German Food and Everyday Things

Dear Family and Friends,

We have had a quiet week. Since our work was completed (for now) on our condo we decided to try a new German restaurant in town. The restaurant is the Stein Haus (Stone House). You can read Sumana's review of the restaurant on Cuenca Highlife by clicking here.

The restaurant is in a converted old stone house. Hence, the name of the restaurant. Chuck and I went there for lunch. We each ordered an entree and ended up carrying half of it home with us. The food was excellent. I ordered a beef dish....cooked just to my order and very tender.


Chuck ordered the sausage dish.


Along with our entree we were served German potato salad, sauerkraut, and a red cabbage salad. Everything was very tasty.

While eating I thought of our friend, Christa Hirsch. She is German and I knew that she would really enjoy this restaurant. So Chuck and I went back for a second time in two days with Christa and David.


This time we were smart and only ordered one entree for each couple. We ordered a pigs knee. I don't remember the German name of the dish but again it was very good.


On Saturday morning I went to the co-op for veggies and fruit. It is just across the street, about a 10 minute walk from our condo. Of course, just across the street also means on the other side of the river. As I crossed the bridge, I couldn't resist taking a picture of the indigenous people washing their clothes. The river is very low right now because it is the dry season.


After crossing the bridge I headed for the co-op. I passed an empty lot and and saw these two adorable calfs enjoying their lunch.

You know, I am still getting used to the marvelous sites here in Ecuador. I hope I never get to the point that I don't appreciate it's uniqueness. These are sights I would never have seen in Richland, Washington, where we lived before moving here.

I ordered drapes for our living room windows at the same time I ordered the furniture. Well the furniture has been made and delivered but we are still waiting on the drapes. I was starting to get concerned because I had not heard from the people who were making them. I had the throw pillows for the easy chairs made from the drapery fabric. What if they had miscalculated and didn't have enough fabric for the drapes and were hesitant to call? I had lost their telephone number, so Monday I hopped a bus and went down town to talk with them.

I was promised that the drapes will be delivered a week from Friday.

When I got back to the bus stop the traffic was being held by motorcycle policemen. I could hear bands playing and then came the parade. The parade consisted of school children and bands marching. Then came along the folkloric dancers. I couldn't resist...out came the camera.


On Monday morning our doorbell rang and the security guard told Chuck something about washing the windows. When the windows are washed above us, the workers climb up on scaffolding and wash them. Luckily, all of ours can be done from the patio and Lourdes keeps them washed regularly.

Chuck said they could use the patio. We didn't realize what a big job it was. Actually, they are not washing windows, they are sealing the brick wall from rain. I guess people above us have had problems with water seeping through the walls when it rains.

This meant that the week we thought we had free, turned into another week (or who knows how long) of worker sitting. For security, it is important that someone be at home while work is being done. So Chuck and I have been trading off the chore.

Yesterday, Chuck and I were sitting outside and he said let's go to Machala and stay a few days. So, we told the workers that they would have to stop work and come back when we return next week. This seemed reasonable to us since we were never asked if it was convenient to use our patio for this work. We will talk to the building manager and tell her that in the future she should consult with us before starting projects that involve our patio.

So we have our new patio furniture, but the view looks like this.

There are two guys working and they climb to the top of this scaffolding without a harness to do their work. It is almost more than we can bare.


I will share with you about our trip to Machala when we return.

Have a great week.

We love you,

Nancy and Chuck