My, how the weekend flew by. Unfortunately, we didn’t do much yesterday, because I needed to sleep off this cold I picked up. We did venture out for a very late lunch at a little Italian place near our hotel. Other than that, I’m afraid I spent most of my day in bed. It seems like no matter what, I’m liable to be sick on vacation, or having my period (which, at almost 52 years old, is no longer much of a problem for me anymore).
I am feeling a lot better today, though, so we walked back to the center of Sofia for more photos and to pick up some souvenirs. We bought a few things for our house, as well as gifts for Bill’s grandchildren.
We also found a couple of paintings ear the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which is the same place where I bought a painting last time I was here. Of course, it was MUCH cheaper in 1996. But we did end up speaking to a couple of nice men who were selling art on behalf of a female Bulgarian artist. When we get back home tomorrow, I’ll try to find out more about her. I was attracted by a couple of paintings she did that reminded me of Sozopol, where I went last time I was here. But the paintings were actually of another seaside town starting with an N that I can’t remember the name of at the moment.
For lunch, we had Armenian food. I was excited, obviously, since I used to live in Armenia. I don’t think the waiter was an Armenian speaker, but we did manage to have barbecue (xhorovatz)… It was way too much for us to finish! I wish we’d had some wine, but we stuck with Czech beers.
I’m kind of sorry we have to go tomorrow. I’ve seen some interesting places I’d like to visit that are outside of Sofia. But now that we know how easy it is to fly here from Frankfurt, maybe we can come back and enjoy a longer visit… maybe rent a car and go somewhere out in the country, now that I’ve reacquainted myself with Sofia.
We’ll see…
Anyway, I’ll be writing my usual travel series blow by blow when we get home, so I’ll stop here for now. Here are a few photos:
A couple of years ago, Bill and I decided to buy a wine barrel bar from a craftsman from Alsace, France. The craftsman, name of Bijan, is married to a German woman and has run a studio about ten minutes’ drive from our home in Breckenheim. He’s a member of my Facebook wine group, because besides making furniture, he also has a long history of selling wine, particularly at AAFES (our military store). When we bought our wine barrel bar, we noticed that someone else had ordered stools to go with it. Bijan told us he’d be happy to make us stools, too. We just had to let him know when we wanted them.
Within the past couple of years, Bijan had an accident that caused a significant injury, so he’s decided not to make furniture or sell wine anymore. Instead, he makes jewelry. We bought Bill’s daughter a couple of bracelets from him, back in September 2023. Bill has run into Bijan a few times at AAFES, and at some point last fall, he mentioned that he’d love to order stools for the wine barrel bar. Bijan said he’d be happy to make them for us. Yesterday, Bijan let us know the stools were ready. Today, we went to his studio to pick them up.
They look beautiful, but I’m kind of afraid to sit on them! Also, they’re a little tall. Like the bar, they are made from a wine barrel.
I was surprised when we got there, because Bijan’s studio has been turned into a LP/CD shop. Bijan said he was renting out his retail space to a German guy who sells music. I am a big fan of music, as most of my friends know. I could see myself spending time shopping for rare CDs at that place sometime, even though it seems like kind of a strange place to have such a business. Bijan’s studio is just outside a charming little village, which doesn’t really seem ideal for a music store. But what do I know?
Anyway, Bijan had the stools ready, and they looked beautiful. We chatted with him and his American friend, who helps him with his business. It’s too bad he won’t be making more furniture, but we’re glad to have a few of his handcrafted pieces for our home.  
Bijan gifted us a bottle of French dessert wine from 2011. When Bill’s mom comes to visit us next weekend, I’m sure we’ll give it a try. The stools cost 280 euros– actually, he said they were 290, but he charged us 280. Bill gave him cash and offered a VAT form (which lets us avoid paying local taxes, since we’re Americans). Bijan already had a VAT form. So, once we paid and loaded up the stools, we headed to Globus, our “gargantuan” superstore. I wanted to check out the liquor section to see if they had any fun liqueurs. For the record, I didn’t find any… but we did get some wines. Then we picked up a few food items for the weekend.
I actually kind of hate Globus, because it’s so huge that I find being there exhausting. It’s usually pretty crowded on Saturdays, too, as everybody prepares for Sunday, when most places are closed. However, it had been a long time since my last visit, so it wasn’t a bad thing to be reminded as to why I’d rather stay home when Bill goes shopping on the German economy. I usually go to the neighborhood Rewe when I need something and Bill isn’t home. I can walk to the Rewe, although I usually don’t. Globus is absolutely enormous! It makes the Real in our previous town, Jettingen, look positively petite!
