Tag Archives: wine stands

German lifestyle, Hessen, United States

Photos from last night’s wine stand, and the last thing I have to do for my driver’s license…

Today, we have to go to Ramstein and visit the optometry store, so I can get one last requirement for an updated Texas driver’s license fulfilled. For some reason, Texas is now requiring people to get peripheral vision tests. I have never, in the 38 years I’ve had a driver’s license, had to get this particular test done for a renewal. I’m not even sure if every Texas driver has to do it now. But anyway, the local optometry clinic can’t do that test, so we have to go to Ramstein. Hopefully, we’ll get it done; I’ll pass (which shouldn’t be a problem); and my new license will soon be on its way.

This week, we sent the people in Texas a properly filled out form, and proof that I’m a Texas resident. That also turned into a bit of an ordeal, because I never got my updated voter card, which is the one other document I have that proves I vote in Texas and am, therefore, officially a resident. I think things got messed up when I tried to vote in the primaries, earlier this year, and unwittingly changed the address on the paperwork to our old house in Texas, rather than my mother-in-law’s apartment. So, although Bill got his voter card, I never got mine. It probably went to our old address.

Fortunately, I was able to prove my status because I could go to the Texas Secretary of State’s Web site and find myself listed as an active Texas voter. BUT– in order to do ANY of this shit, you pretty much must use a VPN. It’s like the people of Texas have forgotten that there are a lot of military affiliated people who reside in their state and need to stay in touch with state officials. They don’t ever mention needing a VPN, so you kind of have to figure it out for yourself, which can be pretty annoying.

I often forget about the need for a VPN, so it can be frustrating trying to get stuff like this done. VPNs also typically cost money. I don’t understand why they have to block people from foreign countries, since anyone can get a VPN to circumvent that shit, anyway. People with nefarious purposes will certainly be doing that, or something worse, to get at that boring bureaucratic data.

Anyway… after breakfast, our plan is to head to Ramstein so I can get that last bit accomplished and maintain my legal right to drive. Updating my license has been more of a pain than usual; that’s for sure! I needed new photos, money to pay for the license, an expanded eye test, paperwork, and proof of residence. Phew… but at least I didn’t have to stand in line at the actual office.

Moving on…

Last night, our village had a wine stand. It was hosted by the fire department, and was very well attended. I got some photos, and we had a nice visit with people in our neighborhood, Gabby and Boris. They are always so nice to us, but they don’t speak much English. We had to ask their names again, because we don’t see them often enough to remember… although I never forget their kind faces, and I also remember that Gabby’s birthday is in June, like mine is!

The wine was the usual stuff… Rieslings, Cabernets, Feinherbs, and a few non-alcoholic choices. We stayed for a couple of hours, and by the time we left, it was really busy! I love these wine stands, and the sense of community that I feel here. It’s a great way for people to mingle with their neighbors, and prevent loneliness. We feel welcome, and it’s such a blessing to know that no gun nuts are going to show up and be violent… which is more than we can say for our homeland…

I never noticed this tree blooming before. How pretty!
Flashy fire department van!

Well… I’m sure we’ll have an interesting experience in Ramstein today. Please wish me luck on getting this last bit of my driver’s license saga accomplished! I look forward to having one last thing to worry about on a long list of things to worry about…

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Hessen

A lovely wine stand last night…

Happy Saturday, y’all. Bill has to go to Greece on Monday, and he’ll be back Friday, I think. It will be a boring week for me, but maybe I can work on some music projects I’ve been wanting to do. Or maybe I’ll even make a travel video, or two…

For now, though, I want to write about last night’s wine stand. We had really nice weather, so there was an excellent turn out. I believe the stand was hosted by Breckenheim’s bike club. I don’t know for sure, but all of the folks in the kiosk were wearing black t-shirts with bikes on them.

We ran into our American neighbors last night, a same sex couple who live near us and have two kids. I had already run into one of them three times, as I walked the dogs yesterday. They ended up sitting near us, and we caught up on things. Prior to their arrival, we were just sitting quietly at a table, drinking wine. They didn’t have too many that were dry, last night.

