Today was a less exasperating day, here in Budapest. I decided not to walk many miles, because I didn’t want my ankle to hurt again. Instead of power walking all over Budapest, today I decided to visit the Retro Museum. I had been wanting to go to that museum, because I grew up in the 1970s and 80s, and I used to live in the former Soviet Union. So I am very interested in museums about life behind what was the Iron Curtain.
The Retro Museum was fun to visit. It’s very interactive, with lots of cool looking exhibits set in what appear to be mock ups of block style apartment buildings so prevalent in former communist countries. I lived in one of those buildings myself, among other types of housing in Armenia. Naturally, those types of buildings are in Hungary, just as they are found in every other country that was once controlled by Moscow in any way.
The people who created the museum put memorabilia in the “buildings”. You can open a door on the building and look at each treasure. When I write my Budapest series, I’ll share pictures of what I mean by this. One thing I did learn at this museum is that it seems like Hungary was more pro-Russia than Lithuania was. But of course, I could be wrong about that. I need to read more about the history.
After I visited the museum, I spent some time hanging out in the big plaza near the shopping district. I was amazed by how bold and brave the pigeons are. One got close enough to me that I could have pet it. And when I got back to the hotel, my room was already prepared, so I wrote a post for my main blog and took a short nap. Now, I’m waiting for Bill to get back here, so I can get something to eat. I skipped lunch again. 😉
I’m glad I went to the museum, even if it was kind of interrupted by a couple of women who were singing all of the folk songs. I couldn’t tell if they were in Russian or Hungarian– I would imagine Hungarian, but I’m not yet familiar enough with what it sounds like. Everybody here has been speaking perfect English! There was also a woman with a couple of kids who were hogging all of the interactive exhibits and shrieking a lot… but, I guess since they were kids, they kind of get a pass. I don’t know how much of the museum they understood, since that time is now well in the past. I remember it well, though.
One more full day in Budapest awaits, and then on Saturday, we go home. I look forward to it, although Lufthansa changed my seat. I guess it was because there was an empty seat next to me, and they wanted to allow a couple to sit together. Who knows? Too bad Bill will be in Economy again.
Featured photo is of one of the “mock ups” I wrote of. Yes, I did once live in a building that looked like that…
On Monday morning, Bill and I enjoyed our first fabulous breakfast at Hotel Nerudova 211. I had already read about the wonderful breakfasts offered at this hotel, which are available until 4:00pm. Yes, that’s right, they serve breakfast all day, in their cafe, which is also open to non-hotel guests. I had booked breakfast with our room, so we were invited to have whatever we wanted from their extensive a la carte breakfast menu.
I ended up having Eggs Benedict, mainly because the receptionist had recommended it so highly. I wanted to see if it would be as good as the Eggs Benedict I had at Monastery Garden in Cesky Krumlov. Bill had scrambled eggs in a croissant. We both had cappuccinos and fresh orange juice, but they also brought out very fresh bread and butter that was absolutely delicious.
I got a kick out of one of the waiters, who deftly handled one rather demanding fellow who showed up and started barking orders. He calmly said, “Yes, of course. Go take a seat and I’ll be right with you.” I could be wrong, but I think I caught a hint of a smirk on his face. Frankly, I couldn’t blame him for that.
After we finished breakfast, we had some filtered coffee, and the same waiter offered us a piece of cake. They had strawberry cake and banana bread. He called the whole piece of cake a “sample”, but was wise enough to bring two forks. It was so good, but boy were we full afterwards! I had asked for cream in my coffee and the guy looked a little panicked as he asked if steamed milk was okay. Yes, of course! I’m just American, and some of us take cream (half and half) in our coffee. I forget sometimes that isn’t how the Europeans do it.
Once breakfast was over, Bill and I set out for the old town in Prague. We made our way to the Charles Bridge, marveling at the number of people walking across it. Somewhere in the middle of the bridge, I looked down and saw evidence of vomit. I remarked to Bill, “Ooh! Someone threw up! It was a lot, too!”
I noticed some guy overheard me and was laughing. I will admit, it was kind of funny… for us, anyway. I’m not so sure about the person who puked.
