Last night, Bill and I attended the final wine stand of August 2026. We almost didn’t go, because Bill was supposed to have a late meeting. The weather was also a bit unpredictable. We had some much needed rain during the day, which also dropped the temperature a lot.
Bill got home at just before 6:00 PM, which is when the wine stands start. There were some clouds in the sky, but they had parted for sunlight. And we’re probably going to miss the next wine stand, because Bill has to go to Budapest, and I don’t go to them when he’s not home. So we decided to go, and in spite of a few side eyes and dirty looks from some of the elderly folks who attended, we had a nice time.
Below is a photo dump from last night. We didn’t end up talking to anyone for a significant length of time. But we did have some nice local wines from Weingut Faust, and enjoyed people watching. We also had sausages for dinner… which ended up not being enough for me, as I woke up pretty hungry this morning.
I focused on taking pictures of Bill… 😉
I had a Rindswurst– made of beef. Bill had a Bratwust– made of pork.We left at about 9:00 PM. Things were winding down.
We came back home and had a chat. I got a little depressed about the state of the world, and a string of losses. We lost Dolly Parton, Tim Curry, Jaye P. Morgan (of The Gong Show), and Shelley Fabares…
But I also lost an old friend/co-worker/classmate, who died unexpectedly. She wasn’t a close friend, and I hadn’t seen her in person in decades. I rarely interacted with her on Facebook. But she worked with me at my very first paying job. It turns out I had some thoughts about this sudden event, which came out last night.
I probably should have just taken a look at the pictures I got of Noyzi and Charlie the other day. I confess, in the top row of photos, they were looking like that because they were hoping I would share my lunch with them. In the bottom two, they were waiting for bedtime. Noyzi never lies on that blanket. It’s usually where Charlie sleeps until he can’t stand it anymore and jumps up on the bed.
At the very least, I’ve been able to help give these two dogs a good home… But sometimes, I do wonder what is the point of any of this. The dogs help me stay grounded, which is a good thing. Noyzi is currently parked behind my chair, as he likes to hang out there while I write blog posts. 🤭
It’s nice that the weather is changing… I enjoy the onset of autumn, if only because it means I can close the balcony door at night and stop getting eaten alive by mosquitos!
Bill took the day off of work today. Our dog, Noyzi, needed some blood work done, and it was going to take a few hours. So, rather than come and go at work, or task me with the job of taking him, Bill stayed home. We did some boring housework, which you can read about on my main blog.
While Bill was at the vet’s, he ran into our neighbor, the veterinarian who owns the practice where we take our dogs. He immediately recognized Noyzi and gave him a pat. Sadly, Bill happened to be there as a family was saying goodbye to a much beloved family member. We lost our dogs, Zane and Arran, here. In fact, Zane’s anniversary is coming up on the 31st. 🕯️ I’m sending warm thoughts to that family. It’s so hard to say goodbye.
It was hard for Charlie to say goodbye to Bill and Noyzi; that’s for sure! He was really upset at being left home with me. He cried, barked, and stayed in the foyer, waiting for them to come back. However, unlike Noyzi, Charlie doesn’t like car rides, and he hates the vet. I think he got the better end of the deal. Noyzi wasn’t thrilled to be at the vet’s today! But he did get a treat.
One unexpected thing that happened today is that I ended up ordering a new steam mop. The one I bought in late 2018, when we were fixing to move from Baden-Württemberg, seems to have bit the dust. It started to heat up, as usual, and then just kind of died. It didn’t die all of the way, mind you. The little green power light was on, and I could feel the electrics trying to heat up. But it just never got there.
I got tired of waiting for our old mop to try to heat up, and broke out the Tineco wet vacuum I bought a few years ago. I cleaned the floors with that. It does do a good job. But I still like having a lighter, less cumbersome steam mop for upstairs. So I ordered one from Paris that will probably get to me in a few days.
Then, after all of that stuff was done, we decided to go to the weekly market in our village. It just started up again after a brief summer pause.
