Today, I woke up to more snow. It’s much snowier down near Stuttgart, which is where Bill and I will be headed on Wednesday. But up here, I think we got maybe a little under two inches or so. It’s bitter cold outside and still pretty cloudy. I won’t be surprised if there’s more snow or a few flurries before the sun sets.
I don’t have much travel stuff to write about today, although if I were feeling more ambitious and hopeful, I might write about some other travel related topics. For example, I could write about some of my favorite YouTube creators, who inspire me to look into fancy trips in Europe. A couple of the people I watch regularly are somewhat annoying, but they do go to some interesting places.
Lately, thanks to videos I’ve watched, I’ve been thinking I’d like to visit Finland and do a proper visit up there. I don’t really love freezing cold weather, but I do like coziness and snow… if I can be inside by a fireplace with some wine, that is. 🤣 I’d also settle for a hot tub.
It’s also hard to think about traveling when our government is so screwed up, and people are protesting, fighting, and literally dying in my homeland. It’s not lost on me that Americans aren’t all that popular right now, mainly due to the “dictator” in the White House. Listen, y’all… my disdain for him is about his shittiness as a human being, rather than conservative politics as a whole. He’s not a conservative. He’s a fascist. And he’s making things worse for EVERYONE, except maybe his billionaire “buddies”… who aren’t even his buddies.
People like that don’t really have friends, do they? They just worship money. Money is no substitute for real human connections, love, and freedom. Personally, I think the vast majority of super rich people are hollow inside. They don’t have normal relationships. They don’t live happy lives. They can’t trust people to love them, because people simply want to use them and take what they have. And so, I think they’re very lonely folks, who crave what money can’t buy for them. If you think about it, it’s pretty sad.
Bill is coming home early today, because he’s going to start his very first course at the Jung Institute. The online class he’s taking today will run for five hours. He plans to take a couple more while we’re on our visit to Waiblingen, which starts on Wednesday.
Anyway, I wish I had an interesting trip to write about today, but I don’t. However, I will soon be adding content to this blog, because during our trip to Waiblingen, we have reserved tables at two very nice restaurants, which we booked on OpenTable.de.
I’m sure there will be other places we’ll try, since we’re staying down there until Sunday. Yeah, it seems weird to stay in Waiblingen for four nights, when we could just go see the dentist in a day… but I think it will be fun to go there and hang out in our old stomping grounds. I don’t know if I’ll ever have another chance to live near Stuttgart, but it will always occupy a spot in my heart.
So… please stay tuned for my Waiblingen series, such as it will be. After that, who knows where the road will lead. I can pretty much guarantee that we will be in Switzerland again this year at some point, if we don’t have to leave the continent because of Donald Trump.
Until my next post, bis spater…
Here are a few photos I took of our cozy German house this past week… Bill made homemade scones (by Nigella Lawson) and hot tea for breakfast yesterday, along with a soft boiled egg, a little sausage, and fresh orange juice. The dogs approved!
Also, I sent off a ballot request, so I can vote in the Texas primaries. I don’t know how much good it will do, but it’s something, at least.
I had high hopes for this weekend. It’s the first one of May, and the weather has been truly fabulous over the past few days. But yesterday, they were calling for rain, and the temperature dipped.
Then I got hung up making videos and, by the time I was finished, it was a bit late to go anywhere. We do have some more framing that needs to be done, but the shop closes at 2:00 PM, so Bill didn’t think we’d have time. Then, for some reason, I decided I wanted pizza…and I didn’t want the kind you can order locally.
Next thing I knew, I was in the kitchen, making pizza dough. I actually thought about going out and buying an outdoor pizza oven for the task… but then we pulled out the pizza stone and peel. I used to make pizza all the time, but I’d just put it on an ordinary cookie sheet. Now, we have the stone, so I feel compelled to use that. But getting the pizza on the stone without messing it up can be a challenge. I should know, as I messed up the first crust and we had to start over…
The pizza turned out okay… the crust was a bit thicker than I like it, but I forgot my recipe makes two pizzas. I used to make pizza all the time, but I don’t cook so often anymore.
Then we got a big rainstorm that dumped rain all over the place and knocked out the power for about twenty minutes. That was a far cry from my days in Armenia, where the power could be out for weeks. I got a few video clips of that.
