Tag Archives: pizza

Baden-Württemberg, short breaks

A winter break in Waiblingen… A little Asian food and pizza! (part five)

Featured image is of a mural under the old Rathaus in Waiblingen.

Friday was probably our least interesting day during our trip to Waiblingen. Bill had been under the impression that the long course he’d taken on Thursday morning was a single course being offered twice. He’d originally signed up for what he thought was the Friday class, but changed it to Thursday so we could hang out more together during the morning.

As it turned out, the class was in two, three hour parts– the first part on Thursday morning, and the second part on Friday. He’d also signed up for an afternoon and evening course, because before we’d planned our dental holiday, he was going to take a day off work and knock them out at home. He was thinking about blowing off the morning class, but I told him he should go ahead and complete it so he’d get full credit. So, Friday morning I spent more time writing in my blog, reading, and messing around with Facebook, while my scholarly husband did his schoolwork.

However, before class began, we had breakfast. On Friday, we visited the Cafe Tagblatt, an establishment with a prime location on the Marktplatz. This was one of the three choices we had for breakfast covered by the Bachofer, and it looked to me like it was a place much beloved by the locals. We chose it on Friday, because it opened at 8:00 AM, instead of 9:00 AM, as the third option did. According to its Web site, Cafe Tagblatt has been in Waiblingen since 1985… which doesn’t seem that long ago to me, but then, it’s hard for me to admit I’m in my 50s.

Cafe Tagblatt offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as seating outside. On the market days– Wednesday and Saturday– I noticed a lot of people enjoying a coffee and a cigarette in their outside area. We ate there twice during our Waiblingen trip, both times for breakfast. On Wednesday, we went for more substantial offerings. Bill had a plate with breads, fruits, cold cuts, and cheeses, while I had a Pfännle with eggs and bacon, and a side of toast. We both had fresh orange juice, and plenty of coffee.

This was a lot of food, and in fact, we went slightly over our allowance, probably because we both had a small cup of coffee. The eggs were more than I could eat, and slightly overdone. Bill really liked his dish, although again, it was a bit more than he needed. The service was friendly and professional, and I enjoyed the morning vibe. I can see why it’s a popular place for locals, especially on the weekend. We learned on Sunday, that if you want to have breakfast at Cafe Tagblatt, you’d better make a reservation!

Bill took his three our lecture, and then, grateful for some sunshine, we decided to take a walk around the town. We ended up having lunch at an Asian place called VU Asia Wok. I had noticed it on our first afternoon in Waiblingen, and figured Bill would like it. They had Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese cuisine.

Bill went for a Vietnamese dish called Mien Xao Ga. He got his with chicken, but it was also offered with beef. I probably should have had what he had, but I opted for sweet and sour duck. Unfortunately, a lone mushroom slipped into my dish and kind of put me off. VU Asia Wok appeared to be a very popular lunch stop. It was almost full when we arrived.

At one point, what appeared to be the young son of the proprietor showed up. He looked to be about six or seven years old, or so. I noticed how he hung up his jacket and sat down at a table near us, where he immediately got started with his homework. He went upstairs to the family’s home before we were finished eating. I went up the stairs to use the ladies room, and the little boy helpfully turned on the light for me. Charmed, I said “Danke” to him. Then, when I was leaving, I said “Ciao.”

He responded with a cheery “Bye!” 🤭 He probably already speaks better English than I do.

Since the weather was holding for us, we took a walk, and I got a few more photos of Waiblingen on our way back to the Bachofer. We were too late for Bill to catch his lecture, which he was fine with, because he wasn’t all that keen on the guy presenting it…

I was kind of glad the tower wasn’t open, so I didn’t feel obligated to climb it.
Charming Greek Orthodox church!

Bill decided to take the evening lecture. It turned out the original lecturer had to cancel, probably because there was a lot of snow in Zürich that day. So, the guy who presented the earlier lecture that Bill skipped, filled in for the guy who had to cancel. Bill got his lecture with the “self-promoting” Klugscheisser, anyway. 😆 He sure made good use of his time on our dental break!

By the time Bill’s lecture was over, it was about 7:30 PM. The weather had turned crappy again. Neither of us felt like going out to eat. Bill decided to go get some wine and snacks from a grocery store, and he also picked up a pizza from a spot on the Marktplatz called Il Divo. He said it was a tiny place, full of Italians, and a rather eccentric looking proprietor. Too bad we didn’t get a chance to dine there, because the pizza was one of the best I’ve ever had in Germany. I didn’t get a picture of it, though… It looked like most salami pizzas, and was plenty for us!

I did get a couple of shots from our room, as the weather got yucky again…

I wish we’d felt more like venturing out, but I find that as I’m getting older, I don’t always want to go out at night– especially when the weather is cold and wet, and it’s well into the dinner hours in Europe. Besides, we had big dinner plans for Saturday night. More on that in the next post!

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art, Hessen

Picture framing, politics, and pizza time…

Bill has to go on a business trip, starting tomorrow. He will be gone for about twelve days. I just bought a piece of art from a friend of ours that needed to be framed, so Bill and I decided to go to downtown Wiesbaden to drop off the new art, as well as four unframed paintings we’ve had for years.

