> The catastrophic absence of decent coffee on the market last week made me aware of an urgent need for contingency planning. This place isn’t bad – Die Mainzer Kaffemanufaktur…
> Not absolutely jam-packed, eh? Shopping hours are fairly liberal after decades (centuries..?) of an appalling service ethic. Want to buy something on Wednesday afternoon in the village? No. (And…
> The discount chains (Aldi, Lidl et al) in Germany have over 50% of the grocery market and they pretty much set the market price for commodities. Milk, for example.…
> Mrs jb’s mumble-mumble birthday yesterday, so we rocked on over to “Heinrichs – Die Wirtschaft” to commiserate celebrate. “Heinrich” is Wilfried Heinrich Nestle (no, not a scion of the…
> That there dirt’s all the way from Cyprus. I’d be a bit worried if I were a Cypriot, in fact. The place has to be getting levelled out over…
> Correction: was sprung. 6ºC, down from 18ºC yesterday. Major advantages: Stops Nature blasting off on a time-lapse version of the seasons. Major disadvantages: Makes me wear shoes again.Image: iPhone…
> Well, you’d look depressed too if you’d got up at stupid o’clock, put on your best shirt and rocked on down to the market in Mainz, only for the…
> You really have to feel sorry for St. Andreas, the patron saint of the RC church in Klaawinnerum. All he REALLY wants to do is to sit on his…
> Why is it that pollarded trees (planes, I think. They don’t look very fancy, anyway…) remind me of ET. Or someone who’s had an argument with a circular saw.…
> All heathen stuff, of course – the Zorastrians have been Nowroozing with painted eggs for over 2500 years, but still good fun. You can get all sorts of petrochemical…
> This is the aftermath of a haute couture session involving Mrs jb, Christa G and my credit card. I’m always getting yelled at for leaving stuff lying around…
> Yesterday was Maundy Thursday aka Gründonnerstag (Green Thursday), Skärtorsdag (HT to Leif) and sundry other names. The “green” bit could come from the medieval wearing of green vestments or…
> “You could have told me you were a haemophiliac BEFORE I pricked your ear for the haemoglobin test” she said. “Just KEEP PRESSING the cotton wool to your ear”…
> Not too sure if that’s Jupiter there. Pretty sure I can identify Mars. Saturn for sure. (Floor pattern with a tad of rotation in the latter, being an electronic…
>I’ll admit to having seen pink ELEPHANTS on numerous occasions during a fairly successful drinking career spanning 4-and-a-bit decades. But pink BUNNIES? Must be a combination of donating blood and…
> I met Christa G a couple of years back when we both got bionic legs and ended up at the same physiotherapy clinic. It turns out that she and…
> The Druckladen – Printshop – is a reconstruction of Gutenberg’s original workshop providing a “hands on” experience for anyone who wants to get their fingers dirty.
> Hans-Josef Schwarz reckons that he’ll have to up his roasting schedule to compensate for our being back. If he keeps making espressi like the 2 doppio I had…
> It’s that time of year again – the Rheinland-Pfalz Austellung (State Fair) hits town and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. First of all, I now get tickets…
> Guest photographer: Andreas Los This is the Mainz Sand Dunes (Großer Sand) Nature Park, 70ha in area and one of the most significant in Europe. It was formed during…
>Icecreams at the Eiscafe Italia in Heidesheim. Great icecream, brilliant espresso Summer is definitely just around the corner….. Posted using BlogPress
> These are “Seelen” – translation: Souls – that a baker sells on the market on Tuesdays and Fridays. They’re a southern German speciality, made from spelt wheat and rather…
> It’s pretty cool when you get back after 4 weeks away on the first day of spring and it really IS spring. Temperatures zoomed up to mid-teens over…
> Or just schizophrenic? There are moments that define that “you’re back”. In New Zealand, it’s having fish and chips and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc on the wharf…
> This is Horns’ winery restaurant in Nieder-Olm, the next village down the track. We’ve been going there fairly regularly since 1980 when Dieter and Malu Horn converted their living…
> Well, I’ll be…! Klaus R, my ophthalmologist and his wife a blond bird who’s definitely not his wife, sez Ms jb. But all is well – she was sitting…
> Pickled herrings. Traditional fare on Ash Wednesday around these parts. Just the sort of thing to remind you that the next 40 days fall under Lent and that having…
> It’s not over until the fat lady sings Ash Wednesday. Which is today. Until which time debauchery, iniquity, degeneracy and general sinning continues unabated. Including such frivolous pastimes as…
> ©Andreas Los The view from the 23nd floor (24th, if you’re American…) from the Vertical Village looking out over Gonsenheim. Surprised no-one’s base-jumped it yet…
> ©Andreas Los Andreas, one of the caretakers at the Vertical Village, is a dab hand with the camera. He’s also on the spot for some interesting happenings. Such as…
> Consider yourself valentined. If you must… Historical note: These wind chimes originate from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Bought them in 1989 on the same trip when I surprised Ms…
Mainz Daily Photo 