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Our first French Christmas, part five…

On Christmas Eve, Audra and Cyril were busy preparing for the huge meal traditionally served on Christmas Eve in France. Because they were busy with the food and family preparations, Bill and I hung out in Nimes and, after enjoying a lunch of Hawaiian pizza made by a local pizzeria, we walked around the city. It was unseasonably warm, so I didn’t even need a sweater. A small Christmas carnival was going on, and shops were open and blaring Christmas music. I got some pictures of the festivities, as well as a few sites we saw the first time we visited Nimes. I really like it there. It has a laid back Mediterranean vibe, as well as a bullfighting ring. Not that I like bullfighting, per se… it’s just a very cool looking structure. Here are some photos from our walk around Nimes:

  • Surprisingly good pizza.
  • Huge shopping center near our gite.
  • Need food? Les Halles de Nimes has you covered!
  • Pay a visit! Supposedly famous chefs visit.
  • Like most of the French cities I’ve visited, Nimes has a carousel. It stays year round.
  • I love this church.
  • Many children were enjoying the nice weather and rides.
  • They had plenty of junk food, too. We didn’t partake, because Audra warned us that dinner would be huge.
  • Arena! Not too many cities outside of Spain have these…
  • Ferris wheel…
  • Games…
  • goodies…
  • Nice walking areas…
  • I took this photo for the sign… want to look it up.
  • Where we got our pizza. It was the best I’d had in awhile.
  • And a store across the way with Mount Ararat on the sign. They had no Armenian brandy, though.
  • The area outside our gite. It’s busy and gritty.

I was glad Bill and I had brought “nice” clothes, since the Christmas Eve dinner was more of a formal affair. Okay, so I had to tell Bill to turn his sweater vest right side out, and my dress has been a go to “dressy” outfit since 2010 (God bless forgiving modal and ruching). But I did have new jewelry.

We got to Audra’s and Cyril’s house at about 6:00pm. They were kind enough to invite Arran, too, so their cats went hunting while we hung out. Audra and Cyril built their house right next door to his parents’ house. When Bill and I visited in 2014, we were invited over to Cyril’s parents’ house for lunch. Bill was overwhelmed by their hospitality. Every Sunday, they all gather and eat lunch, visit, and enjoy each other’s company. Cyril’s parents, brother and sister-in-law, and their dog, Merlin, and Juliette joined us for the Christmas Eve feast, which commenced with raw oysters! Bill surprised me by trying and enjoying two of them! Personally, I like oysters… it’s like a taste of Tidewater for me. Audra also had some grilled oysters for the squeamish. They were also delicious.

I didn’t get a lot of pictures of the food, since I didn’t want to be tacky. Here are a few shots I did get. I had to get one of the oysters, right? We don’t see them much in Germany!

  • A delicious French Buche de Noel… what I would normally think of as a Yule log. It was white cake, chocolate frosting, and lots of Grand Marnier.
  • Oysters and champagne!
  • Pretty table.
  • I wish I had people around I could set the table for…
  • Christmas tree. I loved their pellet heater, which provides the warmth and glow of a fire without the mess.

Dinner went on until after 11:00pm, then we stayed up talking until almost 2:00am! Audra and Cyril very kindly served as a taxi service for us, so we didn’t have to worry about losing our parking spot in the garage.

Cyril’s parents don’t speak English, but they were very warm and gracious to Bill and me. I can tell that they’ve really embraced Audra and her children as true family. It’s lovely to see. They made us feel like family, too.

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Partying with Germans!

Last night, the neighbor two doors down from us held a party for the neighborhood.  They planned this gathering several weeks ago.  I found an invite in German with a handwritten note in English asking us to join them.  We were asked to bring something to grill and a salad.  Bill cooked ribs on the grill at home and made a minted cucumber salad, which was really good.  He also brought a few of his homebrews.

Quite a few of our neighbors speak English, so we weren’t without people to talk to.  Bill speaks some German and I understand more and more every day, although I still don’t speak it.  It was nice to hang out with these people we’ve been living among for the past three years.

Bill bonded with the host when he shared his latest homemade beer, a red ale.  The host liked it, although his daughter tried it and I don’t think she was all that impressed.  I have a feeling Bill will be teaching him how to brew beer.  We learned that the host and his wife and kids lived in Boston for a few years, so they are quite familiar with us Yanks.

Unfortunately, Bill got to talking beer with the host while we were heating up the ribs, so they got a bit overdone.  Next time, we’ll bring wurst or something.

It was actually kind of interesting talking to the neighbors, especially the lady who lives next door to us.  I learned that she was a nurse for years.  She doesn’t speak much English, though she speaks more English than I do German.  I learned that she was athletic as a youngster and likes to sing, as I do.  And another neighbor is an opera singer.  I’ve been known to sing a few arias myself.

