Tag Archives: Things to do on Sunday

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Wine week in Wiesbaden… one last hurrah, and two rip offs!

Bill and I were trying to decide what we wanted to do today… when we were younger and less cranky, we might have decided to go to a place further afield, like Bad Homberg, or maybe Rüdesheim, which was having a wine fest this weekend. I’ve actually been wanting to go back to Rüdesheim myself, because I want to ride the Seilbahn. I’ve never done it before, and now is a good time to try it, before the weather turns to shit, as it usually does in September. But we didn’t feel like risking a Stau, and weren’t wanting to go far, so we decided to go back to the Wiesbaden Wine Fest, which ends tonight.

Overall, we had a good time. I drank lots of wine, and teased Bill, who didn’t drink nearly as much, since he had to drive. We ate good food and enjoyed the agreeable temperatures, which aren’t as bad as they have been lately, even if my house is still hot. We need rain very badly. But I know it’s coming, because the seasons are going to change soon. And, in my experience, they will change quickly.

We sat in a different part of the festival this time, and tried wines from three different Weinguts. We had different food, and I enjoyed a different public toilet. Sadly, Bill and I BOTH got ripped off.

It started with Bill. As it was mid afternoon, we required some food. He went off and came back with a fruit/cheese platter that was plenty of food, but not enough of what I wanted to eat. Bill had been talking about Langos, which is a popular Hungarian street food, that consists of fried dough topped with savory treats. Before today, I had never heard of them, but Bill talked them up. Then we saw someone with one that looked really good. So I told Bill I wanted to try one.

He went to the stand, very close to where we were sitting, and ordered me an Italian Langos– fried dough, tomatoes, mozzarella, balsamic vinegar, and paprika spread. It was actually delicious, but the guy who made it, ripped off about 15 euros from Bill by shortchanging him. Bill was pissed about it, but didn’t want to confront the guy. So I dispensed a piece of wisdom, which was “You don’t always need to be driving the karma bus.”

It’s true. When it counts, Bill stands up for his rights. He did sue our ex landlady, after all. This was a minimal loss, and we were having a good time… and that guy is going to be caught eventually. Last night, we booked five nights at the very nice Bareiss Hotel in the Black Forest, a place that guy will probably never get to experience. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big deal. I empathize with Bill being pissed, though. I just don’t think it needs to ruin the day, especially if it’s not enough of a big deal to say something about it.

Then I got up to pee. I paid the 80 cents with a two euro coin… I got change. Guess what? The “one euro” coin I got, came from Argentina. Yep… I got ripped off, too. I guess he saw me coming. Oh well. I took the coin and put it in my special foreign coin purse, which I bought in Istanbul, Turkey in 1996. It has coins from all over the world, as well as US coins that date back to 1880. No, a coin from Argentina doesn’t have monetary value in Germany, but having it provides me with a good story, which, to some people, is probably worth more than a euro. And I’ve never been to Argentina, so now I have a reason to go there, right? To spend my almost worthless two pesos, exchanged for a euro. The two peso coin is currently worth about .01 euro cent.

Anyway, we still had a good afternoon. This time, we had wines from three different wineries in the Rheingau. When we left, a lovely lesbian couple had taken over the table. They were doing what Bill and I always do when we buy wines to taste– trading the glasses. What a love language. The wine week ends tonight, so next weekend, I hope to have different photos. But for now, here’s what I have…

I made gross jokes…
to get these reactions.
We arrived when it was quiet.
Same water bearing young guy was there as last week, filling glasses for the electric company.
Grape juice for Bill.
And snacks with an erection.
Langos. Good, except for the cold cheese and shortchange.
Oops. I wanted Riesling.
Flowers on the statue.
First time I noticed the trash cans and their signs.
My Turkish foreign change purse.
Sad. This is worth .01 Euro.
I bet that guy did that on purpose. But karma will catch up to him. I’m not worried. The story is worth more, anyway.

All in all, it was a nice afternoon, in spite of being ripped off. We learned new things. And, in the grand scheme of things, being ripped off twice isn’t a big deal. Because eventually, those guys will likely get busted, and we don’t miss the money, anyway. Next month, I will be writing about a legendary Black Forest hotel, after I get dental care. If you ask me, we are pretty blessed… as I write this, Elton John’s “Blessed” is even playing.

But I understand why Bill was pissed. No one likes to be a chump. At least he wasn’t alone today. 😉

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A family trip to the pool…

We had more beautiful weather today, so Bill really wanted to get out and do something fun. Yesterday, someone in the local pets group on Facebook posted that a Freibad (public pool) in Mainz was going to allow dogs to come hang out and swim. Bill and I had experienced this very German custom in Nagold back in 2018, a few months before we moved to Wiesbaden. At that time, we had Zane and Arran. Neither were fond of swimming and both were kind of old, so we opted to go without them. It was a lot of fun watching all the athletic dogs enjoying the water. You can see some of the photos from that outing by clicking here.

This activity is fun for many, but not all, dogs… I wondered how Noyzi would do.

This year, we have Noyzi and Arran. I was curious about how Noyzi would like the pool/dog park like environment. But Noyzi hasn’t yet been with us a year, and Bill still has trauma from our unsuccessful bid to adopt a more local dog. Initially, he wasn’t too keen on going to Mainz with the boys. So we were going to come up with an alternative plan. I suggested we visit either the Mainz or Kastel “beaches” (Strand), which are Biergartens on either side of the Rhein. Bill was okay with that… but Noyzi had other plans.

