Bill went by the art gallery yesterday, and picked up the pieces we had framed. Below are some photos of the results. I’m very happy with the work Kunst-Schaefer in downtown Wiesbaden did. As usual, they did a great job! I am especially delighted by how Amy’s painting looks. The frame really makes the art stand out beautifully!
This is new art done by our friend, Bruce, who, along with his wife, fostered our late dog, Arran.My friend Amy painted this portrait of Paddy’s Run in Virginia. This was a wedding gift that badly needed framing!I put Bruce’s art on the wall by the stairs.My favorite painting bought in the Czech Republic in 2009. It was done by a Russian painter named Nikolai Korelov.Korelov did this one, too.I bought the above painting in Prague in 2008 at a gallery run by an Armenian. I surprised him by speaking Armenian.
Bill said that before he gave them a VAT form, the framing cost about 800 euros. After the VAT, it was significantly less… I think it was about 650 euros or so. I’ll have to ask. Anyway, I am very pleased… We have more art that needs framing, plus a lovely photo of Bill’s daughter’s family. I’m sure we’ll be back to the gallery soon!
Bill has to go on a business trip, starting tomorrow. He will be gone for about twelve days. I just bought a piece of art from a friend of ours that needed to be framed, so Bill and I decided to go to downtown Wiesbaden to drop off the new art, as well as four unframed paintings we’ve had for years.
We have used Kunst-Schaefer several times already for other art we’ve had framed. They’ve always done a great job making sure our artwork looks fabulous. So, after a quick pee stop at the Karstadt Galleria, we went there today, and spent about an hour or so picking out frames… and then we got into a discussion about US politics (naturally). When the work is done, we’ll owe about 800 or 900 euros, give or take… I’ll miss having that artwork at home to look at, too. But one of the paintings we’re having done is my favorite, and we’ve had it for about 16 years. It’s time it had a proper frame.
Once we were done ordering our framing, we decided to go look for some lunch. We wound up trying Pizza Punto It, a popular Italian place near the big market square. I’ve passed that place a bunch of times, but it’s always been busy. Even today, it was bustling when we stopped in. I could tell why when I smelled the aroma in there. They make good pizzas!
I don’t often get pizzas in Germany, but today I made an exception and had a Pizza Garnele, which had tomato sauce, mozzarella, fried shrimps, and garlic. Bill went with the Positano, which had pepperoni sausage, dried tomatoes, black olives, and capers, along with the usual tomato sauce and cheese. We both brought home leftovers, after we paid a 45 euro bill (which included two Weizens). The shrimp on the pizza was okay, but I prefer my pizzas a little more American style. Next time, maybe I’ll just get a Margherita.
Service was friendly and professional, and I was enjoying the 80s era music, which took me back to my school days. The weather is nice today, but I decided to come home and relax. Bill went to get some provisions for when he’s away. Always a good provider, he is…
I’m really looking forward to seeing how the artwork turns out and giving our home a new look. You’d think that having been raised by a professional picture framer, I’d be better about getting my art professionally framed. It’s not all that cheap, though. We do, at least, get a break on the tax. Kunst-Schaefer takes the VAT form.
Well, I think I will now go have a rest… Below are a few photos of our neighborhood mallards, who made an appearance yesterday as I walked the dogs.
In a couple of weeks, Bill and I will be going on yet another exciting trip. It’s one I’ve been eagerly anticipating for years. We’re going to Yerevan, Armenia, where I spent 27 months in my 20s as a Peace Corps Volunteer, teaching English as a foreign language to Armenian kids. One of my former pupils got a job as a assistant director with Peace Corps/Armenia. He’s been bugging me to visit my old stomping grounds for years.
The last time we did a Champagne Bucket drawing, Armenia won. So, on November 10th, we’ll begin our journey, arriving in the wee hours of November 11th. I don’t know why, but in the thirty years Armenia has been a part of my life, they’ve never managed to schedule flights that come and go at reasonable times.
A really cute souvenir shop in Wiesbaden, with the “biggest cuckoo clock in the world”. I thought that was in Triberg!
