Channeling My Inner Jennifer Lawrence

Tags

award, bloggers, Blogs, Friends, Sunshine

Once again I’m happy to announce I was chosen for another blogger-to-blogger award called the Sunshine Award! Stoked! Do I think I’m a sunshiny person? I have my moments I suppose but I’m all about this because for the moment in Germany there is ZERO sunshine so this was just what I needed! Thanks so much to a fellow American married to a German over at Germerican Denglish. Thank you so much for the nomination! Such an incredible feeling to be loved!!! You like me, you really really like me!

Just like the last award there are rules to follow and those are:
-Link back to the person who nominated you (http://germericandenglish.com/)
-Post the award image to your page
-Tell seven facts about yourself
- Nominate 5-10 other blogs and let them know they are nominated

Here are my seven facts about myself (a lot harder than you think!)

1. I can cook lavish things with pages of complicated directions but when it comes to the simple things like rice, potatoes, and eggs. I can not for the life of me get it right! What is that?!?!
2. I always get nervous before a flight because I’m afraid I’m going to miss the plane (a few incidents of that happening causes a problem!) but once I’m on the plane I relax and the excitement begins. Excitement not for the flight but for the MEAL! I love plane food! I get SO excited!
3. I’m almost 29 years old and still not 100% sure what I want to do with my life as far as a career goes. I’m just a kind of girl that doesn’t like to be solidified to one skill. I have a thirst for knowledge!
4. Whenever I go out to dinner I make sure I have leftovers to take home because nothing is better than leftovers for breakfast!! YUM!
5. My dream for retirement is to live in a little cape on cape cod in MA. I would be the happiest girl in the world. Toblerone and I go every year to cape cod. It’s the greatest place in the world!
6. I think a lot about my engagement and it really was the most perfect moment in the most perfect place on the earth. If you missed it, see it here.
7. I wish I would have stayed in ballet. I did it when I was a little girl but not for very long. I always loved ballet and how beautiful the ballerinas looked with their giant tutus! Maybe I’ll get back into that?

And now my nominations for the Sunshine Award are:
1. Eat, Travel, Photograph
2. ifs ands & butts
3. The Beauty Along The Road
4. Sweet & Spicy Life
5. The Girl With No Filter

Until next time, Readers!!!! xoxoxoxo

I Live In A Place That… (Part Three)

Tags

Culture, dessert, different, food, Germany, Shoes, Sunday, travel

Ok, I thought maybe this would only be a two part thing….and now I’m on part three. And I hate to say it but I have enough for part four!!!! Is that possible?! Sorry! Well, wait, no I’m not sorry! It’s my blog…I do what I want, dammit! To read the others of this little mini series please click the links for Part One or Part Two.

I Live In A Place That…

….. 90% of Taxis and cargo trucks are Mercedes. Aren’t those supposed to be cars that only the wealthy can afford?

…..Shoes don’t come in half sizes. For those who know me, my passion in my life was clothes but shoes were always my thing. I couldn’t turn down a cute pair of stilettos. Its sad because I haven’t bought any shoes since I’ve lived here. Ladies, that’s over two years. My 7.5 size is something I’ll never find! But why don’t they have that?!?! Clearly Europeans have exact measurements! What the heck! I mean it can’t be possibe! Can it?!

……Doesn’t offer dessert after dinner. Never have I ever been in a restaurant and dessert is offered or suggested. Unlike in the US where you’re always asked, “Did you save room for dessert?!” by an overly excited waitress. I think this is also a part of the European Diet. Don’t offer what isn’t necessary.

…Sunday is absolutely a day of rest. I’ve been told several times that its not ok that I want to clean on a Sunday. This holy day is strictly for relaxing and doing nothing that even remotely resembles a chore. I haven’t really gotten into the swing of that yet! Guess I’m a sinner!!!

…..Every day from noon to one is quiet time. No lawn mowers, no machinery of any kind going. It’s lunch time and quiet time. It’s like a law…seriously. Some neighbors would feel inclined to call the police and have them deal with it! Say no to lunch time noise!

Thats it for this one! Part four will be coming up shortly!!

Until next time, Readers!!!! xoxoxoxoxoxo

The Morel Mushroom And A Recipe!