We have used Kunst-Schaefer several times already for other art we’ve had framed. They’ve always done a great job making sure our artwork looks fabulous. So, after a quick pee stop at the Karstadt Galleria, we went there today, and spent about an hour or so picking out frames… and then we got into a discussion about US politics (naturally). When the work is done, we’ll owe about 800 or 900 euros, give or take… I’ll miss having that artwork at home to look at, too. But one of the paintings we’re having done is my favorite, and we’ve had it for about 16 years. It’s time it had a proper frame.

Once we were done ordering our framing, we decided to go look for some lunch. We wound up trying Pizza Punto It, a popular Italian place near the big market square. I’ve passed that place a bunch of times, but it’s always been busy. Even today, it was bustling when we stopped in. I could tell why when I smelled the aroma in there. They make good pizzas!

I don’t often get pizzas in Germany, but today I made an exception and had a Pizza Garnele, which had tomato sauce, mozzarella, fried shrimps, and garlic. Bill went with the Positano, which had pepperoni sausage, dried tomatoes, black olives, and capers, along with the usual tomato sauce and cheese. We both brought home leftovers, after we paid a 45 euro bill (which included two Weizens). The shrimp on the pizza was okay, but I prefer my pizzas a little more American style. Next time, maybe I’ll just get a Margherita.

Service was friendly and professional, and I was enjoying the 80s era music, which took me back to my school days. The weather is nice today, but I decided to come home and relax. Bill went to get some provisions for when he’s away. Always a good provider, he is…

I’m really looking forward to seeing how the artwork turns out and giving our home a new look. You’d think that having been raised by a professional picture framer, I’d be better about getting my art professionally framed. It’s not all that cheap, though. We do, at least, get a break on the tax. Kunst-Schaefer takes the VAT form.

Well, I think I will now go have a rest… Below are a few photos of our neighborhood mallards, who made an appearance yesterday as I walked the dogs.

Look closely, and you’ll see him in the bushes.
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adventure, art, house hunting

Hello Vipiteno… long time, no see! (part eight)

As I have mentioned in previous blog posts (and videos), I first discovered the formerly Austrian and currently Italian town, Vipiteno/Sterzing, back in June 2009. I went on a bus trip out of the Edelweiss Lodge in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. They advertised a day trip to Italy in Vipiteno and Bolzano. I went for it.

I remember that week spending every day on a tour somewhere with other military spouses and their families. On that particular day, I was seated next to a very hostile man who seemed angry that I existed. I guess he was mad that he had to sit next to me, instead of with his wife. That’s why you should get to the bus early, so you can stake out your territory.

In any case, I enjoyed both Bolzano and Vipiteno in June 2009. Bill and I went to Bolzano in August 2020. And now, we have enjoyed Vipiteno together. Below are a few Vipiteno pictures from my first trip. I remember our group was herded to a purse shop there. I bought a leather bag that I used for some time before it was time to replace it. We also visited a very old church that dated from the 14th century and is famous for its frescoes. I don’t know why I didn’t post more pictures. Bill and I didn’t have a chance to go there during our visit together.

Chiesa di Santo Spirito a Vipiteno

On Saturday, March 15th, we woke up to snowy skies, which later turned to rain. We enjoyed a good breakfast at Hotel Erna– cold cuts, cheeses, breads, fruits and vegetables, and these incredible rolls that were shaped liked crescents. They had a sweet filling and toasted almonds on top, and they were served warm. They were so good!

It was raining during our visit to the town, which literally put a damper on things. Luckily, there are many shops in Vipiteno. It’s a great place to buy things. And, indeed, we did buy lots of gifts for the grandchildren and stuff for ourselves. Bill also insisted on buying me an umbrella. Aside from that, I took a lot of photos, and availed myself of the very welcome free public restroom near the tourism office. I am relieved to report that it was also pretty clean!

The tower is pretty much the main attraction!

Vipiteno is also where I purchased my latest prop… I bought a middle finger paperweight. I feel pretty sure I will get my money out of using it. I even made a video about it.

I made this video for my friend, Dave, and to show off the new toy I bought in Vipiteno!

We bought toys and delectables for ourselves and the kids, then went searching for lunch. The town has many pizzerias, and a few places that appeared to offer cuisine that is more for the Austrian/German palate. We ended up at a pizzeria ourselves, a place called Ristorante Bellavita. It looked like they were doing some cosmetic work on the outside of the place, which isn’t on the main drag.

We sat down at the back of the restaurant and both decided to have pizzas. Bellavita offers some special ones. Mine was called Aline, and had Brie, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, bacon, and oregano. Bill’s was a white pizza that had pork bellies, mozzarella cheese, and basil pesto. He managed to finish his, but I only got through half of mine. Then, for dessert, I had Blanco profiteroles, which were chocolate filled and covered with whipped cream! We took the rest of my leftover pizza with us, but Bill ended up eating it.