Having great neighbors is a huge plus.  I haven’t gotten to know the people in our neighborhood, but they’ve been tolerant and respectful of us.  And now that we’ve partied with them, I think the mood will be even better.  It will certainly be better than it was in Texas.  Every day in July, when I look at Facebook’s “On this day” feature, I am reminded of the hell that was July 2014, as we were planning to move to Germany and I was recovering from my dad’s death.  I must admit that it was absolutely worth it to move back here.

This was one of the beers our hosts offered us.  It was an excellent dark beer.  We’ll have to find it sometime.

Bill starts a new job today… well, it’s not a new job in that he’s working in the same office with the same people.  It’s just a new company.  So this week, he and his other colleagues who are joining the new company will be doing all of the administrative stuff that comes with starting a new job.  I will need a new ID card, which is always a pleasure…  NOT.  But at least I’ll get to see Bill during the day sometime this week.

As we were socializing last night, I was reminded of how glad I am we didn’t have to move this year. Germany is really feeling more and more like home, which is sad, since I know I will someday have to leave.  Oh well… for now, we will enjoy our good fortune.

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Partytime!

Last night, I met some people who read this blog regularly.  It always cracks me up when I run into people in the Stuttgart area who have read my rag.  They usually notice Bill first, because I make a point of putting a picture of him in all of my posts.  I put Bill’s pictures in the blog because it’s a running joke that started a few years ago.  Bill and I share a lot of inside jokes.  It’s part of our collective charm, I guess.  The truth is, Bill is low key and not overly fond of being photographed.  He’s become more tolerant because I often manage to get decent shots.

We met the readers at a party Bill and I attended last night.  Our host was one of Bill’s former co-workers, from the time when Bill was here as an Army officer working for EUCOM.  Bill’s former co-worker is retired, like Bill is, and works as a contractor, also like Bill.  I don’t know the guy that well, although we did attend the same Lyle Lovett concert back in March 2009 at the Liederhalle.  His parties are apparently legendary, though, and now that I’ve attended one, I can see why.

We arrived late in the afternoon.  A crowd had already gathered around the grill, where an impressive spread of a variety of meats were being cooked.  We had salmon, chicken, pork, lamb, and beef, as well as an array of sausages made of venison and elk.  There were lots of side dishes, too.  I wish I had gotten the recipe for the corn casserole.  That was delicious!

I sat down and started chatting with people.  There were only a few there that I knew.  After we’d been there for a little while, a couple walked in.  One guy, who hasn’t worked with Bill, took one look at him and said, “The Overeducated Housewife!”  And Bill smiled and pointed at me, which made me laugh.  The guy’s wife came over and gave me a big hug.  I have to admit, Bill is the face of my travel blog… despite the fact that he usually blinks when people take his picture.

Could my Bill’s head be turning like Spongebob’s after he was on a commercial?  Not likely.

We really had a good time last night.  I don’t always do well at parties because I either get carried away and run my mouth too much or I feel shy and uncomfortable.  But we were hanging out with a couple I knew from prior events hosted by Bill’s soon to be former company.  We just sat around and chatted about life in the United States.  The couple we spent the most time talking to last night will be heading back to the States after a long stint in Germany.  I am a little sad to see them go now.

A few of my friends who arrived in 2014 have already PCS’d out.  We thought we might have to move ourselves; but it seems we have a new lease on life here… for the time being, anyway.  I’m not complaining, even though I will miss my friends.  The truth is, I’d miss them anyway, since we wouldn’t be going where they are going.  I am very happy that we don’t have to move, although it’s now become clear that even if we had moved, it would not have been back to America.

One thing I noticed while sitting on our host’s balcony was that his neighborhood is a bit densely populated.  Consequently, we noticed quite a few locals passing the party and looking over at us with curiosity.  I saw more than a few expressions of what appeared to be disdain or disapproval.  Granted, our group was large and perhaps noisier than what they’re used to.  But then Bill went to fetch our car and noticed that one of our host’s neighbors was also hosting a gathering and they were as noisy as we were.  In a couple of weeks, we’re supposed to attend a BBQ thrown by our neighbors.  I wonder if people will be giving us the stinkeye if we’re partying with locals.

Speaking of stinkeyes.  I keep meaning to write about this.  Our house sits next to a very large field.  We have a wall of windows and the rolladens are usually up.  Sometimes, when we’re eating dinner, people will pass by.  Many times, they have dogs with them, which make my dogs go berserk.  I notice that as they pass and my dogs go nuts, these looky lous will stop and gawk at us.  I’m usually standing there in my nightgown, trying to wrestle the dogs away from the window so they aren’t too disruptive to our neighbors.  The passers by will just stand there and stare, causing the dogs to bark more and me to give them one of my trademark death ray glares.  It’s probably funny for them to see that.  Maybe that’s why they stare.  Or maybe they wonder why our dogs aren’t trained or I’m not dressed.  I wonder what they’d do if I mooned them…  We might get a visit from the authorities.

