Tag Archives: take out

holidays

Takeout Easter from Little Italy of Wiesbaden!

When Bill and I first discovered Wiesbaden in 2018, we found Little Italy, which is a tiny Italian place in the downtown area. From our first visit, in October 2018, we were warmly welcomed at this place, which has a very friendly manager who speaks perfect English. Before COVID-19 struck, we were semi regulars at this restaurant, especially on Sundays at lunchtime.

Unfortunately, vaccine rollout has been very slow in Germany. We’re still kind of on lockdown. Fortunately, we were spared the “hard lockdown” Chancellor Angela Merkle wanted to impose over the Easter holiday, but things are still pretty much closed all over the place. It really sucks and I’m tired of it. But at least I’m not sick.

Anyway, the other day, Bill noticed that Little Italy was offering a special holiday menu for Easter. Since it’s been months since we last visited this restaurant, we decided to order for Easter. It wasn’t really for the holiday, per se. Bill and I are not very religious at all. But this was a good excuse to have some professionally prepared food. Below is a screenshot of Little Italy’s Easter menu, priced at 45,90 euros per person.

Bill loves lamb. I don’t care for it, so I was happy to see they were offering a filet of sole roulade. We both like duck, so the duck carpaccio antipasto was a hit. I am also a fan of profiteroles. He sent off an email order to the manager, who confirmed quickly.

This afternoon, when Bill went to downtown Wiesbaden to pick up our order, he encountered pretty tough parking… It seems that despite the lockdown and Mrs. Merkle’s pleas for everyone to stay home, a lot of people were walking around the city center. Consequently, parking was in short supply. Luckily, the folks at Little Italy had everything packed up nicely. Bill said when he went into the restaurant to get our food, the manager had his phone and was glad to see him. I think he was getting ready to call Bill to see if/when he was coming!

Below are some photos from our Easter repast, which was a very nice and welcome change of pace. The dogs thought so, too… I only wish we could have enjoyed it in person. But Bill broke out the wedding china and silverware and all was lovely, even if the Beastie Boys were playing over the HomePod at one point.

  • Nice table settings!
  • With wine and candlelight.
  • We had a five euro Italian white to go with our spring dish.
  • Arran decided to get some love from Bill before we started.
  • Chilled duck carpaccio with a tomato chutney…
  • My roulade, made of filet of sole stuffed with Parmesan cheese and spinach with almonds, and served on garlic risotto.
  • Bill had rack of lamb with potatoes and an onion sauce.
  • And for dessert, chocolate profiteroles.
  • That candle barely made it.

The duck carpaccio was surprisingly good. It was served chilled, with a sundried tomato chutney that married beautifully with the duck breast. The duck was sliced thin, making it easy to enjoy. The portion size was generous. I think of the three courses, I liked the duck carpaccio the most.

Bill loved his lamb. I didn’t try it because I don’t care for lamb. But he also mentioned loving the potatoes, and he has some left for tomorrow’s lunch. Likewise, I managed two of the filet of sole roulades, generously stuffed with spinach cooked to perfection with almonds and Parmesan cheese. I enjoyed the way this was presented, with the garlic risotto and cherry tomatoes. It was excellent. Little Italy also sent along some homemade bread, but Bill forgot to put out the bread plates.

I love profiteroles. This dessert was good, but it could have been better. For one thing, I’m pretty sure the chocolate sauce was good old Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup. I remember it well from my childhood. The pastry was tasty, but nothing extraordinary. I have had better… but for the price and convenience, I’m not complaining. I know if we were dining at the restaurant itself, we would have probably had something that doesn’t travel so easily, yet was a bit more impressive.

I’m really hoping that COVID-19 restrictions will loosen up soon. I am so tired of being locked down. I want to get out and do things again. But today’s Easter meal was a nice reminder of what’s to come when the virus is finally beaten into submission… and trust me, it will be. This isn’t the first pandemic. It just feels like it to us.

Anyway, many thanks to Little Italy for yet another nice Sunday meal, and to Bill for ordering it, paying for it, and picking it up. He even did the plating. I found myself a real keeper… And I hope that soon, we can go back to enjoying restaurants in person instead of just at home.