As we tried to exit the house, he made it very plain that he wanted to go with us. He even parked his big, lumbering body, right by the door! I took it as a sign that we should take the boys to the pool. Bill was still worried about accidents or potential tragedies, but I wore him down and he finally relented. So that’s what we did! We loaded the boys into the car and headed off to Mainz. Noyzi even jumped into the back of the Volvo all by himself, and parked himself in the back like a canine gentleman. Every day, I am amazed by how naturally well behaved he is, and how quickly he learns. It’s hard to believe he was born on the streets of Pristina. He is living proof that street dogs can make wonderful family members.

Below is a video I made. I put in a couple of my previously unreleased songs… they maybe aren’t the best I can do, but without them, you just get seven minutes of dogs running around and some shaky footage. It was all recorded on my iPhone. I had to be careful, too, as this is Germany, and not everyone at the pool was wearing a bathing suit. Didn’t want to catch anyone in the buff!

Next time, I’ll bring a better camera!

This event ran from 10am until 4pm. We left right at the end. I kind of wish we had come a bit earlier, although the weather was perfect, and everyone seemed to be having a blast. Our dogs didn’t seem too interested in leaving us, so we kept them on their leashes most of the time. If we hadn’t, I don’t think it would have mattered much. They were stuck to us like glue.

As it was the end of the season, they didn’t have much in the way of food… Just beer and pretzels and, I think, maybe some ice cream. Consequently, I’m pretty hungry now. I’m glad we went, though, because it was so much fun to watch all the dogs playing and swimming, as well as their owners. I didn’t see any bad behavior at all! And I was so proud of Noyzi, who even followed me into the kiddie pool. He wasn’t interested in the big pool, though. Maybe next year, if we’re still here, we’ll try again.

Below are some photos for those who’d rather see those. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday. These kinds of activities are pretty much why I love living in Germany. I think it’s great that they let dogs swim in the pool on the last day of the summer season! But I am sad that the weather will soon be schlecht.

  • Noyzi refuses to let us go without him!
  • We registered, and let them know we had pet liability insurance…
  • There was a can for donations for the animal shelters in Mainz.
  • This was a well attended event, but there was lots of space.
  • The kiddie pool!
  • I was tempted to get in the water…
  • I did wear a bathing suit. But neither of our dogs wanted to get in.
  • Too bad!
  • There were some real athletes today!
  • I wish I had brought my digital camera for better action shots!
  • I think I saw one dog go down the slide!
  • The water was nice, although I didn’t jump in myself.
  • This one is airborne!
  • The weather was perfect!
  • I decided to see if Noyzi would voluntarily get in the kiddie pool.
  • Sure enough, he did!
  • Even Arran had fun, although his days of playing “rabbit” are over…
  • He enjoyed doting on Bill, though.
  • It’s magic how close these two are.
  • Things were winding down.
  • We need to spend more time in Mainz!

One thing I love about Germany is that people here relish outdoor activities when the weather permits. There’s always something fun going on. And if you can bring your dogs, so much the better. Dogs are treated very well in this country!

I’m glad we opted to go to the pool with the boys today. We can go to the “beaches” in Mainz or Kastel some other time!

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Frankfurt

Sunday afternoon at the Hauptwache Cafe in Frankfurt…

This past weekend was a bit of a bust in terms of German adventures. Our dog, Noyzi, recently decided that he wants to stay upstairs with me, rather than hanging out downstairs. He’s co-opted a pile of bedding that was previously used by Zane and Arran. Arran still uses it from time to time. On Friday night, while enjoying my evening buzz, I decided to buy Noyzi a bed for upstairs, reasoning that he’d use his downstairs bed when he’s downstairs. I bought him a smaller one for upstairs, noting that the downstairs bed is huge and there’s less room for it in my office than down in the living room. It was supposed to show up yesterday, so we waited around for it. But then, at around 2:30pm, I got the dreaded message from DHL that the shipment was delayed. By that time, we’d already had lunch, and it was during the usual “pause” time anyway… so we just hung out at home.

Last night, Bill asked if I’d like to go out to lunch today. I said sure, so Bill chose a Latin American place called Buena Vista. He set the reservation for 1:30pm on OpenTable. This afternoon, off we went to lunch. On the way there, I noticed Frankfurt’s TV Tower. We parked at an expensive parking garage attached to a huge shopping mall, very close to Jumeirah Hotel, where we stayed November 16, 2019 to celebrate our anniversary.

The Europaturm… Unfortunately, it’s no longer possible to visit it, just like the one in Cologne.

When we arrived at Buena Vista, we were informed that lunch wouldn’t start until 2:00pm, even though we had reservations for 1:30pm. I also remembered that we ate at that particular restaurant in November 2019, when we stopped there for a snack on our anniversary. We had spent the night in Frankfurt to celebrate, then headed to Wroclaw, Poland for a week of business for Bill and a week of messing around for me. Since we didn’t feel like screwing around for a half hour and I wanted to go somewhere different, we decided to cancel our reservation. That’s how we ended up eating lunch at the Cafe Hauptwache.

  • Frankfurt scenes…
  • A shot of the Eschenheimer Turm.
  • And a church we once visited… it’s prettier outside than inside.

The Hauptwache (Main Guardroom) Cafe has a long history in Frankfurt; it dates from 1904. Bill and I had been attracted to it on previous visits, but always seemed to get waylaid by the nearby Five Guys. Today, we were determined to give it a try. When we first walked into the Biergarten area– an excellent place for people watching, by the way– the sun was trying to come out. We sat down at a table under an umbrella. But within a few minutes of ordering drinks, it started to rain. We managed to duck under the porch, where there was a four top well away from the precipitation. It’s good that we moved, since the sky soon opened.

