Arx Hereticus

Welcome to the ramblings of a merry heretic, an ex-pat (Tex-pat?) American living in Maryland after having spent six years in Germany. Arx Hereticus is part travelogue, part cooking, part budo, part socio-political commentary and mostly just me BSing.

Monday, August 06, 2007

Weekend, Aug. 3-5 – Weekend Catch up

Quick catch up for weekend festivities. Friday went off without significant event, and HW showed up at about 17:00. We made kissy faces and rodeo hugs and got her settled, then headed out on the town for hot night in Bad Abbach.

We went uptown to the Zirngibl for drinks and supper (cordon bleu with homefries!), and a stroll through the town center.

Like many German towns, there's a pedestrians-only shopping area, but truthfully, there's not much to be seen in downtown Bad Abbach. A handful of pubs and restaurants, a few shops and service, but that's about it.

Back in the room, we watched a bit of TV and conked out fairly early.

I had a schlingenkaefig appointment Saturday morning right after breakfast, and after that went ahead and knocked out my gym-time. 15 minutes on the bike and a round of the weight machines.

HW took a little walkabout around the grounds while I trained, and got herslef locked out of the PT center and had to go all the way 'round the place to get back in.

By the time we recovered from our healthiness fit, it was time for lunch. Meals are very close together here; breakfast hours are 7:00-8:30, lunch 11:15-12:30 and supper is 17:00-17:45.

After lunch, I took a little siesta with an icepack on my ass and HW hiked up the ridgeline behind the rehab center. She came back slightly sweaty from her exertions. It's a pretty steep climb and the one trail she took went pretty much straight up the hillside.

That afternoon, we took a beautiful drive along the Donau (Danube, to you English speakers ... an dno, it's not blue) to Kloster Weltenburg to spend the afternoon in the beer garden. It was a longer walk than I'd have cared to make, fortunately, there was a shuttle service from the parking lot to the kloster proper (probably half a mile or so). The shuttle was driven by a delightful Thai woman who was equally comfortable in English or German.

The beer garden was packed, and we had to wander about a bit for a seat, and while the beer and snacks were excellent, it was a bit expensive and altogether too crowded.

After a couple of hours, we'd both pretty much had enough and retired to the quieter (and friendlier) environs of the Zirngibl once more. The Zirngibl's garden is big and cool, lots of fest tables shaded by big chestnut trees and several large umbrellas. Very restful, excellent gemuetlichkeit.

As suppertime approached, we decided to try a tiny Indonesian place we'd spied on the way through town, Yanis Kaffeehaus. Most of the day, they serve coffees, drinks and ice cream, but in the evenings, they have a limited but excellent menu of Indonesian specialties (Yanis, the owner is Indonesian, and had met his wife on a cruise ship some years ago. They married and settled here in BA and opened the coffee shop). I sampled the fried rice while HW had a curry beef dish, both of which were excellent. We wound up eating supper there again on Sunday.

If you're in the Regensburg area and have a hankering for spicy noodles or fried rice, Yanis is the place to go.

The weather was grand all weekend, sunny and warm, but with a gentle cool breeze all day long.

Sunday after breakfast, I hit the gym again and then, with HW's help, got a thorough cleaning: shower, shave, foot care (I can't really reach my right foot to scrub away the dead skin from the swelling or cut toenails, etc). We were lounging about in the room afterward, and HW asked for a good footrub. I obliged, and she sprawled on the floor while I worked on her tootsies.

About that time, a nurse walked in with my next week's PT schedule. Did I mention I was naked and HW was wearing my bathrobe and not much else?

The nurse took it all in stride and didn't bat an eye. She' probably seen far stranger things in this place ...

Karl was planning to cycle down from Regensburg (about 16 km on a fine walking/cycling trail along the Donau) and we met him in the Park Cafe after lunch. Had a beer and chatted for a while, and decided to check out the little sommerfest that had been advertised for the downtown area that afternoon.

The fest, put on by the independent voters' club (Freie Waehler Verein) was indeed cozy. Downright small. But folks were having a good time. There weren't any good shady seats and the music was a bit loud for our tastes, so we went to ... the Zirngibl (who'da thunk?) for a quieter time and more opportunity to talk without having to bellow over the schlager music.

Karl is always a great visit and he had to depart all too soon, to fetch his family from a lake where they'd gone swimming.

As the afternoon wore on, HW and I wandered back to the edge of the fest, plopping down at Yanis for drinks, and wound up staying for supper (I had spicy noodles and she got a chicken, lemongrass and coconut milk thing; both quite good).

Did I mention that I walked from the rehab center all the way to Zirngibl and back (well, crutched). No problemo. Stronger and better every day.

All too quickly, the day drew to a close and HW had to head back north to Pressath. I spent a while catching up on e-mail, and when she called to let me know she was home safely, I headed for bed.

This week will be somewhat busier than last, but – thank the non-existent gods – it'll be time to go home on Saturday!

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