For us, Easter will always be meaningful, not just because it’s the day Christ rose from the grave, but also because it’s the day his ex wife delivered divorce papers while they were visiting Bill’s dad’s house in 2000. She wasn’t expecting Bill would agree to the split, but he did… and twenty-one years later, he’s living a sweet life. So Happy Easter, everybody! I hope you had a great day!

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holidays

Thanksgiving 2020…

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that Cem Klein Mediterrané, a local restaurant, was offering a takeout Thanksgiving deal. Bill and I were lucky enough to get to try Cem Klein in July of last year, before they changed locations. They used to be located in the Sonnenberg area of Wiesbaden. They are now at the Rheinblick German/American golf course. I guess, since they are now dealing with Americans all the time, they were prompted to offer a special pandemic deal for our Thanksgiving holiday. I noticed in their Facebook ad that they were willing to accept dollars or euros and, in fact, would not charge Americans tax on the meal.

Bill and I like to cook, but there are only two of us and we only have so much refrigerator space. We decided to try the restaurant’s deal, which included turkey, stuffing, yams, green beans wrapped in bacon, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and cranberry gravy. The price was $55 for enough food for two, and it was super easy to order, pick up and clean up afterwards. We also have leftovers. Here are some photos:

  • We borrowed a plastic crate for carrying everything.
  • Sides!
  • Cranberry gravy.
  • Half a turkey…
  • Cute little individual pumpkin pies!
  • Arran is queued up.
  • Festive blue table!
  • They did a great job! The bread came from the Rewe.
  • And we had some wine from Ingelsheim, which we visited in August of this year.
  • The whipped cream was ours…

Cem Klein did a fine job on this meal and the price was right! If we’re still here in 2021 and they offer another Thanksgiving deal, we may have to order it again. It was nice not to have a huge mess to clean up.

The dogs enjoyed hanging out with us all day, listening to music and drinking wine… especially Noyzi, who is slowly getting used to being a pet and being friends with Bill. Every day, more and more of his personality comes out. Yesterday, Arran decided to play fetch with his new toys. He left one unattended while he ran around the house being silly. Noyzi casually got up from his bed, picked up the toy, and put it in his bed, then snuggled up next to it. It’s such an endearing habit, watching him hoard toys as if they’re his buddies.

  • Slowly, but surely,
  • Noyzi has come to realize that if he gets near the table, he can score some scraps.
  • Arran sits on the rug of honor, which was where Zane used to sit at dinner time.
  • It was almost time to eat…
  • An overview of Arran’s main mission in life.
  • He knows how to lay on the charm.
  • Nobody loves you like a rescue dog.

I really do miss getting to travel and enjoy Europe, but the weather has been pretty gloomy lately. Yesterday, it was foggy, damp, and cold all day. Bill said when he picked up our food, there were people playing golf. I don’t know how or why. It was pea soup thick yesterday! I kind of like this weather in November, though. It’s weird seeing people back home wearing shorts and t-shirts. It didn’t used to be that way, even in the South. The warmer temperatures worry me.

My German friend, Susanne, asked us if we’d ever used a Romertopf, which is a German version of a Tajine (clay pot). I had, but Bill had, and he used to own a Romertopf when he was in Germany back in the 1980s. I decided to get us a new one so we can try our hands at clay pot cooking. It arrived yesterday.

  • Wonder what culinary treasures we will unearth…
  • when we make our first meal with our new Romertopf.

Anyway… that’s our Thanksgiving. It was low key and pleasant. Bill will work this morning, then take the rest of the day off. Then it’s time to prepare for Christmas, which means I’ll be shopping online. Whoopee!

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Trip forthcoming?

Saturday is my birthday. Bill wants to go somewhere. Germany opened up yesterday, as did much of the rest of Europe, although we are still forbidden to leave the country under General Order #1… or whatever they’re calling it now. We are allowed to do overnights, though, and we can go anywhere in Germany. I suspect we won’t go far, since Bill is only planning two nights. I’m kind of dreading/looking forward to it, if that makes sense. I mean, I want to go somewhere, but I dread the hassle of life in a pandemic.

I wrote in my main blog about the new hobby I picked up in May. I’ve been playing guitar. Bill wants to learn too, so I’ve ordered two new guitars. One new one for me, because I wanted one with steel strings, and one for Bill. I hope they get to us before the weekend. I can hardly wait to try the new instrument, although I have been enjoying my Ortega guitar, too. It’s just that it’s a classical guitar with nylon strings and I want something a little edgier.