Another American couple, their kids, and it looked like maybe the grandparents, also sat near us. We haven’t met that couple. In fact, I only know that the female half of it is from the US. She made it plain that she’s American, because she was wearing a t-shirt that featured a brewery chain that was founded in my home state of Virginia. They seemed to leave rather abruptly. I noticed it was just after I took a photo of Bill, laughed and said a touch too loudly that he looked constipated. 🤣

As they were leaving, I leaned over to Bill and said, “I guess they thought they were the only gays in the village.” (a reference to Little Britain, which is a hilarious British show we discovered the first time we lived in Germany) I don’t know if that’s actually why they left, but it wouldn’t be the first time I turned someone off by saying something “shitty”. 🤭

Or maybe it was just a coincidence that they left after I revealed where we are from… 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, we caught up with our neighbors, and just after we left, that American guy Alan, whom we met a few weeks ago, also showed up. But by the time he got there, we needed to pee, and didn’t want to use the toilet in the Dorfplatz. So we left… But I did get a few photos. Notice how packed it got! We also had some Spundekäs, which is a local delicacy up here in Hessen/Rheinland Pfalz. I’ve never seen it offered in the Stuttgart area.

Our neighbors said Alan had told them he’d met us, but he got our names wrong and called us “Brad and Janet”. We broke into the Rocky Horror Picture Show song, “Dammit, Janet”. 🤣 And we talked about how we managed to see that movie acted out. It’s not so easy, these days, to find showings of Rocky Horror, where people act out the scenes as the movie plays. I saw it presented that way just once, back in the early 90s, at the Naro Expanded Cinema in Norfolk, Virginia.

Constipated?

I do really enjoy living in Breckenheim. It’s a nice place to be, even if some of the people who build houses here are perverted. By the way, I’ve been working hard to avoid seeing that guy, and I’ve succeeded, as far as I can tell. Or maybe he got fired. I don’t know, but as long as he’s not exposing himself to me, it’s all good.

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Charlie and Noyzi, crime

Ducks, dicks, and degenerates… He did it again. 🤬

In my last post, I wrote about an unfortunate encounter the dogs and I had with a pervert who is helping to build a new home on our street. That experience freaked me out a bit, and I hoped it was a “one off”. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Yesterday, I walked Noyzi and Charlie again. It was a relatively pleasant day, although it was a bit cooler and more overcast than it was on Thursday. I was taking the dogs out later, because I got busy on a music project and had technical difficulties that delayed me. So, it was around 1:45 PM when the dogs took their walk yesterday. I was relieved to see several people working on the house yesterday when I passed it. There were even a couple of teenagers doing some work there.

My usual route takes me over a bridge that spans over a creek. I was happy to see the ducks in the creek, so I took a few photos. The ducks usually seem to come out more at this time of year, which results in some very nice photo opportunities.

As I passed the house again, on my way home, I looked up on the balcony, and there was that guy again. I wasn’t sure it was him at first, but he smiled at me and said “Hallo.” He had his pants up, much to my relief.

I said a curt “Hallo” and hurried home. I took a shower, changed into something more comfortable, and ate lunch. As I was cleaning up the lunch dishes, I noticed the trash receptacles were stinky from salmon packaging Bill threw in there. So, even though the bins weren’t full, I decided to empty them. As I was walking back to the house, I looked up, and I saw that worker, once again, very confidently lower his pants while standing on the unfinished balcony.

My jaw dropped as, once again, I witnessed this man apparently urinating up there, his junk on full display for everyone to see. Across the street from our house is a home with a balcony. The male half of the couple living there was on the balcony putting up a shade. He was fixated on the shade, and apparently didn’t notice what was going on across the street.

I watched the worker for a minute or so. He was not at all in. a hurry or worried about who would see him. As I passed the house yesterday, I confirmed that anyone could see him standing there with his private parts hanging out. There is no solid barrier to block the view.