I see the this particular restaurant doesn’t get the best ratings, but we definitely enjoyed our lunch there. Service was good; prices were reasonable; and we felt comfortable. Also, the pizzas were interesting and delicious!

After a bit more walking around, we realized the weather was getting worse. It was colder and wetter, and frankly, it wasn’t fun hanging around outside in it. So we decided to stop by a Spar grocery store (Austrian chain) and pick up some more goodies for home and the kids. As much as we shopped in grocery stores, there are still some things I wish we’d bought.

After that, we headed back to the hotel, and I played with my new pink hand. I also took selfies, and then a long nap… When I woke up, someone on YouTube had left me a comment on one of my best videos, advising me to take it down because of the election results. Bill and I made a video response to that, and I got to put the new pink hand to good use.

I’m glad we visited Vipiteno. It really is a charming town, even when the weather is bad. There’s good food and shopping, and it’s a nice place to spend a Saturday afternoon! For those who want to do more than shop, there’s also good skiing and hiking, as well as the train to lovely Bolzano, which is well worth a look. We might have gone there, if we hadn’t already been. I would probably rather stay in Bolzano, although the area around Vipiteno and Brennero is very charming. March was a good time to be there, too. I would imagine there are many crowds in season. I noticed lots of bus parking, and of course, my first time there was on a bus tour!

It kind of gives you a look at Hotel Erna, and the hand, which comes from Hong Kong, but was imported through The Netherlands.

And, as was our custom on this particular trip, we decided to stay in and watch movies as we wound down our trip. In the next post, I will describe the drive back to Germany, and that will end the blow by blow account of this trip. It will be followed by my usual “ten things I learned” post. Stay tuned!

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house hunting, videos

Strolling through Swiss vineyards and visiting an Italian exclave… (part two)

Sunday morning, Bill and I went down to the restaurant/breakfast room for a continental repast. A very cheerful lady made us cappuccinos and we loaded up on the usual Italian goodies… cold cuts, fruit, breads, and I think there were also eggs. Bill enjoyed the cheeses, although I skipped that.

After breakfast, we decided to walk to the vineyards, a nice perk of staying at Relais Castello di Morcote, which owns the property. To get to the vineyards, we had to walk through the “town”, which was an unusual experience. Part of the walk involved passing through a narrow covered building, where people were also living. It’s hard to describe it, but I did get some photos, which might help give you an idea of what I mean.

This was on the walk to the vineyards…
We thought this was the gate we were told about, but it wasn’t…
Peaceful trickling…

We got confused by the first stroll into the town, because we were told we needed to open a gate on the edge of the village. The first gate we came to wasn’t the right one, so we went back and asked for clarification. We hadn’t walked far enough the first time. So we went back through the town, strolled past some very expensive looking homes, and eventually found the correct gate, ready to accept the code and let us in for a beautiful walk and amazing views…

At the top of the hillside, you will see the castle ruins, which are also open to visit. We were the only ones walking through the vineyards during our visit, so it was quiet and peaceful, and the scenery was so beautiful… I took lots of photos. I probably should embrace the idea of economy, but when you have such beautiful views, it’s hard not to get carried away.

After I took some pictures of Lake Lugano, we walked through the castle ruins, which I guess are now used for events. I marveled at how we had the whole place to ourselves. It was really nice to be able to explore without anyone supervising. I don’t think you’d ever find that in the States.

After we visited the vineyards, we decided to go to Campione d’Italia, a very special part of Italy that I first learned about after I saw a YouTube video…

A fascinating and entertaining video about a tiny piece of Italy that is totally surrounded by Switzerland…

Bill had never heard of Campione before I mentioned it to him on our recent trip. It so happened that the exclave was located very close to our lodging and is easily accessed by car. So we drove there and walked around… The first two photos below are in Switzerland, near our hotel. The rest are Campione, a little piece of Italy with a long, fascinating history that dates back centuries. Watch the video for the story!

When it came time for lunch, we stumbled into a very busy restaurant offering sushi and pizza. Ordering was interesting. Every table gets a tablet, and you just order through the tablet, rather than talking to a person. The pizza was pretty good, but the sushi might have been a better bet. The people who ran the restaurant were Asian and I noticed a lot of people were having sushi and loving it.

Really good pizza.
This was full of confetti… it was just after Carnival.
A quick car bound pic of the restaurant.

We passed what appeared to be a church turned art gallery. I would have liked to have stopped in and looked around, but we didn’t have time. Bill’s meter was about to run out. So we skipped the art gallery, and passed the enormous casino, which apparently is the only one in Italy. The video explains why this is so… It really is a monstrosity!

We stopped by a Swiss Coop grocery store on the way back to the hotel and picked up some provisions for the evening, since the restaurant was closed, and there weren’t any others nearby. We were able to order some wine and cold cuts from room service. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped by the church where the parking garage was. The inside was extremely beautiful. Bill lit a candle for his father.

Bill buying supplies…

I was reminded that we have driven through the Lugano area so many times on the way to Italy. It really was worth stopping in, although next time, I think we need to go to the actual city and check it out. It’s very beautiful there, although it’s a lot more expensive in Switzerland than it is in Italy. But then, Switzerland is also noticeably less gritty.