And finally, while we didn’t go anywhere on Sunday, we did order some food. Bill had to go on post to pick up something on Sunday, so he decided to stop by the Bamboo Asian Restaurant, which is located on the installation in Wiesbaden, meaning that it mostly caters to Americans. They do delivery on post, but I doubt they’d come all the way out to where we live. He wanted Thai food. It was the first time we’d ever had anything from there, although I was kind of curious about it.

He got me duck with peanut sauce, and he had crispy fish in red curry, which was supposed to be spicy. I didn’t try the crispy fish. The sauce was loaded with mushrooms. However, I did notice that they packaged everything separately, so if I had wanted to try the fish by itself, I could have. I liked that a lot. I enjoyed the duck with peanut sauce, too. In fact, l like peanut sauce very much, because I never see it loaded with mushrooms.

He also got some appetizers– Japanese dumplings, pork spring rolls, and shrimp sticks. They came with a sweet and sour sauce that was very gingery. I think there was a little too much ginger for my taste, although I liked the appetizers. They were nice and fried, which suits me fine! Here are a few photos:

  • Nice rich peanut sauce… no ‘shrooms!
  • Modest portions of crunchy American style appetizers with gingery sweet and sour sauce.
  • Bill’s crispy fish with red curry…

I think Bill is going to keep our trip a secret… we could just end up in Frankfurt, which would be alright with me. I still don’t really feel like dealing with the world due to the coronavirus mess. But it would be good to get a change of scenery, I guess. And it would definitely wake up my sleepy travel blog.

It’s amazing. Every day, I look at photos from years past and remember all the fun we had, and took for granted. I hope this mess will be behind us at some point soon. But I’m not holding my breath.

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Asian food from Jit’s Thai Kitchen in Bierstadt…

Yesterday was Whit (or Pentecost) Monday, a religious holiday in Germany. Consequently, all of the grocery stores were closed. We didn’t have anything good for dinner, and Bill didn’t want to visit the commissary. We ended up ordering takeout from Jit’s Thai Kitchen in Bierstadt, and had it delivered to us. I kind of giggle when I hear the name “Jit”, since it has kind of a slang meaning in English vernacular. The whole order was done contactless. Bill paid online and the driver brought it and left it for us on our front step. I think the coronavirus might finally make Germans less cash obsessed.

Bill ordered crispy sweet and sour duck and a “kitchen special plate” for two people, which included spring rolls, chicken skewers, spare ribs, wontons, and chicken wings. The duck came with pineapples and carrots. We also had a big container of rice. Bill ordered the special plate because it was kind of similar to the ever popular pu pu platter one can easily find in American Asian restaurants. The only thing missing was the crab rangoons, which I have yet to see in Germany.

  • Lots of protein and few vegetables…
  • This was a good treat, but I was hungry this morning.

The weather was glorious last night, so we sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine and perfect temperatures. This time of year is nice in Germany. As usual, I looked up at the houses on the other side of our big, tall fence, and saw that the big bird was back. That bird, which I photographed for my last post, has a habit of hanging out on my neighbor’s roof. It usually shows up in the evenings and perches over the neighborhood. I was curious as to what kind of bird it was, so I got my digital camera with a long range lens and zoomed in…

  • I thought it was too big to be a pigeon, but…
  • turns out it’s a wood pigeon, which is a big bird that likes to look out over its range. It wasn’t easy to get these shots because the further I zoom, the less steady the lens is.

Jit’s Thai Kitchen has a very nice looking dining room. Maybe when the coronavirus is less threatening, we’ll venture there for a meal. As for now, we liked what we had last night fine. My only complaint was that one of the spare ribs was very tough. I ended up giving part of it to Arran. We also probably should have gotten a dish with something green in it. Maybe we would have preferred their Thai food rather than generic Chinese. Anyway, it’s been awhile since we last had Asian food, so it was a nice change. We’d order from them again.

Maybe this weekend, we’ll go find something fun to do outdoors. I’m getting tired of staying at home all the time.

