Rollmops

These are rollmops -- brined and pickled herring fillets, wrapped around a sweet pickle.

Henry introduced me to them when he was here. Says they're big in Hamburg. (The Wikipedia says they originated in Poland).

The first bite is a bit intimidating, but once you've had one, they are quickly addictive. They have a wonderful chew with a sweet and sour pickled flavor to them -- sort of a cross between sushi and sauerbraten.

Anybody know where I can pick them up in Milwaukee?

Hoggy

One of the more touching aspects of my growing relationship with Charlotte is how much it reminds me of my relationship with Patch, the wonderful dog we lost last January after nearly 15 years of friendship.

When Patch died, Jeanne kept a couple of his toys as beloved keepsakes.

Patch's favorite toy was Hoggy a bright green alligator chew toy with a squeaker inside. Although Hoggy was supposed dog-proof, Patch had eaten a couple of them and, each time, we'd replaced him with fresh one.

When Jeanne heard I was going to Wiesbaden, she took Patch's last generation Hoggy (which was in nearly new condition), cleaned it up and send it, along with a few other dog toys, with me for Charlotte.

It immediately became Charlotte's favorite toy.

Sometimes, when I watch her playing with it, I tear up a bit, remembering how much Patch meant to our family -- and knowing Charlotte will grow to mean as much to Glen and Betina.

Wheels und shprockets

It was inevitable that at some point I'd end up exploring Wiesbaden by bike.

In no visit to any place feels complete for me if I don't get in at least one good bike ride and cook one good meal. (Now I've done one of each!)

With Charlotte adequately worn out from her morning run with Christin, I decided that I needed to see the Rhine River. Otherwise, what's the point of being in the Rhine Valley, right?

Armed with a a printed out not-very-detailed map, I headed south.

On the plus side, Germany is extremely bicycle friendly. There are designated bike lanes on most major streets, and sometimes even sections of the sidewalk set aside for bike traffic.

On the minus side, the directions I'd printed out include close to 20 turns, and pretty soon every street name starts looking the same.

Somehow, though, following the terrain (I figured as long as I was headed downhill, I was headed down into the river valley) I found Am Schlosspark in Biebrich and just followed it south to the river.

I could have spent hours cruising along the river, but I figured getting lost coming home was pretty likely -- and I didn't disappoint myself. Somehow, following signs, I ended up in the city dump, dodging really big, ugly, smelly trucks. So I returned to Briebich and retraced my steps back to the Wiesbaden.

I got home just as a light rain started falling. Just enough to cool me off and not enough to be a nuisance.

Charlotte was waiting at the door for me when I got home. We split a little salami and some fresh bread and then went out for a cool afternoon walk in the drizzle.

Upward bound

Although I still carry Charlotte down the stairs from this steep 3rd floor walk-up, she's really become the master of climbing up.

In fact, she is so fast now at climbing up the stairs that I literally had to run to get far enough ahead of her to shoot this photo! And, even then, I had to shoot quick. She's that fast now!

And, as you can see, this is quite a staircase. Even I dread having to climb them!

In fact, I haven't quite figured if I'm going to come home a few pounds heavier, from stuffing myself with sausages, bread and pasta, or if I'm going to come home a few pounds lighter from all of this walking and climbing. I'm definitely coming home with legs of steel!

Meantime, it sure was nice to have nephew Henry here for a few days. He's really a terrific guy, and it was fun to have someone to walk around with, talk to and cook for.

I don't think we've ever really had so much time to get to know each other. And I sure did appreciate the opportunity here.

Today is, by the way, the halfway point in my adventure! I don't know how the second half can possibly top the first!

Exploring

Lest you get the idea that European cities are all concrete and brick with asphalt sidewalks and trees only in the parks, this morning Charlotte and I explored the hilly neighborhood to the north of Glen and Betina's place. (By the way, if you want to see a bigger version of any of photo, just click on it.)

With thick green trees, plush grassy lawns and big, luxurious apartment buildings set back from the street, some of these streets remind me of neighborhoods in Southern California.

Charlotte enjoys all the exciting new smells  -- and I appreciated the shade and cooler air.

It's also much hillier, so every street is a major climb.
But it's worth it to enjoy the fresh air and less crowded streets.

Henry ist hier!

It's a cool 68 degrees this moring, overcast and cloudy -- and boy does it feel refreshing!