We turned in early, since Monday morning meant a long drive to Abruzzo, the region in Italy we were determined to see. More on that in the next post.

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trip planning

Winter came back to visit…

We didn’t do anything special over the weekend. It was too cold, and the weather was moody! It rained, sleeted, and even snow flurried a bit. Then the sun kept coming in and out, like a shy toddler hiding behind momma’s skirt.

Yuck!

Bill and I decided to stay home. I got some reading done, wrote two book reviews, and put together a new chair for my office. The chair is comfortable, but a little too low and reclined. I may not keep it as a desk chair, but move it to a bedroom. On the other hand, it may be easier to play guitar while sitting on it, since it doesn’t have arms.

I also like that it doesn’t have wheels, so it won’t roll when I don’t want it to.
I ordered a cushion to give me a boost. Right now, I’m sitting on a folded cushion that was supposed to go with my outdoor chairs.

Bill also did some cooking. He made a wonderful pizza on Saturday, and a girl drink for me. Yesterday, he baked cookies and homemade bread. Then, he made me a delightful breakfast this morning. We had toast made with the homemade bread, Black Forest ham, and a fried egg, garnished with fresh fruit. I am a very lucky person to have such a great guy in my life. He spoils me rotten.

Homemade pizza
Frozen Mudslide…
Breakfast! The Black Forest ham was delicious!

We did get a quote from a tour company in Iceland this week. I think we will probably try to plan a trip there for 2024. I don’t know exactly when, but based on the proposal they sent us, I think it will be epic… and very expensive! But it’s a bucket list item, and I look forward to finding more photos for my blog.

It may be hard to believe, but over the weekend, Schauinsland, where we were a couple of weeks ago, was covered in snow! When we visited in early April, it was green and gorgeous, with spring bursting out all over the place and surprisingly warm temperatures. But the places we visited all got dumped with snow over this past weekend. I guess it just goes to show you that the weather in Germany can be very unpredictable, even when spring is well underway. Click here to see the current conditions on their Web cam. As I write this, it still looks like a winter wonderland!

I just went outside to deal with Noyzi’s “business”. It’s still quite cold outside, although at least the sun is shining. I’m about ready for this crappy weather to vamoose. I want to get back into enjoying Europe and planning more trips. But I’m sure this will be the last cold snap until September or so. Maybe. We’ll see.

I wish I had more to report, but our weekend was spent hanging out, eating, drinking, listening to music, watching YouTube, and listening to music. It wasn’t a bad way to spend the time, but it doesn’t make for the most exciting travel posts.

Edited to add: Here’s a tribute video I just put up in honor of Dickey Betts, of The Allman Brothers. It features waterfalls I’ve encountered on our travels in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia. But we didn’t always have “blue skies” when I did the filming…

Sometimes life in Europe doesn’t suck…
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Hessen

Our first visit to L’Osteria in Wiesbaden…

Happy Presidents Day. It marks the end of our current long weekend. The sun came out briefly, prompting Bill to invite me out to lunch at L’Osteria, a pizza restaurant chain here in Germany. I’ve seen several of these outlets in our recent travels, and I guess Bill was curious about them, too. We had never been to one before today, although they seem to be everywhere we’ve been lately.

The local L’Osteria opens at 11:30 AM for lunch. The door was wide open as we approached and the outside was set up for those who preferred to eat outside. It’s February, but unusually warm– about 54 degrees or so– so eating outdoors isn’t out of the question. Especially for Germans, who are big believers in bundling up for the weather.

As I approached the door, I caught a whiff of a local sewer, which wasn’t the greatest first impression… but they can’t help it if they’re near a sewer, I guess. We walked in and were welcomed to sit anywhere we wanted. I chose a spot near the impressive bar. There were menus on the table, so I started looking. It was very quickly apparent that this chain is all about pizza, although they do offer salads, appetizers, and pasta dishes.

I like pizza, but not so much the kind one finds in Germany. For one thing, sometimes it doesn’t taste like they use mozzarella cheese. For another, they seem to make them for one person, even though they’re always way too big for one person to eat. I opted for tortellini with ham, while Bill had a pizza with prosciutto. We shared a half carafe of Montepulciano and a big bottle of San Pellegrino. More people started to come in for lunch while we waited…

Did I lie about the pizza? It’s very thin crusted, though.
The tortellini was good, and there wasn’t too much of it. I did kind of struggle to finish, but Bill ate two of them for me.

We enjoyed the wine and conversation over the food. I noticed another couple sat near us and shared one pizza, which, frankly, I’ve never seen before in a German pizza place. The barman/waiter had cut it in half and put it on separate plates. I think if I had to do it again, I would have liked to have shared a pizza with Bill. He brought half of his pizza home with him.

The food at L’Osteria was good. The restaurant’s ambiance was not too fancy, and very family friendly, with pop music playing. I noticed the Uber Eats guy came in several times while we were eating. He was doing a brisk lunch business.