As we got closer to the other side of the Vltava River, we heard some really great jazz swing music. There was a band of four buskers, just jamming on the bridge. They were great! And they had a CD, so we bought one and brought it home. I’d have to say they were the best of the whole bunch of great buskers we heard in the Czech Republic. I love supporting them with applause and tips, and when they have CDs, I buy their music.
This is the Charles Bridge Swing Band, and they rock!
We stopped near the end of the bridge and looked down at the water. That was when I noticed a furry critter swimming past some paddle boats. I later identified the creature as most likely a nutria, which apparently have invaded Prague in large numbers to the point at which they are considered a nuisance. I got a video of the little fellow, swimming among the ducks.
A nutria is busily swimming in the Vltava River.
Then, thanks to all the fluids we drank at breakfast, I needed to pee. I was trying to get to the nearest pay WC, but was soon accosted by a couple of Black guys in sailor suits. They were selling boat rides. We didn’t take the bait, but maybe we would have, if the weather had been better. Instead we looked at another church, then continued on toward the famous astronomical clock and the cathedral.
We were pretty slack about taking in touristy stuff, mainly because we were kind of tired and ready to go home. Maybe it’s good that we did Prague last, if only because it was the grandest stop on our trip, and had the best chance of keeping us engaged in our travels. But we had such an eventful vacation that we were kind of overloaded by the time we got to Prague. Still, we managed to take a lot of photos and do a lot of walking in the main areas. At one point, we sat down and watched pigeons fight over ham.
Spotted in one of Prague’s many public WCs.
We did some shopping for ourselves and Bill’s grandchildren. I managed to find us a couple more paintings, coasters, a tablecloth, soaps, beer shampoo and conditioner (great for your hair), and toys for the grandkids. Prague is a great place for shopping!
People were rubbing this statue for good luck.I totally misread this sign at first.
The paintings we bought were done by a Russian couple who have been living in Prague for thirty years. The man said his friend owned the shop where he was selling his art, but he had trouble making sales, because people tended to want smaller things. I was delighted to buy a couple of his paintings. We were actually planning to buy some art for the house. I wish I’d bought more.
Then, after a few hours of walking off breakfast, it was time for lunch. We found a great Italian place very close to our hotel. After walking past a bunch of touristy places that were crowded with people, I noticed an unassuming restaurant that had plenty of room for us and wasn’t full. It turned out to be a fabulous spot called Pivo & Basilico.
A great shop with lots of handmade Czech crafts for the home.
The waitress was a very friendly young woman who turned out to be from Ukraine. She made a great recommendation for wine, and Bill and I used it to wash down some truly lovely homemade pasta. Lunch was so good that we had dessert– a house speciality for Bill with Nutella and vanilla creme, and tiramisu for me, plus a round of espresso. We didn’t need to eat again for the rest of the night! When I told her we were going to Armenia next month, she wished us safety. It turned out she had an Armenian friend at home in Ukraine. It was interesting talking to her… and when we settled the bill, the proprietor was very warm and genuinely friendly. I really liked that restaurant and would happily go back if we’re ever in Prague again.
When we got back to the room in the late afternoon, we found a really lovely letter on the bed from the owners of the hotel. I thought maybe we’d go out again later, but the cold was catching up to me. So we settled in for our second night at Hotel Nerudova 211, wishing we’d booked one more night. We will have to go back to Prague again soon.
I thought we might go to a beer spa, but we ran out of time. Now we have another reason to visit Prague again, even though we’ve been to quite a few beer spas.
Yesterday, we had a rare busy Saturday, as we went out for business and pleasure in TWO different nearby cities. There was a time when we were younger when accomplishing this would not have been so notable for us, but COVID kind of took the wind out of our sails and made us enjoy being homebodies more. Bill often needs to rest on the weekends. But sometimes, we do manage to get out of the house. Yesterday, we went to both Wiesbaden and Hofheim.
If you’ve been reading my recent posts, you might know that in a couple of weeks, we are planning an epic vacation. We will start with six nights in Norway– two nights in Oslo and four in Bergen. After we do the Norwegian land based part of our trip, we will fly from Bergen to Stockholm, where we will spend one night prior to boarding Regent Seven Seas Splendor. Our week on the ship will include stops in Helsinki, Finland, Tallin, Estonia, Riga, Latvia, Visby, Sweden, Liepaja, Latvia, Ronne, Denmark, and finally, Copenhagen, Denmark, where we will disembark. We’ll spend two nights in Copenhagen, then fly home.