I also bought Bill some cheese the other day from Henri Willig, a Dutch company. I don’t eat a lot of cheese myself, but Bill loves it, so I coerced him into having a cheese tasting. I videoed him enjoying the cheese, too… He’s so brave. Below is a video of the storm and the cheese…
How we spent our Saturday in Breckenheim…
Today, I’ve been fixated on making music videos on YouTube. The first one was quick and easy, but the second one was a real pain in the ass to make, and I’m still not sure if I’m satisfied with the end results. But there’s always tomorrow, I guess.
I feel a little guilty for not getting out today or yesterday, but I’m finding that as I get older, I’m not as interested in going out. And besides, it’s chilly and cloudy again, so today was a good day to make music. If you click on the above video, it will take you to my channel, where you can see which music I tackled. I do it because it helps stave off depression and gives me something constructive to focus on besides the state of the world…
I’m hoping to plan a birthday trip soon. I’ll be turning 53 next month. That calls for a short trip, doesn’t it? After that, we’ll be going to Switzerland for about a week, so Bill can take classes at the Jung Institute. That will make the travel blog come back to life.
For now, I think I’ll go eat some of that leftover pizza. It was pretty good, in spite of the too thick crust. Bill also cooked quail eggs for the first time this morning. He said they were tricky to work with. I enjoyed them, just the same.
I have already written this story from October 2023 on this blog, but I decided to make a video about it for my growing YouTube audience. I’m sharing it here for the interested.
The story about the woman starts at about the 2:32 mark…
Last night, I booked two hotels in preparation for next weekend’s trip to Italy via Switzerland. I’m excited about the trip, which I hope will be memorable and profitable on many levels. If anything, I’ll take more photos, right? Hopefully, we will be blessed with nice weather.
We’ll be stopping near Lugano for two nights, then heading down to Abruzzo for four nights, then stopping again near Vipeteno, Italy. I went there in 2009, but Bill has never been. The hotel is not in the city itself, but is close to it.
I’m still trying to decide where to stay in Abruzzo. It looks like there are a lot of cute little hamlets from which to choose. So stay tuned for that…
The featured photo is AI generated… I hope to have my own photos very soon.
Last night, I made a booking at a hotel I’ve been eyeing since last April, when Bill and I decided by coin flip to visit Horben, near Freiburg. If Horben hadn’t won that coin flip, we likely would have visited the city of Basel, in Switzerland. It’s a city we’ve driven past and talked about exploring, but have never actually gotten around to making a booking.
Last spring, when I was planning our trip to the very new Luisenhöhe resort in the Schwarzwald, I noticed a very beautiful hotel in Basel that seemed to be right up our alley. The hotel is called Les Trois Rois, and it’s expensive and historic… And we are going to visit there for three nights over the MLK weekend. Why? Because since Trump is coming back into office, the future seems hazier. We want to take advantage of being able to travel while we still can. And after the new year, Bill is going to be busy. That is, if Donald and Elon don’t interfere with what he’s doing.
A screenshot of the hotel
We briefly thought about going to Paris. We haven’t been to Paris since 2009, and I have been wanting to go there. But Paris is a huge city, and it will be cold and probably rainy… and Basel is more compact, with lots of museums, art galleries, and such. It seems appropriate that it’s in a neutral country, too… but right by the German and French borders.
I think we will travel to Basel by train, since it only takes about 3 hours to get there from here. It will spare Bill the aggravation of driving and trying to park. We can get first class ICE tickets on Deutsch Bahn fairly cheaply, if we opt for the no frills ones… The lovely thing about Basel is that it’s close to Bern, another city we’ve never seen. Maybe we’ll go there, too, if the conditions are right.
I booked us a river view room with a balcony. It may turn out to be a waste of money, depending on the weather. However, I know the hotel is on the banks of the Rhein, so if we do have decent weather, it could turn out to be a great choice. It was a bit of a splurge, and will be even more expensive than our visit to The Duke Suites was. But, it’s Switzerland, and Basel is a city that offers more to do than the lovely hamlet of Nistelrode does. I liked Nistelrode a lot, but to be honest, the area it’s in isn’t long on attractions. Basel will keep us busy. Maybe it will take my mind off of the impending disaster that is about to befall the United States.
I know not everyone thinks the next Trump term will be a disaster. Fair enough… and I hope they’re right. I don’t want to go through a disaster. But I just don’t think it’s going to be a good time for anyone… So we’re going to let the good times roll while we still can, and hope for the best. Or maybe, just pray to God that we manage to get through this impending fiasco without completely fucking up the whole world and losing everything.