I got some photos from my outing, which will probably be the only one I get this weekend. Bill has to go to Bavaria again next week. I hate that, too… but at least it will give me a chance to teetotal. 
Every time I go to Globus, I’m shocked by how humongous the store is. It’s so big that it’s overwhelming. You either leave with too much food, or get too overwhelmed to find what you need. Give me an Edeka or Rewe any day!
English is everywhere.Undergarments and coffee in the same area.Very German food!The colored eggs are hard boiled for kids. They keep them at room temperature, because refrigeration of eggs isn’t necessary in Europe.Forbidden eggs in the USA…Gross smoking warnings. They don’t seem to make a difference.And now you can pay in more ways than ever!
Yesterday, Bill and I went to Wiesbaden again. Bill wanted to buy me a new guitar for Christmas. Poor guy has the hardest time figuring out what kinds of gifts to buy me at this time of year. Noticing that I’ve made some progress in my guitar skills, Bill decided it was time I upgraded my instrument. So we went to Wiesbaden to pay a visit to Musikinstrumente Matthias Petroll, a music shop in the market square that we’ve passed many times, but never actually shopped in before yesterday.
The Christmas market is still going on, and parking was pretty scarce. It actually worked out in our favor, though, because instead of parking at the theater, where Bill usually likes to go, we found a spot at the Market Square garage. It was a lot closer to the music shop, which was open until 6:00 PM.
The shop is pretty small, and I noticed that the proprietor didn’t have a huge range of guitars. I was thinking I’d like a fairly good step up from the Fender Malibu Classic I’ve been playing since 2020, but the available guitars were mostly of the cheaper kind. However, the salesman– probably Petroll himself– could see that I would like a smaller instrument. He picked out a few and I fumbled with them a bit. None of them had straps, so it was hard for me to play decently. 
The sales guy, of course, could play beautifully… and it wasn’t long before he convinced me that I wanted a Breedlove Pursuit Exotic Concert CE Earth. It was priced at about 1100 euros, which is more than it would have cost in the United States or online. But, it’s a nicer guitar than my Malibu Classic, if only because it will be easier to string, and it has a cut out, which makes it easier to reach the lowest frets. It also has a much nicer onboard tuner. 
We decided to get the guitar and he took about a half hour to set it up for me. Bill and I, meanwhile, went to BrewDog for a late lunch/early dinner. By the time we came out of there, the sun had gone down, and we had a view of the lights! But there were so many people there, that it was very difficult to make our way back to the music shop to pick up my new toy. Breedlove is based out of Bend, Oregon, and has an environmental focus, even though their cheaper guitars (like the one I got) are manufactured in China. I look forward to getting used to my new guitar. If I ever get decent enough at playing, maybe I’ll make the leap to a nice Martin or Taylor. But that’s down the road…
Below are some photos…
Cluck Norris and a side of mac n’ cheese for me. Bill had a roasted chicken and sourdough bowl.And a couple of craft beers…My new guitar!
On Wednesday morning, it was still a bit rainy outside. We decided to eat breakfast inside the hotel, instead of in the outdoor dining area of the rooftop restaurant. As usual, there was a good spread and plenty of different items to choose from, although I tended to stick with the same things most days.
My goal was to look for more art for our house and some toys for Bill’s grandchildren. I also wanted to show Bill around this market, which is a great place to go for souvenirs, even if some of what is sold there is legitimate crap. The Vernissage is often kind of festive, although it’s probably best to visit on the weekends, when there are a lot more vendors and things to choose from. In retrospect, it was probably better that we went on Wednesday, because by Saturday, I was pretty tired, cranky, and sore from all the walking we did.
As we walked through the stalls, people encouraged us to stop for a look. I said to one woman, “Heto, k’gam.” (later, I will come), but that kind of turned out to be a lie. Nevertheless, we did find a few things. I bought a couple of supposedly cashmere scarves that the saleslady assured me I could put in the washing machine. They were the same design, but different colors. I’ll probably wear them when I make YouTube videos. I like to wear shawls and scarves over my nightgowns, so I don’t have to change clothes! 😉
Our second stop was where we bought a few magnets for our fridge, and to send to Bill’s daughter. Next to the magnet lady was a very friendly guy who was selling coffee grinders and Armenian coffee pots. He was laying it on thick, too, even showing us a pot that had a stamp that read “USSR”. I asked him if it was old, and he said it wasn’t. Hmmm… Well, I guess I can’t blame him for trying.