We plan to be away for about two weeks. Although one of those weeks will involve a cruise, it’s still a lot of luggage hauling as we make our way around to the different places we’re planning to visit.
Since about 2011 or so, Bill and I have been using Red Oxx bags almost exclusively. I like them for their handy compartments, tough construction, and beautiful colors. Bill also likes the fact that the company is in based in Billings, Montana and was started by veterans. We have a whole bunch of Red Oxx bags, and we’ve used them for a whole lot of traveling…
BUT…
On this trip, I’m going to be celebrating my 51st birthday. I’m not getting any younger, and my back is not what it used to be. Red Oxx bags do not come with wheels, meaning that I have to carry them. I typically use a Sky Train convertible backpack, which I’ll use on this trip, too. And when I go on big trips, I also use the Beanos Duffel bag, which can hold a lot of stuff, but isn’t the easiest thing to carry. It can be very awkward. I decided that for our upcoming trip up north, I wanted a bag with wheels.
Often I’d shop for such an item online, but I decided that I wanted to actually touch and pick up what I was buying before I made a final decision. Luggage is one of those items people tend to keep forever, and I didn’t want to be stuck with a “lemon”. I told Bill I wanted to go to the Karstadt Galeria in Wiesbaden to see what kinds of luggage they were selling. The Galeria recently announced that they were closing quite a few branches of their department store. Wiesbaden has had two branches, but soon will just be left with the one we visited yesterday at the Mauritiusplatz.
Bill was a little hesitant. He’d made a 7 PM reservation at Ariston Greek Restaurant in Hofheim. I looked at my watch. It was about 1:30 PM. 😀 I love my husband very much, but he has a tendency to be a bit neurotic sometimes. I guess he was afraid I’d dawdle in the store, and we’d miss our reservation or– horrors– arrive there late!
I said, “It’s just a fucking dinner reservation! Are you really telling me we don’t have time to go into Wiesbaden hours before dinner?”
Bill admitted I was right, so off we went to our fair host city. While we were at a light, Bill was getting annoyed at a guy who was in the wrong lane and had turned on his blinker.
“You’re gonna make me miss my light, buddy.” Bill muttered.
“We’re NOT going to be late for our reservation, Bill. Going out to dinner is supposed to be FUN!” I reasoned.
“You’re right.” Bill said.
I remembered we were going to be passing the Globus Hypermarket, which is kind of like WalMart on steroids. It’s a bit closer to where we live. I said, “Maybe we should just go to the Globus. I bet they have luggage.”
Bill disagreed with my ideas about the Globus, but finally relaxed about the time. We got to Wiesbaden and parked the car in the Market Garage, which is not where we usually park. It’s closer to the Galeria than our usual place is, although the store also has its own parking garage.
Wiesbaden was ALIVE yesterday. I wanted to stay longer.
As soon as we walked in, Bill spotted the luggage section, which was actually pretty large. I was immediately drawn to the Samsonites, which of course, were priced “top of the line”. But, just to do my due diligence, I looked at the other suitcases available. It had been a long time since I last shopped for luggage with wheels! I was surprised by how lightweight the bags were.
Fancy!
I ended up choosing a pretty marine blue Samsonite. I wanted to look for new towels, too, but Bill seemed too nervous, so I told him I’d get them another time. 😉 He would have obliged, of course, but he was making our shopping trip more complicated than it needed to be. What I really needed for now was the suitcase, and we accomplished that mission. I got some pretty cool photos outside of the store, too…
We went back to the car and Bill paid for the parking. When he got back, I said, “See? We have plenty of time. We could have had lunch!”
Bill said, “You’re right. Do you want to go have lunch?” Then he said, “Shit, I’ve already paid.”
“No, let’s go home to Noyzi.” So we went home, and started watching Amazon’s docuseries, Shiny Happy People. I’d already seen it, but Bill wanted to watch it, too. That kept us occupied until it was time to go to Hofheim for our dinner date.