SIGH…
Anyway… Les Trois Rois has a Michelin starred restaurant. I’ll have to check and see how many stars it has. If anything, we’ll drop a lot of money, but we’ll also be exposed to some beautiful things, if only for a short while. It should be nice.
Perhaps we can visit Paris in the springtime, if we don’t go to Spain… or get deported by the newly fallen German government.
Hi y’all. It was another fairly boring weekend here in Wiesbaden, even though it’s a holiday weekend for us Americans. I wasn’t feeling well on Friday, and spent most of the day in bed, sleeping. Saturday and Sunday, we spent doing some chores and thinking about where we’re going to go at the end of the month, after we see Dr. Blair (our Stuttgart area dentist). It looks like we might go to Bavaria, but it’s not set in stone yet. Bill has to officially get the days off from work. But the dogs have a spot at the Hundepension, and we have our dental appointments. It’s unlikely this will be a problem.
I spent several hours making a new political parody video yesterday. It was a fairly gross, but rather funny video involving taking a dump and seagulls. If you want to see it, you can go to my YouTube channel, if you know where it is, or you can visit my main blog, where there’s a direct link. Fair warning. I am NOT a Trumper. And I think it’s funny, but you might not. 😉
I did want to share some photos of Charlie, our second Kosovar rescue/street dog. He has recently discovered the wonders of our bed. Now, he thinks it’s his. I may eventually regret letting him get up there, but I have to admit, he sure is adorable. Charlie does have some “leadership issues”, though. He pleasure growls a bit, but he also barks. I’m sure he means no harm, but he needs to be reminded that our bed is not HIS bed.
And, of course, I have a couple of Noyzi, too. Noyzi is too big to get on our bed, and is a lot shyer than Charlie is. He usually comes into our room in the mornings and stands next to the bed so I can stroke his face and head and give him copious butt pats. He LOVES that. It’s hard to take pictures of him when he’s getting an affection session, though…
These dogs are the lights of our lives. They amaze us every day with their resilience and ability to communicate what they need or want. Noyzi is especially mature. He doesn’t need a lot more than walks, food, a nice bed that’s his, and some love.
I did have to kick Charlie out of Noyzi’s bed the other night, because he was trying to claim it. Noyzi’s bed is actually plenty big enough for both of them to fit in it, but Noyzi isn’t wanting to share. Charlie has several of his own beds, anyway, that used to belong to our departed beagles, Zane and Arran, who were more his size. But Noyzi is much too polite to make Charlie move, so I had to do it for him. He doesn’t like to fight. Charlie, on the other hand, is a real scrapper. He reminds me a lot of Arran. I wonder if Arran grudgingly sent him to us. 😉
I don’t know what we’ll do today. I know Bill has big plans to buy dog food, so there is that. It’s sad, because there was a time when a long weekend would mean a trip somewhere. But now that we’ve been here for so long, we use them to get things done. At least we have something planned for the end of the month.
The featured photo is from this time last year, which was a more fruitful time for my travel blog…
We didn’t do much this weekend, mainly because Bill has to go to Stuttgart this week on business. Our big thing yesterday, after I mowed the lawn, was to watch a German movie on Apple TV called The Lives of Others. I had watched the movie when Bill was gone last month, and I thought he’d really enjoy it. So even though we had beautiful weather yesterday, I suggested that we watch it together.
This was interesting to us, since we’re both old enough to remember East Germany– aka The German Democratic Republic.
The timing of watching this movie is timely, given that German Reunification Day was this past Thursday. Of course, that’s not a holiday for us Americans, but Germans get the day off to celebrate the reunification of East and West Germany. The Lives of Others, which came out in 2006, is set in the mid 80s in East Germany. It’s a fictional story about a hardened Stasi agent who has an attack of conscience while spying on a playwright whose actress girlfriend has caught the eye of a government official.
What makes the film especially cool is that the guy who wrote and directed it, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, was born in Cologne, West Germany in 1973, and was only 16 years old when the Berlin Wall fell. I am a year older than Florian is. I remember when it fell, too. Bill was actually living here when it happened.