I’m not sure that stamping USSR on stuff is the best way to make a sale, since the USSR wasn’t really known for putting out high quality products, unless you’re discussing booze. Naturally, they were both surprised I could speak some Armenian, although he was actually talking to Bill a lot. Bill bought a pot and a grinder, and the friendly coffee pot guy threw in a “free” spoon. Besides, if the coffee pot had been produced in the Soviet Union, I would have expected the stamp to read CCCP. Maybe we should have bought one just for the laughs.
We had to stop at that point, because Bill needed to get more drams, and it was soon getting close to lunchtime. So we brought our items back to the room and walked around the block behind the hotel. There, we found a gastropub called Bambak.
A breakfast view of the hotel restaurant.Bill ponders life over cheese and coffee.Near the metro station, there are things to look at…The Vernissage is in the background.A restaurant in the Vernissage area.A place to buy carpets! I saw a lady actually working on one.The menu at Bambak.Beautifully presented bruschetta!Beef cheeks!The patio at Bambak.
Bambak had a relatively simple menu and offered interesting dishes. I really enjoyed the music, which one of the waiters said was courtesy of Spotify. I don’t use Spotify myself, but maybe it’s time I got with the times. I did a lot of Shazamming while we were dining. Bill had beef cheeks with mashed potatoes. I had a bruschetta with poached eggs and smoked salmon. I liked the way the eggs were presented. They almost looked like hinkalis.
Another statue near Republic Square. Yerevan is full of them.
By the time we finished lunch, the sun was coming out. We decided to go back to the Vernissage to look for locally made toys for Bill’s grandchildren. I had noticed one stall that offered wooden toys and matryoshka dolls. We stopped there and met a guy named Aram who sold us a wooden car, a wooden train, and a pretty matryoshka doll. We also bought a couple of artsy looking mugs from a different vendor, since we collect them from the places we visit. Aram was really working the sale, and he was very nice.
Unfortunately, on our way back to Germany, one of the wheels came off the wooden car. I don’t feel too upset about it, though, because it kind of reminds me of what life in Armenia could be like, back in the day! Bill will get some wood glue and fix it before we send it to Utah.
Impressive bar!Fried cheese sticks and chicken strips.
Stepan had told us about Dargett craft beers, and its restaurant on Aram Street. Since we love craft beers, Bill and I decided that Dargett was a must visit. After a short rest at the hotel, we went there and proceeded to try a bunch of different Armenian “suds”. Beer is served in smaller glasses in Armenia than in Germany. That makes it easier to try all kinds of different stuff. I loved the classic rock they were playing in Dargett and the laid back atmosphere. The staff looked like they enjoyed their jobs and working together. We stayed awhile, and later ordered some snacks to carry us over until the morning.
Last week, when we visited Dargett, I wrote about the waitress we talked to as we were paying. She had noticed my hilarious Armenian skills and struck up a conversation. She knew about the Peace Corps, having grown up in Kapan, a southern city in Armenia. Her father had lived in Baku, Azerbaijan for 35 years and had to move back to Armenia, where he worked as a chef. She had done well in school and was twice invited to participate in the FLEX Program, which would have allowed her to spend a year at an American high school. This is the same program Stepan’s daughter did at a high school in Washington State. Her parents would not let her go, though, so she moved to Yerevan and now works as a food and beverage manager at a hotel, and waits tables at Dargett. She said she was 23 years old, and life in Armenia was hard.
Of course, I wouldn’t say being 23 is easy for a lot of people, even in the United States. On the other hand, when I was 23, I also lived in Yerevan! I didn’t have an easy time as a 23 year old in Yerevan, either. My heart went out to her. She said she dreams of living in Europe. I can’t blame her for that. Talking to her was a reminder that life is still not easy in Yerevan, even though it’s obviously more comfortable there than it used to be. I was also reminded that some people don’t have passports that allow them to travel as easily as a US passport does.
I guess I can’t blame the young woman’s parents for not wanting her to go to the United States. I’m sure, to a lot of people, the USA doesn’t look that great anymore. Her parents might have been worried about anything from Donald Trump’s influence to school shootings. School shootings, in particular, seem like a minor risk… until your child is at a school where one happens. Anyway, I don’t even want to go back to the United States myself, and I am a native. So I can definitely empathize… and I hope things get better for her. Her English is impeccable, which will already take her far.