I love the weekly market. One can purchase deli meats and cheeses, fresh breads, fresh vegetables, Middle Eastern goodies, and wine… The ice cream man also comes with his goodies. He has a good sense of humor, speaks English, and offers delicious ice creams. I think he gets a kick out of us, because when we first met him several weeks ago, we said we were hiding out in Germany.
Bill bought some cold cuts and cheeses from a Tyrolean farmer’s market seller. They had a nice conversation in English and German. An older gent asked us if we were British. We told them we’re American. I was flattered that it wasn’t obvious, in spite of my profane t-shirt…
Look carefully. I should probably buy another one.
We also bought a kilo of plums from the fruits and vegetables vendor. We would have bought bread, but the guy was busy, and Bill has an appointment with his Jungian analyst today. So we had some wine and ice cream from the friendly vendor…
As we were enjoying the low key weekly market, which the city manager attended, I was thinking about how lucky we are to live here. People around here mostly know us, but even the ones who don’t are very nice.
The Metzgerei vendor asked if we were new, because he’d never seen us before. I think he’s different from the folks who used to come. We said we weren’t. He kind of good-naturedly ribbed Bill for his attempts at German, then sang “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, when he heard that I’m from Virginia. Of course, Virginia is NOT West Virginia… but that’s okay. It’s a great song. Besides, Bill Danoff, who mostly wrote that song, had not been to West Virginia when he wrote it. The song was actually inspired by drives in Maryland. Germans love it, though. Who wouldn’t love Germanic John Denver’s beautiful tenor voice?
Another elderly gent asked if we were Brits. We said no, we’re American. Bill told him where we live, and he said, “Please come back.”
I did notice that the weekly market seemed a bit sparse… but that might be because it’s August, and people tend to vacation in August. Also, they host it during working hours. It’s hard to go to the market when one doesn’t leave work until an hour before the market closes. But I guess the people who run it sell their wares at bigger markets on weekends, and no one wants to be hanging out on a town square during the dinner hour.
We also saw our old neighbor, Daniel, who stopped to pick up some vegetables. Daniel moved to a smaller, cheaper place following his divorce. He’s a very nice guy. We miss having him near, but it was nice to see him today.
Anyway… I do love our little village, and I’m grateful that we get to live here. We were very lucky, because this was the last house we toured when we were looking, and it popped up the day before we were heading back to Jettingen, back in November 2018, having come up here to look for a place to live. I suspect we were the only ones to tour it when it came up, and you’re damned right we snapped it up quickly. It’s been a GREAT place to live… both in terms of the house, and the town.
It was EXTREMELY hot last night. Nevertheless, Bill and I decided to attend last night’s wine stand in our Dorfplatz, which was hosted by the Förderverein der Kindergessettä of Wiesbaden-Breckenheim. Google Translate tells me this is an association dedicated to the promotion of children’s law. My German friend says it’s actually a Kita (daycare center).
In the spirit of being friendly to children and their welfare, this club provided the usual wine, along with a bouncy house and someone making kid tattoos! The ice cream guy was also there to sell his wares!
The ad on one of the local Facebook pages for this event.
Last night also happened to be the first day of Wiesbaden’s annual Rheingauer Weinwoche. I’m sure that event was packed, since it’s huge, and there are thousands of wines to be tasted, along with lots of food and entertainment. I’m sure Bill and I will pay a visit. It’ll probably happen tomorrow, since Bill has some chores he wants to do today. It’s also going to be hot again today. Maybe it’ll be less sticky tomorrow. I’m not holding my breath.
Bill and I were a little late last night, so our usual spots at the far back corner were already taken when we arrived. We ended up sitting at a front table close to the kiosk. It was a very HOT place to sit, as the sun beat down on the Dorfplatz. But it did give me a front row seat to the lively action at the bouncy house.
Wow!
Bill and I had wineschorles (wine spritzers) and steak sandwiches, as we chatted with a few people we know. Our new local friend, who grew up in West Berlin, came back and shared more about his experiences moving from there to Frankfurt in 1976! That was surely an experience… along with moving to a new city and having locals treat him like an Ausländer (foreigner).
We saw our American friends who have bought a house very close to where they currently rent. They won’t even need a moving truck to move into their new home, when the time comes in November.