Tags

food, Germany, Morel, mushroom, pasta, Recipe

I have this secret and I might as well bring it out of the closet and confess to all of you. I like to look for mushrooms. Yes, that’s right. It excites me. I get that child-like excitement when I walk into the woods and search for them. There. I said it.

Me with a giant mushroom. Indeed, I love them!

How big of a dork do you think I am now? Pretty big right? But hear me out…You go to the grocery store and look for Morel Mushrooms. Usually you can only find them dried. And for maybe a few dried pieces, 150 grams to 200 grams is a good $10-$15!! I’ve seen them priced at $50 a pound! And for me, I feel like I’m stealing! It’s exhilarating.

This time of year in Germany the Morel Mushrooms start popping up in the damp, mossy parts of the forests. Theres a special place that Toblerone takes me and I get out my special mushroom smelling nose and I search. And search hard. These babies are NOT easy to see and most of the time blend in with the pine cones around you.

So, I found 4 large ones and decided it was time to make something yummy with them. There are some great places in the US where you can find these and if you have kids, its actually something really fun to do with them.

Here’s a little recipe for the morel mushrooms:

What You Need:

1/3 cup diced onion
4 Tbsp butter
6 Fresh large Morels, sliced in half vertically, then slice horizontally to get smaller pieces.
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 freshly ground pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
1/3 cup left over noodle water
Spaghetti or angel hair pasta

How To Make It:

Cook pasta according to package instructions

In a large sauté pan sauté onions in 2Tbsp butter for 2 minutes until clear and slightly browned.

Make a roux out of the remaining butter and flour. Then add the soy sauce, salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir constantly until the consistency of peanut butter.

Turn heat to low – add morel mushrooms and let cook for a a minute or two.

Once noodles are finished add a little leftover noodle water a little at a time to the roux. Stir carefully. You don’t want the sauce to be to watery so allow the roux to work with the water to thicken.

Cover and cook 10 minutes.

Drain noodles then pour noodles into the saute pan and mix until noodles are covered in the mushroom sauce. Serve warm.

I hope you all are able to find an area where you can search for them on your own! Be sure you don’t pull the mushrooms out of the ground. You must cut them from their stalk so that they grow next year! Guten Appetit!

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxoxo

Goodbye Weekend, Please Come Again

Tags

Alf, anniversary, beer stein, family, flea market, Germany, Soccer, soup, weekend, wine

This weekend was the first semi-nice weekend since last year that it was just me, Toblerone, and the Harley Jones ButtButt. We actually took it really easy but it was nice to just be us and be at home. We’ve had a lot of visitors (which I LOVE! Gimme more!!), lots of family get together things, soccer games, and work. But this was the first weekend I actually felt relaxed and able to pull myself together enough to clean the house (which I’ve been boycotting for a few weeks.) Here’s my weekend in review!

Saturday morning I woke up and tried to make toast with my toaster that is ten sizes too small….seriously.

BUT THEN….I FINALLY got my Easter bunny package from my momma! Get this, she sent it out on March 23rd and it arrived on May 4th (Birthday to my Dad!). So I threw the toast over my shoulder and ravished through that thing eating up all the yum yums before Toblerone caught on. Then he wanted in on the chocolate chaos!

Later that day we went to what we thought would be the Farmers Market but ended up being the giant annual flea market!! Which I was in HEAVEN! I always liked flea markets because I relish in the stories of the items. Who owned them? Were they used a lot? That kind of thing. But in Germany, this is like a whole new realm! They have different old stuff and its cool! I keep making myself into a bigger nerd than I want to be!

Check out this prize!! Who remembers Alf?!?!?

So I ended up talking with this old guy and he had so many antiques and I bought from him a musical beer stein for my collection. Yes, I’m collecting but only ones that are from Germany. Then I got two decorative things for my “Cape Cod” guest room. It’s my happy place and not close to finished but it’s slowly getting there!

After the flea market it started to pour. Germany seems to be a lot like Seattle. It is ALWAYS raining in springtime. Want to punch babies! I need sunshine!!! PLEASE!!!! The hubs got me set up on the couch with blankies and my comfy pants and a tea. I wrote a blog or two and just chilled out. It was fantastic! Just what I needed.

Sunday I cleaned the entire house while Toblerone was at his soccer game. He came home with a black eye trying to hit a header and some other kids head smashed into his face. Awesome. However, now I can imagine him as Brad Pitt in the fight club and it’s sexy!

