An Austrian Kaffeehaus

 

Before I tell you about the Austrian Kaffeehaus, I want to show you the Christmas cards I received - I wanted to do that last week, but completely forgot. It's pretty obvious that work has started again and I don't get all the things done I actually want to.

Above on the left is the card that I received from Erika and to the right you can see Jeanie's card. Both cards are so beautiful - thank you so much, Erika and Jeanie, you made me happy!

I am one of the lucky ones who actually received two cards from Elle. Aren't they cute?

Elle, I really feel lucky to have gotten two cards from you - thank you so much. I also loved the cat postage stamp she put on one of the envelopes - from one cat lover to another.

Now let's visit the Austrian Kaffeehaus, the Konditorei Austrian Pastry in Davis, CA. Konditorei actually means pastry shop - you can buy your pastry and take it home, but you can also have a real sit-down experience here. A Konditorei doesn't sell bread, it only sells pastries - and coffee, of course. If you want to buy bread in a German speaking country you go to the Bäckerei (which often also sells some pastries).

When I visited Kaefer while she was studying at UC Davis we sometimes would go to this Konditorei, either for lunch or for breakfast. It was not exactly a Kaffeehaus the way you would find it in Austria, but compared to other similar places here, it came close. It definitely had much more of the "gemütliche Atmosphäre" than many coffee places in the US.

The coffee was excellent, strong without being bitter. And of couse they had baked goods that you would find in a decent Austrian Kaffeehaus.

Palatschinken (a thin pancake) on the left, something hearty in the middle (I forgot the name of it) and Topfenstrudel (quark strudel) on the right

The food was delicious and we really liked the special Kaffeehaus atmosphere. It was so different from other coffee shops here - when it comes to coffee culture, there is definitely room for improvement in the US. I tried several coffees during those four college years - here I'm having a Macchiato while Kaefer is enjoying her Palatschinken.

Unfortunately, the Konditorei closed in February 2022 since the owners retired after 32 years of hard work (Albert immigrated from Austria while Gloria is from San Francisco). 

Of course this is for Bleubeard and Elizabeth's T Tuesday. Rain's prompt for this week's Thursday Art and Dinner Date is coffee shop and since Kaefer can be seen in the pictures, I also share to Nicole's Friday Face Off.

The Spice Bazaar

 

The Grand Bazaar is probably the most famous bazaar in Istanbul - it is huge with little alleys that it is easy to get lost in it. But the smaller Egyptian Bazaar - Mısır Çarşisi - is not only easier to navigate but somehow has a more laid back feel as well. Located in the Fatih district close to the Galata Bridge with all its restaurants that spans the Golden Horn, this is a 17th century covered market that is better known as the Spice Bazaar. Opened in 1664 it has been to this day the center for spice trade in Istanbul. The scents and fragrances are delicious, there is an endless selection of spices, herbs, dried fruits and vegetables, tea and sweets.

I came mainly for the spices, but then I got carried away with all the other offerings as well.

Do you see the little silver and copper pots hanging behind the dried fruit and vegetable in the picture above? This is for Turkish coffee - and my first ticket for Elizabeth's T Tuesday.

My second ticket is this:

And the third ticket is the pots that tea is served in. Aren't they pretty?

But as I mentioned, you can also buy sweet things in the bazaar - funny sweet balls, nuts and dates, and of course Turkish baklava which is not quite as sweet as the baklava that I ate in the Middle East. This was way more agreeable with me and I admit that we bought a good selection of it.

I fell for these cute slippers and I still regret that I didn't buy a pair. At least they're making a colorful picture.

I hope you enjoyed this little tour in the Spice Bazaar. We spent quite some time here, tasting baklava, spices and tea and having some wonderful conversations with the merchants. I hope we can go back one day.

Cats And Coffee

 

Do you see the cat on the moped? This little guy entertained us a few years ago while we were sitting in a little street café called "Green Corner" almost right next to the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. It was the morning after the wedding of the Geek's cousin and we just had a few more hours before his mother, brother and nephew had to leave for the airport for their flights back home (we were lucky to have one more week in Turkey to look forward to). After the wedding that started late in the evening and lasted into the early morning hours, we were a bit tired and didn't feel much like walking around. So we had some iced coffee in this little street café that we had frequented several times during the week before.

However, this was the first time that we saw this cat. It inspected the moped, hopped on the seat and finally lay down to take a short nap.

This wasn't the only time that we were entertained or visited by a cat while taking a coffee break. It happened again when we had a very delicious iced coffee (they make great iced coffee in Turkey) in a little street café in Selçuk (which is not far from the famous site of Ephesus).