I got some photos, too…
Our village library. I probably should put a few English books in there.Local eccentric…A reward!
Although it was pretty hot, there was a nice sized crowd. In fact, I was glad it wasn’t super crowded. Then, as the neighborhood eccentric passed our table, the sun suddenly dropped low, and it got darker and cooler. That probably was the time we should have arrived… But Bill likes to do things early.
After a couple of hours, we decided to go home and enjoy some more conversation in our dining room. So ends another work week in Germany, and another fun wine stand in our village. I really enjoyed this one… the bouncy house was a great feature, not only for the kids, but for big kids like me. These days, I just watch the fun, though… I don’t miss the smell of plastic, mildew, sweat, feet, and the odd urinary accident. 😉
Edited to add: I took a couple of photos of the local ambulance service on Thursday. I’m not sure what was going on. They didn’t have a patient (which is why I took the pics). I did hear a lot of sirens on Thursday afternoon, hours after these pics were taken. It looked like maybe they were involved with the weekly market that started up on Thursday.
Today, our village had its annual yard sale. As usual, it was well organized and attended, with plenty of locals walking around, buying their neighbors stuff, and then enjoying wine, Brats, and ice cream. At one point, some guy rang our doorbell, wanting to know if he could park at the end of our street. Bill told him it was our landlord’s/neighbor’s decision, since it’s his property. He’s in Munich right now, though.
Bill and I didn’t really buy or sell anything, save for some strawberries that appeared to come from a local strawberry vendor. We did stop by the wine stand and enjoyed wine and ice cream. The ice cream vendor was friendly, and we were telling him about how we were hiding out from our government. He was sympathetic, and said Germans wanted to talk about it, but couldn’t really.
We also ran into the guy who has Stella, the awesome dog we met Friday night. He said hello, and tried out our neighborhood toilet, which I had lamented that I never seem to lock properly!
We saw our city manager, who is always attentive and shows up at every event. He brought a woman with him. I assume it was his wife. He may not appreciate Americans, because we can’t vote for him, but I do think he does a really good job. I’ve noticed an uptick of fun events since he got his job. It’s made Breckenheim an even better place to live.
The sale is set to go on until 4 PM, which is about 40 minutes from now. Below are some photos I took as we walked around…
I was particularly fond of the cat, who was friendly and looked like he or she wanted to hunt. Some German kids came over to ask what we were looking at while we were standing there at the creek. We answered in English, pointing out the cat… One girl was talking about the cat jumping, but that was about as far as I got.
I really love that our little community does these things, people show up, and they are very neighborly and friendly. We even ran into our neighbor, Massimo, who has always been so nice to us.
I know there will come a day when our time in Breckenheim will be in the past, but I am pretty sure it will always be a bright spot in my memories. We really lucked into a wonderful community. On another note, I saw some art I liked. I need more for our house. But maybe it’s better to find it on our trips.
On Wednesday, June 24th, Bill and I had plans to visit Rico’s cosi, a very nice restaurant in Küsnacht that we didn’t have the chance to try when we visited in October 2025. Rico’s cosi has the look of an artsy place, and reservations are pretty much a must. The chef, Rico, is featured on the restaurant’s Web site, smiling broadly in a red apron. The cuisine is Mediterranean and French-contemporary, and the price per course is $$$$. 😚 Our reservations were for 7:30 PM.
Before our dinner, Bill had class. Bill’s classes for Wednesday allowed for a break from 11:00AM until 2:00 PM. We had a leisurely breakfast, gazing at the lake and enjoying the many wonderful treats offered at the Pavilion Restaurant. I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but for people not staying at the hotel, breakfast at the Pavilion costs 54 Swiss Francs per person. The good thing is, you definitely won’t leave there hungry!
On Wednesday morning, I had avocado toast. Bill decided to go with poached eggs and bacon. Of course, we had the rest of the stuff, too… the etagè, bread, coffee, juice, water… and yes, I needed to pee afterwards!
I love how the food is presented. It’s so pretty!Expertly prepared bacon and eggs.
After breakfast, Bill went to his morning class, and I did my usual writing. Then, when Bill came back, we visited the Biergarten. It offered a different view of the lake, as well as easy access to beer.