Our town’s Maibaum = May Tree

We went out to dinner to celebrate his parent’s 34th wedding anniversary and I had asparagus cream soup and a salad. Asparagus only really comes out this time of year in Germany and its a special time. So, we have to eat it up while we can. They are big on white asparagus with hollandaise sauce.

After that, we sat outside to soak up the remaining bits of the sun with some white wine while Toblerone iced his face!

Look closely into the wine…Can you find the upside down church steeple?

What did you do this weekend? Anything exciting?!

Until next time, Readers!!!! xoxoxoxoxo

Let Me Take My Bow

Tags

award, blog, blogger, blogging, Blogs, Friends, rules, society, versatile

You know how everyone says, “I never win anything!”??? Yeah, I was definitely one of those people but may god strike me with a ball of thunder and lightening of fire if I ever say it again! Mark my words, lovelies, I have WON something! Something great! Something better than the lottery. I won the Versatile Blogger Award!!!! It’s so nice to be recognized for my blog, which I’m crazy passionate about.

And who do I have to thank?? A fellow Versatile Blogger, From Casinos to Castles. As an expat much like myself, she understands the hard work that goes behind falling in love with a European and living in a country that is not so similar to your own. She’s got a sense a humor I really dig so I STRONGLY urge you to go and check her out and stay for a bit on her side of the internet! So, THANK YOU for the award…Glad I’m no longer a “virgin” in the winning circle of life! And Happy to join such a versatile blogger such as yourself!!!

With this great honor comes a few rules that all must abide by. Kind of like a secret society…I always wanted to be in a secret club. So here it goes based on what is listed here!

1. Thank the person who gave you this award. (Thank You to: From Casinos To Castles!)
2. Include a link to their blog. (Just in case you missed the link above, go here: http://fromcasinostocstles.wordpress.com/)
3. Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly.
4. Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award
5. Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

I follow many great bloggers and discover more each week. I’m like a serial follower but I have no shame! A few of my favs at the moment in no particular order:

1. The Learning Curve
2. Wife In Captivity
3. Confuzzledom
4. My Life In Lederhosen
5. Spoonfuls of Germany
6. Germerican Denglish
7. Loving This Army Life
8. Doin’ Time On The Donau
9. Living The American Dream In Europe
10. Franglais
11. Sweet & Spicy Life
12. Ellie Moves To Deutschland
13. Small Town. Small Times.
14. Sojourning Abroad
15. Oh God, My Wife Is German

And as far as rule number 5 goes…I have to tell 7 things about myself to the person who nominated me. This is probably the hardest part!

1. My idol is Princess Diana. She held her head high with grace when put through the ringer by not only paparazzi but by the royal family as well. She was really something in her time and I would be happy to be half the woman she was!

2. I love to sing and like to think that I have a pretty good voice but I’m SO shy and don’t like to sing in front of anyone but my mom and my sister.

3. My cat, Max, died when I was about 13 years old and I must have cried for three days straight. Mariah Carey’s version of “Can’t Live” still throws me into a pit of black sadness about my long lost cat!

4. I seriously dig old school musicals. Anything to do with Judy Garland or Fred Astaire really get me excited! Favorite movie of all time is The Harvey Girls.

5. 80′s music makes me want to puke. One song here or there is ok, especialy when I’m drunk or at an 80′s themed party, but as soon as Madonna comes on, I’ll set the radio on fire.

6. I always said I wanted to be a house wife until I became one, lol.

7. If I was in prison and was allowed one last meal, it would be mac & cheese with hotdogs made by my mom and creamed tuna or creamed chipped beef on toast made by my dad.

So, that ends my tasks to accept the award and now that I’ve won, I’m off to hire a doorman, a maid, gardener, pool boy, and personal chef. I always knew I was a regal kind of gal…

Until next time, Readers!!!! xoxoxoxoxo

Weekly Photo Challenge: Culture

Tags

Culture, Germany, hip hop, music, Photo Challenge, photography, postaday, rap

Just this past week I was in a “music store” of sorts here in Germany and came upon this new section called, “black music.” In the U.S., I would say some would consider that almost racist or politically incorrect but in the German culture, to them this describes better the Rap/ Hip Hop genre.

Don’t believe me? See for yourself!!

