anecdotes, Charlie and Noyzi, Hessen, rants

Another day, another sudden altercation with the locals…

Featured photo is of a creek that runs thorough my neighborhood on my usual dog walking route.

You’d think after so many years living in Germany, I would have gotten to the point at which I’m completely used to anything that might come up. But sometimes I still get unpleasant surprises. I’m a little shaken up right now, although no harm was done.

This morning, the weather is really nice. The sun is shining, and the temperature is mild, and almost pleasant. I had a relatively good time practicing my guitar and banjo, so I was in a fairly decent mood.

The dogs were ready for their daily walk, so I took them on our usual short route. In retrospect, maybe it would have been better if we’d gone for a longer walk. Then, today’s altercation would have been easily avoided.

When I walk the dogs, I usually make a point of trying to avoid other people. Noyzi gets scared, and spooks when he’s around strangers. But today, I was just wanting to get back to the house, because I am doing laundry, and I don’t like to run the dryer when I’m not at home.

As I was crossing the Dorfplatz, I was thinking about this blog, and how I used to write in it a lot more than I have been lately. I started thinking about how, sometimes, I wish I were in my own country… not as it is now, but the way it was before the Trump regime began. I even had a thought about how living in another country can be inconvenient and annoying, and the charm can start to wear off after some time has passed.

I was still deep in thought about that when I turned onto Ellengasse, a narrow pedestrian thoroughfare that runs from my street to the Dorfplatz area. A bunch of teenagers and a couple of adults were coming down the hill.

I thought nothing of it, because we often run into people on that little street. Some of them come from the school that was recently repurposed from being an elementary school to being some other kind of school for older children.

After today’s incident, I’m guessing maybe kids with special needs are being taught there. I did hear someone screaming like a banshee the other day when I passed. It didn’t sound like a normal child at play’s scream, but more like wailing. (ETA: My German friend has now confirmed that the former elementary school is currently being used as a school for kids with special needs.)

A tall boy said something to me in German. I could hardly hear him and didn’t understand him, anyway, so I just kept going. People I don’t know often say stuff to me. I usually just kind of glance at them without saying anything. I just want to mind my own business and get to wherever it is I’m going.

But then, all of a sudden, the whole group started YELLING! There was one older woman in particular who seemed especially hostile as she shouted at me. I was very confused, and probably returned some hostility with my eyes.

I couldn’t begin to understand any of them. Even if I spoke fluent German, I think it would have been hard, because they took me completely by surprise. I wasn’t thinking of them, anyway. I was thinking about going home to my laundry and taking a shower. And I was thinking of Noyzi, who was getting spooked by the sudden commotion.

I stood there for about a minute, with them yelling at me, and with me probably looking puzzled and really pissed off, not understanding them over the noise, and due to my lack of language skills. Sudden verbal assaults aren’t so great for language comprehension.

Then, probably to their surprise, I shouted back, “I AM AN AMERICAN!! I don’t understand you!” It was the first time I’ve ever yelled back at Germans who were yelling at me. 😳🤭

I probably looked pretty angry, because I was. Seriously… I was just trying to go home, using a route I’ve used thousands of times. I was minding my own business, doing something perfectly legal, and not expecting to be attacked simply for walking my dogs up the hill. And I had no idea what the issue was, and didn’t want any trouble with them.

A young, handsome, adult male, who was probably a teacher, then grimaced sheepishly and said, “There’s a girl in our group who is very afraid of dogs. Would you please take another route?”

I probably still looked irritated, as I turned and walked Noyzi and Charlie the other way so the group could safely pass. Being shouted at really puts me on edge. Although in fairness to them, I do look like I could be a local.

As the group passed, the young male teacher kept looking over at me. He appeared to be rather nervous, as I walked the dogs away from Ellengasse. He repeatedly said “Thank you,” adding “She’s autistic.” I got the sense that he was a little embarrassed… as was I.

I said, “It’s okay. I understand.” After they passed, I continued the way I had been going before our unfortunate altercation.

And I do understand… but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still a bit unsettled and upset by that experience. I’m sorry I reacted that way. I’m sorry that, yet again, I have offended someone by my mere presence with my sweet, gentle dogs, while simply taking a walk in my own neighborhood.

I do sincerely wish my German was better. But sometimes, I also kind of wish I could just go home and be in my own country, where this kind of unnerving thing is less likely to happen. On the other hand, I’m a lot more likely to be shot by a rando in the USA than I am here. I guess being shot is much worse than being screamed at by total strangers in my neighborhood.

It’s not the first time I’ve been yelled at by random Germans for doing something perfectly normal in a situation that wasn’t quite normal. I don’t know what my facial expression was… I’ve been told that when I’m upset, I look pretty mean… and I have a feeling I looked angry when they started yelling at me. I don’t take kindly to that at all, even though they had a good reason to say something to me.

But Jesus Christ… what if I was deaf? Or had some other kind of disability that made it impossible for me to understand what the problem was? There was a time in my life that a confrontation like that would have made me burst into tears from humiliation and fear. I was once that fragile, years ago… before I got chemical help for depression.

Anyway… now I can go take a shower and spend the rest of the afternoon recovering from that incident. Living here does give me a lot of empathy for people in the United States who can’t yet speak English, as I feel bad for not being fluent in German. On the other hand, it’s never effective to yell at people if you actually expect them to listen. Especially when they’re total strangers.

I guess it just goes to show you that even on a fifteen minute walk in your neighborhood, unusual, unexpected, and unpleasant things can still happen.

