Bill was good enough to set up our new AC.  It’s now primed for use tonight and much quieter than the one we bought in 2015.  I suspect I won’t be so hot in the morning.  That’s a good thing.  And maybe tomorrow, we’ll hit the pool for the one and only time this summer.

If you’re in Germany now and this is a new thing to you, just hang in there.  A month from now, it’ll be time to start thinking about jackets and heating again.

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Nagold

Another lunch at Luz Bistro and a trip to Media Markt…

ETA in 2025: Luz Bistro is now closed.

Our microwave gave up the ghost a few days ago.  We have no idea how old it is; we bought it from the people who lived in our house before us.  It was a basic model though, probably readily accessible at AAFES.  I use the microwave a lot during the week when I heat up leftovers for lunch, so it was a real bummer that the thing died on us.

Fortunately, we recently discovered that the nearby town of Nagold has a Media Markt.  Media Markt is basically like a European version of Best Buy.  Rather than trying to fix our used microwave, we decided to buy a new one.  An added bonus is that Nagold is one of our favorite little towns and boasts some nice restaurants, including Luz Bistro at the Alte Post.

I have blogged about Luz Bistro several times.  We’ve been there probably half a dozen times and we’ve never been disappointed with the food or the service.  I also like it because it’s rarely crowded, probably because the food isn’t cheap.  Although Luz Bistro doesn’t offer cheap eats, I have never felt we paid more than we should have.

Nagold was busy today because the market was going on.  I was a little sorry we didn’t make time to pick up some fresh goodies.  Maybe next weekend we’ll go.

We arrived at Luz at a little bit past noon.  A very charming and delightful waitress greeted us and invited us to sit where we wanted.  We selected a two top near the window, which seems to be where we always end up sitting when we’re not outside on the terrace.  When the waitress discovered we were English speakers, she offered us menus in English.  We told her German menus were fine.  The truth is, I probably ought to take the English menus more often!  However, I did manage to pick a great lunch today, despite having to clarify that I was ordering fish and not something I wouldn’t like.

Bill and I decided to have beer today instead of our usual wine…  

My lunch was delicious!  It was skrei, which is a lovely mild white fish from Norway.  It reminds me a bit of turbot or flounder.  The chef paired it with sinfully buttery mashed potatoes, foam, and topped with greens and scallions.  I really enjoyed it, although I had to cry uncle on the mashed potatoes.  They were so good, but a bit rich. 

Bill went with bratwurst and potato salad, accompanied by mustard.  He liked his lunch, too.  He said it reminded him of the wurst he enjoyed in Bavaria during his first Germany tour in the 1980s (before my time, obviously).  He couldn’t finish the potato salad.

For dessert, Bill had espresso.

I had “a bowl full of chocolate”.  Seriously, that’s what it was called in the menu.  It was basically very cold chocolate mousse and whipped cream served in what looked like a mixing bowl.  The whipped cream dollops had little madeleines on them.  The dessert was very light, which I appreciated.

 

After we finished lunch, we made reservations to eat at the Alte Post’s formal restaurant for next weekend.  As nice as Luz Bistro is, the Alte Post also has a more formal eatery which offers up to seven courses.  I look forward to returning and reporting after we try it.  It will be our first time.

Then, after we made reservations for next week’s Saturday dinner, we went to the Bauhaus/Media Markt in Nagold.  We lived here for over a year before we knew it existed!  But this shopping area actually has a lot of stores, including an Aldi, Deichmann’s, and a Kaufland, as well as a McDonald’s.

After searching briefly, we found the microwaves and ended up coming home with one that is a combination convection oven and grill.  I’m hoping I like it.  It’s bound to be a step up from our basic microwave that just bit the dust.  Bill is also going to try out his new toy, the Anova Precision Cooker.  I got it for him for Christmas, but it only just arrived.  And tomorrow, he will be brewing beer for the first time since we left Texas.  Should be a happy time!

This place was a madhouse today!

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