What is your take? Would you find this offensive?!

Until next time, Readers!!! Xoxoxoxoxo

German “Radio”

Tags

1980's, bad music, Bruce hornsby, German, Germany, james blunt, Mencano, music, radio, shakira, take that

You’ve read some blogs where I complain about the radio here in Germany and instead of just my opinion, I decided I’d back it up with a play by play of what comes on the radio. I allowed myself….aka TORTURED myself through a few songs just for you. I know, I’m an angel. Consider yourselves warned…this is a RANT!

Now, This is coming from a radio station that lives by the slogan “Mehr Hits Von Heute” meaning…”More Hits From Today.” More like the recycled tapes they found in Elton John’s trash can. Anywho…before I go on another rant: This is what they played…you’re welcome.

1. Time by Imagine Dragons – Off to a good start! This is new-ish (overplayed in the US I’m sure but it’s new here.)

2. Hijo De la Luna by Mecano – I’ve mentioned how they listen to music from other countries…prime example and TERRIBLE song regardless. This is actually scary or something that would be in a bad spanish musical. Am I right?

3. Beautiful by James Blunt – Was cool 7 years ago, but ok.

4. Underneath Your Clothes – Shakira – Just stab my eyes with a fork. Please. So. So. SO horrendous! What did the world do wrong to deserve this? I say it all the time but HOW on god’s green earth did this chick get a record deal?!?! and WHY are radios still playing this crap?! Omg…just stop it. (I actually turned the radio off for this, I couldn’t stand it anymore.)

5. The Way It Is – Bruce Hornsby – Seriously?! Was I even born when this came out?!

6. Everything Changes – Take That – This took me WAY back. To a place I never want to go again. Ever. Again.

I’ll stop there because that’s bad enough but it gets much worse. Playing songs I LITERALLY have no idea what they are. A lot of Christian Rock music primarily because I don’t think they know what the song is about, language barriers and such. In the US we has specific stations for specific genres. We have the rock station, the top 40′s station, the hip hop and Christian stations. But here, they have satellite radio that is blasted throughout the region and there are like 4 stations to choose from. All playing the same old junk that the US disposed of ages ago. As a music person…it ACHES MY SOUL!!!!!! But for a radio station that claims it plays “More hits from today….” You’re all LIARS!!! I should take over and run the show!

However, I will say that for being over here they do play music from artists that I’ve loved in the past like my fav Irish band, The Coors and the incredibly talented jazz-pop of Jamie Cullam. Sadly, they’ve never heard the likes of Dave Matthews Band or most of the hip hop stuff which to me is a shame. Dave Matthews is a musical poetic genius and they are SERIOUSLY missing out…more like, I’m missing out on any European tours since they aren’t big here

Anywho…go clean your ears out. I’m sorry for what I just put you through but you had to experience the hell I’m living in. Boy, do I miss the US.

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxoxo

An American Easter in Germany

Tags

Americans, celebration, dinner, Dogs, Easter, easter baskets, food, Friends, Germany, holidays, Life, party, Peanut butter, Traditions, travel

Easter rolled around again and it’s crazy to think that I’ve been here for two Easters already. My how time flies. We were slammed with more snow BUT our home was warm with American friends and a roaring fire of course.

I mean look at these lovely guests!

We had our American buddies, who live in Stuttgart Germany, drive out to spend the weekend with us which was such a treat for me! I really love having visitors to begin with where I can speak my own language and remind myself of all the slang words I’ve forgotten living out this way! Not only that but these two brought us the most AMAZING gifts!!! I mean…HELLO!! Take a look at these:

Can we talk about that for a moment? They are not in the military but have access to the military base because one of them works on base, which means they have access to the grocery store with all the American stuff. It’s like this treasure hidden away and I’m not allowed in I wish they would just grant me access to shop there. I’d be all over that! Anywho, we got a normal sized peanut butter jar with YUMMMY peanut butter inside, loads of reese’s, Sam adams beer for Tobi (there were more but those went bye bye in a mere 5 minutes!), and GIRL SCOUT COOKIESSSSSSSS!!!!!!! OMG! I can’t even begin to tell you. Its amazing. The last time I bought girl scout cookies I think I had to leave them with my parents because I was moving to Germany so I never did get my last one So…THANK YOU, FRIENDS!!! Made out Easter 1 million times more amazing by bringing a piece of home to us!