I looked outside again a little while later, to see if he was still exposing himself from the balcony. I didn’t see him then, but when I went out on our front balcony, I looked over to that house and took a photo. I looked down, and the guy was there by his car, looking up at me. I wonder if he thought I took a picture of him. I didn’t… but below, you can see what the balcony looks like from our house, and from just under it, where I saw the man’s genitals.

From my house’s front balcony. There is no barrier preventing anyone from seeing on the balcony.
This was about where I was standing when I saw the man peeing. He was between the two far left pillars on the balcony. The scaffolding did not block the view.

I told Bill about what happened, and I’m considering filing a police report. I don’t want to invite trouble, but that house is right next to a school. There are kids and elderly people who live in this neighborhood. Above all, I DON’T WANT TO SEE THIS PERSON’S PRIVATE PARTS! It’s annoying, creepy, shocking, and disgusting. I shouldn’t have to tolerate that shit. It’s a CRIME.

We did have a good wine stand last night, even though it was a bit chilly. That very friendly elderly German couple joined us last night, and we tried to speak terrible German with them. I showed them some pictures from our wedding, and a few from my horsey days. The lady saw a photo of my mom and asked if that was my sister! I’ll have to tell her about that. It will make her day! I got a couple of photos of a plane passing, too… We’re right on the flight course to Frankfurt.

Today, I have plans to go on post, get an eye exam and a passport photo, and pick up a couple of items I need. Texas has told us we can renew my driver’s license by mail, since we’re still living out of state. That’s a relief, because I don’t want to have to go back to Texas just to update my license, and I don’t particularly want to trade my license for a German version. Let me just say, it was a real PITA to get a live person in Texas to tell us this was going to work. AI is a pox on customer service. But at least I’ll still be legal to drive after my birthday in June.

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art, Hessen

Our new art and one last wine stand for 2025…

On the third Saturday in September, Bill and I took some more art to Kunst-Schaefer in downtown Wiesbaden to get two new prints from Hungary framed, and have some other art re-framed. Bill picked up the finished projects a couple of days ago. Below are some photos of the results. The first photo is of our new Hungarian acquisitions. I always wish I’d bought more art when I get new stuff!

The above photo is of two sketches we bought from Dariusz Milinski in Jelena Gora, Poland, back in 2008. They were originally in platinum with beige matting and plastic, instead of glass. I’m not even sure if they were actual sketches or copies. But our experience buying them makes them pretty special to us. It’s nice to have them in new framing. I wish we could get back there and buy one of Milinski’s paintings. They are pretty amazing, even if he’s a bit of a nutter.

The ones in the middle are paintings we got in Vilnius, Lithuania, all done by the same lady. She was pretty happy when we bought her art. I am happy to see the paintings in new frames, although I wish I’d asked the picture framer to touch up the edges so they aren’t white. But I got some magic markers, so I can fix that issue without too much trouble. Sometimes being the daughter of a professional picture framer comes in handy.

On Friday night, we went to the wine stand. It was kind of cool outside, and the sky was a bit cloudy, but we had a great time. It was mainly because of that friendly German couple who always sit with us, even though we speak little German, and they speak little English. Google Translate is very helpful in that situation. At one point, the lady asked how long we’ve lived here. She probably wonders why I don’t speak better German. I do actually know a lot more than I used to, but it’s hard to speak in German. I have no one to practice with on a regular basis.

I told the lady that I can only sing in German. It’s a bit of a joke, because I did used to sing German songs a lot, when I was in my 20s. When you take voice lessons, that’s what happens. You learn songs by composers who wrote in German or Italian… or sometimes French and Latin.

She was curious about my musical pursuits, so I played a video from my YouTube channel. I chose this one, because the song is short, and I did a pretty decent job with it… Who doesn’t love Dolly Parton?