When Bill lived in Germany the first time, from 1987-1990, he spent a couple of months guarding the Czech-German border. When we visited the Czech Republic the first time, back in 2008, Bill was very nervous crossing the border, because it was his old territory. He half expected to be busted by the Czech border patrol. Of course, nowadays, you can just sail right through the border with no issues. But we’re old enough to remember when that was definitely not the case.
On Friday night, there was a wine stand in our village, but we opted not to attend. It was chilly and cloudy, and we didn’t feel like drinking cheap German wine in the cold. Instead, we drank German beer, listened to my enormous playlist, and ate Armenian/Greek food from the Ararat Olymp Grillhaus in Mainz, which was available for delivery. It was delicious! We had lavash, khinkali, gyros, fries, flatbread, and tzatziki, and there was plenty left over for lunch yesterday. It’s nice to have Armenian/Greek/Georgian food so close and available to us for delivery. I do kind of miss our evenings at restaurants, though.
As for today, our big outing was to the PX/commissary, to buy me some cosmetics and food for the coming week. The commissary was pretty busy and it looked like it needed to be stocked. I guess the supply chains were running low.
I think the rest of the day will be spent on some mundane chores that need to be done before Bill leaves. We are hoping to get away sometime this month after we go to Stuttgart for our dental cleanings. We just have to line everything up with the dentist and the dog kennel. 😉 I’ve been looking for potential long weekend spots. I think we’ll stay in Germany, but I am not averse to going to a country bordering Germany, as long as it doesn’t involve a super long drive. Maybe it’s time for another trip to France.
Other than that, I don’t have much to report. The Apple Wine fest went on Friday and Saturday in Wiesbaden. It might have been nice to attend that yesterday. I forgot about it, though, until it was too late. Oh well.
I’m glad fall is here, but I kind of dread the weather turning cold and shitty. But at least I’m not being eaten alive by mosquitos anymore.
Bill and I just got home from Iceland yesterday afternoon. I’ve been itching to write about our visit to the mysterious island nation for days now, but have held off on starting the series until we got home. Although I sometimes start writing before trips end, this time, this time I decided I needed to wait. I wanted to be near my desktop computer, where I have more tools to edit photos and make videos. I also find writing on the desktop much easier than writing on the laptop; that’s important, because I have a lot of ground to cover.
But, really, the main reason I waited was because we have been VERY busy. Seriously… it seems like we’ve been gone a month, even though our trip was only for about ten days. One of our drivers estimated we saw about 30 percent of Iceland on our trip. My guess is that we saw less than that, mainly because Bill and I are older and less willing to traipse through the wilderness. There’s a lot of wild country in Iceland, and the weather can be brutal, especially if you’re not adequately prepared.
I’m sorry to report, I was not quite ready for Iceland’s hostile climate. Bill had, at least, done some shopping on Bergfreunde.de for new shoes and a hat. Luckily, there are businesspeople in Iceland who anticipate tourists like me, and there are quite a few Icewear stores scattered about the more populated areas. When we stopped by Icewear, we saw many other people who were in the same situation we were… buying raincoats, shoes, beanies… and the smarter ones probably invested in waterproof pants. I sure wish I had!
Nevertheless, in spite of being somewhat underprepared, Bill and I managed to enjoy our visit unscathed. Neither of us got sick or injured. And… according to the pedometer app on my iPhone, we covered about 17 miles walking… which may not seem like a lot to younger, fitter people, but for a fatass housewife like me, it’s a pretty good deal. Especially when one considers the weather! It wasn’t super cold, but the rain and wind were incredible; I had never experienced anything like it before. I wasn’t prepared for that on this visit, but if we manage to go to Iceland again, I will definitely be more ready for it.
So how did we end up going to Iceland in the first place?
Bill and I have a ritual of choosing our vacations by luck. We used to be fans of Eurowings’ “blind booking” program, in which you book a flight somewhere, but don’t know where you’re going until after you’ve paid. We did that a few times when Eurowings was still called Germanwings. But then we later had more money, and less desire to fly places on the cheap. I’m sure my expanding ass had a lot to do with that. 😉
We also have two dogs who have to be accommodated by the local Hundpension, which makes it harder for us to be too spontaneous. When we still had our comparatively small beagles, Zane and Arran, it was sometimes easier to just take them with us when we went places. But now we have Noyzi, who takes up all the cargo space in the back of the Volvo. And we have Charlie, who is still kind of afraid of riding in the car. It’s better to board them when we go places.