We walked back to the hotel at about 9:00 or so, ready to go to bed. The next day would be our 21st wedding anniversary… which I have already written about, but I’ll do it again in the next post, since I have lots of photos to share.
In a couple of weeks, Bill and I will be going on yet another exciting trip. It’s one I’ve been eagerly anticipating for years. We’re going to Yerevan, Armenia, where I spent 27 months in my 20s as a Peace Corps Volunteer, teaching English as a foreign language to Armenian kids. One of my former pupils got a job as a assistant director with Peace Corps/Armenia. He’s been bugging me to visit my old stomping grounds for years.
The last time we did a Champagne Bucket drawing, Armenia won. So, on November 10th, we’ll begin our journey, arriving in the wee hours of November 11th. I don’t know why, but in the thirty years Armenia has been a part of my life, they’ve never managed to schedule flights that come and go at reasonable times.
A really cute souvenir shop in Wiesbaden, with the “biggest cuckoo clock in the world”. I thought that was in Triberg!
Bill and I will celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary, and my former student will be celebrating a birthday. I decided I wanted to bring a gift to Yerevan, so we went to Wiesbaden and finally visited a cute souvenir shop I’ve passed dozens of times in the almost five years we’ve lived in this area. It has a big cuckoo clock out front that people gather around to watch. I didn’t go there for a cuckoo clock, but I did manage to find something to bring with me to Armenia, with help from one of the employees, who was attentive from the minute we walked into the place. I like to browse unbothered when I go into a business. But anyway, she was nice, and we managed to find a couple of things to help my former student remember me forever. 😉
As we were paying, the proprietor, an older man (probably Julius Stern himself), asked if Bill works for the military. Bill answered affirmatively, so he told us we could bring in a VAT (value added tax exemption) form and get the sales tax back, if we wanted. I doubt Bill will bother, since the VAT forms cost money, and the amount we’d get back wouldn’t really be worth the trouble. They seemed kind of charmed that Bill could speak some German, and asked if we liked living in Germany. We said we love it here, and we’ll stay as long as we don’t get kicked out. And the guy said, “I doubt that will happen.” Isn’t it amazing, the difference in attitudes regarding foreigners? Here, people are mostly welcoming. In the United States, we hear lots of talk about “illegals”. Of course, Bill and I are here legally, and we like to spend money… as the shopkeeper noted.
It was lunchtime, so we decided to drop by Martino Kitchen, a really nice restaurant we hadn’t been to since before the pandemic. We were warmly welcomed by a very handsome young Black man who spoke perfect, unaccented English (or, more precisely, he sounded like a very cultured American). We took a table near the front window, which I preferred to the chef’s table in the back. I like watching the chef working, but there are also a bunch of mirrors back there. I don’t like looking at myself when I’m eating… or really, even when I’m not eating.
Bill and I both decided to have pasta dishes– carbonara for me, and truffle pasta for him. The pasta came with excellent, fresh, brown bread, and we both had wine and a glass of sparkling water. I had a glass of primitivo, while Bill had a delightful cuvee, and I liked his wine so much that I had a glass of that with dessert– a kind of cheesecake for me, and a trio of sorbet/ice cream for Bill. The cuvee tasted like strawberries when I drank it straight, but when I combined it with the plums that came with the cheesecake, it tasted like a really nice fruit punch.
Truffle pasta…Carbonara pasta. White chocolate ice cream, multivitamin sorbet, and mandarin orange yogurt.Schmand (sour cream) cheesecake with plums and multivitamin sorbet.
After our lunch at Martino Kitchen, we went next door to Trüffel Feinkost, a really nice little gourmet shop. Bill found a couple of wines, while I snuck some photos of the shop’s interior. I love these little gourmet places in Europe.
We walked back to the parking garage, stopping to watch tourists watch the “biggest cuckoo clock in the world” chime on the hour. You can see in the photo, Wiesbaden is very gay friendly, too.
Next, we headed on post to the Shoppette, where Bill fueled up the Volvo with gas, and then the commissary, where we bought provisions for me. I experienced a slight case of culture shock as I mingled among fellow Americans. I don’t remember the last time I was in the commissary before yesterday. It’s not a place I love visiting.