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More takeout from La Fonte

Here’s another quick post during our self-imposed lockdown. Things have loosened up a bit here in Wiesbaden. We’re now allowed day trips in Germany, but I’m still not really wanting to venture out. Instead, I’ve been playing my new guitar every day, building up calluses on my fingers. I’ve made some progress, although I’m nowhere near ready for anyone other than Bill to hear me play. I made one music video this week. Singing well is a lot easier for me than guitar playing is. Bill says he might like to pick up guitar himself… if he does, I think I’ll get myself a Fender for my birthday.

Anyway, we did get some takeout last night. Bill had a frustrating week, mostly spent working from home. We decided to call on our neighborhood Italian restaurant, La Fonte, which we’ve only dined in at one time. They have good food. Lots of pizza and pasta on the takeout menu, but I remember when we ate in the restaurant, they had other stuff. I seem to remember having salmon the first time we ate there. It was Christmas time and they gave us a pannetone, which was really yummy!

Last night, I had black tortelloni with scallops, sugar snap peas, and baby shrimp. I think there were four tortellonis, and Bill and I each had one. It was plenty. Bill also got a pizza with ham and pepperoni wurst. Pepperoni in Germany is a pepper, but you can get pepperoni wurst, which is the sausage we Americans know so well. I’m slowly getting used to German style pizza made by Italians… it’s only taken six years. Bill butchered his German as he called in the order, but they all speak English at La Fonte anyway.

By the way, we learned last night that there’s a difference between tortelloni and tortellini. Tortelloni is bigger and sealed somewhat differently, although they’re both basically the same thing.

Here are a couple of photos.

  • Bill said, “That’s a pretty dish!” It was tasty, too, and not that expensive.
  • Good pizza!
  • Arran enjoys the weather on Bill’s lap. He hasn’t mastered jumping into laps.
  • This bird hangs out on that roof every evening.

The weather has been really pleasant lately, although we could really use some rain. Our rain barrel is almost totally depleted. Bill’s vegetables are growing and some might even survive long enough for harvesting.

I don’t know what we’ll do today. We probably could go out and do something fun… but I’ve kind of lost my mojo lately. It would probably do me some good to go out and see the world again. Maybe later.

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Take out from Villa Im Tal…

Bill and I love a good fine dining experience. Alas, the coronavirus is cramping our style. Restaurants are opening up in Germany, but there are still a lot of restrictions and some risks involving with eating in restaurants. We decided to order take out from our favorite fine dining restaurant in the Wiesbaden area yesterday, just to see how feasible it would be.

Villa Im Tal has a special take out menu. I had wanted to order from it for Mother’s Day, but we were too late. This time, Bill emailed our order a day ahead of time. I’m not sure that was a requirement, but it worked out well. He got a confirmation and a time to pick it up– 1:30pm. He ordered us both “surf and turfs”, which were three courses for 48 euros each. The restaurant offers other choices besides this special, but Bill decided to get this because it’s a deal and because he figured I’d like it. Also, delivery service is available at 10 euros for 10km or 20 euros for 20km. If your order is more than 120 euros, delivery is free. I’m not sure if we’re in their delivery area. We’re probably not.

We decided to do our lunch the right way, with music, Georgian wine, and the good china. The only thing we didn’t do, besides dress up a bit, was light the candles. Here are some pictures of what the food looked like when Bill brought it home.

  • Everything was clearly labeled…
  • The soup was still warm.
  • Scottish beef and tempura fried shrimp.
  • Asian style veggies…
  • Mango curry soup.
  • Pretty dessert!

I didn’t have any of the vegetables, because they were loaded with mushrooms, which I don’t eat. However, everything else was pretty good. I have had the soup when I’ve visited the restaurant for dining in, and it was just as good at home. I’ve often told Bill I’d love to have a recipe for this soup, which I think would be good when I’m sick. It’s very comforting, yet has a lot of flavor. Tangy lemongrass, mango, and curry makes for a rich, delicious soup. This was paired with curry flavored chips.

I probably would have liked to have had a side with the surf and turf… maybe we could have requested a mushroom free version. Next time we order take out from Villa Im Tal, we’ll have to remember that. The dessert was delightful! The chocolate mousse went beautifully with the marinated red berry compote– currants and strawberries are a great match to chocolate. I loved the way they made the dessert pretty in the take out container. It was so pretty we didn’t even plate it ourselves.

