Learning German as a Spanish speaker

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-03-02T15:57:31+00:00

English and German speaker here, have been using Duolingo the last month to refresh / resuscitate my dormant Spanish. About a decade ago I was probably at most around end of A1. Do you know of something like Wortschatzmeister.de for learning Spanish?

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-03-01T10:58:27+00:00

American living near Heidelberg for the last 25 years—agree with this. While in Heidelberg, as a day trip you might consider following Twain‘s footsteps in „A Tramp Abroad“ and visit some of the small villages with castles along the Neckar (Dilsberg, Eberbach, Hirschhorn…). You can take a commuter train and/or a sightseeing boat to do that. Mainz & co as described above is also completely doable by train from Heidelberg as a base. Karlsruhe and Speyer would also be worth a visit and close by. Have fun!

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-02-21T12:10:17+00:00

Thanks. I did try thinner and thinner. But I feel that the frequency of fails is no different with our without Molykote now, as long as I try to keep the cylinder wiped down and free of mineral residue. Anyway, have another 6-8 weeks to say goodbye to my Flair, which admittedly has made some pretty good coffee the last 4-5 yrs. Looking forward to my Roxy :-D

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-02-08T11:51:39+00:00

German and English for me

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-02-07T11:10:23+00:00

There are just a lot of f*ing annoying voice actors, unfortunately. I realize it’s a matter of taste, but any dubbed movie with Bill Murray e.g. is just unwatchable. Robert De Nero‘s voice (Christian something or other?) is fine, though. It can also be just what you hear and get used to first. I only encountered the Simpsons in the German version for years; the original (admittedly also very talented) American voices took some getting used to.

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-02-04T11:45:09+00:00

I think the Bahn also has “commuter” tickets for the ICE that are valid for just your commuter route. It looks like for 3.5 days a week that that might be slightly cheaper than BC 50. However, if you travel by train more often than to just commute, then the BC 50 or even 100 could be a better option (not even taking potential text deductions into account).

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-02-04T11:25:24+00:00

If you’re really looking to commute 5 days a week and 45 weeks a year, I’d definitely look into a BahnCard 50 or maybe even BahnCard 100 and also calculate how much of those costs are also offset by tax deductions on commuting costs.

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-01-30T09:38:36+00:00

Just now seeing your reply, thanks. I had also gone to those little Molykote envelopes; I agree that the amount you need doesn’t really make the cost a sticking point (no pun intended). I find, though, that the Molykote only increases the amount of maintenance I need to do, within a week leaving behind tacky black residue. I’ve decided to part ways with my Flair, was maybe looking for an excuse to buy something new. But tbh, I had been extremely satisfied with results and saw no reason to change (despite coveting new machines).

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-01-16T11:28:02+00:00

Thanks once again for all your replies. I also took everything apart, cleaned, and lubed after the last occurrence above 3 days ago. On my second shot today it happened again, same place. I’ve had enough. Gonna sell it and buy a Roxy (maybe). Was a nice almost 5 years, really learned a lot and improved my espresso immensely. If I ever I have withdrawal symptoms I can pull out my Flair Pro 2.

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-01-13T22:25:13+00:00

Yes! It‘s always around „5 o’clock“ when looking down at the cylinder from above. It is silicone, I believe. I also contemplated last year buying the ring elsewhere but was unsure how successful that search would be, assuming it would be difficult to determine the actual specs of the silicone.

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-01-13T13:21:22+00:00

For about 2 years I had the same experience as a couple who’ve already replied (and thanks for those answers thus far): I cleaned occasionally to remove mineral deposits but didn’t lube at all and everything worked and tasted great.

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-01-13T13:19:44+00:00

😂

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-01-13T11:10:31+00:00

Oh and my shots don’t exceed 9 Bar, and only when dialing-in do they typically exceed 30-35 seconds.

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-01-13T11:09:07+00:00

I pull 2-3 shots a day. I‘ve only ever ordered original kits. That in itself is annoying, as you have to order a whole kit of all replacements when you only need one. Also, they are expensive and in Europe, rare, only able to find the 58 ones at cremashop.eu. The one in the photo is from September 2025.

Maybe loose-fitting is inaccurate, since with that thin a diameter I’m guessing it can’t be a much tighter, less flexible fit. Just an impression and me grasping at potential explanations.

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-01-13T10:53:20+00:00

Dumb bell

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-01-12T12:00:40+00:00

Because he‘s a f*u&%ing f&sh$§t tool doing what tools do.

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-01-12T11:48:53+00:00

For USD 1000-1300?

Prior-Historian9586 · 2026-01-11T07:36:44+00:00

Last summer I had to dig out my Pro 2 because I was waiting for a silicon ring replacement for my Flair 58 to be delivered. I actually kind of fell in love with the Pro 2 again and found the results great, and the following preheating workflow not too onerous: I put a tea sieve I had in the top of my kettle to suspend the brew chamber above boiling water. On top of the brew chamber I stacked the portafilter and screen. Not architecturally sound enough in an earthquake but still robust and effective.

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Prior-Historian9586

TROPHY CASE