We were planning the next day when this little cat turned up and decided to hang out right next to us. I ended up resting halfway on the sidewalk and halfway on the street. It didn't mind since everybody in Turkey seemed to be very considerate of stray cats and dogs. The Turkish people feed them, give them places to sleep safely, care for them, even pay veterinary bills if the need arises. If a cat crosses a street, traffic comes to a stop and everybody waits patiently until the little stinker is on the other side of the street. I've never seen a country where stray animals are so much loved as in Turkey.

Back in Istanbul, we of course paid a last visit to the "Green Corner" for our last Turkish iced coffee. There was no way we would leave without a final taste of this delicacy.

Guess who was there? Our little moped loving four-legged friend.

Have you watched the movie "Kedī" (Turkish for 'cat')? It's a wonderful little movie about the cats in Istanbul and the people of Istanbul. I watched it after having been to Istanbul and I felt like being back in the magical city. I wrote about the cats of Istanbul here.

The coffee, of course, is for the T gang - all gathered for Elizabeth's T Tuesday.

Days Without Power

Wildfire season is year-round in California by now, but fall seems to be the most dangerous time when after the summer everything is bone dry, humidity is low and the winds pick up. Great conditions for devastating fires like the ones we experienced in October 2017. However, those fires as well as the horrific Camp Fire last year in November were started by power lines that PG&E, our gas and electricity provider, neglected and failed to maintain over many years. As a consequence, PG&E now opts to shut off power to its customers as a preventative measure instead of putting those power cables underground (too expensive for those CEOs who love to line their own pockets).

Last week on Wednesday - ironically exactly the second anniversary of the October fires - our power was shut off early in the morning at 3:00 am. In the days before when we had been warned about this intentional power outage the Geek and I prepared for the days without electricity - the car had a full gas tank (gas stations were shut down as well and I had no desire to get stranded in case we had to evacuate because of fire), we had filled up the freezer with gallons of water that froze and provided some extra cold, cooked some food in advance that could stay fresh safely in a barely cool fridge and had enough back-up power to charge our cell phones and flashlights.

Many schools were closed including the high school where I work as well as the Geek's company. We spent Wednesday mainly reading, knitting (I, not the Geek), walking, chatting and taking naps. In the evening out came the camp stove and we cooked simple meals, accompanied by delicious wine.

Thankfully the weather was still warm, gorgeous fall days - but we were wondering about the wind. There wasn't any. But the wind was the reason the power was shut off...

Unfortunately it wasn't quiet. Some of our neighbors had turned on their generators, and our next door neighbor who had the loudest of them all let it run throughout the night. How annoying! We had to sleep with our windows closed which I hate and we could still hear it. No wonder I didn't sleep very well that night, even though it was pitch dark. Instead I lay in my bed wondering how I could have hot coffee in the morning. You see, I only have whole coffee beans, but my grinder is electric. Totally useless! But then it dawned on me - I still have my mom's old-fashioned hand cranked coffee grinder! I also have an old hand filter that I found the next morning at the very back in one of my kitchen cabinets. I could make coffee!

It was the most delicious coffee I had in a long time.

After two days we got our electricity back. Many people were mad at PG&E, complaining on "Nextdoor" and just whining. I can understand that a power outage is awful when you need electricity for your health or have small children or your own well (I'm not talking about businesses here, only residences); mostly it is an inconvenience because we are so used to have electricity to ease our daily tasks. No Internet, no TV and only spotty cell phone service seem to be quite horrible for many people. I wonder how long we would last if there was a more permanent power outage, for example after an earthquake? All the whining wouldn't help. Being prepared, however, gives us a fighting chance.

Scene & Story - August 2017

Except for the eclipse I didn't take that many photos in August. That month was dominated by the beginning of the school year and me going back to work. It was very hectic and extremely busy setting up the high school library and providing about 1600 students with their different textbooks and English novels.

No wonder that my favorite photo for August is one of quietness from a slow morning with my favorite girl. This summer when Kaefer was home from college we often went to our small neighborhood coffee joint to have a delicious cup of coffee, get a sweet treat from the bakery and sit and chat with the neighbors. It brings back memories of lazy summer days when we could spend our time with sweet nothingness and just enjoy being there. It held talks of the future, laughter about silly jokes and comfortable silence. Looking back at it just one week before she'll return to college it already carries the hint of bittersweet feelings.

I'm joining Sarah and León for Scene and Story.