So we had a great dinner with my strawberry salad and caprese filled burgers. Totally American, totally loved!

After our bellies were overstuffed overjoyed we hopped in the jacuzzi for a long time and discussed wedding plans. Obviously not with each other but our American weddings are a week apart. So that’s fun! We snuggled up on the couch and watched the Syracuse game against Marquette and it was totally amazing to see live (thanks to our new “English” channels).

The following morning was filled of Easter fun and more snow…fantastic. Everyone had to find their basket…including Harley and there was also an Easter egg hunt at the end! Loved doing this and now I know why my mom loved doing it every year too

We had omelettes for breakfast and then they were on their way home. It was SO nice for us and so easy with these guys. I forget sometimes just how easy going Americans can be and it’s not an all out process like it is with the Germans. Two totally different cultures and two totally different stress levels!

Here’s a little gem for you….check me out in the mornings with the lovely Fe!! WOOHOOOOOOO Sexy thang!

Until next time, Readers!!!! xoxoxoxoxo

I Live In A Place That…(Part Two)

Tags

America, American, Christmas, Differences, family, German, Germany, Life, Snuff, Tobacco, travel

As promised there is definitely a part two of the “I live in a place that…” posts. Just too much to share in one post! If you missed Part One please click here. Let’s get this party started!

I Live In A Place That…

…Snorts tobacco up their noses.
Snuff tobacco is huge here. This isn’t like chewing tobacco which is stringy. Snuff is a very fine powder, usually with a menthol smell to it. You take this stuff and snort it up your nose. You can take it in between your fingers and shove it up your nose as you sniff it up or you can put it on your hand and run your nose across your hand while snorting.
Here in Germany it’s whatever but when Toblerone takes a sniff of the stuff when we’re in the US it looks like he’s doing cocaine in public places! I’m always a little embarrassed and rush him to finish it up, lol. I mean, it’s not every day you see someone snorting something up their nose! There are actual snuff-sniffing competitions in Germany. The contest is similar to eating hot dogs but they are giving 60 seconds and a 5 gram snuff container. Whoever consumes the most and has the cleanest nose wins! Fantastic! You can see more pictures from this competition here.

…Christmas time traditions include singing with your family around a Charlie Brown tree.
Charlie brown trees are really the only ones they have. There are no full trees like we have in the US which was a GIANT punch in the throat when I had my first Christmas here. Almost shipped myself back home!

This was the shock shown round the world…

And Christmas morning. Did as best as I could decorating that thing!

I can’t speak for all German families but for Toblerone’s they gather at his Omi’s house and light the candles that are placed around the tree (charlie brown tree is good for this massive fire hazzard) and sing German Christmas songs. It’s actually really sweet and the tradition itself brings you the true spirit of the holidays: Family. I love my family’s traditions as well but they are just totally different. Let’s not forget that they only get one or two small presents from their parents. Like a bottle of whiskey and maybe some money. Leaving out the excitement of gifts, it brings you back to the simplest of times. Spirit of family and love. It’s a beautiful thing! But I’m not going to lie…I LOVE presents on Christmas morning!!

…Don’t sit around the tv in silence.
Only when you’re home with your spouse do you do this in German culture that I have seen. For example, when we go over to visit anyone we sit around a table, tv is off, and we talk for hours. Eat, drink, and be conversationalists. I actually like the most when we go to Toblerone’s parents house and we have dinner and then we move to the living room and his Dad is on wine duty. He’s always going down to the basement to get more beers or bottles of wine. The thing that is the most amazing is the actual ability to keep the conversation going. Toblerone talks to his parents every night usually just to check in and see how they are doing. So, when we go for dinner on the weekends sometimes, what is there to talk about?! How do they find so much to say? It’s like magic. But I love it.

…Wearing house shoes is a must.
Every house I’ve been in people have house shoes to wear. German houses are different in general, there are doors to every room rather than open doorways. This is to keep it warm in each room that you have the fire place on or the radiator on. Where in the US we have large rooms with no doors and the whole house is heated. Our house here has floor heating in the living room so we put that on and shut the doors and let the fire place do its thing. It stays nice and cozy warm where we are for the majority of the time. But the rest of the house can be cold or at least the floors are. German houses don’t have carpet flooring. It’s usually only tile or linoleum from all the houses I’ve been in. So, everyone wears socks and puts on their cute little house shoes. Not to mention, most homes have extra “guest slippers” for visitors. We have them too!