Bill is leaving for Bavaria again this afternoon, and he’ll be gone until November 8th. It’s going to suck, but I think I’m going to try to make good use of the time. Perhaps I’ll make some more music videos, get some reading and writing done, and get on the proverbial wagon, so I don’t end up needing medical services in Yerevan. 😉
We were going to carve jack o’lanterns yesterday, but the weather sucked too much, and it was getting dark. I didn’t want to do them inside because of the mess. I thought maybe we’d do them today, but it’s still raining. So, I’ll probably carve both of them tomorrow, if we don’t do them before Bill leaves this afternoon.
This isn’t the most exciting post, but in a couple of weeks, I expect I’ll have a lot to write about. I know I have a few readers who will be interested, because they were in Armenia with me, back in the day. So stay tuned… and wish me luck over the next ten days or so.
I’m taking a short pause from my Czech tour series to write about today’s visit to Wiesbaden. It actually has something to do with our Czech tour, since our purpose for going into town this morning was to drop off three of the four paintings we bought on our trip for custom framing .
I did a quick Google search and discovered family run Kunst-Schaefer, an art gallery and picture framer in downtown Wiesbaden. I noticed they got really good ratings and have been in business since 1905. Although we have a picture framer in our town, you have to make an appointment to get work done. It was just easier for us to take the art into Wiesbaden during the shop’s open hours of 10 AM until 2 PM.
The weather is really nice today and if I weren’t still getting over the sickness I picked up on our trip, I think I would have really enjoyed myself. But I’m still coughing a lot and kind of fatigued, so it wasn’t that much fun walking from the theater parking garage to the gallery. However, when we walked inside, it was like home again…
You see, my father owned and operated his own art gallery and picture framing business for about 25 years. I grew up watching him frame pictures and sell art. So going to get my art framed was a little like going home. I did mention to the salesman that my dad was in the business, and he assumed I knew all about picture framing. I don’t, and I told him so. I know the process of framing a picture, but it’s not something I ever did or aspired to do. I’m not that gifted with my hands. 😉 But my dad was, so the gallery, which had a lot of beautiful and provocative art for sale, was kind of nostalgic for me.
We dropped off two paintings we got in Prague featuring a cat couple dancing on the Charles Bridge. It isn’t the most earth shattering art, but Bill and I liked it, because it kind of reminded us of ourselves. And the Russian artist who sold it to us said that he and his wife had created the paintings together. He said they’d been in Prague for 30 years. He was clearly delighted when we bought art from him, as he said the shop belonged to his friend, who was letting him use some space to show his art. Bill and I bought art the last time we were in Prague, too… and some of it was kind of hokey stuff. Still, we like it… and I look forward to hanging up the paintings of the cats in our dining room.
The other painting we bought was one that practically leapt off the wall at me in a gallery in Cesky Krumlov. We bought it with another, very different painting of a landscape that came already framed. I realize the painting we dropped off today may not be to everyone’s taste, but it made me stop in my tracks and demanded that I take it home with me. I like art that makes you stop and think, and I loved the colors in it… but as it was taken off the stretcher when we bought it, it needs to be remounted before it can be framed. We should have our cat paintings in a couple of weeks. The other one will probably take longer. But, the good news is, if they do a good job, we’ll have a go to place for framing next month, when we get back from Armenia. I hope to buy some art there, too.
Here are some photos…
Cat paintings by Russian artists in Czechia.I wish we lived in our former house, just so I could buy this and annoy our former landlady.I love this painting…Can’t wait to see it framed.Like going home…The other painting I bought in Cesky Krumlov. Taken in Prague… both the photo and the paintings.We couldn’t decide which one we liked better, so we bought both. Delighted the artist!
As we looked around the art gallery and took note of the prices, I was glad we went art shopping in Czechia. 😉 They had some beautiful stuff in the gallery, but it was a lot more expensive. But the prices for the picture framing wasn’t too bad. The guy even encouraged us to bring in a VAT form so we won’t have to pay 19 percent tax. Very nice, and totally not something we expect German businesspeople to volunteer for us.
Again, I like art that has a story and makes me stop in my tracks. And while I know the naked woman sculpture I captioned in the photo above is kind of weird, potentially offensive, and not to everyone’s taste, I would totally buy it… I like conversation pieces, and if ever there was one, that would be it. And while ex landlady is no longer in my life, I know seeing it would annoy the hell out of her, and that makes me smile. She probably hated seeing my caganers during her many unauthorized walks through the house when we weren’t home. 😉
I made Bill tip the busker. She played so beautifully.
