I downloaded my camera and decided to post some random images with explanations.
Germany is very serious about trash. We have 4 different trash recepticals in our house, plus a box for glass. Glass gets sorted by color : green, brown or white (clear). Trash gets divided into 5 cans: recyclable plastic, metal, and paper/cardboard, compostable plant matter, and trash. We haven't had to empty the "trash" bin yet since there is so little once you sort out everything else.
This next photo is for Bridget: it is a flowershop just down the street from us. If the sign were in pink it would be perfect. Blumen means Flower and haus, obviously, is house.
Shopping is great in Germany and with the Euro almost equal to a dollar, prices are about 20% lower than on our last mission. As you can see from the photo of Elder Stay, we are not suffering.
I really like this "Baby World" spot in the drugstore: Not only do they have a light, open and not smelly place to change your baby's diaper, they GIVE you FREE diapers to use, along with cremes and wipes!
Friedrichsdorf (the town we live in about 15 K north of Frankfurt) has a carfree pedestrian walkway through the middle of town: when we walked to the temple, this is our path. Here are some scenes from it. Why is there a mother and baby hippo? No idea
Sign for a butcher and a monument to Friedrich whose Dorf we live in.
We went food shopping: ended up at Aldi Sud. Those of you who live in the midwest know Aldi in the US. It is a German firm: Albrecht Discount. In Germany, the country is split between two brothers: one gets Nord and the other has Sud. Not the same products as the US, but the same business model. So we got all the food below - and more -for less than 100 Euros.We have a HUGE refrigerator with a three drawer freezer. What luxury here!
While we are on the subject of food. This (left) was my first breakfast back here in Germany. I love the rich almost orange yolks of the eggs, which are very fresh, and that's a warm, toasty roll or brotchen. The photo on the right is really international: Bavarian bacon (speck) which is like really thin, really salty country ham. Not really bacon, but it's an acceptable substitute. Really FRENCH toast made from leftover bread we got in Calais, France. That seemed appropriate. And Swedish Lingonberry spread from the local IKEA. We pass the IKEA on our way to and from work. You may be impressed to hear that I have resisted the temptation every time except once. And then I only bought food. Including meatballs. In Germany, IKEA sells 3 different types of meatballs: vegetarian, chicken, and pork.
On Saturday, we took our first P-Day and drove into Frankfurt to wander around thru our favorite old haunts. First was the flea market along the south side of the river. After buying a couple of things - including the Bavarian jacket I am wearing in the 4th photo below (I got it for 15 Euros!!!) - we decided we needed bratwurst on brotchen, which you buy from vendors who have huge circular grills hung froma pivot by chains over a charcoal pit. You can get METER long wurst if you want. We took it down and ate on a bench by the Main River.
On Friday I commented on a post on Facebook that it is hard to make chocolate chip cookies in Germany since they don't have vanilla, baking powder or soda, chocolate chips or brown sugar. Then Sister Krista Maslow from my ward here in Frankfurt saw the post and brought these to church today so that I can make cookies, to assure me that you can, indeed, find most stuff in Germany. Vanilla comes in two forms : vanilla flavored sugar (Vanillin Zucher) and tiny vials with about 1/2 tsp in each. You buy baking powder (Backpulver) in one teaspoon packets, like a big sugar packet. Baking soda is called Kaiser Natron which I would never have guessed. And the chocolate chips are called Schoko Tropfchen : they are tiny in size and come in a tiny box weighing 75 grams. Compare that with the HUGE 650 gram bag I brought with me from the US. There are good reasons that Americans are obese
Germany is very serious about trash. We have 4 different trash recepticals in our house, plus a box for glass. Glass gets sorted by color : green, brown or white (clear). Trash gets divided into 5 cans: recyclable plastic, metal, and paper/cardboard, compostable plant matter, and trash. We haven't had to empty the "trash" bin yet since there is so little once you sort out everything else.
This next photo is for Bridget: it is a flowershop just down the street from us. If the sign were in pink it would be perfect. Blumen means Flower and haus, obviously, is house.
Shopping is great in Germany and with the Euro almost equal to a dollar, prices are about 20% lower than on our last mission. As you can see from the photo of Elder Stay, we are not suffering.
I really like this "Baby World" spot in the drugstore: Not only do they have a light, open and not smelly place to change your baby's diaper, they GIVE you FREE diapers to use, along with cremes and wipes!
Friedrichsdorf (the town we live in about 15 K north of Frankfurt) has a carfree pedestrian walkway through the middle of town: when we walked to the temple, this is our path. Here are some scenes from it. Why is there a mother and baby hippo? No idea
Sign for a butcher and a monument to Friedrich whose Dorf we live in.
We went food shopping: ended up at Aldi Sud. Those of you who live in the midwest know Aldi in the US. It is a German firm: Albrecht Discount. In Germany, the country is split between two brothers: one gets Nord and the other has Sud. Not the same products as the US, but the same business model. So we got all the food below - and more -for less than 100 Euros.We have a HUGE refrigerator with a three drawer freezer. What luxury here!
While we are on the subject of food. This (left) was my first breakfast back here in Germany. I love the rich almost orange yolks of the eggs, which are very fresh, and that's a warm, toasty roll or brotchen. The photo on the right is really international: Bavarian bacon (speck) which is like really thin, really salty country ham. Not really bacon, but it's an acceptable substitute. Really FRENCH toast made from leftover bread we got in Calais, France. That seemed appropriate. And Swedish Lingonberry spread from the local IKEA. We pass the IKEA on our way to and from work. You may be impressed to hear that I have resisted the temptation every time except once. And then I only bought food. Including meatballs. In Germany, IKEA sells 3 different types of meatballs: vegetarian, chicken, and pork.
On Saturday, we took our first P-Day and drove into Frankfurt to wander around thru our favorite old haunts. First was the flea market along the south side of the river. After buying a couple of things - including the Bavarian jacket I am wearing in the 4th photo below (I got it for 15 Euros!!!) - we decided we needed bratwurst on brotchen, which you buy from vendors who have huge circular grills hung froma pivot by chains over a charcoal pit. You can get METER long wurst if you want. We took it down and ate on a bench by the Main River.
On Friday I commented on a post on Facebook that it is hard to make chocolate chip cookies in Germany since they don't have vanilla, baking powder or soda, chocolate chips or brown sugar. Then Sister Krista Maslow from my ward here in Frankfurt saw the post and brought these to church today so that I can make cookies, to assure me that you can, indeed, find most stuff in Germany. Vanilla comes in two forms : vanilla flavored sugar (Vanillin Zucher) and tiny vials with about 1/2 tsp in each. You buy baking powder (Backpulver) in one teaspoon packets, like a big sugar packet. Baking soda is called Kaiser Natron which I would never have guessed. And the chocolate chips are called Schoko Tropfchen : they are tiny in size and come in a tiny box weighing 75 grams. Compare that with the HUGE 650 gram bag I brought with me from the US. There are good reasons that Americans are obese
Love the jacket! You wear it well.
ReplyDeleteThe jacket looks perfect for you! It reminds me of the Swedish military uniforms from your Great Grandpa Holmquist.
ReplyDeleteNeat! Let me know when you're available to chat.
ReplyDelete