  • I’m glad we finally had a reason to use the teapot.
  • It’s great to have a reason to use the china.
  • Yum!
  • Georgian wine…
  • This one was a winner– dark chocolate and cherry essences…
  • Bill’s plate, since I skipped the veggies.
  • And we slummed it by eating the desserts in the containers they came in.

Of course I would have rather enjoyed this in the restaurant, but I can’t deny that this wasn’t a bad way to have a fine meal. We could listen to music; Arran could sit with us; and I didn’t have to wear a bra. It also cost significantly less, since we weren’t having aperitifs, ordering wine in house, or tipping on service… although Bill probably did tip the lady who brought him the food. We might brave the restaurant itself soon, since they have a really lovely outdoor area and even when there is no pandemic, there are plenty of widely spaced tables. It’s also just a really lovely place to enjoy a meal. The venue itself is in the woods, where it’s quiet and peaceful… just what we need to escape the stresses of contagion.

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Take out from Akropolis in Delkenheim…

Germany is starting to loosen up on its coronavirus restrictions. This weekend, restaurants are supposedly going to allow people to sit at tables. The tables will be spread far apart, which will be a welcome change as far as I’m concerned, and people will be expected to wear face coverings when they are not at their table, which is not something I want to do. Yeah, I have heard all of the arguments for the masks, but I just feel too uncomfortable wearing them in public. So I’ll continue to stay home, out of sight and out of mind, not shedding viruses or anything else.

Last night, we ordered from Akropolis in Delkenheim, which Bill says is a cute little village near us. I don’t actually know if it’s cute, since I haven’t seen it yet. But anyway, he says it’s cute, so I’ll take his word for it. As of Friday of this week, Akropolis will be allowing indoor and outdoor seating, again with face mask requirements, and curiously, leaving one’s contact information. Why? In case someone gets sick? Yeah, no thanks… I’ll just stay home.

But I don’t mind ordering take out, and we did that last night. Bill ordered souvlaki for himself and gyros for me, along with garlic bread and extra t’zatziki. He definitely didn’t need to order the extra sauce, because plenty of it came with our meals. We also got salads, although I didn’t try mine because there was so much other food.

  • Garlic bread… and there’s a lot left. Salads!
  • The souvlaki looked good.
  • Gyros! Lots of t’zatziki and potatoes. I liked the way they did the potatoes.

I was craving Greek food the other day. We have always lived near Greek restaurants when we were in the Stuttgart area. Up here, there don’t seem to be quite as many, which doesn’t mean there aren’t still a lot. In Jettingen, we had four Greek places within five miles of us. Here, I think maybe we have two.

The garlic bread was standard white bread dressed with oil and what appeared to be garlic powder. It wasn’t bad at all, if not sort of pedestrian. Bill’s pork skewers looked excellent and I was kind of wishing I’d had those instead. They were seasoned with Greek spices and looked fresh. The gyros were pretty standard shavings covered with onions. I did really enjoy the potato “coins”, which are a nice change from the usual pommes one finds in Germany. I liked that they were full of potato, if that makes any sense. The t’zatziki was nice and garlicky and provided a nice contrast to the pork. We have plenty of leftovers for today, too.

This spread cost about 28 euros, which Bill topped up to 30. I would order from Akropolis again, although I’ve had better Greek food. It might be more exciting when one dines in. But, sadly, I don’t think that we’ll be doing that for awhile. Anyway, I’ll keep my eyes open to see how this new “loosening” works out. Even the Army is being a little less strict now. It’s inevitable, since the world has to reopen sometime.

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Takeout from Rocco’s Italian Grill and Bar in Bad Soden…

In the interest of supporting the restaurant industry while we’re all social distancing, I suggested to Bill that he visit Rocco’s Italian Grill and Bar in Bad Soden and pick up some barbecue for last night’s dinner. Bill and I ate there several months ago, before this virus crisis started. We had a delicious Sunday lunch in full view of the restaurant’s glorious bar. We brought home leftovers and vowed we’d go back there sometime.