Baden-Württemberg, short breaks

A winter break in Waiblingen… Going home! (part eight)

By Sunday morning, I was feeling ready to go back to Wiesbaden. I missed my dogs and my bed. I also needed to do laundry. Still, I’m really glad we took the opportunity to visit Waiblingen and try out some of the restaurants there. It really is a cute town, and a nice escape from Stuttgart, for those who prefer a lower key place to spend a weekend.

If I ever have to have dental work done at Dr. Blair’s office again, I’ll probably go back to the Wald Hotel, which is probably our favorite Stuttgart area hotel. But for just the routine stuff, I think we’ll just keep looking for interesting alternative places around or near the city. If we manage to stay in Europe long enough for another cleaning, maybe we’ll even stay in Heilbronn for a weekend. I’ve been curious about it for years, and it’s not far from Stuttgart. We could reach it easily by train.

Since the car was parked in the garage, and that is a short walk from Bachofer, we decided to pack up and load the car before breakfast. No one was at the hotel when we checked out, so we left our keycard at the desk outside our room, which seemed to serve as a basic reception, even though we checked in from the restaurant. We didn’t have a chance to pay for the stuff we got at the honor bar. Bill later sent Bachofer an email and they said they’d debit our card. They also thanked Bill for his honesty. 🥰

On Sunday, the Kauffmann Bakery and Konditorei was closed. Sachsenheimer Cafe was not going to be open until 9:00 AM, and we didn’t want to wait that long. So that left Cafe Tagblatt as our option for breakfast. Given a choice, I would have probably picked the Sachsenheimer for our last breakfast in Waiblingen; it was my favorite in terms of food. On the other hand, Cafe Tagblatt was probably the most charming.

When we walked into the place, there was one couple sitting there having breakfast. Another lady was finishing up her breakfast outside. A young man with black hair said something to us that we didn’t quite understand properly. First, he asked if we had a reservation. When we said we didn’t, Bill thought he responded that if we didn’t have a reservation, we had to leave.

I said, “Never mind, let’s just go.” I figured the Sachsenheimer would also be booked.

But then the male half of the German couple said, “No, no, no… He said you’d only have 45 minutes to eat, because the restaurant is booked until 9:30 AM.”

We thanked the guy profusely and proceeded to order Französisch breakfasts. We had actually planned to do that, anyway, because we weren’t wanting a big breakfast that would take a lot of time. The Französisch breakfast at Cafe Tagblatt was just a croissant with butter and jam and some fruit. We also had freshorange juice, and Bill had coffee, while I had hot chocolate. That was plenty, and we stayed under the 48 euro (24 euros each) limit.

*A last look at the Bachofer Restaurant and Hotel*

As we ate, more people showed up, and I got the distinct impression that Sunday morning is when people in Waiblingen customarily like to go out for breakfast. I could see the charm in that, as it’s a super cute town, and people seem to know each other well.

We paid the waiter with our Bachofer vouchers. He then became a lot friendlier and asked us where we’re from. We told him the truth (🤭), and he said (in accented German) that he’d moved to Waiblingen from Switzerland. Aha… maybe that’s why we didn’t quite catch exactly what he said when we came into the restaurant. We thanked him and give him a Trinkgeld, then said goodbye. I hope we were good representatives of Americans, even though our President is a total piece of shit. Sorry… he really is. 🤬

Our drive home was completely uneventful. We didn’t even need to stop anywhere for a pee! Sunday mornings are a good time for driving on the Autobahn, if it’s not a holiday weekend. I found myself unexpectedly tired after our short break, so after I did some basic chores, I decided to lie down on my bed, where I promptly fell asleep and took a much-needed LONG nap. The dogs later came home and were delighted to see us! They love going to the Birkenhof, but they also love to come home. Charlie, especially, was thrilled to be with his “daddy” again.

Well, that about does it for our trip to Waiblingen. Stay tuned for my “ten things I learned” post. I think I have enough energy to write that one today. 😉

Baden-Württemberg, short breaks

A winter break in Waiblingen… First impressions of a charming town! (part two)

On the morning of Wednesday, January 28, 2026, Bill and I packed a couple of bags and some dog food for Noyzi and Charlie. We had plans to stop at the Birkenhof Tierpension to drop off the dogs. I had done some preliminary housework, so we could come back on Sunday to a somewhat clean house and freshly made bed.

Because it had been snowing on the days before our departure, there was a snow shovel on our front stoop. Noyzi and Charlie knew we were going somewhere. Noyzi was especially excited. He loves riding in the car, and he absolutely adores the staff at the Birkenhof. Still, he is almost always very respectful of the front door and doesn’t try to run outside anymore. He was so excited on Wednesday, though, that he forgot himself. Since the snow was melted, I reached out to grab the snow shovel, so I could put it away in the garage. Noyzi took the opportunity to dart outside, unsecured.

For a moment, Noyzi looked kind of drunk with freedom. He headed for our landlord’s house next door and looked around, obviously excited at being “free”. I knew that all he wanted was to be able to get in the back of the Volvo. I told Bill to open the car, and sure enough, Noyzi took a flying leap into the cargo space. I tossed Noyzi’s leash and harness to Bill, who got him “suited up” for the drive. I put Charlie’s harness on him, and Bill put him in the car.

I have to admit, I was little scared when Noyzi ran outside, only because we live so close to the Autobahn. Fortunately, he’s not a runner, and wasn’t interested in hunting or escaping us. He simply couldn’t wait to get in the car and head for his boarding facility! I’d say that’s a vote of confidence that he gets excellent care there. Indeed, he barked excitedly most of the drive to the Birkenhof, which is probably at least a half hour’s drive from where we live.