  • I was curious about the cheeseburger, even though I’ve been “burned” before.
  • A shot before the rain started.
  • Obligatory shot of Bill.
  • I went with the cheeseburger. It was surprisingly good! The meat was 100% Angus and the bun was very fresh.
  • Bill had a Caesar Salad with grilled chicken. He said it was excellent… just the right size.
  • Good thing we moved.
  • A very tame bird said hello.
  • They have wine called Dr. Phil.
  • God was watching us.

Our waitress was pretty perfunctory. She moved with no urgency, and seemed kind of half-assed about the work. She wore a face mask, but it hung under her nose. Her colleague didn’t bother with one at all. And thanks to the rain, all the smokers were huddled under the porch with us. One lady smoked the whole time, even when she had food.

One other thing I didn’t care for at this place was the fact that they have a Klofrau. That’s a woman who sits at a table by the bathroom and collects change. I’m sure she’s there for people off the street who just need to pee, but I find the practice of charging patrons in a restaurant to go to the toilet very chintzy. I also had to get an unsolicited tutorial from her on how to get the touchless faucet, soap dispenser, and towel dispenser to work. She might have done better to instruct me on the self-cleaning toilets. I’ve encountered them numerous times, but I never quite trust them to flush as they should. I’m not sure why a place that has touchless and automated everything needs a restroom attendant. It just seems cheap and tacky to me. On the other hand, I do have a ton of change that needs to be spent.

The toilet I encountered today was just like this one. Why did this restroom need a Klofrau, other than to demand change?

As for the food, it was quite good. I was very impressed with the burger. So many times, we have had burgers at German restaurants and they’ve been sub par. Cafe Hauptwache did satisfy with the cheeseburger. It came with cheddar, lettuce, mustard, tomatoes, onions, mayo, and I think ketchup. The fries were also very good. I couldn’t finish them, though.

This place has options for vegans and a children’s menu. It also has a full bar and apparently offers breakfast all day.

We considered having dessert, but the waitress was so inattentive that we decided to have another round instead. I had a Hefeweizen and Bill had coffee. I did see people having dessert, though, and it looked inviting. They have waffles with sugar and cinnamon or Nutella (blecch), ice cream, or the cake of the day. Today, it appeared to be cheesecake. I wouldn’t have minded trying that. Or, maybe it the weather was better, we would have looked for a Konditorei.

We called for the bill. It came to about 47 euros. Bill gave the server 50, and we were on our way home to two very excited dogs. Maybe tomorrow, Noyzi’s new bed will arrive.

Anyway… I would eat at Cafe Hauptwache again. We aren’t unhappy that we stopped there, especially due to its historic look and excellent location for people watching. The inside isn’t very big or impressive, though, so it’s probably best to go there when the sun is shining. I did love the music they were playing– 70s and 80s hits. I could hear it when the rain wasn’t pouring. I’m glad we ate there, instead of at the Buena Vista restaurant.

On Wednesday, we’re off on our next trip– a mixture of business and pleasure– four nights in the Black Forest town of Baiersbronn, where there are several Michelin starred restaurants, and a trip to Stuttgart to finally see the dentist. I did book us at what appears to be a very nice resort, so that should be fun. We also have a couple of reservations, although we couldn’t score any at the very fancy places. They’re either fully booked or on vacation. It IS August, after all. Hopefully, next week, the blog will get a nice boost.

A few parting shots.
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churches, Rhein, Sundays

Heavenly windows by Marc Chagall and heavenly eating at Heiliggeist…

Last month, when Bill and I went to Zürich, we visited the Fraumünster church. That church is famous for having beautiful stained glass windows created by the Jewish French-Russian artist, Marc Chagall. I wasn’t familiar with Marc Chagall before we saw his windows in Switzerland last month. After I posted some photos on social media, a German friend told me that I could also see Chagall’s work in Mainz, at The Collegiate Church of St. Stephan. We live close to Mainz, but before yesterday, we hadn’t been there in a long time. Not only did COVID-19 keep us away, but there was also some construction being done on the bridge over the Rhein River which made crossing over there problematic. The bridge connects our home state of Hesse with Rheinland-Pfalz. I had actually forgotten that going to Mainz means leaving the state!

I think the last time Bill and I went to Mainz, it was to see my old friend, C.W., who is an American learning about German wines. I worked with C.W. in Colonial Williamsburg, back in the late 1990s. C.W. moved to Washington, DC and worked in a succession of fancy restaurants. He later decided he wanted to work in the wine industry, so he’s been getting educated. In the fall of 2019, he came to Germany to work at a winery as part of his education. He came back in the spring of 2020, just before COVID shut everything down. We weren’t able to see him on that visit, and we didn’t visit Mainz again last year or this year. That means that yesterday’s visit occurred almost two years after our last one! We had a good time yesterday. We’ll have to visit Mainz more often, now that we’re vaccinated. It really is a neat town with much to discover.

After looking at the location of St. Stephan’s Church, Bill decided he’d like to go out to eat. He found Heiliggeist Restaurant (Holy Spirit) on Open Table and decided that its status as the oldest citizen hospital in Germany fit nicely with our church theme. He made reservations for 3:30pm because, apparently, there weren’t any earlier ones available. I’m not sure why that is, since there were plenty of tables available when we were there yesterday. But anyway, the church was open for visitation from 12pm until 4pm, so the late lunch/early dinner time slot worked out fine. We took my neglected Mini Cooper, since the weather was fine and I could put the top down. I had forgotten how different the atmosphere is in Mainz, compared to Wiesbaden. It’s a refreshing change of pace.