I was feeling pretty good about our visit, but then I visited the ladies room… and just as I was about to relieve myself of some processed wine and water, I realized there was no toilet paper in the stall. I went to the other stall, where there was an almost empty roll. There was just enough for me and maybe one more person, if all they needed to do was pee. So, after Bill used the restroom, he asked if I was ready to go, as he’d already paid our tab. I told him we needed to let the barman know that they ladies room needed a restock of toilet paper. The guy had disappeared into the kitchen, so Bill popped his head in and informed him that the restroom needed attention.

Other than that, I enjoyed our visit to L’Osteria. I would go back, although I probably would prefer a restaurant that isn’t part of a chain. Still, it did the job of filling us up and was convenient and reasonably priced. Most everything on the menu was priced between 12 and 16 euros. And now my curiosity is satisfied. Next time, maybe I’ll brave ordering a pizza.

The restaurant, by the way, also appears dog friendly. I noticed a doggie bowl in the foyer as we were exiting.

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laws

I really like this about Germany…

It’s a chilly Saturday, here in Germany. It’s also a holiday weekend. We don’t have any special plans for today, other than to receive wine we ordered last weekend at the wine fest. So I thought maybe today, I’d write about something I’ve noticed and really appreciate about living in Germany. Below is a photo that was shared in a local Facebook group. Someone had seen this solution in a Swabian town– maybe down near Stuttgart– and wondered if it would be a good idea for up here in Hesse.

This keeps the pizza boxes out of the trash cans, so they don’t fill up so fast.

I noticed a few people were a little snarky. One person said this was not a good idea, since people shouldn’t be eating so much pizza. Another said they thought this was “stupid”, since it seemed like overkill for what shouldn’t be a problem. But a couple of people wrote that they thought this was a good idea, and even went as far to do some rudimentary research into how this could be accomplished. Below are their translated comments.

Hmm: The way it looks, this is made of weatherproof sieve pressure plates, only the cutting edges have to be sealed. I see stainless steel screws wouldn’t be a problem now either. If they sponsor the material, I can build a few for free.

Another person wrote: the pizzerias could also sponsor…

I was at Globus today and investigated the material costs: a box would cost around €100. So the idea is feasible As far as regulations, regulations, assessments, TÜV and other rules are concerned, of course I have no plan.

Someone else wrote that this is already a thing in the Allgau area, and it works well. Quite a few people were very positive in their remarks, and thanked the original poster for the suggestion. And, much to my amazement, people were actually coming together to see how they could make this idea come to fruition. Yes, there were a couple of American styled cynical comments that were sort of rude and dismissive, but for the most part, people seemed optimistic and wanting to make something nice for the community.

Last week, I shared the photos of the repurposed gumball machines that now sell “bee bombs”, so people can improve their gardens and give the bees something good to eat. That’s a good thing for everyone, and it keeps retired gumball machines out of the trash.

Nice idea!

I also like that here in Germany, people aren’t allowed to run amok with weapons. I feel a lot safer here, because fewer people are armed and dangerous, and it’s a lot less likely that some nut is going to shred my vital organs with ammunition fired from their “sexy” AR-15 rifles that they can buy with ease at any gun dealer. Here, to have a weapon for hunting and fishing, you have to prove you’re sane and know how to use the weapon safely. And you can’t just get whatever gun you want, either.

It’s true that some laws in Germany seem a little ridiculous… like the one that forbids people to flip off drivers on the Autobahn, or the laws that can make someone liable if, for instance, they illegally use pepper spray intended for an animal on a person who is attacking them. Bill recently told me about a guy who needed legal help because he got charged with hit and run for running into a guy who was trying to steal his car. I have also heard about people getting in legal trouble for hurting people who were committing crimes, though that could be anecdotal. And yes, I have also heard horror stories about people buying homes and not being able to evict the previous owners until they are ready to move. It seems that self-defense is less of a thing here. At least that’s how it seems, based on some of the anecdotes I’ve heard.

By and large, Germany is a very nice place to live. The more I see what’s going on at home, the more grateful I am that we live over here. And that gives me an interesting perspective, particularly when it comes to immigration issues in the United States. I am often impressed by the sense of community here. I wish there was more of it back home. I’m tired of seeing how polarized people are… and the collective, “I’ve got mine, so screw you” attitude so many people seem to have. On the other hand, although I understand why some people get frustrated and react with self-righteous indignation when they butt heads with someone on the other side of an issue, I don’t think self-righteous indignation is helpful in reaching compromises or inspiring cooperation.

Anyway… I like that they discuss things like making pizza box slots to help keep the trash cans from overflowing. It’s nicer to see those discussions, than contentious discussions about gun rights and abortion. It also helps that Germany is clean, safe, and beautiful, and has educated people who have basic decency and compassion for others. I admire the Germans. They’ve done a lot of growing. I wish more Americans would.

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Uncategorized

Lunch in lovely Hofheim!

We have pretty weather today, so Bill asked me if I wanted to go out. I did want to go out, as I have a bad habit of being reclusive when I should be out enjoying Germany. Unfortunately, Aunt Flow showed up this morning… about a week delayed. I was hoping for a reprieve but– NOPE– no such luck. It always happens on a Saturday, too.

