Poor planning or bad coincidence: Oysters and "Dry January"

Let us move into 2025, a year that – not even half-way through – has already seen 9 outings. This first opportunity presented itself as a half-day outing, hence, after work, just for the evening. The outfit of the evening consisted of burgundy faux leather pants, a silky white shirt, and a black blazer, combined with a comfy black coat.

On the subway. Did you notice the (for the most part) matching pants, handbag, and gloves, and the black and burgundy scarf? I love it.

A little bit of shopping

And dinner at an Italian restaurant. Fortunately, oysters are a popular item in numerous cuisines across the globe. At one point, I am going to a run a series of Franzi oyster shots.

What do you notice in this picture? Correct, January has been a dry month for us for several years, and 2025 was no exception.

After this visit to a rather classy Italian restaurant, Franzi visited Frankfurt’s “Club Voltaire.” There are several clubs in Germany with that name, but this one is the oldest thereof. Eponym of the club is the French author and philosopher Voltaire, or civically François-Marie Arouet, an influential thinker and writer of the enlightenment. And this is no coincidence.

“Club Voltaire,” off of Freßgass (colloquially) or Große Bockenheimer Straße (officially), close to Frankfurts “Alte Oper,” has been a meeting point and place of exchange for the anti-Establishment in Frankfurt and in Germany since it opened in 1962. It really is a “Club”, in the sense of a registered non-profit association and its main purpose is to provide a place for a counter-public, offering information and education as a prerequisite for emancipation and change (cf. club website). It is meant as a space for alternative art and culture and for gatherings without discrimination. There is a pub in the basement and there are meeting rooms upstairs. Some people say that this is where the protests of the late 1960s took off in Germany.

At the bar at Club Voltaire. 

As my regular readers know, the Frankfurt region is famous for its apple wine (The wilds of culinary Frankfurt). Given "Dry January," Apfelsaftschorle (diluted apple juice) was in order. Germans tend to drink most juices diluted with sparkling water (say, 20-30% water), which we then call “Schorle.” It makes them more refreshing to drink. An exception to this rule would be orange juice, but juices of apple, rhubarb, red and black currant, cherries, grapes, grapefruit, raspberries, or multivitamin juices are – for the most part – enjoyed watered down. “Schorle” also exists for fermented (white) grapes (i.e. wine) and it exists with lemonade instead of water. Both variants, for me, are perversities.

Recently, this scene has developed to be the last photo of the day or evening. At one point, I am going to a run a series of Franzi elevator shots – maybe for my three-year blog anniversary in late October.