After parking at the theater garage, we trudged uphill to the church. It was about a ten minute walk from where we parked. I hadn’t realized the church wasn’t in the old part of the city and was kind of unimpressed with the neighborhood that surrounded it. From the outside, St. Stephan looks like so many of the other churches in Germany. That’s not to say it isn’t a beautiful or impressive structure. It is a very lovely church, especially compared to many American churches. I’m just saying that compared to a lot of churches in Europe, from the outside, it didn’t look any more or less spectacular.

On the way out of Mainz-Kastel, there are many impressive murals on buildings. This is one.
Look carefully, and you can see a fabulous slide. I love that Germany has so many fun playgrounds for kids. Makes me wish I could have been one here.
A cryptic line on a building. Bill thought it was referring to The Matrix. My German friend says it’s about this…
St. Stephan as we walked near.
I had no idea what I was about to see.
The front door. I donned a mask and disinfected my hands…

But then we went inside, and my mind immediately changed about the beauty of St. Stephan… I was overcome by the cool, soothing, incredibly beautiful, and peaceful mood cast by the extraordinary blue windows… The entire inside of the church is bathed in a blue glow made by Chagall’s windows, the first of which was installed in 1978. Chagall was 91 years old in 1978, and he lived until 1985, which only goes to show you that when it comes to great accomplishments, age really is just a number.

As I took in the azure splendor of the great artist’s work, I realized that I much preferred Chagall’s windows in Mainz to Chagall’s windows in Switzerland. A bonus is, it costs nothing to visit this church. In Zürich, we had to pay five Swiss Francs each admission to see a few of Chagall’s windows.

Of course, I might have loved these windows more because my favorite color is blue. I also just loved the way they all worked in concert to give the church an overall mood. I donated some change to the church while Bill lit a candle for his father, then he purchased a CD of the organ and some postcards at the gift shop. He says he’s going to try his hand at picture framing. Since my dad made his post Air Force living framing pictures, it’s a shame he’s no longer around to show Bill the ropes. The CD is, of course, for me. I am more moved by music than visual artistic endeavors. My mom was a church organist for over 50 years, so I probably have more of an appreciation for organ music than a lot of people do. However, as I listen to the music now as I compose this post, it occurs to me that if I could have been listening to it while touring the church, I probably would have been overwhelmed. I definitely am glad we took the time to visit St. Stephan and see these gorgeous windows! The church itself has an incredibly long history, having been established in 990. It is the only church in Germany that has windows by Marc Chagall, and I must say, the windows dazzled me! What an inspiration!

Exiting through the peaceful courtyard…
They are making a habitat for bees…
We passed this peaceful square on our way to the old town, where Heiliggeist awaited.

It took about ten or fifteen minutes to walk from the church to the old town. I needed a restroom, but we had about an hour before our reservation at Heiliggeist, so Bill and I decided to stop at a cafe. I took some more photos on the way down. Mainz really is a nice town, and there’s still a lot we haven’t seen or done there.

I still have yet to visit the inside of the Dom.
The cafe filled up right after I took this photo.
Cafe Dinges had some beautiful cakes on display…
And lots of people stopped in for coffee and cake. We were there mainly so I could pee. We did have a round of beverages there, though. The staff also kindly gave a homeless looking man some water. We’ll have to go back and have dessert sometime.

At last, it was time to head to the restaurant. Thanks to COVID, everybody was sitting outside. I was a little disappointed, because I wanted to see the interior. I did get a few shots of the inside of the restaurant, but I would have preferred to eat indoors. Actually, I prefer eating indoors most of the time, as the seating is usually more comfortable; there’s no smoking; and we don’t have to contend with insects or other creatures. But the weather was good yesterday and it wasn’t too hot outside, so aside from uncomfortable chairs, I can’t complain too much.

Heiliggeist serves “fusion” food– Asian inspired and “new German”. They have a full bar, and a summer “carte”, as well as menu staples. Bill had the “Lachs Bowl”, which was very “Asian inspired.” I had the cold roast beef, which was more of a European thing. We both really enjoyed the food and the service. Prices are reasonable. Both my dish and Bill’s were priced below twenty euros each.

The outside of the restaurant. It used to be a hospital. As we approached, a grandfather was chasing his little toddler granddaughter back and forth. It was a charming scene.
Bill checks the menu.
He ordered some local wine…
Bill ordered the Asian inspired “Lachs Bowl”, which was salmon with rice, edamame, and vegetables.
I had the cold roast beef from Argentina. It came with roasted potatoes and a horseradish sauce.
The inside of Heiliggeist.
I had cheesecake for dessert. It was warm, gooey, and delicious, and came with raspberry ice cream.
Bill had the brownie, which was delightful because it wasn’t a lava cake. It came with vanilla ice cream and walnuts.
They had these outdoor “booths”. I suppose they could be covered in bad weather.
On the way to the restroom, I was amused by the rabbit lamp.
This is a private party room. There was a party going on.
A couple of shots of the garden…
I didn’t like the chairs at all, though.

After about two hours at Heiliggeist, we headed back to the parking garage, which was about fifteen minutes away by foot. I took a few more images. All told, we walked about 2.5 miles. At least, that’s what my iPhone tells me.

A couple of views of the Dom…
We walked down a side street because I wanted to check out a couple of other restaurants nearby.
Another shot of Heiliggeist.
Large tour groups are back in Mainz. Just before I took this shot, some idiot ran into the street from his car, stopped at a light. Why? Because he dropped his cigarettes out the window. I think he then challenged another car to a race.
Idiot running in the street.