Charlotte is bounding with energy and playfulness. Fortunately, she's also eager to please me, so when I give her a couple of dog tricks or play a couple of rounds of fetch, it calms her down.

My nephew Henry is here!

Henry's father is Jeanne's brother and his mother is German. His folks live in Hamburg now but have lived, throughout his life, in England and Chicago as well as Germany. He's now attending George Washington University in Washington, DC, where's he's studying international affairs and is in his third year of studying Italian. Next semester he'll be in Rome.

To say this guys is an international traveler and young man of the world is an understatement!

It's been great having someone to talk to. You've no idea how much I've missed simple conversation. He took me out for pizza last night and without his help I don't think we'd have gotten napkins. (What kind of pizza shop owner doesn't understand the Italian word for napkin?)

He'll be until tomorrow morning (though he's a college kid, so I don't expect him to get up before 11 today). I'm going to do some shopping and then later we'll maybe make up some spaghetti sauce with meatballs or something.

We've finally got decent weather for it!

Es wird in wiesbaden regnet!

A fine, cool rain is falling over Wiesbaden.

It feels like the shower I've been trying to take for the past four days!

A cool breeze is blowing in the windows.

What's German for "Aaaaaaah"?

Das Wetter is schön. (Well, it's less ugly anyway.)

Sunday walks

With the weather a bit cooler (but the humidity still so high that even walking up and down stairs leaves you drenched in sweat) and Charlotte feeling pretty frisky, we decided to take a much longer than usual walk this morning -- down to the Kurpark Weiher, a large park surrounding a lake.

The park was full of families having picnics, people sleeping off hangovers, very sweaty joggers and, of course, lots of dogs. Charlotte wanted to say hello to everyone, person and canine alike.

This town really is full of a lot of very nice dogs, big and small. And even if we dog walkers can often only speak a few words we can both understand, the people are nearly as friendly.

I manage sometimes a "Er ist sehr freundlich" (He is friendly) or "Sie ist sehr nett" (She is very nice) -- but usually I just apologize for not being able to speak German.

On the plus side, my uvula must be getting in shape because I can now say "Guten Morgen" without people immediately knowing I'm not German.

Charlotte also appreciate how thick and cool the grass is in front of the big casino. I could hardly pull her away!

But we managed to get inside before a light (and very welcome) rain began to fall. It's so light right now that it won't even show up on camera if I take a picture of it.

But between it and a change in the direction of the breezes, 88 degrees is beginning to feel like the new 75 to me!

You don't need a weatherman...

Sunday morning, and the weather seems a bit more tolerable.

It's about 80 now, with temps in the upper 80s predicted for the afternoon with a chance of showers.

Yesterday really was a killer! Hot and stuffy indoors, and going outdoors was like stepping into a blast furnace! Somehow Charlotte and I survived, but we didn't do much other than eat, sleep, go to the bathroom and sit in front of fans.

Today Charlotte is full of energy!

It reminds me a lot of Jeanne's old family dog, Millie. On hot days, she'd just sort of slog around. But then, when the sun went down and the day cooled, she'd suddenly get a burst of playfulness!

So Charlotte is very playful this morning.

We've also bonded very nicely. She doesn't want to let me out of her sight. She even waited outside the bathroom when I took my shower and greeted me with lots of jumping as soon as I stepped out.

Wow! It's 10 am here on this Sunday morning, and I can hear the bells ringing from St. Mark's Church!

Other than that, the streets are relatively quiet, and I can hear children playing in the apartment across the street.

This is a bit more like the Germany I imagined!

Keeping in touch

I just got a very nice phone call from Michael, Ute and Henry, Jeanne's other brother and his family who live in Hamburg. They just called to check in. Make sure I'm okay.

I can't tell you how much little things like phone calls and e-mails mean! Although the people here are very nice, there's nothing quite like hearing from home.

This blog is my therapy while I'm here. My therapy and my obsession.

I also write e-mails to Jeanne several times a day and check e-mails and Facebook obsessively.

Meantime, some very good news from Michael and Ute: This weather is not a typical German summer. In fact, it's record-setting hot.

That's a big of consolation when it's 95 degrees (35 Celsius to the locals) down from over 100 earlier. Knowing that it's not typical.

Particularly when it's supposed to rain a bit and cool about 10 degrees tomorrow -- then cool another 10 to a more reasonable upper 70s by Monday.

