Encounters with Beauty and Grace
( “The Chocolate Girl” by Jean-Étienne Liotard ) Café Maldaner is often crowded and customer service is hit or miss. I still believe it’s worth a visit, or in my case, a dozen. Spinning through the turnstile doorway transports you to a bygone era …
The woman’s lithe figure moved with ease from tables topped with flickering candles and vases cradling stems with pink petals. A ribbon of white satin framed a neckline that would leave swans envious. Her black apron was starched, stain-free and blended seamlessly with the …
“Wine is sunlight, held together by water” – Galileo Galilei Antonie and Andreas Pietsch are cultivators. Soil embedded under rugged fingernails, skin bronzed by the outdoors and cheeks rosy from external elements. Like the 2.2 hectares of gnarled vines the couple tends and …
My heels and head were confused as I entered. The GPS read Wiesbaden, but my eyes saw Paris. Clusters of blood red roses accentuated by flickering candles topped tables draped in crisp white linen. Reflective silverware became bookends to napkins shaped like crowns. Hundreds of …
**Update: Literaturhauscafé has a new tenant, Holger Schwedler. Mr. Schwedler also owns Wingert Vinothek.** “The Menopause of spinsters – A very boring place with a nice garden. If you haven’t found the love of your life, here is the place where you can enjoy …
I was on a mission to find a peony. As I entered Blumen Dekker I learned peony season had come and gone. The owner, Jaap Dekker, ushered me to a bucket filled with roses in full blossom. With a discerning eye he plucked the flower that …
(I don’t have the heart to take this post down. Holger passed away unexpectedly last November. He was 57. Thankful our worlds collided.) Sultry vocals of Nora Jones drift overhead in Wingert Vinothek. Disheveled stacks of wine crates, books by Proust, eclectic art, lit candles, …
Scattered below, in no certain order, are observations I’ve made since moving to the land of lederhosen and schnitzel. If you have opinions you’d like to share, please leave a comment below… When greeting a couple, German men often extend their hand to the …
Like his fraying parchment colored linen shirt, Husam (Sam) Al-Badri is a soul who seems to have lived many lives. Born in Baghdad, Sam learned to bind books by age twelve. Adulthood brought him to Berlin, where he went on to build a successful career as …
Dieter Ege’s gunmetal rimmed spectacles complemented his well-groomed gray mane. A tailored suit rested on shoulders with impeccable posture while a crisp white collar framed a poised jawline. For 30 years Mr. Ege has managed a historical property in Wiesbaden, the Schwarzer Bock Hotel. …