I normally take photos and videos of the boys before our trips, but I never got around to it this time. When we got to the Birkenhof, I let go of Noyzi’s leash. There’s a fenced in walkway to the office, so there was no risk in letting him go. He took off running for the office, straight to his favorite caregiver, Natascha. Charlie was also very excited to see her male counterpart, whose name I don’t yet know. I think Charlie likes men more than women, while Noyzi is very much a fan of the ladies… especially young, pretty ones, like Natascha!

I did get a very short video of Noyzi to send to his rescuer, Meg, who was worried when I posted on Facebook that Noyzi had given us a scare. As you can see, he was just fine, once he got to his “home away from home.” This is a dog who loves a little break– but when the vacation is over, he’s just as eager to come back home and park himself in his big bed in his own room. The proprietor of the Birkenhof, Ulrike, was there last night when Bill picked up the dogs. She is a BIG Noyzi fan. She even calls him “Schatz”!

Once the dogs were safe at the dog pension, we made our way southeast. It was an uneventful trip, and aside from stopping for gas and a piss, we didn’t even take a break. Waiblingen is about two hours’ drive, on a good day with no Staus. We didn’t run into any significant traffic on Wednesday, so we arrived in Waiblingen at about 1:00 PM, parking at the marketplace garage located just next to Marktplatz in Waiblingen, and very close to our hotel.

We couldn’t check in at the Bachofer until 2, so we walked around the town and got some first impressions. We also searched for a place to have lunch. We could have found one, if we’d tried harder. As it was, we decided to go to a place that only served breakfast and dinner. But, since we had dinner reservations at Bachofer, that was okay. Below are some photos of our first look at Waiblingen… Too bad the weather was so crappy.

And here are some photos from Wyn Kitchen and Bar, which had the distinction of being our first stop in Waiblingen. This place looks like it might offer good food, if you happen to be there when they’re serving something besides bar snacks. I did like the hot chocolate and cappuccino. They kept me going until dinner. 😉 Bill just had coffee and a glass of iced tea, because he’s on medication that can’t be mixed with dairy within certain hours of being taken. He sure looks great in the Alpa sweater from Finland I got him for Christmas.

Once we finished our beverages, we headed for Bachofer. It was a short walk from everything in the “inner city”. Waiblingen is a compact little town, with everything in the old town very close. When we walked into the restaurant portion of our lodging, I noticed immediately that it smelled really appetizing. I was excited about that, because we had dinner plans that night.

A smiling young man who reminded me a little of Freddie Mercury greeted us and checked us in. At the Bachofer, the nine rooms are all named after spices. We were assigned Kardamom, which was a 33 square meter double. Internet and breakfast are included in the rate. Below are some photos…

The Bachofer is very generous with perks. They have a room stocked with snacks, coffee, tea, and simple breakfast staples that are included in the room rate. They also have an honor bar with beer and wine available for purchase. You just write down what you consumed and pay for it later. Every day, they gave us little bags of gummi bears and ear plugs. Thankfully, I never needed the ear plugs… at least not because of street noise. 😉 The bed was quite comfortable, although I never did get the huge rainfall shower hot enough for my liking. That’s a pity, because the shower was pretty nice. You can’t see it in the photo, but it lights up green in that room. I see from Bachofer’s Web site that other rooms have showers that light up in other colors.

We paid about 660 euros for four nights, which I thought was a good deal, especially since breakfast is included. Dinner at the Bachofer was about 400 euros, to put it in perspective. 😬. My only other complaint was that, for some reason, housekeeping didn’t leave an extra roll of toilet paper after the first day. Without getting too specific, I use a lot of toilet paper in the mornings. Bill went out and bought a couple of rolls. I guess the housekeeper noticed, because on Saturday, they left us three extra rolls! Oh… and it also seemed like one of the outlets in the room didn’t work properly. I had to move my computer to the other outlet, because it wouldn’t charge on the outlet near the desk.

Bill had a short lecture at the Jung Institute on Wednesday night, so we hunkered down in the room. The plan was for him to sit through the talk, and then at 8:00 PM, go down to the restaurant for dinner. Ordinarily, we wouldn’t want dinner so late. Or, at least Bill wouldn’t. I love him so much, but being married to Bill is like having a rooster for a husband! He is definitely an early riser who prefers to go to bed early. I guess I’ve adapted to that, too, although I still tend to read until about 11:00 PM and wake up with him at 5:00 AM.

I entertained myself while Bill took his class, then after freshening up a bit, we headed down to try out the Michelin starred Bachofer restaurant. Since there are a lot of photos, I will write about that in the next part. Stay tuned!

Hessen

The winter doldrums…

I don’t have much to write about life in Germany this week. It’s been cold, dreary, snowy, icy, and just all out yucky. We had snow and cold temperatures every day until Friday, when the temperature shot up about twenty degrees and everything suddenly melted, except for the water in the barrel in our backyard. It rained all day, and there was all of that melted snow, so the backyard was like a sloppy sewer, as I uncovered soggy piles of dog shit laid bare after the snow disappeared.

On Monday, the village’s Christmas tree was still up. It looked so pretty with the snow on it, so I got a photo, which is today’s featured image. The next day, the tree was gone, and there were several naked formerly living Christmas trees lying in the Dorfplatz, ready to be hauled away. It was a little sad, especially since there was dirty snow, ice, and remnants of fireworks lying nearby.

*A yearly ritual… disposing of formerly live Christmas trees…*

This time of year in the northern hemisphere pretty much sucks on many levels. The holidays are over, so everything is kind of blah… The weather tends to be grey, cold, dismal, and depressing. People’s moods are grim. Nights are long; days are short. Summer seems a long time away, although summer has its problems, too.