We started planning trips with the same “surprise” idea of blind bookings, only instead of letting the airline decide, we let the champagne bucket choose. We put scraps of paper in the bucket and Bill picks one. If the selection is feasible for when we want to travel, we book it. At some point in the spring, he picked Iceland. We were delighted with that result, because Iceland was a place we both really wanted to visit before we shove off the mortal coil. Iceland isn’t cheap, so it’s good to go there when the cash flow is good… and it’s also potentially physically challenging, so it’s best to visit when one has the stamina and ability to get around somewhat easily.
I did have some worries about the weather, even though we were technically visiting in the summer… but then I saw memes like the one below…
Don’t let that “green land” fool you… Bring a jacket!
I got fooled into thinking Iceland is more temperate than it is. I mean, it is temperate, considering where it’s located, but it’s certainly not temperate like Germany is. When we left Germany, it was hot as the dickens! The funny thing is, when Bill went to Reykjavik in 2009, it was around the time of my June birthday. He brought me a wool scarf and a CD of Icelandic folk tunes sung acapella by people with very ordinary voices. I was confused by the wool scarf in June… until now. 😉
Finding Iceland Luxury Tours…
So anyway, Bill picked Iceland out of the bucket, and the responsibility came down to me to plan the trip. I don’t know why I was inspired to hire a guide for our visit to Iceland. We’ve never done a private tour before, although we have done at least one group tour together (which I’m not very good at). I guess, somewhere in my brain, I realized that visiting rugged Iceland, with its unpredictable weather and rough roads, might go better if we had a local doing the driving. I wasn’t as wise about the weather in terms of dressing, but I did at least have enough common sense to look into finding us a guide/driver. Somehow, in the process of planning, I came across Iceland Luxury Tours.
I’m a big believer in reading reviews, although I do realize that a lot of people tend to write them when they’re either pissed off or very happy. I found many positive reviews of Iceland Luxury Tours on multiple sources, including Trip Advisor, which in my experience, often turns out to be the most accurate source of all. I review most of our travel experiences, and I try to be as honest as possible, even if I’ve had a mediocre time. I was impressed that Iceland Luxury Tours had many five star reviews and glowing comments, and only three four star ratings. It had not been rated lower by anyone. On Google, there were far fewer reviews, but the ones they had were all raving. So I asked Bill to contact them to see what they could do for us.
Bill sent an inquiry to Iceland Luxury Tours, and the owner, Sveinn Sigurður Kjartansson, was quick to respond. After Bill offered a budget, Sveinn proposed some itineraries. Then we tweaked the trip to suit our interests. For example, I am a big time horse lover. Iceland is famous for its Icelandic horses (and they are horses– not ponies). Sveinn added a visit to a horse farm to our trip. We like spas, so he added a visit to the Sky Lagoon. We’re not super fit or thrill seeking, so those kinds of activities were omitted. Later, when I realized that flying home on Friday, as we’d planned, would be significantly more expensive, we added a day. Sveinn added activities for that extra day.
How much did it cost?
Well, folks… I’ll be honest. This was a very expensive trip. Iceland Luxury Tours planned everything for us, to include our luxury hotels, breakfasts, private tours/tickets to several attractions, transfers to and from the airport, transportation to the Sky Lagoon, and five full days with our guide, Ivar, and a very capable Toyota Land Cruiser. I think Bill said it all came to about $17,300 or so… And then I booked round trip Saga Class (business) tickets on Icelandair, which was well worth doing, but not a cheap endeavor. I think the tickets were about $2500 for the two of us, give or take $100. Fortunately, we had the money to cover it, and a new travel credit card from PenFed that offers generous travel benefits.
Now, I do realize we could have done this trip much more cheaply, even with a guide. We could have scaled down the budget significantly and still had a memorable experience. But these days, I like to travel in comfort. I’ve had my fill of traveling cheaply… and believe me, I’ve done plenty of that in my lifetime! Luckily, Bill doesn’t mind being more comfortable, and we currently have the means to travel that way.