I think they were surprised…

She mentioned Breckenheim’s pop choir, led by our neighbor and the co-owner of our veterinarian practice, Dr. Konrad Blendinger, who is also a musician and songwriter. She was quick to tell me they do songs in English. I’ve seen them perform a few times. Dr. Blendinger has even written an original song about Breckenheim!

It would be fun to be in a pop choir… sometimes it’s hard to feel like a joiner, when you’re an outsider. But this couple is always so warm and welcoming to us. It makes me smile, knowing that there’s at least one local couple besides our landlord and immediate neighbors, who think we’re okay. 😁 I’m glad to meet locals in Wiesbaden, too. They’re more mature than some of the “friends” I made in Stuttgart.

Our town also just got a charging station for electric vehicles. Apparently, there was some controversy about this new development. I think they’re putting in a couple more stations at the Sportsplatz on the other side of town. Personally, I think it’s cool… just like I thought it was cool that they installed a public WC for events in the Dorfplatz. I love to see the community develop so people can have nice things. I wish Americans were more like this.

A wave of the future…

I took few photos at the wine stand, because it was kind of dark outside. I think there will be one more this year, but I’m not sure I’ll attend. Bill has to go to Bavaria again, so I’ll be alone when it happens. Maybe I’ll attend solo… but probably not. I like to teetotal when he’s not home. Besides, a lot of times, no one talks to us except the American pastor/lawyer who lives nearby. And she’s a very popular lady, so it’s not like she visits extensively. So, if I did go to the wine stand, it might not be much fun. I might get more out of watching political pundits on YouTube.

Anyway… it was a really nice time. Once again, I’m grateful to live in Breckenheim, which is a great little community with a good manager who makes sure the people are entertained. Bill says there’s a little fair going on at the Dorfplatz as I write this– something they haven’t done there since 2009. And there’s the Apple Fest in Wiesbaden, too, although I’m not sure if I want to go there. I probably should go, since I’m about to be lonely for three weeks. 🙁

But, on the other hand, I’m glad Bill has a job and is still getting paid to work. So, you gotta count your blessings where you find them, I guess. In other news… the vet called us while we were at the wine stand and told us Noyzi’s cytology report came back. He had a raw spot on his leg that we had tested for cancer. It was negative– he just has a bit of dermatitis. So that’s good news, too!

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Hessen

Last night’s wine stand and upcoming travel plans…

There was a wine stand last night, but Bill and I almost didn’t go because it looked like it was going to rain. However, because I’ve been way too cooped up lately, we decided it would be a good thing to attend and support the hosts. So we went and enjoyed the somewhat agreeable temperatures, even if the sun was behind clouds. I didn’t even bother to wear a sweater. I didn’t get many photos, because it was a relaxed gathering. We could have brought the dogs with no problem.

Last night’s wine stand was a fairly low key affair, as I think a lot of people are either on vacation due to school holidays, or they had the same idea that it might rain. Nevertheless, we ended up meeting an interesting person last night. She heard us speaking English and came over to ask us if we knew any lawyers who could help her with a problem her “niece” was having. I got the sense that maybe she was actually the “niece”, given how urgent and personally invested she seemed about the issue… which I seem to recall had to do with money, the US military, and local taxation. Bill spoke to her longer than I did, since he knows more about military policies than I do.

In the end, we told her there’s an American lawyer who lives in our village and works in Frankfurt. Maybe she knows someone who can help her with her problem. In fact, she even got up and went to their house last night, but they weren’t home. My guess is that the lawyer and her spouse took their kids on a trip somewhere. We were trying to tell us who the American lawyer is, and another German lady sitting with us spoke up and told her about her in German.

What was especially interesting was that the woman, whose name I didn’t catch, though she gave Bill her former business card, spoke absolutely flawless English. She said she had lived and worked in Washington, DC for a long time. She even knew about Fredericksburg, Virginia, and we had a good laugh, because Bill and I used to live in Fredericksburg 22 years ago, just before and after our wedding. And then I told her that I grew up about 90 miles south of Fredericksburg. Then we had a chuckle about how redneck parts of Virginia still are.