Sitting here in Germany, at the behest of my homeland, I’m watching with shock and dismay as tensions boil over and people get killed by so-called government officials. It’s distressing to watch, and embarrassing on many levels… And I know all too well that even though we are far away from home, we’re also here because of home. It really is enough to make me want to burrow under the covers and wait until things are “better” somehow.

I have been getting some enticing ads for travel possibilities. I’ve been researching the more interesting places, wondering if it’s even practical to plan for a visit. There’s no telling what the future will hold, as tempers flare and our leader does unthinkable things. So I continue to take one day at a time… and look forward to my next trip, which will be to the Stuttgart suburb of Waiblingen. It does look like a charming area, and the place where we’re staying has a very nice restaurant. We’re going there so we can finally get our teeth cleaned. It’s long overdue! But I’d like to be going somewhere more interesting.

Bill will take an online course or two from the Jung Institute while we’re down there for his new degree program. His analyst has said he should double up his hours in analysis with her, so he can quickly get the quantity of hours needed before he can take exams. I think she has noticed he’s a natural, and he’s not getting any younger. Neither is she. And we don’t know what the future holds. As we tragically found out this week, tomorrow is never promised to anyone.

I need to get a new driver’s license at some point in the next six months. I have one from Texas, but I might have to go back there to get a new one, since I renewed by mail last time. Or, maybe I’ll just trade it in for a German license. Or maybe we’ll finally move. 🥲 I really don’t know what’s going to happen. I sure don’t want to go to Texas.

The dogs also need dentals in a big way. Maybe that will happen next month.

One interesting thing I did do this week was try purple potatoes for the first time. Bill went to the Denn’s Biomarkt near where he buys our dog food for Noyzi and Charlie. A few years ago, I wrote a post about Denn’s, which is a chain market that sells organic food. Bill picked up the potatoes, thinking they were the usual white ones. He was surprised when they turned out to be the color of eggplants…

*We had pan seared Japanese sea scallops, green beans, and purple baked potatoes…*

I didn’t mind the purple potatoes. They tasted a lot like white ones, and are supposedly very healthy. I was reminded, though, of Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss, and how when I worked as the cook at a summer camp, some of the counselors would cook eggs and ham over a hire and dye them with green food coloring for a fun and educational activity. I guess it’s not exactly the same thing, but I was still reminded of it.

Anyway… I’m hoping this week will be better on all levels. Bill has to go on a business trip and will be leaving this afternoon. At this point in time, he still has a lot of work to do at his job… but again, things can change on a dime with Trump’s whims. We have very sunny weather today, but it’s extremely cold outside. I think I heard the rain and snow will be back tomorrow, too… 🫣

Ah well. Such is life. This too will pass.

Hessen, holidays

Christmas 2025… one for the ages!

Happy Boxing Day, everybody. Bill has gone off to work today, and I’m sitting here tying up loose ends from our Christmas celebration. It was actually a pretty good day for us. The weather was appropriately bitterly cold, so we got to light a fire, which we kept going for most of the day. We got lots of cool stuff, mostly for the kitchen. I got a new banjo, which was a bucket list item for me, ever since I was a child. Bill says there’s more stuff coming; unfortunately, he ordered from a place that is shipping from China. 😬

Our morning started off with Eggs Benedict, excellent Peet’s Big Bang coffee, and orange juice…

Then, after I started our fire going and turned on some Christmas music, we sat down to open the presents. As usual, I bought most of them, so Bill did most of the unwrapping. I got lots of photos of that…

We got some cool Italian designed kitchen and dining gadgets, several new cookbooks featuring cuisine from Turkey, the Baltic countries, and the Caucasus countries, a new coffeemaker and a new blender, tarot cards, glasses and glass drinking straws, and a couple of Jungian books for Bill… I got him two new Alpa sweaters from Finland, and sweater soap, a new pen and Moleskine writing pad, a new bread knife, Chemex carafe, and mixing bowls, bags for the sous vide, food storage containers, and ginger jam… Charlie was there to supervise, while Noyzi stayed in his “room” upstairs.

*This is a really interesting looking book about our favorite chocolatier!*

And then came the most exciting gift of all…

Bill ordered a bluegrass banjo from Ireland. It came from McNeela, the same company that made the bodhran drum Bill got me last year at Christmas. I am very impressed with the quality. It was a lot heavier than I was expecting it to be, which is why Bill is holding it in the photo! I’ve always been fascinated by banjos, and have always wanted to learn how to play one… So we’ll see how it goes. I’m still working on my guitar(s), after all!

*I had to do a little rearranging of my “studio” to accommodate the new banjo. And now I have space for two more instruments!*

Below are a couple more photos of noteworthy Christmas gifts. I was particularly amused by the Eggsecutor, a handy device used to open boiled eggs. I loved the witty description of it on the box! Bill said it was kind of like a guillotine for eggs!

All in all, it was a pleasant holiday celebration for us… and I managed to capture a few moments on video…

My laugh is annoying… sorry! Maybe my mother-in-law will watch this.

And then for dinner, Bill cooked duck legs, roasted potatoes, and green beans, fresh baked bread, Italian red wine, and brownies and ice cream for dessert…

Man… how did I get so lucky? My husband is an absolute KEEPER. He’s a great cook and bartender, and a wonderful lover and friend!

Below is a photo of this morning’s breakfast. Bill made the bread, and “eggsecuted” the egg with our new gadget! At the end of the above video, you can see how it works!