The last time we tried to visit Ariston Restaurant, it was early March and everybody was out and about. They had no tables. Remembering that experience, Bill made a reservation. It was not necessary last night. Ariston was having a pretty slow night! Still, we decided to eat out on their tiny patio, and enjoy the pleasant June weather. It was about 70 degrees out and sunny. I had a Gyros Teller, which was gyros, souvlaki, tomato rice, t’zaziki, and salad. Bill had the Bifteki Teller, which had gyros, bifteki, pommes, t’zaziki, and salad. We also had a small carafe of house wine, our usual sparkling water, and for dessert, a round of Pils beer.
The very kind lady who looked after us was so nice. Bill gave her a generous tip on the bill, which was around 60 euros, and she touched her heart as she thanked us. It’s been too long since our last Greek food fix. When we lived in Stuttgart, we used to go to Greek places all the time. We don’t have as many Greek restaurants up here, though… We seem to eat more Italian food now. Not that that’s a hardship!
My Gyros Teller was excellent!I enjoyed this Pils.The inside of Ariston is very nice. We will have to go back.Pigeon in flight. I think they were mating. They had a nest near the restaurant and were making quite a racket.
After dinner, we headed back to the car, and I took a few more photos. Hofheim has sort of replaced Nagold as our “go to” town for casual recreation. It’s not quite as pretty as Nagold is, but it does the job. Likewise, I think we think of Mainz as our replacement for Tübingen, even though they aren’t that much alike, other than both being university towns.
We didn’t know it, but Ariston has parking available. We probably should have parked there, but then we would have missed out on the pretty walk through Hofheim. It’s a very nice place in the evening. We need to go there more often.
Someone drew a garden gnome near the museum.
I’m not sure what we have in store for today. The weather is beautiful again, though… Maybe we’ll venture out. Maybe we won’t.
Yesterday, Bill and I visited Dr. Blair for the last time (I hope) concerning my new dental implant. The next time we see him will be for cleanings in October, unless there’s some kind of catastrophe between now and then. I will miss the frequent shopping and eating opportunities visiting Dr. Blair gives us, but I’m glad the implant process is finally finished and I’m thrilled with the results. It’s great to have a full smile again.
After my appointment, we were a bit hungry. We stopped at the Markthalle to pick up some eggs, fruit, and bread. Then we made our way back to the car to drop off the goodies we purchased. Since that put us close to Dr. Blair’s office again, we decided to find a restaurant on Calwer Strasse. It was hot and we were thirsty. I was tempted to hit a biergarten, but then I spotted Ristorante da Maurizio (now called Aria) with an empty outdoor area. I had been pretty curious about the place over the months I’ve had to go to Stuttgart, but we never stopped there to eat. Since it was just about dinner time, we read the menu posted on the outside of the restaurant and decided to have a seat outdoors.
One of the reasons I was curious about Ristorante da Maurizio is because besides being a restaurant, it’s billed as a wine bar. To me, it felt more like a regular restaurant with a full and impressive menu. The words “wine bar” might just be a gimmick, for all I know. Maybe next time we visit, it’ll be cold outside and we can venture inside to try out the “wine bar”.
We decided to go with a shared appetizer and a couple of the weekly specials. Maurizio offers a little something for everyone, though. There are pizzas, pasta dishes, fish, and meat dishes available. The weekly specials are also offered in three or four courses, which gives a slight price break to people who are especially hungry. The “sea menu” was priced slightly less than the “earth menu”. We weren’t hungry enough to go for three courses.
Bill checks out the menu. At this point, we were the only ones sitting outside.
Bill obliges me with a smile. I think he was reacting to a trio of annoying girls who were sitting outside at the health food restaurant next to us. They were smoking, being loud, and I suspected they were making fun of us. They also left without cleaning up after themselves. We ended up paying for their negligence.
Glad I took the opportunity to take this picture of the outside. The tables quickly filled up. More than half of them were reserved.
Bill ordered a lovely bottle of white from the Piemonte. It was tart and citrusy, which we knew would go well with the seafood dishes we ordered.
A nice basket of bread. The breadsticks arrived hot and fresh and were very tasty.