Anyway, I mention Aunt Flow only because we were on our way to Hofheim in my Mini Cooper convertible (which really needs to be driven more), when I realized I had forgotten to arm myself with the necessary feminine hygiene supplies. Fortunately, Hofheim has a very nice Edeka located in a shopping mall that has a nice parking garage with low rates. We parked there, stopped by the store, visited the restrooms (50 cents), then took a stroll through Hofheim, which is one of the nicest towns near where we live.

A few months ago, when we tried and failed to adopt a dog from a German pet rescue, I joined the Wir in Hofheim Facebook group. It was one of many groups I joined in an attempt to try to locate the dog we hoped to adopt who escaped from his pet taxi as he was being unloaded. Unfortunately, the dog met an untimely end on the Autobahn, but I stayed in the groups, anyway. The Wir in Hofheim group is one of my favorites. I regularly follow it, because there’s a lot of helpful information in it and the people are very nice. It was from that group that I got the idea to go to Hofheim.

It’s not that we hadn’t been there before. Bill and I visited the outskirts when we first moved up to the Wiesbaden area and ate in a now defunct Italian place. Bill also visited the town to get take out for us when the COVID-19 restrictions were very strict. Unfortunately, one of the places we discovered in the spring, Blanca Bistro, is now closed. We passed by there today on our way into the old town. I was sad to see it sort of abandoned… there’s still liquor and glassware in there, and signage is still up, but the restaurant stopped serving food a couple of months ago. Several places have had to close due to COVID-19, including the excellent German place near our house. We only ate there one time because it was always packed! But it couldn’t keep going during the pandemic.

We did manage to find lunch, though. We ate at Ristorante L’Opera, an attractive establishment in a little alcove on the main drag. No one else was there when we arrived at about 12:30pm, but we were soon joined by a German couple who enjoyed smoking.

  • The inside. We ate outside.
  • Attractive spiral staircase to the restrooms. No masks required because no one was in the restaurant.
  • Nice menu and we can confirm, good food and service.

Bill filled out the contact tracing paperwork and the waiter handed us the laminated menus, obviously much abbreviated compared to normal. There were still a few dishes that were attractive, as well as some specials that were advertised on a sandwich board by the passage. Unfortunately, the uncomfortably narrow chairs, which are the kind often found at gelaterias, reminded me that I probably ought to cut back on my groceries.

  • Bill fills out the contact tracing form, in case someone tests positive for COVID-19.
  • He ordered a Peroni, an Italian beer, which was served in a wine glass. I made him laugh for the picture.
  • And would you look at this? Turns out the trip to Edeka wasn’t even necessary! How considerate! Actually, it wasn’t necessary anyway.
  • I went with a Margherita Pizza, which I almost never get. Bill had a pulled pork sandwich from the smoker. It came with potato wedges and a savory cabbage slaw.
  • We ended with a round of espresso.

I don’t usually get pizza in Germany, mainly because it’s always more than I can finish and I don’t always like the kinds of pizzas that are available. I will say that today’s pizza was excellent. I especially enjoyed the crust, which was absolutely perfect! I’m sure they have a pizza oven to get such perfection. Light, yet chewy with a slightly crisp crust, delicious mozzarella cheese, and a light layer of tomato sauce made that very simple pizza creation a delight! And I even skipped the meat.

Bill enjoyed the pulled pork sandwich, which had a housemade bun. He especially liked the slaw, though. Bill likes cabbage very much. I noticed he cleaned his plate, while I had leftovers, which our attentive server was happy to wrap up for later.

The bill for lunch came to about 41 euros. Bill gave the guy 45, and we took a walk around the town. Hofheim is maybe nine kilometers from where we live, but it’s very charming. We probably ought to visit more often, if only because we like the Edeka better than Rewe.

  • A place for culture…
  • And a youth home.
  • Blanca Bistro– so sad to see this closed. I hope someday they can reopen. They had a great menu with fresh, colorful food. I actually felt good after eating there.
  • A good Greek place where we got take out. The inside is also very nice. We need to visit for an eat in meal soon.
  • Book exchange!
  • The main square.
  • All around town…
  • Lots of houses with interesting and colorful architecture.
  • A beautiful church, where I heard organ music playing and church bells ringing incessantly…
  • This is the Parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, which is Catholic.
  • Next to the church…
  • I couldn’t get the whole building in one shot.
  • Don’t smoke or let your dog play here.
  • My mom would like the wool work shop… she used to run a shop much like it at home in Virginia.
  • Another main drag photo. A hen party was going on.
  • We had to visit the other landmark…
  • This is the Evangelisch Kirche Hofheim Wallau…
  • It’s for us Protestants…
  • Actually, I believe it’s a Lutheran church. I am Presbyterian, myself.
  • Just across the street is a psychiatrist’s practice. Bill is checking out the signs, probably for future reference, next time I freak out. Kidding!
  • I don’t know why I took this picture.
  • It does look very serene, though. I am sure the psych patients feel peaceful there.
  • Seen on a hair salon’s building.
  • Hofheim is nice!