We got back to the house at about 6:00pm. Arran and Noyzi were very happy to see us and gave us joyful greetings. We went to bed feeling pleasantly tired by the day’s activities. I think we need to spend more time in Mainz. It really is a nice town, and it’s so different than Wiesbaden is on so many levels. I feel fortunate that we have this chance to live in another part of Germany besides Stuttgart, and experience how different the regions are. I continue to be grateful that we can live here and see so much.

And here’s what St. Stephan’s organ sounds like… Heavenly! Wish I could have heard this majestic organ as we were gazing at the beautiful windows.
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Hofheim is alive and well, too…

Because today was a nice day weather wise, and we were still feeling good after yesterday’s outing, we decided to go to Hofheim today. Hofheim is a super cute town near where we live. When we lived in Jettingen, we used to hang out in Nagold a lot. Now, you might say Hofheim has kind of taken Nagold’s place as the cute neighbor town, although thanks to COVID, we haven’t yet explored it as much as we should have after going on three years of living up here in Wiesbaden.

We mainly wanted to walk around and have some lunch, and we decided to drive my Mini, as it needs to be driven more often. I was also hoping to put the top down. Unfortunately, the roof malfunctioned and we could only get the sunroof to open. I’m sure there’s an easy fix, but it’s about time for the car to be inspected and serviced anyway… I’ll let the mechanics deal with it. And then, maybe I’ll go car shopping… 12 years is a long time to drive the same car.

As we passed through the parking lot where we parked my Mini for free, I took note of how quiet and peaceful the town was. It’s a Sunday, of course, but I think Hofheim is just a more sedate town. We need to spend more time there. They have some nice restaurants and shops… and we found a nice restaurant today.

The new eatery, called Schmiede, is Italian, specializes in wines, and is in the same building that used to house an awesome Latin flavored health food restaurant called Blanca Bistro until COVID-19 struck. Blanca Bistro, like some other beloved eateries, did not survive the disease. We LOVED Blanca Bistro and were very sad when it closed. We only got to try it once! But Schmiede is a nice replacement. Below are some photos from our glorious Italian lunch!

  • This was in the parking lot. No one was heeding the sign.
  • The little tower, which is a nice restaurant we haven’t yet tried.
  • Hofheim is so quaint.
  • Schmiede’s hours.
  • Today’s menu…
  • Bill in repose.
  • We ordered wine… this was a Sauvignon Blanc from Sud Tyrol.
  • Good stuff.
  • I had scampi with avocados, rucola, tomatoes, Paccheri pasta, and peppers.
  • Bill had triangolini with lemon butter sauce, mascarpone cheese, and sage.
  • For dessert… we both had ice cream with strawberry coulis!
  • Everyone was in a lighthearted mood.

We really enjoyed Schmiede, which is German for “smithy”. I guess the building was once a blacksmith’s forge. Our waiter was friendly and attentive, and the food was excellent. But really, we just enjoyed the laid back and quiet atmosphere, elegant food, and being outside of the backyard again. Lunch was 81 euros, but for that we got a nice bottle of white wine, a bottle of sparkling water, two filling dishes, and dessert. Both dishes were beautifully prepared and presented, and such a pleasure to taste. We will be back for sure. They also served wonderful, fresh, black olive bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, which got things off to a good start. I think we could become regulars. It looked like the waiter had already made friends with some of the locals. They were waving and stopping by to say hi.

Below are a few more photos from our outing. It was definitely a different mood and atmosphere than Wiesbaden was yesterday.

  • Schnell tests available for COVID-19.
  • Downtown… so cute!
  • House made in 1688!
  • Same house.
  • Big church.
  • No smoking… and no letting your pets take a crap or pee.
  • Antifa ad.
  • The mood is different up here… not quite like BW, but nice.
  • Wedding dresses.
  • A library.
  • Somewhere else to explore.
  • Quick test!
  • Cool, manmade creek. Kids loved it.
  • We didn’t stop at the Chalet for more wine… but we might next time!
  • Use the public WC!

We didn’t spend a lot of time walking around. I had to pee. Hofheim has a public restroom, but I wanted to get home to the dogs. I was sure they missed us, since they have had us at home so much lately. Still, it was so nice to be able to get out and see something new. I love taking new photos and having different food. I hope this downward disease trend continues. There are so many places we want to explore, and we are both ready for long weekend trips again. Bring it on! I’m ready to write about travel and food again!

Schmiede was a real success. We will go back… and try some of the other restaurants in town, too.

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Farm Fresh Too…

A couple of months ago, when we tried and failed to adopt a dog, I joined a bunch of local Facebook groups. My purpose for joining was to spread the word about the dog we tried to adopt who escaped from his pet transport taxi driver and later got hit and killed by a car on the Autobahn. Well… now we’re waiting on another dog to join our family in a few months, but I’m still a member of the groups I joined when we were frantically trying to recover the one who got away.

As a fortunate consequence of joining the local Facebook groups, I’m starting to learn about stuff in the area that I never knew about. One place that came on my radar is the Birkenhof Hofheim, which is a farm that offers fresh produce as well as a 24/7 refrigerator where one can purchase fresh food. Germany is wonderful about making fresh food available at relatively affordable prices. Although there don’t seem to be quite as many farms up here near Frankfurt as there were near Stuttgart, they do exist if you look.

Our last home, in Jettingen in Baden-Württemberg, was near several farms. I wrote about our first experience shopping at the farms a few years ago. Up here in Breckenheim, we’re not as close to so many farms, since it’s a more industrialized area. Still, at this time of year– smack dab in the middle of “Spargel (asparagus) season”, there are plenty of stands selling strawberries, blueberries, and all sorts of other delicious produce.