Bill and I will celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary, and my former student will be celebrating a birthday. I decided I wanted to bring a gift to Yerevan, so we went to Wiesbaden and finally visited a cute souvenir shop I’ve passed dozens of times in the almost five years we’ve lived in this area. It has a big cuckoo clock out front that people gather around to watch. I didn’t go there for a cuckoo clock, but I did manage to find something to bring with me to Armenia, with help from one of the employees, who was attentive from the minute we walked into the place. I like to browse unbothered when I go into a business. But anyway, she was nice, and we managed to find a couple of things to help my former student remember me forever. 😉
As we were paying, the proprietor, an older man (probably Julius Stern himself), asked if Bill works for the military. Bill answered affirmatively, so he told us we could bring in a VAT (value added tax exemption) form and get the sales tax back, if we wanted. I doubt Bill will bother, since the VAT forms cost money, and the amount we’d get back wouldn’t really be worth the trouble. They seemed kind of charmed that Bill could speak some German, and asked if we liked living in Germany. We said we love it here, and we’ll stay as long as we don’t get kicked out. And the guy said, “I doubt that will happen.” Isn’t it amazing, the difference in attitudes regarding foreigners? Here, people are mostly welcoming. In the United States, we hear lots of talk about “illegals”. Of course, Bill and I are here legally, and we like to spend money… as the shopkeeper noted.
It was lunchtime, so we decided to drop by Martino Kitchen, a really nice restaurant we hadn’t been to since before the pandemic. We were warmly welcomed by a very handsome young Black man who spoke perfect, unaccented English (or, more precisely, he sounded like a very cultured American). We took a table near the front window, which I preferred to the chef’s table in the back. I like watching the chef working, but there are also a bunch of mirrors back there. I don’t like looking at myself when I’m eating… or really, even when I’m not eating.
Bill and I both decided to have pasta dishes– carbonara for me, and truffle pasta for him. The pasta came with excellent, fresh, brown bread, and we both had wine and a glass of sparkling water. I had a glass of primitivo, while Bill had a delightful cuvee, and I liked his wine so much that I had a glass of that with dessert– a kind of cheesecake for me, and a trio of sorbet/ice cream for Bill. The cuvee tasted like strawberries when I drank it straight, but when I combined it with the plums that came with the cheesecake, it tasted like a really nice fruit punch.
Truffle pasta…Carbonara pasta. White chocolate ice cream, multivitamin sorbet, and mandarin orange yogurt.Schmand (sour cream) cheesecake with plums and multivitamin sorbet.
After our lunch at Martino Kitchen, we went next door to Trüffel Feinkost, a really nice little gourmet shop. Bill found a couple of wines, while I snuck some photos of the shop’s interior. I love these little gourmet places in Europe.
We walked back to the parking garage, stopping to watch tourists watch the “biggest cuckoo clock in the world” chime on the hour. You can see in the photo, Wiesbaden is very gay friendly, too.
Next, we headed on post to the Shoppette, where Bill fueled up the Volvo with gas, and then the commissary, where we bought provisions for me. I experienced a slight case of culture shock as I mingled among fellow Americans. I don’t remember the last time I was in the commissary before yesterday. It’s not a place I love visiting.
Bill is leaving for Bavaria again this afternoon, and he’ll be gone until November 8th. It’s going to suck, but I think I’m going to try to make good use of the time. Perhaps I’ll make some more music videos, get some reading and writing done, and get on the proverbial wagon, so I don’t end up needing medical services in Yerevan. 😉
We were going to carve jack o’lanterns yesterday, but the weather sucked too much, and it was getting dark. I didn’t want to do them inside because of the mess. I thought maybe we’d do them today, but it’s still raining. So, I’ll probably carve both of them tomorrow, if we don’t do them before Bill leaves this afternoon.
This isn’t the most exciting post, but in a couple of weeks, I expect I’ll have a lot to write about. I know I have a few readers who will be interested, because they were in Armenia with me, back in the day. So stay tuned… and wish me luck over the next ten days or so.
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