Although we don’t usually spend that much on our trips, it did occur to me that last year, we spent a couple of weeks in Scandinavia and spent well over $20,000. That trip included about a week on our own in Norway, a week on the Regent Splendor, and then a couple of nights in Denmark. So, this trip to Iceland, which is probably going to be our one big vacation this year, isn’t that far out of line for us. But I do want to reiterate– you don’t have to spend that much yourself. You can do fewer days with a guide, concentrate in a smaller area, do group tours instead of private ones, eat cheaper food… and avoid drinking alcohol. 😉
I do recommend hiring a guide, though, especially if you want to go to any rugged parts of the country. There will be more on that in the coming posts. When I start sharing photos and videos, you’ll certainly see why!
So… now it’s time to write the story of our first trip to Iceland. I hope you’ll join me on this very bumpy but exhilarating ride!
Bill got home from his latest business trip at about 3:30 PM. Because he was home early, we decided to go to the weekly market in our Dorfplatz. It was pretty quiet when we got there, as it was still kind of early. A couple of the usual vendors weren’t there. They were probably taking an Urlaub (vacation).
We decided to have some wine, so Bill got us a couple of glasses. When a table opened up, we claimed it. About ten minutes later, two women showed up and asked if they could sit with us. We said yes. One of them brought a beer with her and it slipped out of her hands. Fortunately, she caught it before it hit the ground.
Two minutes later, she lit up her first cigarette. Her friend joined her. Naturally, the wind was blowing my way, so her smoke was in my face. I said nothing and tried to keep my face passive as I secretly fumed. I fantasized about showing up at the next market with an oxygen tank.
Soon, a man in bright colored clothing sat down with us. He, too, lit up a cigarette. It was like they were trying to smoke us off the table. Another woman showed up. She started vaping. As I sat there, calmly drinking Riesling, then Cabernet Franc, breathing in the putrid smoke, I thought to myself… these are the people who look down on Americans for being fat, unhealthy, and obnoxious. But Americans don’t corner the market on rude, unhealthy, and obnoxious behavior. 😉
Never mind, though. While we sat there, Bill booked us another table at the fabulous Pizarro Fine Dining in Groß-Gerau. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might remember we went there the day before St. Patrick’s Day this year. It was a very expensive, but incredibly amazing, dinner for us. I am looking forward to another delightful evening of flavors that blow my mind… even if the menu is the same as it was last time (and I don’t think it is.)
While he was in Stuttgart, Bill managed to call our Hundepension. He left a message, and Natasha, Noyzi’s favorite babysitter, called back immediately. Bill explained that he’d been trying to get in touch. She said they hadn’t gotten his emails… and I’m assuming he had called, but never got voice mail. But, anyway, we were able to book Noyzi for June 7-11, so we can take a short trip. And we booked the first week of September, so now we can go to Iceland. That is, provided whatever is ailing me doesn’t cause a problem… I doubt it will, but you never know.
Bill said while he was in Stuttgart, the folks said they wanted him to come back June 11-13. He had to tell them he couldn’t, because he had “family business”. Part of that is wherever we’re going, and the other part is him dragging me to the doctor after 14 years. He really has to be here for it, because otherwise, I won’t be going. I know that sounds crazy… and if we were in the US, it would be less of an issue. But he’s already had to reschedule this appointment, which was originally scheduled for today. So he begged off on another TDY.
I still don’t want to see the doctor, but I’m somewhat less stressed about it right now. That will probably last until the day of the appointment. I have a feeling on June 13th, one week before my birthday, I will be freaking out a lot.
I actually do have a good feeling about it, though. I expect this doctor will be a decent one. He’s supposedly the chief of staff. And I expect whatever is wrong with me can and will be fixed. However, I also have a feeling that surgery might possibly be involved, which could really fuck up our plans. But maybe it won’t. Maybe I’ll just get some medications and a brief lecture with requisite German sternness. Or maybe the doctor will be the medical equivalent of Jimmy Buffett and just put a smile on my face. One can only hope, right?
If anything, I can write about it. People will read it, too. That’s one of those topics people are interested in… like wife spanking and nude spas. Don’t ask me how I know.
My update on our upcoming travel plans is… currently, we don’t have any!
There are a number of issues that are preventing us from making summer travel plans in 2024. The first one, and the most annoying one, is that once again, our Hund Pension is not answering the phone or email. This has happened before. They had issues with their phone system. I’m not sure if that’s the problem now, but it’s made planning travel impossible. I’m disappointed, too, because Memorial Day is coming up and we were hoping to get away.