I wasn’t actually planning to write about last night.  I didn’t take any pictures.  Someone asked if I would write about the party and I said, “Why would I do that?”  I figure what goes on at a party should stay at a party.  I also figured most people wouldn’t be interested.  But since I know I do have a few regular readers who were partying with us last night, I decided I might as well write.  Besides, nothing salacious happened, other than being on the receiving end of a few disapproving looks from the host’s neighbors.  You can get those anywhere at any time going about your regular business, right?  The food and company were great and we had a fantastic time.  Bill is now picking up a used freezer from his soon to be former colleague.  Maybe later today, we’ll have a new culinary experience or something.  Or… maybe not.

Thanks again to everyone who reads my blog.  I mainly write it to stay productive and pass time.  It is gratifying to know that some people like it and find it useful and/or entertaining.  I’m not doing this for fame or recognition, but I have to admit it does tickle me when we get recognized.  😀

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Happy birthday to the US Army!

Last night, Bill and I ventured to Sindelfingen to attend the 241st Army Birthday Ball.  We hadn’t originally planned on attending the event, but got talked into it by a certain low ranking MP.  😉  Since the Army’s birthday is close to my birthday, we figured it would be a fun way to celebrate with friends and fellow party animals.

The last time Bill and I attended an Army Birthday Ball was in 2004.  We lived at Fort Belvoir at the time, so our nearest ball was a fancy one held at a hotel in Washington, DC.  I remember sitting at a large table surrounded by polite but somewhat unfriendly people I didn’t know.  I drank way too much wine that night and ended up spewing in my husband’s car as we drove through old town Alexandria.  My husband later gifted that car to his former stepson, who turned out to be using Bill for money.  But that’s a story for another blog post.  😉

I drank too much wine last night, too, but fortunately no one got hurt and no messes were made!  We only made great memories and a few new friends!  Not for nothing, but I think I prefer the smaller, more intimate Army ball here in Germany than the huge fancy one in DC with big name entertainment.  I’d rather be entertained by fellow revelers.

Bill parked the car at Panzer and we walked across the pedestrian bridge to catch the bus that would take us to the event.  We didn’t really know where we were supposed to be going, but soon spotted several other people dressed like we were.  We got on the bus and I was immediately delighted by the somewhat anatomically correct sticker on the window…

Whose head is on this little guy?

 

I had been a little bit concerned about my attire.  I ordered a long dress for the ball and it got to me in time, but decided not to wear it because it’s a little too long for me.  It’s also made of fabric that I thought would be too heavy for a June night in a venue with no air conditioning.  It wasn’t actually that hot last night, but I was pretty grateful that I dispensed with the long dress and fancy heels.  I am not very physically coordinated under the best of circumstances.  Add in heels and booze and I can be a menace to other people in proximity to me.  We had to climb up and down a number of stairs.  The last thing I needed to do was trip over a long gown while struggling in uncomfortable shoes.  Maybe I’ll save the long dress for the Marine ball in November, after I get it hemmed.

There really was no need to worry about how I was dressed, though.  Plenty of ladies wore short dresses.  Some wore very high heels and platforms, and some wore flats.  I saw a few people take off their shoes altogether.  One of my lady friends even wore stylish pants and rocked them!  Besides, I really just wanted to see Bill in his blues…

I must admit, I miss seeing Bill in his uniform on a daily basis.

Proud to say he still cleans up fine in his blues!  Be still my heart!  My Marine friend, Paul, is looking sharp, too! 

 

Bill waits in line at the cash bar.  Not long after I took this photo, a bugle sounded to signal that it was time to get the party started.  

When we booked our table for four, it was empty.  We weren’t sure if there would be another couple joining us.  We did end up having company and they turned out to be a lot of fun, even if they had to cut out early because the male half had to go on duty.  The Army never sleeps!  I’m sure Bill will eventually run into our new acquaintance, since it turns out they work in the same area.  On the way home, I was thinking about how lucky we were to have such friendly and engaging people sitting at our table with us.  Unfortunately, that’s not always a given!  Not only were they friendly and interesting, but they were also funny.  I truly enjoyed meeting them.

A pretty table!

The shindig started off with the usual protocol.  There was a call to mess, an invocation, and several ceremonial toasts.  I was immediately reminded of the first episode of Army Wives, when the characters were toasting the president and one of the characters thought the president was actually attending.  I didn’t see anyone make that mistake last night.

It wouldn’t be one of my travel blog posts if I didn’t write about the food.  If I recall correctly, we had four choices for dinner, which we chose when we bought our tickets.  There was beef, chicken, salmon, and the vegetarian option.