Last night was the night, although we had to get the food to go. Bad Soden isn’t super close to us. It’s on the way to Frankfurt, which is maybe 25 minutes away. Bill called ahead, requesting beef short ribs and beef brisket, two items that we don’t see a lot of here in Germany. He brought them home last night, along with two sides of fries. Yeah… big present for my ass! Bill says the lady who helped him spoke perfect English and was very friendly. And a big bonus is that since everyone is staying home, parking was plentiful.

  • Yummy pommes, nice and thick and curved for better ketchup (or mayo) dipping.
  • They put potato chips on top…
  • I don’t think the chips travel very well.
  • We washed down the meal with a very nice Armenian wine.
  • The back label. I can’t read small print anymore.
  • My short ribs. Still plenty left for lunch today.
  • Bill’s brisket, which also came with slaw.

Lately, I’ve been ordering shitloads of Armenian wines and brandy from an Armenian wine and brandy boutique in Brussels, Belgium. I’ve shared the boutique with people in my food and wine Facebook group. I suspect they’re getting a lot of business from Germany. I’ve also ordered Armenian wines from other vendors, like Weingood and Belvini, both online shops in Germany. Hopefully, my liver will survive the pandemic. I probably should get more into coffee drinking.

I bought us some Dutch treats, too. I got Bill lots of cheese because he’s a fan, but I also found some other goodies from the Dutch chain, Henri Willig, which we discovered during our last trip to The Netherlands in January 2019. Maybe we can’t visit these places right now, but we can at least enjoy some food and beverages, right? Who cares if my ass gets so big it has its own Web site? Seriously, I am missing traveling.

But at least we have take out, right? I look forward to enjoying more beef ribs today.

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My first time out of the neighborhood since March 14th…

Bill and I had to go on post today. We both needed to get our vision tested for new driver’s licenses and I needed passport photos for a renewal. So, for the first time since March 14th, I rode in the car. This time, it was with face masks I bought from Amazon.de. They’re the surgical kind, since they were the easiest to get my hands on quickly. I bought a pack of ten.

As we passed the entrance to our neighborhood, I was reminded of a month ago, when the dog we had hoped to adopt escaped his pet transport and got hit by a car. We live very close to Autobahn 3 and Autobahn 66. A3 is literally right next to our neighborhood. I felt a little sick thinking about that poor dog disoriented, terrified, and lost as he ran away from what could have been the lap of luxury for him. He was so close… And it will probably be a while before we can get our next dog.

Maybe it’s for the best, since it’s hard to get the routine services we need. Bill needs to get new rear tires for his car, since we had snow tires put on them in France back in December. I need to get my car serviced. Arran, Bill, and I all need dental cleanings, which means a vet visit for Arran and the dentist for Bill and me. Germany is starting to loosen up some restrictions, but everyone has to wear masks now in any place where social distancing isn’t easy.

We did decide to order take out again last night. Our local Italian joint/sportsplatz, La Fonte, had pizza and pasta on offer. Bill said the family that runs the restaurant was sitting outside drinking wine as they handed over the orders. They were doing a good business. We’ll probably get more take out tonight, since I’m tired of Bill’s cooking and we want to support local businesses. I’m kidding, actually. Bill has turned into a great cook. But I do want to give some business to the restaurants, since they have provided me with content for so long.

  • Passed this on my walk with Arran yesterday… Wonder whose handprint that is.
  • Pizza with an incredibly thin crust and tortellini with ham. No wonder I look fat in passport photos. La Fonte has good food.

The drive to post was even quicker than usual, since there wasn’t so much traffic. We got to the gate and a uniformed guy in a mask asked us the three important questions about whether or not we had been exposed to COVID-19, whether or not we had symptoms, and if we were ordered to be quarantined by a medical officer. We both said no to all three questions, then presented our IDs to be scanned touchlessly.

This is probably a European eye test as opposed to an American one. It’s probably harder to cheat on it, since it’s not letters. I remember doing one in Armenia that was different, too. It was a Russian eye test.

The PX opened for regular folks (as opposed to high risk folks) at 11:00am. We needed the optical shop. A sergeant was standing there in his mask, enforcing the wait time. Finally, at 11:00, we all washed our hands, donned our masks, and went in. Taking the eye exam was weird. It was a German style test, which meant telling the examiner where the openings were. I had trouble with my left eye until I realized that the steam from behind the mask was fogging up the lens. Once I let the steam dissipate, I could read everything properly.