Even if it means walking in the rain for a few days, it will be worth it not to walk around in this constant state of perspiration.

Dog days of summer

 It's only 11 am and my underarms and back are already soaked like swamps. But at least, with the windows open and the fans going, it's a little cooler and breezier indoors.

Last night's walk made me a bit bolder about taking Charlotte down new streets, rather than just to the park down the street and back.

We went down Tanus Strasse a bit, then came back up through the pedestrian zone, pausing to refresh again at the sidewalk fountains.

The fountains are a great tease for Charlotte because they go through a pattern of getting very low, until you almost can't see them, then spritzing up again to a foot or two in the air.

Charlotte loves to toy with them -- moving in for the attack when they are low, then backing off and yapping at them when they grow big again.

She even made a new friend. A little girl who had a similar plan for cooling off.

Longer than anticipated

Last night, at 9, I decided to take Charlotte out for one last bathroom break before bed.

I was expecting just a quick trip but, when we got to the park, it was full of people who'd come out to enjoy the (relatively) cooler evening.

Since it was such a nice night, Charlotte and I decided to explore a bit -- and our "little" walk ended up taking us deep into Kurpark Weiher, a very nice park on the other side of the casino.

Charlotte loved watching the fountains and rolling in the cool, damp grass.

But, by the time we got home, it was after 10.

Maybe we ought to just sleep through the muggy days and go out in the evenings, when it's much more tolerable.

Expanding my world

After feeding Charlotte and making myself a sandwich (two separate tasks, I assure you) I decided to go out and explore some more.

First I went over to the pedestrian zone and walked around. It's definitely much livelier there on a Friday night!

I even got myself a gelato. An odd thing? Because of the way I pronounced gelato and the flavor I wanted (zabliogne), the vendor assumed I was Italian! So I guess my accent has an accent.

I checked out the Roman ruins -- which really aren't so much ruins as just an old city gateway. No castle or anything around it. (And no gentleman's club that I could see.)

It's also being restored, so it was all closed off.

But I walked up behind it (up yet another very steep hill) and got some great views of St. Mark's Church, over the rooftops.

It's still a pretty hot, muggy day.

I hope it cools off enough so that I can take Charlotte out for a bit later.

Right now, she's content to just nap in a cool spot on the bathroom floor.

I may join her.

Rumbling and tumbling

Once the hottest part of the day is over, afternoons are a great time to take Charlotte to the park. She's sure to draw a crowd.

The local kids just love her (and I watch both them and her to make sure things don't get too rough).

Today they asked if I'd take Charlotte off leash and let her chase them around the park. I did and she did. Boy, did she!

They had her chasing sticks and shoes and each other -- and then they lie in the grass wrestle with her.

Eventually one kid's little sister showed up. It looked like she was telling one of them to come home. She ended up staying and playing with Charlotte too.

But soon Mom showed up and insisted they all go home.

Charlotte was sad to see them go. She even tried to follow them at first. But, when they were gone, she followed me home, trotted up and stairs and headed right for her water bowl.

Those are the best kinds of trips to the park! She plays hard and I just sit back and watch.

Modern learning

It was kind of a hot, muggy afternoon, so Charlotte and I decided to stay home and watch "Der Hunde Flüsterer" on TV.

He must have been whispering pretty quietly though.

It put Charlotte right to sleep.

The dog runner

I think I'm coming up with a nice balance between taking care of Charlotte and being a tourist. And it certainly helps that Christin drops by every couple of days to take Charlotte for a run in the woods with her two dogs!

Here's some video Christin shot of their run.

Considering the size of Christin's dogs, Charlotte does a pretty good job keeping up!

And, boy, does she come home exhausted!

I'm sure Christin does too. Here's some video I shot of their arrival. How she manages to control all those dogs is beyond me!

Charlotte is napping in a cool corner now. I may slip off briefly to explore the Roman ruins just off the pedestrian zone.

Glen tells me that, in addition to housing a beautiful park and some wonderfully preserved Roman brickword, it also houses a "gentleman's club." A little yin to match the yang, I guess.

By the way, while Charlotte was away, I'm proud to say I bought my first loaf of bread at the bakery entirely with language. No pointing and grunting at all. I even knew how to ask for it sliced!