We’ve got one more week to go before this annus horribilus is finally over… But I am grateful that I get to spend this time with my dearest friend and husband, Bill, who always makes me smile and lets me live life in high style. 😘

I hope those of you who have taken the time to read this also had a great holiday! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

art, Hessen

Our new art and one last wine stand for 2025…

On the third Saturday in September, Bill and I took some more art to Kunst-Schaefer in downtown Wiesbaden to get two new prints from Hungary framed, and have some other art re-framed. Bill picked up the finished projects a couple of days ago. Below are some photos of the results. The first photo is of our new Hungarian acquisitions. I always wish I’d bought more art when I get new stuff!

The above photo is of two sketches we bought from Dariusz Milinski in Jelena Gora, Poland, back in 2008. They were originally in platinum with beige matting and plastic, instead of glass. I’m not even sure if they were actual sketches or copies. But our experience buying them makes them pretty special to us. It’s nice to have them in new framing. I wish we could get back there and buy one of Milinski’s paintings. They are pretty amazing, even if he’s a bit of a nutter.

The ones in the middle are paintings we got in Vilnius, Lithuania, all done by the same lady. She was pretty happy when we bought her art. I am happy to see the paintings in new frames, although I wish I’d asked the picture framer to touch up the edges so they aren’t white. But I got some magic markers, so I can fix that issue without too much trouble. Sometimes being the daughter of a professional picture framer comes in handy.

On Friday night, we went to the wine stand. It was kind of cool outside, and the sky was a bit cloudy, but we had a great time. It was mainly because of that friendly German couple who always sit with us, even though we speak little German, and they speak little English. Google Translate is very helpful in that situation. At one point, the lady asked how long we’ve lived here. She probably wonders why I don’t speak better German. I do actually know a lot more than I used to, but it’s hard to speak in German. I have no one to practice with on a regular basis.

I told the lady that I can only sing in German. It’s a bit of a joke, because I did used to sing German songs a lot, when I was in my 20s. When you take voice lessons, that’s what happens. You learn songs by composers who wrote in German or Italian… or sometimes French and Latin.

She was curious about my musical pursuits, so I played a video from my YouTube channel. I chose this one, because the song is short, and I did a pretty decent job with it… Who doesn’t love Dolly Parton?

I think they were surprised…

She mentioned Breckenheim’s pop choir, led by our neighbor and the co-owner of our veterinarian practice, Dr. Konrad Blendinger, who is also a musician and songwriter. She was quick to tell me they do songs in English. I’ve seen them perform a few times. Dr. Blendinger has even written an original song about Breckenheim!

It would be fun to be in a pop choir… sometimes it’s hard to feel like a joiner, when you’re an outsider. But this couple is always so warm and welcoming to us. It makes me smile, knowing that there’s at least one local couple besides our landlord and immediate neighbors, who think we’re okay. 😁 I’m glad to meet locals in Wiesbaden, too. They’re more mature than some of the “friends” I made in Stuttgart.

Our town also just got a charging station for electric vehicles. Apparently, there was some controversy about this new development. I think they’re putting in a couple more stations at the Sportsplatz on the other side of town. Personally, I think it’s cool… just like I thought it was cool that they installed a public WC for events in the Dorfplatz. I love to see the community develop so people can have nice things. I wish Americans were more like this.

I took few photos at the wine stand, because it was kind of dark outside. I think there will be one more this year, but I’m not sure I’ll attend. Bill has to go to Bavaria again, so I’ll be alone when it happens. Maybe I’ll attend solo… but probably not. I like to teetotal when he’s not home. Besides, a lot of times, no one talks to us except the American pastor/lawyer who lives nearby. And she’s a very popular lady, so it’s not like she visits extensively. So, if I did go to the wine stand, it might not be much fun. I might get more out of watching political pundits on YouTube.

Anyway… it was a really nice time. Once again, I’m grateful to live in Breckenheim, which is a great little community with a good manager who makes sure the people are entertained. Bill says there’s a little fair going on at the Dorfplatz as I write this– something they haven’t done there since 2009. And there’s the Apple Fest in Wiesbaden, too, although I’m not sure if I want to go there. I probably should go, since I’m about to be lonely for three weeks. 🙁

But, on the other hand, I’m glad Bill has a job and is still getting paid to work. So, you gotta count your blessings where you find them, I guess. In other news… the vet called us while we were at the wine stand and told us Noyzi’s cytology report came back. He had a raw spot on his leg that we had tested for cancer. It was negative– he just has a bit of dermatitis. So that’s good news, too!

C.G. Jung, short breaks

Four nights of “Sonne” in Switzerland… (part five)

We woke up early on Sunday morning. I think we were both eager to get on the road and head home. I was missing the dogs and running out of clean clothes. Unfortunately, on this trip, I ate a few things that dripped… some drippings ended up on my shirts! I was also feeling eager to write and play my guitar. Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of music videos, which I find helps me maintain some serenity.

We packed up our stuff and loaded most of it in the Volvo, then went down for our last breakfast at the Sonne Hotel. On Sunday morning, it was quieter and much less crowded in the breakfast room. I guess people were sleeping in a bit.

I noticed service was a little slipshod on the last morning. No one brought us little mini smoothies, as they had on the other three mornings. The chafing dish that normally had eggs and bacon was empty. That was okay with me, but a German woman complained about it to one of the young staffers. Maybe Sunday is the day when new people learn the ropes. I noticed the friendly seasoned waiter who had taken care of us on the other mornings was a bit later coming in on Sunday.

At one point, as I was enjoying a mini cinnamon roll that I hadn’t quite finished, a young man grabbed my plate from in front of me! I was a little shocked, since that’s the kind of thing I would expect in the United States. I don’t think I’ve ever had a plate cleared in Europe before everyone at the table had finished eating. I guess there’s a first time for everything. I didn’t protest, though, because I’d had enough, and really had only wanted to taste the roll, anyway. I’d been admiring them every morning, but only tried one on the last day.