We shared this first course, delicious sun roasted tomatoes, with avocado slices, toasted pine nuts, and olives. On top is a mound of mild and creamy burrata cheese. I usually dislike cold cheeses, but I had tried burrata at Ostaria da Gino’s in Nagold and loved it. Burrata means butter in Italian and I do love my butter, though the cheese doesn’t necessarily make me think of it. Burrata cheese is like very soft, creamy mozzarella and spreads kind of like room temperature butter. There was a time when I might have turned my nose up at this dish, but I really enjoyed it yesterday. I especially loved the tomatoes, which were very sweet and tangy.
The dishes left by the annoying girls sitting next door ended up causing a ruckus when a very aggressive pigeon discovered them a few minutes later.
The pigeon helped itself to their leftovers… I noticed a couple of staffers at the Italian restaurant getting annoyed.
Look in the sky and you’ll see another pigeon homing in…
Soon there were two of them… then three…
And finally, there were five pigeons feasting on the girls’ leftovers and making a big mess! I can see why my former German neighbors from last time we lived here called pigeons “rats from the sky”!
The folks running the healthy restaurant were oblivious. I finally encouraged Bill to go move the dishes to the cabinet of trays behind the table. Quoting Dr. Phil, I said “This situation needs a hero.” Being a civic minded individual, Bill got up and moved a couple of bowls just as the guy running the frozen yogurt stand across the street went into the restaurant to tell the employees to come clean up the mess. A young girl who looked very much “over it” came out and finished the job. It was only mildly embarrassing for everyone involved.
After some time spent chilling out with our white wine, our main courses arrived. I had fried perch (zander filet) with sliced peaches. There was a little bit of mint under the fish and peaches which gave the dish a refreshing zest. The fish was served with cooked bok choy, spinach, a sliced carrot, and potato. The whole thing was accompanied by a lovely white wine sauce. I really enjoyed this dish because of the peaches and mint combination. They were definitely the star attraction. Without them, this would have been a somewhat ordinary dish.
Bill had a simple course of tortellini stuffed with mild cheese and sea bass (Wolfbarsch). It was also served with a sauce flavored with white wine and light cream. I tried his pasta and I think I liked it as much as I did my dish. Bill’s pasta was priced significantly less than my fish was; I think it was about 15 euros while my main course was 23 euros.
By the time we were finished eating, it was a little after 7:00pm. The terrace was almost full of diners and we were a bit hot, full, and tired of sitting. Of the tree Italian restaurants we’ve tried on Calwer Strasse, I think Maurizio is now my favorite. The dishes were all presented beautifully and tasted good. Table service was very attentive with one handsome waiter rushing over to pour me some wine when I grabbed the bottle from the wine bucket.
The only negative I can think of is that smoking is allowed and the tables outside are close together. Another couple sat next to us and it felt like we were all sitting at the same table even though we were both at “two tops”. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if everyone’s friendly, but it felt a little awkward last night. We paid about 83 euros for this meal and we’d probably do it again, though next time I will find a seat further from the health food restaurant next door. Wouldn’t want to get dive bombed by a crew of aggressive pigeons.
Since today is Veteran’s Day and we missed our Saturday outing last weekend, Bill and I decided to go to Tübingen this afternoon for lunch and a brief shopping excursion at Vinum. I wanted to dine at Forelle Weinstube, an adorable restaurant I remembered from our first time in the Stuttgart area, but according to their Web site, Wednesday was supposed to be their Ruhetag. We decided to check there anyway, since Google said they were open… and, as things tend to go with Google, Google happened to be right. I was glad they were open because I remembered having a really nice meal there seven years ago. I wanted to see if they were still good.
We arrived at about 1:30pm, just as the lunch crowd was winding down. A kind waitress offered us a table and we decided to have a leisurely lunch with a bottle of locally produced Riesling. As we waited for the wine, I looked around and was charmed by how quaint the interior was. It truly looks like a stereotypical old fashioned German restaurant.
The outside of the restaurant on a street tucked away from the main drag. Forelle is the German word for trout and they do have it on the menu.
Bill checks out the menu. They had a special today, but he went with the Linsenteller, while I had trout…
Loved the murals on the walls and ceiling, and the etched windows. It’s a very homey place.
Bill’s lentils… came with spatzle and pork cheeks. He said it was very satisfying. My gut tells me he’ll be regular tomorrow and probably the next day.