The second issue is that we are expecting to bring a new dog into our home. Like Noyzi, this dog, name of Charlie, is from Kosovo. Noyzi and Charlie actually knew each other when Noyzi lived down there. Charlie has to travel to Germany, though, and that has been a trick to arrange. He might be up here next month. Perhaps it will even be in time for my birthday. We’ll see. But we want to make sure we’re here when he finally arrives. Then, once he gets here, he’s going to need some time to get used to us and settle in.
And the third issue is that I am finally– after 14 years– planning to see a doctor. I’ve been having some issues with my stomach for quite some time and I’m finally going to get the issue evaluated. I know some people think that’s crazy, especially since I have a background in healthcare. But the fact that I have a healthcare background is one reason why I have been dragging my feet on going. I hate dealing with doctors with a fiery passion… and because I have a tendency to struggle with depression, I get apathetic about life.
The doctor I’m planning to see is a local gastroenterologist… so that should be an intriguing experience for me. Bill has been to some German doctors. This will be my first. I suspect he will want to do some tests that will cause my anxiety levels to go off the charts. I suppose I’ll do what he suggests, if it means my stomach will stop cramping my style. That way, I can enjoy traveling again. Maybe it will help me get my voice back to normal, too.
Anyway, that will happen next month, and depending what the problem is, it could mean I’ll be busy with other stuff this summer. I have a feeling I might end up having surgery. Hopefully, I’m wrong. The upside is, I can write about the experiences here. I’m sure some people will be interested. I know people love reading about our nude spa experiences. 😉
We still have hopes of going to Iceland this year. That was planned for the fall. I hope to go to Spain, too, although maybe not until after the summer ends. I just hope the Hund pension picks up the phone, soon. Otherwise, we might have to go back to finding dog friendly pensions. I would rather not do that, since Noyzi is so big. On the other hand, he’s a good traveler, and doesn’t make as much noise as Zane and Arran did.
We didn’t do anything special over the weekend. It was too cold, and the weather was moody! It rained, sleeted, and even snow flurried a bit. Then the sun kept coming in and out, like a shy toddler hiding behind momma’s skirt.
Yuck!
Bill and I decided to stay home. I got some reading done, wrote two book reviews, and put together a new chair for my office. The chair is comfortable, but a little too low and reclined. I may not keep it as a desk chair, but move it to a bedroom. On the other hand, it may be easier to play guitar while sitting on it, since it doesn’t have arms.
I also like that it doesn’t have wheels, so it won’t roll when I don’t want it to.
I ordered a cushion to give me a boost. Right now, I’m sitting on a folded cushion that was supposed to go with my outdoor chairs.
Bill also did some cooking. He made a wonderful pizza on Saturday, and a girl drink for me. Yesterday, he baked cookies and homemade bread. Then, he made me a delightful breakfast this morning. We had toast made with the homemade bread, Black Forest ham, and a fried egg, garnished with fresh fruit. I am a very lucky person to have such a great guy in my life. He spoils me rotten.
Homemade pizzaFrozen Mudslide…Breakfast! The Black Forest ham was delicious!
We did get a quote from a tour company in Iceland this week. I think we will probably try to plan a trip there for 2024. I don’t know exactly when, but based on the proposal they sent us, I think it will be epic… and very expensive! But it’s a bucket list item, and I look forward to finding more photos for my blog.
It may be hard to believe, but over the weekend, Schauinsland, where we were a couple of weeks ago, was covered in snow! When we visited in early April, it was green and gorgeous, with spring bursting out all over the place and surprisingly warm temperatures. But the places we visited all got dumped with snow over this past weekend. I guess it just goes to show you that the weather in Germany can be very unpredictable, even when spring is well underway. Click here to see the current conditions on their Web cam. As I write this, it still looks like a winter wonderland!
I just went outside to deal with Noyzi’s “business”. It’s still quite cold outside, although at least the sun is shining. I’m about ready for this crappy weather to vamoose. I want to get back into enjoying Europe and planning more trips. But I’m sure this will be the last cold snap until September or so. Maybe. We’ll see.
I wish I had more to report, but our weekend was spent hanging out, eating, drinking, listening to music, watching YouTube, and listening to music. It wasn’t a bad way to spend the time, but it doesn’t make for the most exciting travel posts.
Edited to add: Here’s a tribute video I just put up in honor of Dickey Betts, of The Allman Brothers. It features waterfalls I’ve encountered on our travels in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia. But we didn’t always have “blue skies” when I did the filming…
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