We saw the dark haired lady again on that morning, as we were finishing breakfast. Like us, she was checking out that morning. She told us she’d gone back to the cafe at the Lindt Factory and noticed that they had a “help wanted” sign up. They were strictly looking for part time help. This lady– a US citizen from Los Angeles– went up to the manager and asked to apply for the job, even though she doesn’t speak German. And they actually offered to interview her! What a go-getter!

She said that since she works for her family’s business, she can do remote work. And she likes Switzerland so much that she’d like to move there. If she has a part time job, she can establish residency. Then she started talking about apartments, and how she’d had trouble finding something in her price range that wasn’t snapped up immediately. I’m not sure if she meant short term apartments or long term ones, but I did clue her in to the Apart-Hotel Hugenschmidt, where we stayed in the summer. It’s not meant for long term renting, but she could stay for a short time and have a kitchen. It wasn’t necessarily a cheap place, but it was less expensive than the Sonne Hotel. They also have regular rooms.

I also told her about the B2 Boutique Hotel, although that’s in another part of the city, and maybe not that convenient. It has a great spa and cool library, though. That’s where we went the first time we visited Zürich in 2021.

We explained to the dark haired lady that we were in the city because Bill wants to study Jungian psychology and become an analyst. He said it was a totally new direction for him, which it is… I mean, it seems surprising that a career soldier would want to become a psychoanalyst. On the other hand, there is a real need for people like Bill to be able to relate to servicemembers who need mental health services… or even just someone to talk to who understands that life.

While we were talking, the dark haired lady spontaneously gushed about Bill and me being good people. As if she was compelled, she looked at Bill and said, “I can tell that she loves you very much.” I was taken aback, since we still didn’t even know her name. But she said she could tell there is a lot of genuine love between us. I have to say, she’s right. My mother-in-law told Bill the same thing about me. It was kind of surreal, but it’s not unusual at all for us to have surreal moments when we travel. If you’ve been reading this blog, you probably already know that!

I don’t know what to make of the dark haired lady blurting out that she can see that I love Bill. I know that I sometimes have a tendency to blurt things out– sometimes it’s things that other people are thinking, but don’t want to say out loud. Sometimes the message goes over well; sometimes it doesn’t. But it does my heart good to know that people can see that for all my faults, I do genuinely love my husband very much and want the best for him. He’s the best thing that has ever happened to me, and together, we have been so blessed to be able to enjoy many wonderful adventures. If not for Bill, I could not share these stories.

So, we said our goodbyes to the lady, and wished her luck on her plan to reside in Switzerland. I hope things turn out the right way for her. I have a strange feeling we will run into her again. This isn’t a crazy notion, either. I have a habit of running into people… sometimes I bump into folks I haven’t seen in decades. I also have a habit of meeting people who know people I know. There have even been times when I’ve met people from other continents who know people I know. So, if we run into the dark haired lady again, I won’t be surprised at all. Maybe we’ll visit the Lindt Factory again and see her in the cafe, perhaps even as an employee!

After we said goodbye to the friendly waiter who had taken care of us at breakfast every day, Bill got the rest of our stuff from the room, while I did one last check to make sure we had everything. After a quick visit the to WC, we checked out of the Sonne Hotel and mounted up. A man with a slightly Germanic accent asked if we were leaving our prime parking spot. Bill answered affirmatively, and he quickly got in his fancy gas powered SUV so he could vacate the spot he was in. It was a spot for electric vehicles. It’s just as well we were leaving, as the restaurant is going to be closed at the hotel for a couple of weeks while they renovate.

The weather was still pretty crappy as we made our way out of Zürich. I took a few shots from the car, wishing we’d ventured deeper into the city. But I have a feeling we’ll be back soon. Bill has one more interview. Last night, he had a session with his analyst, and the analyst said, “It sounds like you’re in.” I will be shocked if he doesn’t get accepted.

Sorry about the quality of these pictures…

It was relatively smooth sailing leaving Switzerland, but once we got to Germany, the weather got rainier. There was also a lot of traffic, as it was a holiday weekend in Germany (German reunification day), and lots of people were returning home. There were also transportation strikes at the airports, which probably also affected traffic. The GPS kept adding time to our estimated arrival. I think we were originally supposed to get home at about 1:30 PM (without any stops). But thanks to traffic and a rather long lunch stop, we were on the road until about 4:30!

Below are a few photos from the road trip. When the GPS alerted us to a Stau, we stopped at a place called the Schwarzwald Stube and had lunch. It was surprisingly good, although the service was pretty slow. I was glad we hadn’t gone to the very crowded McDonald’s across the street. And bonus– they had a vending machine that was selling sex aids in the ladies room!

Bill went to get Noyzi and Charlie. I wasn’t with him when he picked them up, but he said that Noyzi actually gave him a hug. He got on his hind legs and wrapped his forelegs around Bill’s waist. Charlie was running around all excited to see “dad” again. They were glad to go to the Birkenhof… and they were just as glad to come home.

So ends my commentary about our latest trip to Switzerland. Bill is going to go to Bavaria next week, and he’ll be gone for three weeks, so this blog may get a bit boring… or maybe not. It might be time for a few culture posts.

Anyway… I’ll try to wrap this up with my usual “ten things I learned” post, either today or tomorrow. Stay tuned!

German lifestyle, Hessen, services

Yea for bulk pick up service!