Thanks to the pandemic, the Birkenhof Hofheim isn’t fully open until May 29th. Under normal circumstances, the farm offers fresh delights that can be served at a table. They also have fun activities for kids. When the farm opens up again, special rules will have to be followed– masks worn when using the toilet and everyone has to provide contact information in case someone gets sick and you have to be notified. After three or four weeks, they discard the information.

I was happy enough to get out for a little while today and get some photos… as well as some farm fresh treats for our table at home. They had everything from corn cobs and charcoal for your grill to milk, flour, and eggs. There was paper and a pen for tallying up the cost of your goods, all of which were clearly priced. They had bags for packing your stuff, and a money box for you to put your cash. The whole thing is secured by cameras, so don’t think of taking anything without paying. We bought about 21 euros worth of stuff.

Lots of awards!
The little self-service shop…
The fridge is available 24/7 and has a lot of useful stuff.
We bought some strawberries, cheese, butter, apple juice, and blueberries.
We have a gas grill, though.
Soon, people will be able to have some cheese and fruit at the farm…
And ice cream, too. But proper social distancing measures must be followed.
A common sight in wine country.
Nice place!

This trip was also handy because it turns out the farm is very close to the Tierklinik Hofheim, which our former vet in Herrenberg (near Stuttgart) says is one of the best veterinary hospitals in Germany. When Zane was having his first issues with mast cell cancer, the vet down there was telling me about this clinic and how she could refer us there if need be. I remember looking it up and thinking it was so far away. Little did I know, we’d eventually be living about twenty minutes away. So now I kind of know where it is, in case I have to take Arran or our next dog there sometime.

It was nice to get out of the house… only the third time since March! I’m getting braver. We’ll definitely be back to the Birkenhof Hofheim for more fresh treats soon! I love visiting the farms and am glad to find one up here near Frankfurt, the only German city with lots of skyscrapers.

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Sometimes Sundays at home are best…

The weather looked grim yesterday morning, so Bill and I decided to stay home. He bought a three pound rib roast that he planned to cook for dinner. Hebridean Island Cruises has gotten us in the habit of having “Sunday roast”, since they do that every Sunday on the ship.

We needed a few things from AAFES (our military exchange), so Bill went out to get what we needed… new toothbrushes (although mine wound up being defective), toilet paper, board games, and puzzles. He came home with all of that, as well as six bottles of wine from the French vintner who was hawking his wares at the Wiesbaden PX yesterday.

When he got home, I turned on some music and we put together the puzzle he found…

This 300 piece puzzle took a couple of hours to put together… AAFES didn’t have much of a selection.

We drank plenty of wine, though none of it was the wine Bill bought from the French guy. I loved that he got a wooden crate.

These will be nice as the weather gets colder.

And then, while the roast was cooking, we played a game of old school Scrabble. I play Words With Friends all the time, but I hadn’t played regular Scrabble in many years. Neither had Bill.

I won by a lot, though…

Finally, we had dinner, which was delicious. The commissary doesn’t always have the best meat, but we like them for some things because unlike the Germans, American butchers don’t cut off all the fat which results in more juiciness and flavor. Bill also made Yorkshire pudding for the first time. It turned out very well.

I know… I should be eating a salad. I wanted prime rib earlier in the week and was surprised Bill could find one. They aren’t always available.

All in all, it was a very nice Sunday. Yes, I like to go out and see Germany when I can, but when the weather is grim, cold, and wet, sometimes it’s nice to stay in and bond in our nest.

Arran likes it when we stay home, too… He’s eating up being the only dog.

I’m grateful I can hang out with Bill, and he actually enjoys my company. I know a lot of women whose husbands would rather hang out with their guy friends or worse, their girlfriends… Bill is a good family man and a great cook, to boot. We’re both very blessed to have each other. I hope we’ll have many more years to hang out and bond on rainy Sunday afternoons.

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Wiesbaden’s fabulous Fasanerie…

I really needed to have some fun today, so Bill decided we’d visit the Förderverein Fasanerie, which is a lovely animal park in a wooded area near downtown Wiesbaden.  This park reminds me a lot of the Wildpark Pforzheim in the Stuttgart area, only you don’t have to pay for parking.  Entry is free, unless you want to pay two euros for animal feed.  The park isn’t quite as large as the one in Pforzheim, but it’s a good size and you will definitely get your exercise strolling around the gentle hills.

Here are some photos I got from today.  We saw all kinds of animals, from goats to wildcats, with plenty of bears, deer, and wolves in between.

Right at the entrance…

 

Plenty of fun learning activities for children…

A very insistent goat who wanted all the food.

I used to catch these in my yard in Virginia.

A tunnel where all of the nocturnal creatures live.

A fox.  I had to zoom in for him.

Wolves… we did see one who appeared to be on a mission.

Bears.

This bear was very chilled out.  The water hole was full of golden fish.

I really enjoyed the deer.  They were very friendly and hungry.

I miss these views.

Bison.

 

 A wildcat… 

 

Nutria

Storks!

Pigs…


Raccoon!

So many majestic deer with antlers!  They were very tame and hungry for food.

I loved the nutria.  They were so busy looking.

This poor dude kept getting edged out of handouts by the female.  I guess that’s just how it goes.

He posed for me anyway.

We had to go back to the goats and unload our food.  We still had a lot left.  I wish I’d given more to the deer.

A lot of people brought picnic lunches and we heard one group singing “Happy Birthday” in English. We decided to stop by the Biergarten for a snack, where a very kind waitress  took care of us.

Bill had pommes with ketchup.  They were better than usual… nice and hot.