After we took care of our framing needs, we headed to Little Italy for lunch. It had been awhile since our last visit, but we were warmly welcomed. I had black tortellini stuffed with smoked salmon with grilled salmon cubes, cream sauce, rocket, and cherry tomatoes. Bill had linguini with Seeteufel (fish) and vegetables. We washed it all down with Montepulciano and sparkling water. It was a great lunch and a nice afternoon… and now I’m kind of tired.
Bill’s pasta…Delicious salmon and black tortellini…
We did stop by the Trueffel Feinkost downtown to buy a bottle of wine. Bill needed to break some big Euro bills. While we were there, I noticed some very cute pooches. I think my mom would like Wiesbaden. It’s a very charming town with lots of cute shops and people with fancy dogs.
There was also an adorable long haired dachshund in the shop.
I’m still getting over whatever crud it was that I got in Czechia. I’m mostly fine, but still fatigue easily and cough a bit. I’d like to move on in my Czech tour series, and maybe I will after I have a shower… It really is a beautiful day. I’m glad if I have to feel crummy, we’re at home. I can at least enjoy the backyard in my nightie, right? 😉
After a busy morning of visiting museums and climbing the Castle Tower, we were ready for some lunch. I wanted something other than heavy Czech fare, but I didn’t want pizza. We ended up at an Italian restaurant in the middle of town called Pizzeria Latran, which offered pasta dishes as well as pizzas. Looking back on it, I almost wish we had gotten a pizza there, as they looked and smelled great, and I was able to watch a female employee baking them in a wood fired oven that was visible from the dining room. But even when we share a single pizza, Bill and I usually don’t finish them in one sitting. Also, I don’t typically like the cheese used on most of the German pizzas I’ve tried here and I didn’t know if the same cheese would be used in Czechia.
I had a clandestine laugh at the very obviously American party near us. Two people in their party of four had ordered pizzas. When they were brought to their table, I heard one of them exclaim, “Oh, my STARS!” Ha ha ha… such an American thing to say. Naturally, she couldn’t finish the damned thing and had to take it with her!
Our waiter was a tall guy who spoke perfect English and looked a little over things. But I think we might have won him over, because we knew what we wanted and didn’t bother him for anything but more glasses of Montepulciano. 😉 I had a really nice Caserecce con Pollo e Salsa Creola– which was basically a pasta dish with chicken, smoked pancetta, tomato sauce, cream, and fresh orange juice. Bill had spaghetti carbonara. Both dishes were very satisfying and we took our time enjoying them over lovely Italian red wine and sparkling water. I was quite relaxed when we were finished with lunch sometime later.
After lunch we decided to wander around some more and buy a few souvenirs. Before we got too far away from the restaurant, my ears were enchanted by the sound of someone playing the banjo with impressive skill. I don’t like to video buskers directly, so I recorded the river as he played. I felt like I was home in hillbilly Virginia!
This guy was a great player! I wish he’d had a CD.
We rounded a corner and noticed an art gallery. One of my big goals for this particular road trip was finding some new art for our house. When we were in Germany the first time (07-09), we bought some art in Eastern Europe. But so far, during this stint, we haven’t been buying as much art for the house. I wanted to rectify that with this trip. So we went into the art gallery and started looking around… I saw a lot of the usual landscape paintings and modern interpretations. Then I rounded a corner and, sure enough, my eyes landed on a painting I had to have!
I wish I’d thought to take a photo of it before we bought it, as the proprietor rolled it up. We’re going to take it to Wiesbaden to get it framed, hopefully tomorrow, but possibly later. I saw another painting of a silvery winter scene in Cesky Krumlov that I couldn’t live without, so we bought both paintings. The winter scene painting came with a frame and is now hanging in my living room. When we get the other one framed, I will try to remember to share photos of both works of art. I think the proprietor was absolutely delighted. It was the end of her workday and we came in and bought two paintings without batting an eye.
We walked back to the room to put the paintings away and take a short rest, then we went out again. We bought chocolates from a chocolatier and stopped by another gallery, where we bought some handmade Czech toys for Bill’s grandchildren. The woman who helped us in that shop was Greek and she told us she speaks a bunch of languages. It turned out her German was better than her English, so Bill spoke German to her.
Outside a music shop. They were playing music I loved and I ended up Shazaming it and buying from iTunes.Banjo guy is in this photo.From a gallery where we didn’t purchase anything.Where I bought a very cool painting featuring owls…Chocolate and wine. My kind of place.A hot air balloon appeared.Lots of cute toys here.Yum!