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.

adventure, C.G. Jung, Education

Swiss studies… Bill decides to go to “summer school”… (part one)

Several months ago, Bill told me he wanted to spend about a week in Küsnacht, Switzerland, a suburb of Zürich. He hoped to attend a summer intensive course at the C.G. Jung Institute, a learning installation founded in 1948, and centered around the study of Jungian analytical psychology.

I knew this was coming, because Bill had been talking about wanting to take this summer course for years. We first came to Zürich in the summer of 2021, and Bill and I visited C.G. Jung’s house, on the banks of Lake Zürich. Bill also started speaking to a Jungian therapist that year. The work he’s done with the analyst over the past four years has done wonders for his mental and emotional well-being. He thinks he might have a knack for Jungian psychology. He definitely has an interest in it.

Naturally, I agreed that it would be a good thing for Bill to go to the Jung Institute. Once we had the dogs booked in their usual Hundepension, I set about looking for a place for us to stay for the week. We had specific needs for our lodging. I wanted it to be in a place where it would be somewhat easy for me to get around and see and do things. It needed to be near a tram station, so Bill could easily get to the Institute. We planned to drive our car, so the place needed parking. And I hoped for air conditioning, which even in “spendy Switzerland” isn’t always a given.

I was about to spend about $10k to book a regular hotel room on Expedia.com, when I noticed a listing for a place called Apart-Hotel Hugenschmidt. On Expedia, the Apart-Hotel Hugenschmidt had no availability for our dates. Under normal circumstances, that might have been the end of my curiosity and I would have kept looking. But then I decided to check Booking.com, as sometimes they have things available that Expedia doesn’t. On that site, I could book a one room suite at the Apart-Hotel, which included a kitchenette and a living room– better for a week than a hotel room. The price was also roughly one-third of what I was about to pay for the hotel, and there was parking available, and air conditioning.

We booked the Apart-Hotel Hugenschmidt, and then, just to make sure all was well, Bill called them to confirm that booking and reserve a parking spot. It was a good thing we confirmed the parking, as the hotel, which first opened in 1969, only has two spaces! Besides small apartments, the Apart-Hotel Hugenschmidt also offers regular hotel rooms of varying luxuriousness. A person could opt for a spacious two bedroom place, or get a single economy room with a shared toilet in the corridor. Although shared toilets used to be somewhat common in European hotels, I haven’t seen a place with a communal toilet in years!

With that settled, we looked forward to our third trip to Switzerland this year. Regular readers might recall that we went to Basel, Switzerland in January of this year, just to get away over the MLK weekend. We stopped in Villa Morcote, Switzerland on the way to Italy in March. And now, we’ve been to Zürich– specifically, the Seefeld quarter of the Mühlebach district.

Our trip began on June 28th and would end on July 6th. For me, it would resemble business trips on which I have accompanied Bill. When I go places with him on business trips, I usually end up doing a lot of loitering and picture taking while he tends to his work. This trip was not for his current job, but it could end up leading him to the work he’ll do in the future. As I mentioned up post, Bill has a real knack for psychology. I think of him as a healer. He’s an unusually kind, sensitive, empathic, and introspective person. Analysis has given him insight into who he is, and that has given him much needed peace.

On the morning of Saturday, June 28th, Bill took the dogs to the Hundepension, while I packed my bags. Then, we set off for Zürich. The GPS sent us down the familiar way to Stuttgart, where we used to live. Although we have lived in Wiesbaden since late 2018, we still go to Stuttgart to see our dentist and sometimes Bill goes there for business. And yet, even though we continue to visit, I’m always shocked by how much has been built since we left. I was especially surprised as we drove through Sindelfingen on A-81, a road Bill used to take every day to get to his job. There’s a whole shitload of construction going on there!

Below are some photos from the drive:

On the way to Switzerland, we stopped a rest area to get lunch and enjoy a pee break. It was nothing special, and we’d been there before. I took a couple of photos, anyway…

*Seelachs and chips… Could have been better.*

The Apart-Hotel Hugenschmidt is a family run business. It doesn’t have a regular front desk. We were asked to let them know when we were going to arrive, so someone would be there to meet us. Bill told them we’d get there between 5:00-6:00 PM. We were well on our way to making the time as we approached the Swiss border. An older gentleman in a Swiss Polizei uniform looked like he was flagging us down, so Bill stopped and opened his window.

The cop said, “Do you want to go to Switzerland?”

Bill said we did.

The cop said, “On holiday?”

Again, yes…

“Bye!” the cop said.

I guess he didn’t actually want to talk to us, after all. Too bad all borders aren’t that easy and uncomplicated.

We got to Zürich at about 5:45 PM. It was sunny and hot, and I noticed a lot of people in bathing suits, carrying pool toys and such. I had come prepared to enjoy the lake. I had a bunch of towels and two bathing suits in my bag, and I envisioned jumping in the water. I thought maybe we’d go to one of the public beaches… and I’d totally forgotten that the hotel was actually in Zürich, rather than closer to Küsnacht.

It took a few minutes to navigate through the busy city, and then once we found the right street, the turn off was so sudden that Bill missed it. Fortunately, the next street took us straight to Karlstrasse 5. Bill nervously pulled into a parking lot across from the hotel for an apartment building, where all the parking spots are taken by the residents. The proprietor was there, waiting for us, and she unlocked the gate behind which our car would be for the week. Bill pulled into the tight space, knowing that we were destined to be blocked in. 😉

After we parked, we signed into the hotel, picked up our keys, and got a tour of our new digs for the week.