We had salad and some surprisingly good bread.

I had salmon with rice and a cream sauce.  It was pretty good, though not very hot by the time it got to our table.  That’s understandable, though.  The other couple also had salmon.

Bill went with the beef… also smothered in cream sauce.  Also, not bad at all for banquet food.

 

After dinner, the birthday cake was cut…

I’m sorry this is a crappy picture.  I used a different purse last night and neglected to pack my digital camera that would have allowed me to zoom in.  I did think it was funny that the young soldier helping to cut the cake was born in 1994.  That was the year I graduated college.  I feel old, now.

The cake was delicious!

The colors were retired… and people commenced dancing.

I stayed safely on the tier overlooking the festivities.  I won’t dance, so don’t ask me.

 

At one point, the other couple at our table asked one of the waiters if we could have more wine.  They said we had to pay for it.  But then as the evening wore on, one of the waiters brought us a fairly full bottle that needed to be finished.  Waste not, want not!  We also witnessed a marriage proposal, which was definitely cool, and we got to take home crystal plates as a memento.  I was actually delighted about that, since a few of our small lunch plates got broken during our move!  Those crystal plates will definitely get used.  So will the pretty centerpiece as I celebrate birthday #44 tomorrow.

I was a little confused about the music.  There was a D.J. playing dance music, but then it seemed to morph into karaoke for a few numbers.  I actually would have enjoyed a karaoke party, since karaoke is one of my favorite pastimes.  I sing much better than I dance.  But I think they were only doing karaoke for a few pre-selected slow numbers.  The few singers were good, which is always a blessing at any party.  When the dance music came back on, a huge conga line formed.  I watched the conga line and briefly thought about joining it… but decided I’d rather watch.  I didn’t want to press my luck and faceplant or something.  Okay, I will admit that I did dance for about thirty seconds…  I didn’t fall down and didn’t throw up on the dance floor, so I call that a success!

As I was enjoying the festivities last night, it occurred to me how much I enjoy attending Army events.  There’s always a lot to see and it’s fun watching people have a good time.  There’s never a shortage of good people at Army balls.  People really let their hair down… well, as much as they can let their hair down, anyway.  I was even introduced to several new line dances (that I didn’t attempt myself), including one for “Copperhead Road” by Steve Earle.  I happen to have family roots in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, so that song has a special meaning for me.  😉  There’s usually moonshine at my family’s parties, as well as dancing and live music.

The best part of the evening was getting to meet several people I only know from online.  I am very active on Facebook, so I’ve interacted with a lot of folks in the Stuttgart community via the Internet.  Several of them came up to me last night and asked, “Are you the ‘Overeducated Housewife’?”  That was too cool!  I also got to feel like a celebrity as I talked to several people I’ve never “met” online who read this blog and told me they enjoy it.  To those who do read, I want to offer my sincere thanks!  It really made my night last night to hear people tell me they like the blog.  I was even happier to hear that a few folks had tried and enjoyed some of the restaurants I’ve written about.

I write this blog mainly because it’s fun and gives me something constructive to do.  I don’t do it for fame or money, though that would certainly be an incentive to write more.  So, it’s really a treat when people tell me what I do is useful to them.  Being “overeducated”, childless, and unemployed sometimes makes me feel a little worthless.  Last night, I was reminded that every person has worth and one can never know how many people whose lives they touch every day.  Thanks to everyone who touched my life last night by making the evening so much fun.  And I want to offer a sincere thanks to everyone who reads my blogs.  I really do appreciate it.

Happy birthday, Army!  We really had a marvelous time celebrating with everyone last night!

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Baden-Württemberg

Happy May Day!

We had a fantastic time at the BBQ yesterday.  In fact, it was so fantastic that I don’t remember parts of it.  Too much tequila can have an adverse effect on a person’s memory and motor coordination.  Anyway, I woke up a little dehydrated and sore because I fell down at some point.  I was just testing the gravity.

Bill took the dogs for a walk and ran into a May Day processional in the forest.  I wish I’d been with him because he said it was pretty cool.  There were a bunch of people pushing a cart that had pickles, mayonnaise, and wurst on it.  At one point Zane jumped at the cart and almost snagged a sausage.  Fortunately, the Germans were amused by my beagle’s antics!  Bill said he also heard a German band playing in the distance.

It’s funny because this is the fourth May Day I’ve spent in Germany and somehow I missed out on the festivities in prior years.  In any case, I’m now reading up on May Day.  Apparently, the holiday was inspired by events in the United States, where May Day is not celebrated.  May 1st is also International Workers’ Day.

I guess we should get dressed and go see if we can find any celebrations going on.  But after last night’s excesses, I think I want to crawl back into bed!  The photos are a pretty good representation of my state of mind last night.

What the hell?

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