I sensed that maybe she’d married an American and they were now having issues with taxes… or maybe she really does have a niece with that problem. I don’t know. The wine might have made things less clear. She said she no longer works, although she still has business cards. I noticed that it looked like she was wearing a wig, but who knows why… She did say that Breckenheim started the local wine stand tradition some twenty years ago or so.

When it started getting darker and we both needed to pee, we went home to the dogs, who were very excited to see us. Charlie even pulled his bed into the dining room so he could hang out with us in comfort.

We have a short break coming up at the end of the month in Bad Wörishofen, Bavaria. After that, Bill has to go to Mons, Belgium for work. Since it’s right before our 22nd wedding anniversary, and about a four hour drive, he invited me to go with him. So that’s what we will do this year. Go to Belgium so he can work and I can enjoy some museums and beer, then afterwards, book at stay at a nice hotel in Belgium or The Netherlands and celebrate our anniversary.

Facebook has already suggested a lovely looking hotel in Nistelrode, The Netherlands. The hotel is on a golf course. We don’t golf, but we can appreciate the beauty and quiet of golf courses. Maybe we’ll go there, or maybe I’ll something even better. I’ll keep looking.

It’s hard to believe we celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary in Armenia last year. The year has flown by, and a lot has happened. I’m glad we got to go there last year… I’d love to go back again sometime, if the opportunity presents itself. I had meant for us to visit Spain for our anniversary, but Bill’s work schedule won’t accommodate that this year. Maybe we’ll go sometime in the winter.

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Hessen

A few photos from last night’s wine stand…

We had really beautiful weather last night, so Bill and I decided to go to the wine stand. We saw some familiar faces and even tried out our German with an older couple we met at a previous wine stand. We also enjoyed the company of a very sweet dog who reminded me of our departed Arran.

Last night’s wine stand was hosted by the volleyball club…

He was so cute!

I love how friendly and social our neighborhood is. People really seem to get along well here. We didn’t bring Noyzi and Charlie, because we figured it would be too crowded. I think we were right. I probably should drink more apple juice and water instead of wine, but it is a lot of fun to share libations with our community!

Next week, they’re going to have an Oktoberfest. That should be a lot of fun, too!

Tonight, we’re going to Wiesbaden to try a new restaurant. Hopefully, it will be a good experience I can write about tomorrow.

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Hessen, trip planning

Our last wine stand in August…

We had really pleasant weather last night. It was warm and sunny, but not too hot. Bill and I decided to go to the wine stand, but we left Noyzi and Charlie at home. It was pretty well attended last night, so it was probably good that we didn’t take them with us.

The wine was pretty good last night– better than usual, actually. I didn’t wake up with a hangover! And the company was especially fun. We ran into the American couple who live around the corner from us, and their two kids. A German lady who sat with us last time we went to the wine stand greeted us warmly.

And the pretzels and Spundekäs were both totally off the chain! The pretzels were very fresh and tasted like they had just come from the oven. The Spundekäs was creamy and tasted like it was made “mit Musik” (with music– raw onions that supposedly make one fart more). I already fart a lot anyway, so I don’t know if that’s a real thing. I determined that I liked it better with the onions. This is a very special cheese dip to the Rheingau region. It originated in Mainz, which is about twenty to thirty minutes away from where we live. The only time I ever saw anything like it near Stuttgart was when we visited the home of a guy who married a woman from Hanau. And she had Handkäse, which isn’t really the same thing. I doubt I would like Handkäse.

I got some photos of the event. Most of the usual people were there, so it wasn’t super unusual or exciting. Once again, I was very glad to be in our little village, which has become my favorite of the three I’ve lived in during our German sojourns.

The pretzels were so good!
So was the Spundekäs!
Charming Schnauzer who behaved very well.
I love these gatherings!