I went with Spundekäs and a pretzel, a treat I only recently discovered.  It comes from Mainz and it’s delicious… a nice rich quark cheese spread with paprika and garlic.  I had forgotten how good this is…  I don’t usually do cheese, but this is an exception.  I’m definitely a fan.  

For the children…. actually, there is a very nice playground for kids at this park.

I had never seen one of these before…

A swing for people in wheelchairs!  I didn’t see anyone in a wheelchair today, but how cool is it that they have a special swing for them?

I’m not sure what to make of this… looks like some kind of naked creature who needs to pee.

Hessian lion…

 I really needed a fun day today, and I got it.  After we were finished at the Tierpark, we bought some fresh cherries from an adorable old lady selling fruit out of the back of her car.  She threw in a few plums for us after letting us try her cherries (perfectly ripe and very sweet).  I got to ride in the new car, too.  I’d say today was a resounding success. 

Tonight we’re going to try a new restaurant, which I’ll probably review tomorrow.

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castles, Hessen

Beautiful Burg Eppstein!

Last fall, when Bill and I were househunting, we happened to visit a home in a place called Lorstein, which is very close to the cute little town of Eppstein.  As we were passing Eppstein, I noticed castle ruins that looked beautifully preserved and inviting.  For months, I’ve been wanting to go back and check out the ruins.  Well, today we’ve had beautiful weather.  The sun is out.  The temperatures are agreeable.  I suggested visiting another nude spa, but Bill was quite happy to go along with my alternate suggestion of visiting Burg Eppstein, castle ruins that have some fame for being the place where ABBA’s video for “Waterloo” was filmed in 1974.

Burg Eppstein!

Eppstein is easily reached from where we live.  It’s maybe fifteen or twenty minutes away via country road, but since it’s in the Taunus hills, it has a totally different landscape.  I was sorry we didn’t find a suitable house in the Eppstein area because it’s very charming.  They even have half timbered houses up there.  We easily found free parking and had no problem finding the town’s big draw, its castle ruins.  Here are some photos from our visit!

We parked next to an old “Friedhof”– cemetery.  Then it was a short walk to the Burg.

 

Walking down the cobblestone road to the ruins..

 

Right in front of the somewhat gentle slope up the hill to the Burg.  On Saturdays, the museum doesn’t open until 2:00pm, but you can still walk around the grounds and climb the tower.  It’s 4 euros per adult to enter, 2,50 for kids.

 

Information… 

 

View on the way up the path.

Don’t be put off by the closed door.  It’s unlocked.  Just open it and and pay the lady who takes admission fees.

 

A little maze, where kids were playing.  There is also a playground near the castle ruins.

 

The playground.  We had no reason to approach it, but if you come with children, maybe they’ll enjoy it.

Beware of the dog!

 
 

The climb is worth it.  There are nice views at the ruins, which date from 1122.

 

It appeared that some kind of play rehearsal was going on today.  We saw many people dressed in medieval costume, including several adorable kids and one guy who bore a striking resemblance to Sting.  They seemed to be rehearsing lines for some kind of production while we visited.  I almost ran into a pint sized guard, who wore a helmet and carried a sword.

Old style cooking?

Rehearsal time.

“Hark!  Who goes there?”

Several dogs were up there, too.  One Labrador Retriever was snoozing happily in the sun.

 

A little vineyard and more medieval stuff… but we couldn’t get any closer.

 

No thoroughfare.

 

 

But you can read all about it.  All of the stations have explanations in German and English.  You can also get an audioguide if you want one.  We didn’t bother.  We also didn’t go into the museum because we’d seen the whole grounds in about 40 minutes and didn’t want to wait for the museum to open at 2:00pm.  We were hungry and it was almost time for the dreaded restaurant pause… dreaded only for hungry people, right?

An herbal and tree garden.

A toilet hole.  This was fenced off, but I managed to put my camera through the bars to get this shot.

Another shot of the vineyard.

 

Yep… another narrow, winding, spiral staircase.  We climbed up the tower to get some nice views of Eppstein.  This wasn’t nearly as exhausting as climbing the tower at the Frankfurt cathedral was.  I did lose my breath, though.

A good excuse to rest for a minute before climbing the last bit.  The stairs weren’t as scary as the ones at the Mandelburg Ruins near Freudenstadt were, either.

An example of how the tower was defended back in the day.

And a flag at the top of the tower.

 
 

Someone’s little dog joined us at the top.  He was very cute and friendly.

I zoomed in on this… I noticed it during our fall trip to Eppstein, too.  Will have to find out what it is.

Nice views!  Worth losing my breath!

 

I think this is my favorite shot!

 

Once we were finished visiting the Burg, we stopped by a local hotel for lunch.  Since the weather was so fine, we ate outside.

We found good food and a warm welcome here. 

 

This was our view from where we were sitting.

I can’t post without a shot of Bill.

 

I had the Salmon Mediterranean, which came with a salad and two sides.  This was a nice salad– I shared it with Bill.  I liked how it was artfully accented with balsamic vinegar.

My salmon came with noodles and a mustard sauce.  The noodles had a different sauce that had the slightest essence of horseradish.  The mustard sauce on the salmon was mild and comforting.  I probably wouldn’t opt to use so much sauce left to my own devices, but I liked the way this fish was cooked.  It was perfect.

Bill had the housemade tagliatelle with spinach and gorgonzola cheese.  He really enjoyed it.

Bill waited for me to finish my beer, then we settled up with the waiter.  It was about 41 euros before the “Trinkgeld”.  Bill gave the guy a good tip, which made him beam and use the word “Ihn”.  I don’t know the significance of that, though Bill has studied German and said it was kind of cool.