We looked around some more for a watering hole but didn’t find anywhere that called out to us, so we headed back to our room. Bill bought a bottle of wine from the honesty bar at Monastery Garden and I reminded one of the workers there what a corkscrew is. It was pretty funny… she kept trying to call it a screwdriver! Bill told her it was a “wine tool”, and I said, “No, that’s a corkscrew!”
The lady laughed and said, “Yes, that’s it! Thank you!”
Sad how Europeans put Americans to shame when it comes to learning languages. I’d be hard pressed to identify a corkscrew in Czech!
We were set to leave the charming town of Cesky Krumlov the next morning, so we decided to get a good night’s rest. I hated to go, although you really can do a proper visit of Cesky Krumlov in a day or two. We didn’t see everything, though, so that means we can come back a third time. If we do, I wouldn’t hesitate to book Monastery Gardens again. Especially now that we know where P2 is.
Exactly 24 hours ago as I write this, the Amazon delivery guys showed up with my new Siemens washer and dryer. It took about ten minutes for them to take them to the basement and hook them up, then pick up our old appliances and haul them away.
I did one small load yesterday, just to see how big the learning curve is. The dryer is a condenser version, which is a new thing for me. All you have to do with a condenser dryer is plug it in. I had balked at getting one, because I heard so many people complaining about them. However they do offer an advantage for people who live in places where they can’t access a window or dryer vent. We have a vent in this house, but for some reason, I couldn’t find a dryer with a vent system.
The first load went okay, although I’m going to have to get used to dryer cycles. The new machines are not WiFi enabled, which really surprised me. They also don’t have signals that tell you when the loads are done. However, they do have timers that show how much longer the cycle is. I love that. I discovered that if I’d gone one level higher and spent another 500 euros or so, I could have gotten WiFi capability. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing that I can’t hook them into our “smart” system. That’s one less thing to break.
Today, I’m washing the sheets, complete with Calgon tabs. We’ll see how that goes. Maybe next week, I’ll do the duvet covers, in honor of the onset of fall weather, which will be here before we know it. This summer has been pretty mild… (knock on wood).
I’m old enough to remember when vaguely racist Calgon ads ran on TV. We always used Calgon in the bathtub (Calgon, take me away!), but it turns out it’s pretty good for fighting kalk (limescale and chalk deposits) and softening the very hard German water.
Ancient Chinese secret, huh? They sure don’t make ads like this anymore, do they? 😀
This is how I used Calgon.
In other news… We bought a new TV the other day, and while we were at AAFES, I managed to get a picture of the Dutch cheese vending machine. It only takes credit cards, but it offers delights such as baby Gouda, jalapeno cheese, and garlic cheese, among other enticing varieties. It’s too bad I don’t love cheese the way Bill does. Seriously, I wish I were a cheese fan. I like it melted and mild, but I can’t just grab a hunk of it and chow down. I actually know someone who strongly resembles the Dutch lady on the side of the machine.
Shopping by vending machine sure is exciting. It is interesting to see the vast array of products offered by vending machine here in Europe. I’ve seen everything from wine to fresh meat to lentils, in addition to the usual chips, candy, and soda.
I know this is a dull posting. I just wanted to update on our laundry situation, since I’ve done it so many times before. Laundry is important. Trust me… when you first move to Germany and are living in a hotel, or some other place that doesn’t have laundry facilities, you very quickly find out how much you want and NEED a good washer and dryer. Or, at least a place to hang your laundry so it dries properly and doesn’t get sour.
As I write this, I realize I vented (see what I did there) about laundry etiquette on my original OH Blogspot blog. I think I’ll repost that rant on this blog because, why not?
Anyway… I’m grateful to have my new machines. Amazon.de’s delivery service was excellent. I’ve got no complaints. Maybe I wish I’d taken a few more minutes to make a choice that would have included WiFi enabled machines, but it doesn’t matter enough to me to return the machines and get different ones. I’ve never had a WiFi enabled washer and dryer before, anyway, so it’s not like I’m missing something I once had. And as of this morning, they’re fully paid for, so there is that. 😉
I did at least get the landlord’s Siemens dishwasher added to our smart network…
We got word yesterday that Noyzi is booked at the Hundepension from September 30 until October 10. That allowed me to book the last hotel for our big Czech tour after we see the dentist. This dental discovery excursion is definitely the most ambitious one we’ve done yet. Just to recap, we’re planning:
I was actually planning to book the Aria Hotel in Prague, having seen Samantha Brown’s Passport to Europe episode about Prague. She made that hotel look like it would be such a fun place to stay! But, I changed my mind last night, when I did a search on Booking.com and noticed that Hotel Nerudova was listed first, and it had great reviews. I was dazzled by the photos, but what really gave me pause were the consistently glowing comments about how friendly the service was. It’s also a family run place.