Once Bill went back to class, I decided to go to the lake. On Wednesday, there were two women there… probably twenty years younger than me. One of them, dressed in a black one piece and sitting under an umbrella, talked non-stop for the entire time I was there.
She’s a talker!
However, in spite of the chatter, I still kind of dozed off. Beer, sun, and the relaxed vibe encouraged restfulness. I interspersed my sleepiness with a few plunges into Lake Zürich. You can see there’s a barrier up. Again, there was a private event hosted on the beach area, which made it harder to separate from the talkative lady.
Beer helped me cope.
Later, Bill returned from his class at the Jung Institute. We got dressed for dinner and walked over to Rico’s, which is located very close to the Institute. We didn’t know it when we arrived, but service was in the garden in the back of the restaurant. Still, we got a peek inside of Rico’s, which is a really beautifully decorated place. We also passed a young looking Asian guy sitting in the small parking lot, smoking a pipe. I don’t remember the last time I saw someone smoke a pipe! 🤣
I wish I’d thought to snap a photo or two of the interior.
We were a little early for our 7:30 PM reservation, and a little bit overdressed. Most of the people under the tent were dressed in shorts and polos, or something similar. We took a two top just outside of the tent, and the gentleman who seated us said it was a good thing there was shade.
To be honest, I wasn’t all that impressed with Rico’s… Not because of the food, which was excellent, but more because of the service. When we sat down, we were presented with a menu for a tasting menu– 5 courses at 198 CHF per person.
There were several things on it that I didn’t like. For instance, they were offering foie gras, which I object to for a few reasons– the main one being that I don’t like how it tastes. They also had a veal entree, and while I do think veal tastes good, I prefer not to eat it.
When I demurred about the veal, the waiter said they could make the veal dish with beef, which would have been okay. But I was a little tired of meat and wanted something else. So I asked for an a la carte menu, and the guy looked at me like I had nine heads, or something. Like… why wouldn’t you want to eat five courses for triple digits, even though there are things on the menu that you wouldn’t eat even if the most gifted chef in the world prepared them?
He looked so surprised that I asked, “You do have an a la carte menu, right?” I figured they did, because Bill had already looked at it before we came to the restaurant.
The guy said, “Yes, of course.” He presented to me, and I took the below photo.
A close up of the menu.
I noticed that just about everyone else was having the tasting menu. Maybe the guy was puzzled that I didn’t follow the crowd (kind of a recurrent trend in my life), or maybe it was annoying to him because I was being contrary, and making life harder by ordering something different… not trusting the chef. Or maybe he feared we wouldn’t spend as much as the other folks did (preposterous!).
I’m sure the tasting menu was delightful, and we did order a couple of things that were on it. But I feel like if you’re charging as much as Rico’s cosi does, you shouldn’t be surprised when your guest wants to see the a la carte menu.
In the end, ordering a la carte was a good decision… Behold!
The amuse!This was tuna sashimi with white asparagus, cilantro, and a lime sauce.Souffleed zucchini with langostines, baby squid, cherry tomatoes, and three lemon sabayon.Pike perch from Lake Maggiore, with a potato crust, on a leek ragout with “Pontillism” vinaigrette.Halibut on Pak Choy with a spring vegetable emulsion.Chocolate dream with brittle, sorbet, and ganache.Strawberry tart with pistachios, rose water, and sour cream ice cream.Softening the blow of the bill…About 400 CHF!
The food was excellent, very fresh, and beautifully presented. We both really enjoyed our fish dishes. However, the service, in my opinion, was a little inconsistent and could use some work. The wait staff, which consisted of all men, was a little casual, and not in a good way. They also held our wine hostage, although to their credit, they never got too weeded to top us up. I will also give props to the friendly guy who used a table crumber to sweep our table after we finished eating. That is a mark of good service.
At one point, a chef practically barked at Bill, who thought he was about to give him the wrong plate. Granted, the chef knows what he’s serving, but he came off as a little temperamental. I can’t blame him for being irritable, since the job is stressful, and likely uncomfortable. But it was still off putting.