We didn’t spend a lot of time in Eppstein today.  It was a bit rolled up, even for a Saturday.  I didn’t see any businesses open or other open restaurants other than the hotel.  There was another place that opened at 5:30pm.  I still really enjoyed our visit today.  It’s hard to believe this little town is so close to where we live, yet has such a different landscape.  It kind of reminds me of Nagold vs. Unterjettingen.  They are only a few kilometers apart, but they look so different.

Anyway… I’m glad we made the time to see this well-preserved ruin.  Now that the weather has finally improved, we will have to get busy seeing other sites up here.  Monday, we are headed for Cologne for the first time since May 2012– however, we’re going there to see The Eagles.  Should be fun, anyway!

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My very first visit to the Corso Kino in Vaihingen…

I don’t go to the movies very often anymore.  Before this afternoon, I had not been to a movie theater since June 2011, when Bill and I visited a theater on a whim while vacationing in Portland, Maine.  I recall we saw Midnight in Paris because my back was hurting and I didn’t want to walk anymore.  It was a good film, but it didn’t make me want to go to the movies again.  For whatever reason, I just don’t enjoy them that much… at least not in a theater.  I’d rather watch movies at home on my couch, where no one blocks my view, talks too much, or gets mad when I need to get up to pee.

The place to be if you want to see movies in their original language…

Still, even I couldn’t help but notice all my friends gushing about Bohemian Rhapsody.  I happen to love Queen and am very grateful that I was born at a time when there were still so many legendary bands in their prime.  Freddie Mercury was a genius.  I remember when he died, just one day after he told the world that he was suffering from AIDS.  I grew up at a time when a lot of great people were dying from AIDS.  He was just one of many beautiful souls who died much too young.  Bohemian Rhapsody is the story of Queen, and how Freddie Mercury made that band his family, creating amazing music that was distinctly its own.

The official trailer…

 

Bill loves to go to the movies, so he was only too happy to reserve tickets for us at the Corso Kino, which is a movie theater in Vaihingen that shows original versions of films, sometimes with English or German subtitles.  I had heard a lot about the Corso Kino over our time living in this area, but today was the first time we ever actually saw a show there.  I must admit, although I still don’t necessarily love the movie experience, I’m glad we paid a visit today.

Before we went to the movies, we stopped by The Auld Rogue for one last Sunday lunch.  The Auld Rogue is an Irish pub in Vaihingen, very popular with Americans because the staff all speaks English, the menus are in English, and the food is not German.  They also offer music, whiskey/whisky and beer tastings, and sports.  When we first moved to this area in 2007, The Auld Rogue was a Greek restaurant called Taverna Faros.  We used to love eating there during our six week stay at the Vaihinger Hof.  Taverna Faros didn’t last, though, because the proprietor didn’t pay his taxes.  It later turned into a club, then became the Irish pub we all know and love.

It had been awhile since our last visit to the popular pub, but we managed to have a decent lunch, even though they were unable to make me a Black and Tan.

Bill was still full from breakfast, so he had nachos with cheese.  They were a lot more than he was expecting.  I went with the chicken Caesar wrap.  It was the first time I ever ordered it and I mostly enjoyed it, although it didn’t taste like it had any Caesar dressing.  It kind of needed something to jazz it up a little.  Still, it wasn’t bad.  I’d get it again.  Not sure why my camera is suddenly sporting lines on my pictures.

Bill and I each had a Fuller’s London Porter and a Guinness.  I probably shouldn’t have bothered with the Guinness, but I kind of got it on a whim when the waitress said she couldn’t make me a Black and Tan.  The London Porter was awesome.

My favorite veteran.

 

We parked at the Schwaben Galerie and walked from there to The Auld Rogue, then from the Auld Rogue to the Corso Kino.  A lot of people came to see the matinee of Bohemian Rhapsody, but it wasn’t a sold out crowd.  We didn’t have to reserve our tickets, after all.

It’s not the most user friendly cinema.  To get to the two theaters, one must climb down a couple of flights of stairs.  The bathrooms are small, cramped, and not sparkling clean. The concession stand shares its space with the box office, so the line has a tendency to be a little obnoxious.

But the popcorn smelled wonderful and there was beer to drink.  We even noticed that if you weren’t sitting in the front row, you could put your stuff on a little ledge anchored to the seats in front of you.  We chose to sit on the front row on the left side.  It probably wasn’t the best choice to sit there, since people had to pass us to go to the bathroom or get snacks.  Still, at least I wasn’t sitting behind someone tall, like I usually do when I go to the movies.  I also enjoyed the jazz they were playing before the show started.

I took this photo from my seat before the show started.  

 

Our view before the movie began.  The seats reclined a bit and were quite comfortable.

As for Bohemian Rhapsody, I thought it was an excellent and entertaining movie.  It will be one I add to our personal library.  The story is very poignant; the soundtrack rocks; and there are a lot of great lines in the script.  In short, I laughed; I cried; it became a part of me…  A friend told me that I would probably cry watching it.  I didn’t cry, but I will confess that I came a bit close toward the end.  Tears don’t come as easily for me these days.  I think it’s because I’m getting old.

Here’s a picture of our dog, Zane, before he got his morning walk.  As you can see, the tumor removal he had during his dental the other day hasn’t slowed him down a bit.  He’s obviously the king of our household.

 

I enjoyed our visit to the Corso Kino, and if we ever have the chance to go again, I will gladly go… as long as they’re showing something I want to see.  This is yet another nice way to spend a Sunday in Stuttgart.

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