Next week, we’ll be in Iceland, enjoying everything… I don’t know how much travel blogging I’ll have the time and energy to do while we’re gone. We have a pretty full schedule. But I’ll do my best to at least share some photos. Hopefully, we’ll have good weather.

We came home last night to our dogs and enjoyed a light repast as we closed out another week here in Deutschland… I can’t believe we’ve now been here for ten years!

Tater tots, cucumbers, hummus, and pita…
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Hessen

A very popular wine stand… attended by Noyzi!

Last night, the weather was nice, so Bill and I decided to attend the wine stand hosted by the Feuerwehr Wiesbaden Breckenheim. They also hosted the wine stand at the weekly market this week, but I didn’t venture down the hill for that.

I probably shouldn’t go to the wine stands, given the state of my liver these days… On the other hand, I was on the proverbial wagon while Bill was away on yet another business trip. I will be on it again later this month, when he goes to Texas for work and then visits his daughter in Utah. So yes, we tried some wines last night, and Noyzi had a good time getting used to be out among the neighbors. He was pretty nervous for the first hour or so, but then calmed down and even relaxed on the pavement a few times.

One thing I noticed last night was that there were so many children at the wine stand. Normally, the community events in Breckenheim are very family friendly and popular, but last night, it seemed especially so. There were so many kids there, and they were so incredibly innocent and beautiful. As I watched a group of them playing with toy dinosaurs, I noticed how they managed to be so effortlessly gorgeous. Then I realized, there was probably a time when Bill and I were like that… In fact, it seems like it wasn’t so long ago that I was young. And now, I am well into middle age, starting to experience the “joys” of chronic health issues. Time flies!

At one point, this very ethereal looking little boy, maybe about two years old, came over and obviously wanted to pet Noyzi. He warmed my heart with his platinum blond hair and blue eyes, and his obvious affection for dogs. I noticed his mom was similarly dog friendly. She’s to be commended for teaching her children to respect dogs as well as they did. The little boy has an older sister who, I swear, looked like a literal angel in her white cotton dress. Like her little brother, she had big blue eyes and blonde hair. I imagine that she will be quite stunning when she’s older. The kids were all very well-behaved, too.

I hope these effusive comments about beautiful children don’t seem weird or creepy to anyone. I was really just observing that moment in time, remembering how it doesn’t seem that long ago that I was still a child, untouched by the relentless march of time and the sins against my health. But, unlike most of the children I saw last night, I was a bit of a terror. 😉 See the below early 80s era photo of me with my cousins at our Granny’s house in Virginia…

I’m the one in the red nightgown. I look kind of devilish with my bowl haircut and baby toothed snarl.

Below are some photos from last night. You can see that it got crowded. I love watching Breckenheimers at wine stands, interacting with their friends and relatives. So many of the people in this village act like they’re long lost relatives. Some of them probably are… as this town seems to have a lot of families within it. It reminds me of my own family in the States, back before politics ruined everything.

I took this a couple of days ago. One of my neighbors has interesting taste in decor.
People never want to sit with us, until there’s no choice…
Noyzi was a little nervous a few times, but he settled down.
Noyzi was so good! He’ll always be my kid.
Always a provider.
I should have videoed this… Noyzi’s little tail was wagging.

I’m not sure what we’ll do today. There was some talk about visiting Darmstadt. Maybe we’ll do that. Maybe not. It’s nice to have Bill home again. I’m glad July is almost half over. It’s usually a terrible month for me.

One more development pertaining to travel… Bill made a deposit on our Iceland trip yesterday!

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Bulgaria, Champagne Bucket trips

A celebratory wine stand…

It’s no secret that I am not a Trump fan. I was pretty glad to hear that he was convicted on all 34 counts of his hush money trial on Thursday. I am delighted that New Yorkers are holding him accountable for his many crimes.

I spent a good portion of May making parody songs/satire on YouTube. I did so because it’s fun for me, but also because it helps me cope and process. I’m proud to report that several of my joke songs are pretty popular, even though I’ve also had to deal with a lot of trolls.