By the time we were checked in, it was past six o’clock. And although there are several good restaurants near the Apart-Hotel Hugenschmidt, Bill and I were both pretty tired from the drive. We decided to visit one of the two COOP grocery stores near the apartment to pick up essentials, then ordered pizza from an outfit called Pimp Your Pizza. We got Pizza Hawaii and Pizza Missouri… ordering large, so there would be leftovers. There were leftovers, alright! That pizza lasted almost the whole week! But it was surprisingly good, especially on the first night!

We watched German dubbed American movies on TV, while we enjoyed the pizza and Swiss beer. Then we went to bed. The bedroom in our suite had a fan, which was helpful, but not as good as air conditioning would have been. The unit just has one air conditioner, and it’s in the living room. It doesn’t cool off the whole apartment. Most of the year, this wouldn’t be a problem, but we happened to visit during a heatwave.

Ah well…

The next day, we discovered the lake through a new perspective. Stay turned for the next post for that!

Champagne Bucket trips, former Soviet Union, Lithuania

The Vilnius Series… Traveling from Frankfurt to Vilnius and first impressions… (part two)

On June 18th, it was finally time to be on our way to Vilnius. Bill took Charlie and Noyzi to the Hundepension. I made a video of that… It’s kind of cute, because the dogs were pretty excited to be going. Noyzi is especially delighted whenever he gets a chance to ride in the car. Charlie doesn’t like getting in the car, but he does seem to enjoy the Hundepension, and being looked after by Natascha.

Just a couple of minutes of street dog cuteness.

Once the dogs were taken care of, I did the usual Wednesday chores and packed a couple of bags. Then, at about 1:00 PM, a friendly cabbie came to fetch us for our ride to Frankfurt Airport. We were sitting in the back of the cab, and I got a comment from one of my older sister’s friends. It was someone she knew when she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco… a Moroccan guy I think still has a crush on her.

I guess the cabbie overheard me say “Morocco”, because he asked us if we spoke Spanish. It so happens, Bill and I both studied Spanish for years, but neither of us speak it very well at all. I know… I know… typical Americans. 🙄 Anyway, the cab driver said he was from Morocco. He spoke Spanish, French, German, Arabic, and Berber… We were able to communicate with him using our rudimentary German skills. The guy was very cordial and seemed quite pleased when Bill gave him a nice tip and a five star review. As we say in Armenia, “Apres!”

Check in at the Lufthansa business class desk was a breeze. No one was in line, so we walked right up and dropped off our bags. Then, after a super quick trip through security, we headed to the crowded business class Lufthansa lounge, where there were few seats to be had, other than stools at a table at the back of the room. I took the opportunity to take obnoxious selfies.

About 90 minutes later, we went to our gate. The flight was almost full, although no one was sitting in the row in front of us. That was nice. No one reclined in my lap! I got a kick out of the flight attendant’s glasses. They were round and green, with wide, quirky frames, and they really suited her. She had the kind of face and haircut that looked good with those glasses. If I’d been wearing them, I would look like I’d dropped in from outer space, or something. She was very nice to us, and kept us refreshed during the whole 100 minute flight. I took a few photos, but got caught in a reflection or two…

Lufthansa offered us some food, which wasn’t too terrible. On the flight over, Bill and I both had ham and asparagus. I don’t remember what the other choice was, but the ham and asparagus weren’t too bad. As airline food goes, Lufthansa usually does alright. They even gave us Neuhaus Belgian chocolates at the end! Fancy! Years ago, I used to sell Neuhaus chocolates. They are excellent, and in fact, Bill often order them on special occasions.

We landed in Vilnius at about 6:15 PM or so. Vilnius is an hour ahead of Frankfurt. Our bags appeared very quickly, and soon we were in a cab, speeding toward Lithuania’s lovely capital city. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer flight. Way to go, Lufthansa!

Once we got to the Grand Hotel Vilnius, Bill tipped the driver, who was shocked by his largesse. We learned on this trip that tipping is not much of a thing in Lithuania. The locals do definitely appreciate tips, but they aren’t necessarily expected. I find that a very refreshing attitude.

A doorman took our bags, and we headed to the reception desk, where a lovely young woman found our reservation and asked me for my Hilton Honors number. Remember in the previous post, I wrote that the reservation was under my name, because booking directly with the hotel would be more expensive because of the flights. I am a Hilton Honors member, but I don’t think I’ve ever used my number for anything. When we stay in Hilton properties, Bill usually does the booking, because his job has led him to do a lot of business with Hilton.

I wasn’t expecting to use the number, either, since I booked through Expedia. I had read that Hilton doesn’t take the number for third party bookings. Nevertheless, she asked for the number, and I couldn’t find it. I had one ad from Hilton in my email, and my member number wasn’t on it. And Bill couldn’t use his, because the reservation wasn’t booked under his name. She advised us to drop it off later, if we found it, then gave us glasses of sparkling wine as she showed us to our deluxe room with a balcony…

It was a bit chilly when we arrived, and we were a little tired, so we decided to head down to the bar area for a drink and a light dinner. We shared a bottle of white wine from South Africa, and Bill had a tuna salad, while I had salmon soup. The hotel has a restaurant called Telegrafas, which supposedly gets high marks. We didn’t eat dinner in the restaurant, mainly because I didn’t like the chairs. We did eat breakfast in there a couple of days. I wouldn’t call it a particularly special looking restaurant, although they do have a cool glass covered view of the city’s old wall in the floor.

*The bread was warm and served with truffle butter. They were nice enough to bring me a plain butter, since I don’t like truffles.*

Once we were finished with dinner, we decided to go to bed. It was still pretty light out at about 10:00 PM. But then, after all of these years in Europe, I’ve gotten pretty used to long summer nights, even though technically, it was still late spring until the solstice, which happened on my birthday!

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Tag Archives: Noyzi