I'm sure I wasn't by any means mistaken for a native. But at least I'm making progress.

The lonely traveler

This is my third major trip alone.

In 1994, I traveled to Tokyo all by my lonesome, and I spent the better part of the week randomly grabbing trains and exploring neighborhoods and local cuisine. (Eating first and then asking later what I'd eaten. To try that in Japan, you've got to be bold!)

In 2007, I went to San Francisco to do some work for Adobe. I rented a bicycle and there, too, I just wandered -- making sure to see Haight-Ashbury, the Golden Gate Bridge from the Presidion and Union Square, where Robin Williams used to perform to the crowds.

Those places and here are places that would have been 10 times more fun with Jeanne. But, being alone, they also had their unique charms.

And you can even capture a few memories, if you don't mind grabbing the occasional selfie (modern slang for pictures you take of yourself at arm's length, something I've turned into something of an art form).

Europe's cafes are particularly friendly to solo travelers. And when I'm eating or having a drink alone in a cafe, I feel a bit like a cut-rate Hemmingway -- hanging out amongst the other lonely expatriates.

Glen and Betina generously invited me to enjoy a couple of the local cafes while I'm here. And tonight I had dinner in an Italian cafe called the Gondolier on Tanus Strasse.

Doesn't this salad looks awesome by sunset?

Meantime, I've learned one very important lesson about being alone in a strange city:

You're never alone when you've got a really cute dog! Everyone talks to you!

Exploring on my own

With Charlotte sleeping off this morning's walk (and sleeping through the afternoon heat), I decided to venture out on my own.

Wiesbaden is a fairly level city. At least betwen here and the river. But to the north of us, starting from pretty much right behind Glen and Betina's apartment, it's pretty hilly.

There's one major hill that shoots about 800 feet up, just to the west of here. At the top of this hill sits Neroberg, a winery and public park with some wonderful views of the city.

Those are grapevines in the foreground, and they stretch all the way down the hill.

I just hiked up Kappellenstrasse, the street that the apartment is on, and it's a pretty steep climb. But I hiked down more directly from Neroberg to Nerotal park.

And I'm glad I took the milder slope up the hill! The path down is a dusty maze of switchbacks that run alongside the Nerobahm, a railroad the climbs right up the side of the mountain.

I got home sweaty and dusty and very very thirsty.

Charlotte, by the way, did just fine while I was gone. When I got home she just lifted her head, wagged her tail twice, then dropped back to sleep.

Exploring

Charlotte and I had a great morning exploring the pedestrian zone.

I sort of let her lead the way -- except, hot as it is, that way often led right toward the open door of an air-conditioned store. So we modified the walk a bit.

But we did visit some nice little alleys and met lots of interesting dogs -- and mostly nice people. (I've no idea what that one older lady said to me, but it sure didn't sound like "Guten Tag".)

We met a little poodle outside a boutique. Charlotte and she really liked each other at first -- until Charlotte became more interested in her pile of dog treats than the dog itself. But they never got seriously rough with each other.

In fact, all the dogs here seem pretty friendly. The bigger dogs are gentle with the little ones, and the little runs love to run little orbits around the bigger dogs.

And very few people wave you off, saying whatever the German equivalent of "She eats dogs like yours for breakfast" is.

One area of the pedestrian zone has some little fountains. Real popular with kids, and not so popular with parents of those same kids.

Charlotte did some shadow boxing with one of the fountains, getting close enough to feel the water, then jumping back and barking.

Eventually she settled in a damp, shady spot.

On the way back, we ran into a little miniature doberman. She and Charlotte immediately took a liking to each other -- and then I heard a woman's voice call, "Hallo, Charlotte!"

That's when I recognized the little dog as Cheri, a dog Glen and I had gone to the park Tuesday night hoping to run into. Cheri is Charlotte's best friend.

And no wonder! They both have the same energy level -- and roughly the same size footprint!

Cheri is owned by Katrina, who is very nice and speaks just a bit more English than I do German. "I am Katrina," she says. "Like New Orleans. The tornado."

Finally, this is a photo of a steaming volcano sculpture just outside the park. And the volcano part is just a partial fiction.

Wiesbaden is named for the hot mineral waters that spring naturally around the city. This fountain isn't technically a natural spring. It's pumped into the air. But the water is directly from a natural hot spring -- and it's definitely warmer than my morning shower.