Anyway, since there was a scheduled wine stand last night, Bill and I decided to attend. We didn’t bring Noyzi with us, probably because we didn’t think we’d hang out there for long. The weather has gone back to being cool and cloudy. I even brought a sweater, because it was kind of chilly. It was crazy weather for the last day of May, even for Germany.

Bill and I enjoyed a few glasses of local wine and I took a few photos. We noticed that the local kita (kindergarten) is looking for help. I thought it was funny that they used Uncle Sam on their advert. They had sausage, pretzels, and Spundekäs, which is a local delicacy I’ve written about on this blog. In retrospect, we probably should have had some. It would have spared me this morning’s hangover.

Uncle Sam is everywhere!
I sang the Road Runner theme song to get this smile.

At one point, a little boy came over and started talking to us. Bill finally had to explain to him (in German) that we’re English speakers. I wish we could have chatted more with him. He was a cute kid who reminded me of Bill’s eldest grandson.

We do have a trip booked for next weekend. Friday afternoon, we’re flying to Sofia, Bulgaria for a long weekend. We did a Champagne bucket draw to make our decision. Originally, Dubrovnik won, but I was worried about it being totally overrun with tourists at this time of year. So we did another draw, and Sofia won. Bill and I have both already been there. I went in 1996, traveling by bus and crashing on the floor at a fellow Peace Corps Volunteer’s apartment, and Bill went for work in 2008. When Bill went, he didn’t have a chance to see much. I saw a lot, but that was 28 years ago, and things have evolved since then. We’re also upgrading our travel modes and lodging.

I expect we’ll have a good time… and then, it’ll be time for me to encounter the German healthcare system, at long last. I dread it, but maybe the doctor can help me feel better, so I can continue to fight the MAGA loving trolls who just want me to shut up and color. We don’t have any plans for my 52nd birthday… but maybe we’ll have a new dog by then. We’ll see.

As for Trump… I’m sure he’ll still be in appeals of this case when he finally kicks the bucket. It’s just amazing that some people finally held him accountable for something. So that, alone, is reason enough for me to smile through the pain.

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Hessen, markets

Socializing at the weekly market…

Last night, I told Bill I wanted to go to the weekly market. We hadn’t been in a long time, and I was thinking I’d like to see if the Metzgerei from Mainz that usually attends had any interesting looking cold cuts. Originally I wanted Bill to go down there by himself, but he asked me to go with him. So I put on some warm clothes (it’s still pretty cold here) and walked down there with him.

We left Noyzi at home, because I didn’t want him to run into that jackass who swatted at him last year. I didn’t see him there last night, but there were several dogs. Maybe it was better that we didn’t bring Noyzi, because although he’s very sweet and friendly, he does get excited when he sees other dogs. There might be a wine stand tonight. If there is, and we attend, maybe he can go to that. He does love the wine stands.

We ended up buying some very heavy bread, fresh asparagus and tomatoes, and several kinds of cold cuts. Then we decided to have a glass of wine. Bill actually hadn’t wanted to, because he had an online appointment with his Jungian therapist. But I live for wine in the Dorfplatz… so we had one, and then our landlord showed up and we hung out with him for an hour. He bought us another round of wine. His wife later joined us. I was reminded, yet again, why we really like Breckenheim and living up here in Wiesbaden. People are very friendly, especially for Germans. 😉 But maybe that’s because my first experiences living in Germany were in Swabia.

Below are a few photos. I wish I’d gotten one of a dog we saw on our way back up the hill. He looked just like his owner, complete with mustache! Both dog and owner seemed very friendly. I would have liked to have talked to them, but Bill was in a hurry.

This dog was such a sweetheart.

I love that we can just walk down the hill from our house every Thursday and buy fresh food. Then afterwards, we can have some wine and hang out with the locals. Maybe things have changed in the United States, but I don’t remember ever being able to do this with ease back home. And it’s so nice to have landlords who are also really good neighbors.

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