I decided to check other sites and noticed that on Expedia.com, Google, and TripAdvisor, Hotel Nerudova got similarly great reviews. But they didn’t have a lot of reviews, which made me wonder if they’re new. I see now that the hotel was closed during the pandemic and had fallen into disrepair until it was bought by Jan and Sarah, the husband and wife who now own it. I did read that the hotel was fully renovated in August 2022, and they only have ten rooms/suites.
According to their story, the hotel used to be known as Hotel Santini until the pandemic. The building dates to the 1500s, although the original house was destroyed in a fire. It was rebuilt in the 1700s, and renovated starting in 2002. That must have been a very exciting undertaking, as they found original features such as frescoes, wooden ceilings, and an original porcelain cocklestove.
The only thing making me hesitate was the parking situation. The hotel’s website said there was off site parking available at 15 euros per day. I worried a little about that, and would prefer a secure parking garage. There was another highly rated hotel that offered a garage, and I almost booked the other hotel for that reason. However, I just couldn’t shake the desire to try Hotel Nerudova 211. It was in my head. So, I took the plunge, and I think I booked this room.
Immediately after booking, I got a welcome message from the hotel which included information about parking. That was reassuring. I wrote back to let them know we’d be driving, and they told us to send them our license plate number and they’d put us in a registry to allow us to park near the hotel on the street. I asked if they needed the information now, or closer to October. They quickly responded that we could do it at the reception. Such quick responses are a really good sign. We had a great time when we stayed at the Old Town Hilton in 2008, but I think Hotel Nerudova will definitely be more charming, memorable, and personal, which I definitely love!
Hotel Nerudova appears to be at a very good location. It’s very close to the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, and Prague Castle. As an added bonus, Bill also spotted a sex machines museum nearby. I’m sure we’ll make a point of stopping by, if it’s open while we’re in town. 😉 Or maybe we won’t, since there’s a lot to do in Prague, and it doesn’t look like that museum gets the best ratings. It looks like people think it’s overpriced for what it is. I’ll probably want to visit it anyway, though. I love weird museums.
We will probably visit one of the beer/wine spas for treatments. I haven’t had a good beer spa visit in ages, and we have never been to one in Prague. When we visited in 2008, the spas in Prague didn’t exist. We went to Chodovar Beer Wellness Land for our first beer spa experience. Actually, looking at the link I shared, it appears to be the same system used at Hotel Moorhof and Hotel Diana in Austria.
There’s another beer spa in Prague that offers a wine spa treatment. We might do that one for a change of pace. I doubt the ones in Prague can hold a candle to the beer pools of Starkenberger Brewery. Unfortunately, I think the beer pools have stopped operating in the wake of the pandemic. I’m so glad we had a chance to have that experience when they were still working. Swimming in a vat of warm beer wort is an experience I will never forget!
Anyway… even if we end up doing things that are less sinful in Prague, we’re sure to have a great time. Prague is a fabulous city on so many levels. I especially look forward to buying some new art for the house!
I think this trip is going to be so much fun! I’m really looking forward to it, probably more so than I usually look forward to travel. We always have a great time when we visit the Czech Republic, and we’re long overdue for another visit.
As for the rest of the summer, I’m not sure if or when we’ll go anywhere. I’d kind of like to go to Austria for a few days, but I don’t know if we’ll manage it. For the next three months, it looks like Bill will be doing a new temporary duty involving finance. The good news is that he won’t have to travel when he’s doing the finance job. The bad news is, he’ll probably be pretty busy. Or maybe not… He’s a multi-skilled, multi-talented man, though. Case in point, below is the breakfast he made us this morning, minus the made from scratch biscuits that were still in the oven when I took this photo.
In fairness, I did kind of teach him how to make cheese souffles. The orange juice is fresh squeezed!
Today, it’s raining a bit, so I don’t know if we’ll venture out. We’ll see. Anyway, it’s time to write a post for my main blog, so I’ll check y’all later. 😉 I’m excited about this trip, though, and I think we’re going to have a blast!
The featured photo is a screenshot from Expedia of the room I booked.
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.
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