Day 260: Dinner nightmare

I woke up later than usual and it's cold and dreary outside. I need to get ready to go to the Chiropractor's office across from the train station in Plieningen. My husband told me that the buses go every 5 or 6 minutes so I should be able to catch one of them to get there on time.

I decided to kill two birds with one stone and take out the garbage on my way. I'm a bit nervous about venturing out, buying the ticket from a kiosk and figuring out which bus to take (there are at least four buses at that bus station stop. And if I'm not careful I could end up in Timbuktu and not understanding the language will make doubly difficult. I'm usually a very brave person but with this language barrier (even though many Germans speak SOME English) I feel totally inadequate.

I get to the bus stop at 9:20...and my appointment is at 10am. Unfortunately, for me...the buses ONLY run 11 minutes after the hour from 9am to 4pm. UGH!! I missed the bus!!! And I'm going to miss my appointment. I looked for another bus but there wasn't one that was going to stop at that stop.

I got on the phone and called the doctor to rescedule the apppointment. I'm really upset with myself for not checking this out on the internet first. But hey...isn't this how one learns...from mistakes?

It's really cold so I want to get back to the apartment. As I pass by the bakery, the most wonderful smell of freshly baked bread fills my nostrils. I quickly turn around and go into the bakery and buy several "Krusti" pronounced "Crusty". They are these oblong rolls that can either be made into a sub sandwich or sliced for bread and they are wonderful!!! I also pick up a few of my husband's favorite "Berliners" (nothing more than a jelly donut!!)  I really wanted to try their walnut rolls but not today. I will pick some up on the weekend.

I REALLY didn't feel like cooking and Ted wanted to go out too. So it's off to the Schwanen Brau in Bernhauser. When we got there, the place was packed. Our regular waitress said the only place available was in the basement. So we trudged off to the basement to find the MOST quaint place!! We'd never ventured any further than our favorite place to sit, just inside the door by the bar.

We found the LAST table and sat down. We were not sure if they even waited on us. The women sitting next to us were chatting and one woman had her cocker spaniel sitting under her feet. It never ceases to amaze me that the Germans allow dogs in eating establishments and retail stores. It just blows me away!!! And not little dogs either...some are BIG dogs!! LOL!

We sat and waited and waited and waited. There was a lounge area opposite our table beyond a structural pole. There was a man and a woman sitting there. I noticed that he had gone to get an ashtray. This was not good. He lit up and so did she. There was very little air circulation to the point that Ted's eyes were watering and I couldn't stand the stench of cigarette smoke. Their laws here are weird. I thought they couldn't smoke where food was served but I don't know if that includes this quasi PUB.

We decided to go upstairs and sit at the bar. Ted really wanted a beer and we both really wanted "Kase Spaetzel" (pronounced Case-a Spet-zil). It's the German version of Mac and cheese and it's fabulous!!!

The bar was completely filled by the time we got up the stairs so we decided to leave and go somewhere else. So much for the beer and Spaetzel. Ted suggested the NH Hotel because they DO serve Spaetzel but it's not as good (in our opinion) as the Schwanen brau.

Off we go to the hotel and sit in the bar area. We order drinks ( a large bottle of
"Stilles Wasser" (prounounced "Still-iss Vah-ser) nothing more than plain bottled water. If you ask for Wasser, they bring you bubbly mineral water...which I'm not particularly fond of, although Ted likes it. Plus his beer and a coke for me. When we looked at the menu, it appeared they were doing some sort of Mexican/Spanish theme. When I asked the waiter if they had Kase Spaetzel, he reiterated that the only thing we could get in that location what was on the menu. UGH! He said we would have to go to the dining room. We were not dressed for the hoity-toity dining room in the hotel so this location was a bust too...and we were hungry.

Last stop...third time HAS to be the charm. Burger King here we come. Unfortunately, the fries and burgers were old and so we both realized we should have JUST stayed home!!! LOL!

If it ever happens again, we are going home. Do not pass go, Do not collect $100!!

Tuesday 12/08/09