Saturday, September 12, 2009
Life as a German
H E L L O again!!It's been a while since the last time I blogged. So I'm doing it now in Germany!! Many things have happened since my last post, and I will try to let you know about it in the next days. And now, about my life in Germany.
I would say it's a picturesque country full of vibrant flowers cascading from window boxes, charming old towns with cobblestone roads.
It's just as you see it in pictures, really! Overall, Germany is gorgeous, the people are friendly, and most speak at least some English. Believe me. Lots of Americans over there, no worry.
The cities are so clean and sometimes have the Middle Ages feel where you enter the main streets from arched walk ways and stone streets.Every day we would be off to explore another city, town, mountain, or village, either by train or car.
Anyway, what I wanted to talk about today is about what happens on Sundays in Germany. In Germany almost all shops are closed on Sunday. Supermarkets, malls, bakeries, shops, bookshops, etc. Sunday is a day to be with family and no work, like cutting the grass, is done on this day.
I was not used to it at all. Back in my home country, supermarkets and malls are open the whole week and some even 24 hours.
The pace of life is much slower and more enjoyable. I go the the grocery store almost every day. Food is fresher and foods like chicken and beef dont have a lot of preservatives and dont last but a day or two in the refrigerator.
I did a lot of shopping at the german markets. Everything is really cheap. Like $1.00 for a package of cheese.
The food is amazing - if you pass a street vendor selling sausages, BUY ONE, because that's some of the best food EVER!
The beer, of course, is wonderful, and practically every town has their own brewery. Regardless if you are a fan of beer or not, the best place in the world to enjoy the variety and quality of good beer is here. They do have very strange ideas about pizza too.Getting off the food kick, one of the neatest things about living in Germany is how easy it is to get to other countries - you can take on road trips to Netherlands, Denmark, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland etc.
There's also a ton to see and do in Germany itself, and most towns and cities have an older section sometimes dating back 800 or more years!
I'll never forget the first time I saw that Castle, it was magnificent, my first castle, high above the town, overlooking everything, it seemed so majestic and magical to me.
That was the Neuschwanstein Castle in Southwest, Germany, an inspiration Walt Disney used to make Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella's castles.The mountains and countryside are beautiful. There are flowers everywhere. The history there is amazing and incredible.
It was so unimaginable when you go into a church that is 1000 years old. Christmas markets are wonderful and we really missed them this year.
Needless to say, this experience of traveling and living in Germany for a month changed my life and my way of looking at things like no other before or since.
What started out as somewhat fearful of the unknown, has turned into my lifelong quest for travel, sometimes bordering on the edge of obsession, to learn about other places, people and cultures.
Well i could go on and on. There are so many wonderful thing to experience.There's so much more to tell.
Just remember: don't be afraid to get out and experience your surroundings. Eat, drink and be happy.
Shirley
Best Friends Ever7:08 AM