Then there was the wine service. We had a champagne aperitif, and then ordered a white wine to go with our dinner. Bill had to stop the server from serving the wine, however, because the staff neglected to change the glasses from which we drank our aperitifs. It probably wouldn’t have made a huge difference in the taste, but again, for a restaurant that charges as much as Rico’s does, one expects much more attentive service than that.
Finally, there’s the vaguely threatening email Rico’s sent before our reservation– if we didn’t show up, they’d charge us 100 CHF! I know some high demand restaurants do that, but they hadn’t even taken Bill’s credit card number. Add that to the Asian lady sitting in the corner with her husband, giving us surreptitious side eyes… That’s not the staff’s fault, but it did kind of lend to the atmosphere of snootiness.
Still, I’ve certainly had much worse meals, and I wouldn’t turn down another visit to Rico’s cosi. I would love to try sitting inside next time.
If you decide to go there yourself, make sure you bring plenty of Swiss Francs or a credit card with a healthy limit. I think our bill came to somewhere around 400 CHF. That’s certainly not the most we’ve ever spent (that would be Cheval Blanc in Basel— just under 1000 CHF, and absolutely worth every cent!), but it was definitely expensive.
Rico’s cosi used to have at least one Michelin Star, but apparently, they lost it at some point. You can see this referenced in reviews from other guests, a few of whom were also turned off by the service. I notice that they are quick to accept responsibility in their responses to poor reviews, but they also complain about “harsh wording” in review titles. I guess I’ll take that under advisement when I write my Trip Advisor review. 🙄
On our way out of the garden, I was surprised by the sight of a very snazzy looking Ferrari. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen one so up close and personal. But then, perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised. It was Switzerland, after all…
Wow!
I noticed Rico was also admiring the car, and we shared a moment staring at it. He actually seemed like a very friendly guy. He came around to the tables and thanked us for coming. It was just a couple of his staff members who came off as less than genuinely nice or service oriented.
As we were walking back to the hotel, I reflected more on the Ferrari and thought about the type of person who typically buys such a vehicle. Some of them are truly car aficionados, who simply love high performance sports cars and don’t mind spending six figures to own one (or more). And some of them are people who are compensating for certain other things that come up short in their lives… 😏🤣
But I can’t deny that the car was very impressive! And the person driving it, probably dines at Rico’s cosi, or places much like it, somewhat often.
A couple of weeks ago, Bill and I decided to visit Celpro, an Italian market in Mainz-Kastel. That store is like a traditional market, and it carries things one might find in a small Italian grocery store. While we were at Celpro, I couldn’t help but notice that it was kind of stressful to shop there. The aisles are jam packed with goods, and it tends to be crowded on Saturdays. However, they have some really nice products from Italy, so it’s great to have them nearby.
I got curious and wanted to see if there were other Italian markets near us. That’s when I discovered Fornara, a Feinkost with its flagship store in Taunusstein. I also noticed that Fornara has a satellite store behind the train station in Wiesbaden. Even after living here for going on eight years, I didn’t know we had such a store so close. Today, Bill and I decided to visit.
It turns out that two weeks ago, they moved into their brand new space, which is very close to the old one. Consequently, it looked to me like they are still setting things up somewhat. However, they had enough there that we ran up a 300 euro bill… 😈
I found high end pastas, lots of sauces, liquor, lots of wines from Italy, France, and Germany, and plenty of frozen seafood and meat. They also had frozen Italian desserts like tartufos, and frozen sorbet filled lemons and oranges. Pour a little vodka in those, and you have yourself a classic French dessert called a “Colonel”.
Never thought I’d find these in a store!
They sold Tomahawk steaks, Wagyu steaks, flat iron steaks… but they also had huge scallops, tiger shrimps, octopus, and salmon filets. I think they’re still working on expanding their stock. The helpful English speaking staff said they were expecting a shipment this week of more goods.
This Feinkost is very convenient to downtown Wiesbaden, as it’s very close to the train station and bus services, and even has free parking. You can pay with euros or credit cards. The guy who rang us up said that Fornara was founded by one Italian guy, and everybody else is German!