After the eye test, we found the passport photo booth, where I got new pictures done for my passport. I was actually quite pleased with them, since the photo I’ve had since 2011 is horrible. In that picture, I look fat, hungover, and my hair is a yucky shade of dark brown. I gave up hair color several years ago, because the hard German water mixed with dye was turning it into straw. So now I’m back to my original blonde with silvery hints. And the new pictures done by a machine are prettier and have more natural light, even if I still look fat. The weird thing is, it’s just like taking a selfie with your phone. You think you’re going to look like you do on the monitor, but your image is reversed. But for some reason, it looks less ridiculous taken by the machine.

We went into the PX to pick up a few things… I got a new hairbrush, conditioner, and lotion for my horribly dry skin. I think I have eczema on my boobs, which is not very pleasant. The hard water and constant washing has turned my skin into leather. Edited to add: my German friend says there is soft water in parts of Germany, however in all of the places I’ve lived, it’s been very hard by American standards. It’s been hardest of all in Wiesbaden, where there was so much chalk on our taps when we moved in that we couldn’t turn one of them on and had to get it replaced. We also have to use salt in the dishwasher or else our dishes look terrible. Vinegar is useful for getting rid of some of the Kalk, but it’s an ongoing battle.

After about twenty minutes with the mask, I was ready to get the hell out of the PX. It wasn’t as stifling as I feared it would be, but the thing kept going into my eyes, requiring me to touch it to adjust it, which you shouldn’t do. Anyway… since this was a momentous occasion, I did get some photos…

  • Rocking the fucking mask…
  • Bill shows he’s not blinded by the fog.
  • This was a painless exercise.
  • The machine has a recorded female voice with a British accent. I was grateful for a few minutes without the mask.
  • Handy service. I’d use it again. Five euros well spent.

Anyway… I’m glad to have that chore done with for now. I’ve been bugging Bill about our driver’s licenses and my passport for ages. We should have done it before this coronavirus mess started. Hindsight, unlike my eyesight, is 20/20.

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Still social distancing, but we finally got take out…

With all the dining out we’ve historically done, It’s surprising that it took until last night for us to get any take out from local restaurants. I told Bill I wanted to support local joints during this time of social distancing so they can keep afloat, so he went to Restaurant Ariston in nearby Hofheim to pick up Greek food last night.

For me, he got a Grill Teller with gyros, beef cutlet, souvlaki, fries, and a salad. It came with very garlicky tzaziki. For himself, he got gyros baked in Metaxa sauce and covered with cheese with fries and a salad. We shared the food. I normally wouldn’t get the baked gyros, but they were very good. I especially enjoyed the traditional gyros, though, with the delicious tzaziki. I usually get a bit weirded out by white condiments, but I have to admit tzaziki on grilled meat is delicious!

This cost about 30 euros and we have plenty of leftovers. It’s been ages since we last had Greek food, and over a month since we last had any food from a restaurant. We used to eat Greek a lot, since we’ve always lived near Greek restaurants. There aren’t that many of them in our current area. Bill said the inside of Restaurant Ariston looks nice and the outside area would be great for this time of year, as the weather improves. Hopefully we’ll get to dine in there at some point.

We drank Armenian wine with this interesting repast. Bill said the guy running the restaurant had a few orders going. I found a couple of other restaurants we’re going to try. This week, Germany is going to loosen a few restrictions. Small businesses are going to be allowed to reopen, which I’m sure will help make things feel more normal. Kids will be allowed to go back to school on May 4. I even found a local park we could visit maybe next weekend, if the weather is nice.

I do miss eating in restaurants, though… and I feel like such a hermit. I ordered some face masks so we can go on post and take care of some vital personal business. I need a vision exam and to get some passport photos so I can get a new driver’s license and renew my passport… not that we can use it to travel anytime soon.

I’m glad to be in Germany for this mess. It’s really disturbing to read about the nightmare occurring in the United States right now. People are losing their damned minds.

I wish I had more to write about, other than take out Greek food. On the other hand, it was very exciting to get it. Maybe we can order a fancy dinner from another restaurant at some point. I would encourage anyone reading this who can order takeout food to do so… Let’s keep the local eateries going so we’ll have places to enjoy if and when this virus crisis ends.

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