My trout. This came with a small green salad dressed with a light mustard vinaigrette. I really enjoyed this dish, though at 19,80, it was the most expensive thing on the menu during lunch. They do offer a small portion for about three euros less.
View of the bar area. The restaurant is small, so there’s no one actually sitting there. They do appear to have an upstairs dining area, too.
Nice wine glasses…
After lunch, we had double espressos. I knew that I was asking for trouble drinking wine, water, and espresso and knowing we were headed for Vinum, where there are free samples aplenty. But my appetite won out over my sense of practicality and I indulged. Then I visited the ladies room and sadly, the toilet wouldn’t flush. Oops.
Loved their espresso glasses. They were made so our fingers didn’t touch the hot liquid. Reminded me of the cool beer glasses we saw at the beer museum in Lisbon, Portugal.
After we paid the check, which came to about 66 euros, we headed for Vinum and tried some wines. An American couple came in while we were shopping, though I might not have pegged them as Americans immediately. The guy was wearing a Jack Wolfskin jacket and had a beard. Bill chatted with them a bit while I taste tested a few reds. We used our handy wine caddy bag, which which the lady at Vinum was impressed, and refilled our bottle from Vinum’s wine tap. On the way out of Vinum, I heard a guy playing Vivaldi on an accordion. It was interesting and he was surprisingly good, though if I wanted to hear Vivaldi, I probably wouldn’t choose to hear it played on an accordion.
Nice church shot…
By the time we left Vinum, my bladder was starting to sound off. So we stopped at Ranitzky’s coffeehouse, which is right on the big square near the Rathaus in Tübingen. It was a prime spot for people watching and enjoying hot chocolate. My stomach neither needed the extra calories nor did my bladder need the extra liquid, but it did give me a chance to process more of the fluids I had at lunch and at Vinum.
Coffee break.
Bill had a large hot chocolate without cream.
I had a Bailey’s hot chocolate… it was very yummy. They also have lots of tempting desserts, drinks, and light food.
While we were enjoying hot chocolate, we did some people watching… I observed a drunk bum chugging what appeared to be vodka from a bottle as he staggered across the square. Of course, it could have been water, too.
Bill people watches…
Rathaus… I was glad to see more of the construction is done. Will it ever end?
Remnants of the market… Most of the booths were shutting down as we arrived. This was still open at 3:00 or so.
We saw a bunch of kids checking out the fountain and a woman walked by with her “bagel” (beagle and basset hound mix).
Then, we observed a woman looking curiously at what appeared to be a dead pigeon, only it was sitting on its feet…
Lots of people stopped to observe this bird, which made no move even when people got within a foot or two away. Bill wondered if someone was doing a science experiment or something.
I remembered my former German neighbor from our first tour here saying that it’s against the law to feed pigeons in the city and that locals refer to them as “rats from the sky.” But still, a lot of people were curious and maybe even concerned. I decided I wanted to pick up some Ammertal whiskey, so we went into Silberburg and bought a small bottle.
We never tried this the last time we lived here, though it is made in Unterjesingen, which was the town next to where we used to live and very close to Tübingen.
They had a nice selection…
When we came out of Silberburg, a woman had picked up the seemingly dead pigeon and we saw its wings flap feebly. I guess the bird was sick or something. Reminds me a little of the time we visited Nagold’s castle and a whole bunch of people were gathered around a dying mouse. Someone finally picked the poor creature up and moved it to a more private place for its final death throes. I don’t think the pigeon was quite so lucky.
We decided to head home, though I knew my bladder was going to be aching soon. On the way out of the city, I spied some graffiti.
And a charming street scene…
Bill was going to drive back on B28, which is kind of the long way back to our town. I asked him to head back to Jettingen via Poltringen instead. It saved us significant time, helped us avoid traffic, and got me to a bathroom sooner. Don’t think I wasn’t tempted to stop off on the side of the road, though…
Stop here for fresh milk, eggs, and onions.
All in all, we had a very pleasant afternoon. It’s always a pleasure to visit Tübingen. We used to go there all the time when we lived here in 07-09. This time, we’re trying to see more of the area around Stuttgart. But I am never disappointed when we visit one of my favorite college towns. We’ll have to go back soon.
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