I really enjoyed the ambiance in Fornara. They played energetic music, and the lighting was not too harsh. The store is in what looks like it used to be a warehouse, so I think they will turn that space into something very cool, indeed… and I don’t mean literally, because of all the freezers. Below are some more photos from today’s visit.
Tartufos aplenty!I found seven bottles of wine to take home!
I look forward to another visit to Fornara, especially after they get everything set up in their new space. I also hope Bill and I can take a “field trip” to their flagship store in Taununsstein, which is about 18 miles away and appears to be much larger and more expansive.
The flagship store has event space that can be rented for private affairs, as well as classes on different foods and wines. For instance, at this writing, they’re offering a class in different cuts of meats, a Primativo wine tasting, and a summer wine tasting, among other events.
There is also a store in Norderstedt (near Hamburg) and another one coming to Berlin. Bill said Fornara gave him “Eataly” vibes, although I wouldn’t go that far. Eataly is a lot bigger and more overwhelming… but I don’t mind a smaller version of Eataly in these parts.
Bill has to go to Spain next week, so a visit to the store in Taunusstein will have to wait until he gets back. The good news is, we got word that my driver’s license application was approved, so I will soon have my new license in hand. Maybe I can do the driving when we go to the big Fornara store. 😁
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.
I’m a few days late writing this post about our Easter lunch. I’ve been preoccupied with writing about our trip to Belgium and France. I didn’t want to interrupt the flow of my series with a post about lunch in a restaurant we’ve enjoyed many times.
We decided to have lunch at Villa Im Tal, kind of on a whim. Bill was talking about what he wanted to cook for Easter and I suggested that maybe we should go out to eat, like we did last year. Looking back on my posts, I see that we had Easter lunch at Villa Im Tal in 2024, too. What can I say? We really like this lovely restaurant on the outskirts of Wiesbaden, in its lovely bucolic setting by the woods.
I put on a dress and we made our way to the restaurant for our 1:00 reservation. I noticed no one was hanging around at the natural spring. Usually, a group of swarthy looking men stay there, as if they own the spring. I guess they took Easter off. Villa Im Tal is a casual place, but I felt like putting on a dress… and squeezing into a pair of tights!
The Easter Bunny came all the way from Belgium…Ooh… dramatic!
When we walked into the restaurant, one of the waiters immediately recognized us, but I think he forgot our surname. But then the lovely female waitress who always greets us by name came into the bar area with a big smile. When her colleague couldn’t find our name, she said “I got this!” and found us listed.
It was a bit cloudy on Easter this year.Cute Easter bunnies…
We sat at a table on the edge of the dining room and had a look at the set menu, which is usually what they do for holidays. We’re heading into asparagus season, so I wasn’t surprised to see asparagus on the menu! They had a meat, fish, and vegetarian option for the main course. The rest of the courses were offered to everyone.
I usually go for the fish dishes when we go to Villa Im Tal, but this time, I decided to have the roast beef. First, I made sure the vegetable side was going to be mushroom free. Bill had the saibling (char) filet, which came with barley risotto, basil coulis, and garlic. Both dishes were appealing to me, but I was very happy with the beef, which was more like prime rib than what I think of as roast beef.
Bill ordered a nice bottle of red wine, which was decanted in the novel “snake” decanter. Of course, we also had the house aperitif, too– booze free for Bill. The salad was so pretty, I took two pictures of it! Looking at the vegetarian/vegan offering, I think I would have been pleased with that, too. Of course, we also had the usual bread, with butter and a festive pink spread that tasted of chickpeas.
The roast beef came with what I think of as scalloped potatoes.
After we finished our main courses, we spent a few minutes resting, then had dessert… Red fruits, white chocolate mousse, walnuts, and ice cream, with a white chocolate topping.
A little German brandy…
We were very pleased with this lovely lunch. The food was excellent, as always, and the service was friendly, professional, and familiar. We left there feeling very satisfied and blessed, and of course we were also done eating for the day! I’m glad we went to Villa Im Tal for Easter this year. This weekend, we have plans to visit an Armenian/Georgian restaurant in Wiesbaden called La Boheme. It will be our first time there, so the review should be interesting.