Anyway… it wasn’t long before we needed to head home and rescue Arran from his loneliness. Although Hofheim isn’t a substitute for some of our favorite little towns in Baden-Württemberg, like Nagold, Esslingen, Ludwigsburg, and Tübingen, it’s not a bad place to spend a couple of hours. There are several nice restaurants there, charming ambiance, places to shop, and enjoy the last days of summer. I’m glad we took the time to go there today… and for any readers who are looking to move to Wiesbaden, this is one town I would recommend seeking a home nearby. It’s a very pleasant little hamlet.

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Big business in Poland, part seven

Tuesday morning, Bill had to get up much earlier to meet his bus, which departed at 7:30am. Because I am a dutiful wife and am used to waking up in the pre-dawn hours, I got up with Bill. We enjoyed another chaotic breakfast in the Sofitel restaurant. I’ll just say that every day last week, it was pretty much the same thing. Up early and waiting at the locked restaurant door at 6:30am, much like I did at Longwood College in the early 90s. The experience was eerily reminiscent of those days. The only things missing were the grits and biscuits and gravy, and a big, friendly, maternal black lady named Tina who called everyone “baby” and asked for their IDs. Instead, we had pretty young Polish women asking for our room numbers.

After breakfast, I came back to the room, did some writing, did some reading, and went back to sleep. I did this most days. Again, not so different from my college days, although back then, if I was up early, it was because I had an 8:30am class. It’s hard to believe I used to think that was super early. Now, I can sleep whenever I want to, but I’m usually up by 6:00am, despite having neither children nor a job.

Anyway, on Tuesday, I ventured to the Doctors’ Bar for lunch. It is just across the street from the Sofitel, and boasts some really excellent Polish craft beers. I am a beer lover, but when we were in Poland in 2008, I was not at all impressed with their regular suds. I tried beers like Lech, Zywiec, and Tyskie, mainstream brands that are probably akin to American brands like Budweiser or Miller. I concluded that I don’t go to the Poles for beer. Instead, I go to them for their vodka.

Well… I am here to tell you that in 2019, Poland has a rather exciting craft beer trend going on. On Monday night, Bill and I hung out in the hotel bar and tried a couple of the local craft beers made by Profesja, a Wroclaw craft brewery. I wasn’t hugely impressed by the Profesja beers, although they were better than the beers I tried in 2008. The one thing I did like was the cool label on the super strong dark beer I tried. Check out the picture below.

  • This was okay.
  • I didn’t really like this beer…
  • But check out the cool art on the label! The “czar” looks like he’s taking a crap.

The Doctors’ Bar was pretty empty when I arrived at 12:00pm, and the pretty young server who looked after me invited me to sit anywhere I liked. They were playing upbeat jazzy piano music that I quite liked. I perused the menu, as the waitress said they had a bone in pork chop available. I ended up ordering a cheeseburger, although I noticed the pork chop was very popular. It was probably delicious. I should have ordered that instead. When the cheeseburger arrived, it was so huge I had to eat it with a knife and fork. Seriously… it was gargantuan! However, it was also probably one of the better burgers I’ve had in Europe. The patty was handmade, 100% beef, and very juicy, covered in mildly sharp Cheddar cheese and adorned with lettuce, onions, habanero mayonnaise, tomatoes, cucumbers, and guacamole. It also came with fries with the skins on.

  • Nice bar!
  • Lovely porter…
  • HUGE burger. It was good, but I couldn’t finish it.
  • Stout!
  • A good bet for good food and beer!

On the day of my visit, Doctors’ Bar had eight draft beers available, again made by a Polish brewery. I ordered a Maryensztadt Klasycznie Porter Baltycki. Maryensztadt Brewery is located in Zwoleń, Poland, well east and a bit north of Wroclaw. I liked the two Maryensztadt beers I tried more than the Profesja beers I had at the hotel. I also tried the Maryensztadt Rye Oat Orange Stout, and enjoyed that one even more than the porter. Doctors’ Bar also has a full service bar and a large array of bottled beers available.

I had to walk off the lunch, so I wandered more around the city and found more potential venues for eating, drinking, and making merry. Wroclaw has a lot of interesting museums, a water park. an escape room, art galleries, shopping, and even a few activities for kids.

At about six o’clock, Bill came back to the hotel and we went out for dinner. Because I had such a huge lunch, we opted to share a rather plain buffalo mozzarella pizza at a restaurant called Bistro 8 1/2. Tucked into an alcove in the cluster of buildings in the middle of the market square, this tiny “hole in the wall” Italian place featured a very friendly waitress who sold us on a Venetian red wine that tasted of cherries.

Looking up this restaurant, I see that it has two locations. The one we went to appeared to be kind of a satellite location. The menu was small and, if I’m honest, I have had better pizza. I liked the crust, but the cheese was barely melted. This is kind of an issue for me, because I don’t like cold cheese. It’s a texture thing. But the waitress was so nice and the interior was so charming that I overlooked it. I wasn’t that hungry anyway. We did have dessert, too. Cannoli for me and panna cotta for Bill.