Villa Im Tal is always a pleasure to visit, no matter what season it is.
Last night, our little town had its first wine stand of 2026. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts about wine stands in Breckenheim, these community gatherings are held every other Friday night in the warm(er) months. They are usually hosted by clubs or special interest groups. It’s election season right now, so last night’s stand was attended by local politicians… a couple of whom happen to be our neighbors.
I had been looking forward to the wine stand. I enjoy hanging out in the Dorfplatz, drinking local wines, and sometimes chatting with people who deign to speak to Auslanders. However, last night, I did give a passing thought to not attending, because the weather was damp and chilly. I also wondered how we’d be received, thanks to our insane POTUS who keeps doing things to piss off our allies and alienate everyone in the world.
When I saw that it wasn’t raining at 6:00 PM, I told Bill we should go and have a glass… maybe stay a short while. Naturally, that’s not how it turned out for us. 😄 In fact, last night’s wine stand was kind of fun! We just had to wait a while for it to really begin. Below are a few photos I took before the party started.
It took several tries to light the candles because it was windy!
We talked to our former neighbor, Daniel, who moved a few months ago after his divorce. Then, a group of friendly Breckenheimers showed up and asked if they could join us. One of them was a very talkative gentleman who spoke English and told us his daughter has lived in England for the past 30 or 40 years. He had with him his partner– not wife, as she explicitly told me, when I said that last night was the anniversary of the night Bill and I got engaged in 2002. She said she’d been married before, and was left in a good situation, so she wanted to stay independent. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. In some cases, not getting married is better. But, if I had done that, it’s likely that I would be living in the U.S., working for Door Dash, or something.
There were a couple of other women and another older man with them, and they were a lot of fun to chat with. My worries about being an American in Europe– at least at this particular place in Europe– were unfounded. 😏 🤭 Then, the English speaking gent stood up and said he was going to get a bottle of Sekt for us to share. When he came back, he had two other men with him. One was an American guy from Maine named Alan (or Allen), who told us he’d been living in Germany since the 1980s!
I only said one word to get this evil grin. 😈
He and Bill started talking, and Alan said he had come to Hessen with the Army and decided he didn’t want to leave. So he worked as a contractor at Clay Kaserne, where Bill works. Then he later got out of contracting, and worked for Lufthansa. He did other things and made a life here with his wife. The other guy was German, and he actually told us he thought Trump was going to be better than Kamala Harris… But then I got the impression that he’s since changed his mind.
We learned that Alan was here when Bill was, back in the 80s, when the Berlin Wall fell. And he’s maybe a year or two older than Bill is. I think they really hit it off– turns out he also knows our neighbors, also from the United States. But then, our neighbors seem to know everybody! I, on the other hand, have become pretty obscure.
The ladies at our table were surprised when we said we’ve been here for seven years. They said they hadn’t seen me around. I guess they never saw me walking the dogs through the neighborhood. Noyzi and Charlie are not as loud as Zane and Arran were, so we attract less attention, even though they are an unusual sight– Noyzi is a really big dog, and Charlie is a little dude.
We finally left the wine stand at about 8:30 or so, because I really needed to pee, and it didn’t look like they’d bothered to open the public toilet. I think the toilet is still a big topic of controversy in Breckenheim. I love that that’s the biggest issue around here. 😆
I’m glad we went to the wine stand last night. It seemed like a good omen to meet a fellow American who has been in Germany for so long and totally assimilated. He seemed delighted to meet us, too. And though we will be in Paris the next time they have a wine stand, I look forward to running into Alan and the other folks, again. They were nice to talk to, and made me feel better about the past couple of weeks.
I felt the same way last night as I did in the summer of 2014, when Bill and I went to Bacharach, on the Rhine, on the last day of our last hurrah military “hop”. We sat in our now favorite Biergarten, and I said, “I feel like we’re going to move back to Germany.” And sure enough, six weeks later, that’s exactly what we did. I can be pretty intuitive sometimes… Of course, I couldn’t know in 2014 that we’d end up moving to a town less than an hour’s drive from Bacharach, which was the first German town I ever visited. Maybe things are coming full circle.
In my last post, I complained about the neverending winter weather and advised that winter was free to scram as soon as possible. Well… ask and you shall receive! This weekend, we’ve had beautiful sunny days with mild temperatures in the 50s. Since it had been awhile since my last outing, Bill invited me out to lunch at the Restaurant Bootshaus Mainz today. He made a 1:00 reservation, which was a good idea. Although the restaurant wasn’t completely full during our visit, it did get busy!
We found a parking spot somewhat close to the Bootshaus. The place has free spots for guests and employees. It’s near a couple of tennis courts, as well as the majestic Rhine/Rhein River. When we arrived, we were told to sit at any two top table that was open. I chose one near the door, which faced the big windows that offered a view of the river.
Near the entrance of the restaurant…
The table where we sat had one chair facing away from the river, and a bench full of pillows facing toward it. I chose the bench, but had to do some maneuvering to sit comfortably, thanks to all the pillows! Seriously the bench was full of them, and some were pretty big.
An English speaking waiter brought us menus in English. We don’t require English menus, but it’s nice that they had them. A couple of items were not available, including the duck croquettes, which Bill had specifically mentioned when he told me we were going to dine at the Bootshaus. Oh well… now we have a reason to go back! But I would have wanted to go back, anyway, because the food was very good!
I started with sea scallops that came with a luscious carrot puree. Bill had the burrata with fresh tomatoes and crispy bread. The scallops were perfectly grilled and not at all bitter. Bill raved about the burrata, which I also tried. I only wished they’d brought me a spoon, so I could have gotten all of the carrot puree in my dish.
Next, Bill had Saltimbocca made of chicken breast and wrapped with prosciutto, with polenta, broccoli, and jus. I went with the rainbow trout, which was (mostly) deboned and served with beurre blanc, roasted potatoes and spinach with lots of garlic. I loved that the spinach was perfectly cooked and not mushy. That’s not always a feat that kitchens get right. We also had a bottle of locally produced Sylvaner and some sparkling water.
They did not give us bread, but that could be ordered a la carte. Personally, I’m glad they didn’t bring it out, because it would have put me over the edge of being uncomfortably full. They also didn’t serve an amuse bouche, which is also fine with me. The place has a very casual feel, although the food is certainly not what you’d expect to find in a casual restaurant.
My fish also came with beurre blanc– a lovely butter and white wine sauce for the trout.Love the water glasses!
We had a long pause after we finished our main courses. At that point, the couple sitting at the table next to ours abruptly got up and moved to another table. It looked like they had finished eating, too. I wondered if they moved because we’re English speakers, but then I noticed the woman got up a few times and seemed to move stiffly. Bill said she’d been giving us a side eye, but for all we know, they wanted to free up that table for someone else. The table where they sat wasn’t set up for food. Anyway… I will assume they moved for benevolent reasons, and not because they resent us Yanks. 🤭 (of course, under the circumstances, I don’t know that I would blame them…)
For dessert, I had warm cheesecake with ice cream and candy apple cream. Bill had coconut semolina flummery with a pineapple sorbet and a mango ragout. Both desserts were delicious and not too much. However, the cheesecake was definitely served warm, rather than lukewarm. They did have a chocolate lava cake, but if you’ve been reading this blog, you already know how I feel about lava cakes. 🙄 Especially chocolate ones…
Two hours after lunch began, we were finished. The bill came to about 174 euros, before the tip. Bill paid with a credit card, and we made our way home. I might have taken a walk in the very pleasant weather, but I needed to pee, and this restaurant, unfortunately, requires a stout walk and climbing up two flights of stairs to get to the loo. After two trips, I decided I’d rather go at home. There is an elevator for those who can’t do the stairs.
Overall, we had a very nice time at the Bootshaus in Mainz. I think we’ll go back, provided we don’t get deported… 🤭 (I know… I shouldn’t laugh about that, but if I don’t laugh, I might cry…)
A few more photos… the restaurant is also close to the train tracks and the city park, where we attended the wine fest a few months ago. Keep in mind, although we live about twenty minutes away from Mainz, it’s in another state– Rhineland-Pfalz (or Palatinate, if you prefer).
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