  • This was was okay, but unexpectedly expensive at about 100 zloty.
  • Amuse!
  • This could have been better.
  • Cannoli… best part of the meal.
  • The panna cotta was good, too.

Ah well… we did stop by the hotel bar again, because there were some guys in there that Bill and I talked to the night before. They were also at the conference and commiserated with Bill about the ways of the Army. One of the guys is going to retire in about two years, so Bill was sharing his experiences. I got to say goodnight to a couple of cute dogs who were staying at the hotel. They made me miss Arran.

Next post!

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Lunch at Pizzeria Permesso in Ludwigsburg…

We had yet another beautiful day here in Germany.  I was somewhat tempted to take a hike to a waterfall.  But then I remembered the large collection of empty beer bottles sitting in our pantry and how they’ve been collecting dust for months now.  It had been ages since our last trip to Heinrich 3000, a drink market in Kornwestheim, which is a town near the city of Ludwigsburg.

Since we had all of those bottles and I was jonesing for some kind of beer other than German, Bill and I decided to have lunch in Ludwigsburg and then visit the drink market.  We walked to the main square in Ludwigsburg’s center and noticed an Italian restaurant called Pizzeria Permesso.  As we approached its outdoor seating area, a very pleasant gentleman kindly welcomed us to sit down.  We happily obliged.

We were seated under a large canopy, shaded from the perfect May weather.

Pizzeria Permesso has a wood fired oven for making pizza.  I saw a couple of pizzas going by that looked very good.  Their calzones also looked pretty excellent.

Bill ordered a glass of Primitivo for himself an a glass of Montepulciano for me, along with our usual sparkling water.  I was pretty impressed with the water came with slices of lemon and an ice cube!  I don’t think I’ve ever had ice in a drink in Germany unless I was at a fast food place on post.  It was a nice surprise!

Ice in the water! 

For lunch, Bill ordered Spaghetti Bolognese– spaghetti with meat sauce– and I had Tagliatelle Salmone.  We were both very happy with our dishes.  I especially enjoyed mine.  Not only was the dish made with a cherry tomato sauce instead of a cream sauce; it also had the most perfectly cooked pieces of salmon I’ve had in a very long time.  It was absolutely delicious!

While we were waiting for our lunch, we noticed some really cute children playing nearby.  They didn’t have a care in the world!

Bill’s Spaghetti Bolognese was a hit!  It came sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

But my Tagliatelle Salmone was even better.  Not only was I impressed by how this dish tasted, I also thought it was beautifully presented, complete with a couple of mint leaves.  I saw several other dishes going by, mainly salads, that were also beautifully plated.  And again, the salmon was cooked perfectly.  It practically melted in my mouth because it wasn’t too dry or overcooked.  Next time, I’m going to have to try a Lachs (salmon) filet.

 

We took our time finishing lunch and our wine.  The wait staff was professional and unhurried, which was nice to see.

I took this picture right after two adorable little girls, both wearing ponytails and maybe about five or six years old, who were holding hands and playing in the square, came over to talk to Bill.  He patiently explained to them that he doesn’t speak much German.  I’m not sure if they got the message, but they did eventually say “Tschuss!”

Bill asked for a double espresso, but they brought him a single.

I had a hefeweizen because the guy sitting near me had one and it looked refreshing.  I probably should have had one of the very beautiful desserts they had on display instead.  Maybe next time.

A cannon went off and sparkly stuff sprayed into the air as a newly married couple emerged from the church…

The Saturday market was also freshly cleaned up.

Pizzeria Permesso is conveniently located in the Marktplatz.  I’m surprised this was our first time visiting.  I’m sure we’ll be back, because I liked their food more than what I’ve had at La Signora Moro, another Italian place on the square.

After Bill paid the check, we headed back to the car by way of the Sparkasse that sports a large metal Sparschwein out front.  The first time we saw that piggy bank, Bill made an inappropriate comment.  Actually, it was an unintentionally inappropriate comment.  The pig reminded him of a metal bull that was once used as a torture/killing device.  On some days, the bank opens the pig so people can see inside.  Bill said he didn’t want to go in there because he was afraid someone would close the door and turn on the gas.

The Sparschwein, whose name is “Louise”, is the largest piggy bank in the world.  The above video offers a risk free look inside.

He clearly forgot he was in Germany…  We laugh about it now, but I’m pretty sure I gave him one of my patented horrified looks.  Talk about black humor!  But I know my husband, and it was definitely an honest faux pas.

We passed a book store that was advertising games, including “Klug Scheisser”.  Klug Scheisser is a game Bill often hears on German radio.  It literally translates to “smart shit”, but colloquially means “smart aleck”, “smart ass”, or “big mouth”.  I see it’s also usually spelled as just one word.

 

We enjoyed a brief shopping expedition at Heinrich’s and came home with lots of Belgian and Icelandic beers to try until our next trip to Ludwigsburg.  It’s a very pleasant town.  We should definitely visit more often.

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