…Deodorant comes in a spray or roll-on form.
Ok, I’m a solid deodorant kind of gal and there is literally sometimes only one option at the stores for that. People love the spray on stuff which I HATE! I mean, where am I living?!?! People…let’s get some options going. So it’s always funny for me when I go home and buy deodorant, I stand there for hours going through all my options and all the different smells. Then here in Germany, I literally walk down the aisle, put my arm out, and grab the only option there is. It’s the same smell as all the others: Powder or whatever it is. Bleh. Not ok.
I think I may be living in a 3rd world country. (This just screams: First world problems..yikes!) And the other worst part, you’re paying an arm and a leg for half the size. Like, hello people…I have a routine. I put deodorant on twice a day. That’s two armpits, 5 strokes each, twice a day. I go through this stuff like mad. I’d say I buy a new one every two weeks whereas in the US it was maybe every month and a half to two months. Europe is expensive because they try to live like they are the size of ants.

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxo

I Live In A Place That…(Part One)

Tags

America, Cigarettes, Europe, European, Farmers market, food, German, German food, Germany, Smoking

….is very different from my own.

I decided to make this into a two or three part post only because there are just that many differences but I didn’t want to overload your minds from the craziness! How thoughtful, right? These are in my opinion what makes Germany different from America. I’ve been compiling this list since November of just random things I see and that happen. After two years of living here I tend to forget all the things that are so different and it’s always fun for me when people come to visit and I show them around and they point out all the little things that are so bizarre! Here we go!

I Live In A Place That…

…Takes pride in farmer’s local goods.
There is a farmer’s market usually in the larger towns a couple days a week. This is a year round thing and the people selling their items all come together in the town center, set up their trucks of fresh foods, and await the masses.
All the people bring their hand baskets and fill them up with veggies, fish, noodles, eggs, breads, and flowers. The Germans reallllllly love their food to be fresh. Every week we buy fresh baked bread and fresh lunch meat from the butcher. For Toblerone, this is his heaven.

…Lets kids play outside without worrying about them.
This is something really special for me to see. Granted, we live in a small neighborhood but the children all get together and play outside until dusk. I’m not just talking pre-teens either. There have been numerous times I’ve seen children around the age of 4 or 5 walking up the hills behind our house and sitting in the flowers for hours. Not one adult around them.
They are free to be children and somehow the parents are free of worry. I think as a whole, the neighborhood keeps a watch out for the kids (at least I do!) but I just love to see that they feel so safe and so free. Not like in the US where you have to worry about kidnappings and shootings constantly. This, my friends, is what a world is like where guns are not allowed. But the other thing, this reminds me of my childhood. We didn’t spend hours inside in front of computers and the kids don’t do that here at all. They are ALWAYS outside. So nice to see.

…Plays Mmmm Bop on the radio like its a hit song of the moment.
Ha! So true! The radio in Germany is horrendous. SO, SO, SOOOOO bad. I’ll do a post on this another time but they literally will play Hanson, then switch to Bon Jovi, maybe a little Rihanna in there and then back to some outdated Whitney Houston.
And this is all coming from the station that is supposed to play hits from today. But they mostly play the songs made by Americans that never made it in the US (aka. David Hasselhoff…lol) Hence, why I’m currently making more CDs for the car at the moment. Aside from the bad music they think is cool, they also listen to music from all countries such as Spain and Italy. The list goes on but it’s really funny to see them all singing to a Spanish song. Cute little Germans. But I mean, what kind of country am I living in and they don’t even know who Dave Matthews is?!?! Preposterous!!!!!

…Eat meat sandwiches for breakfast.
When Toblerone and I first became an ‘item’ (in America) we used to bring breakfast to work. We worked for the same company so he would meet me around 9am and we would have our morning snack. This consisted of a pretzel roll, tzaziki, and ham or turkey. Looking back at it now, that was his way of doing the “German” breakfast in the US. Poor guy trying to live his German life in the US. Anywho, back on topic!

Here, it’s absolutely normal to sit down for breakfast with rolls, different kinds of bologna (you can see those here), cheese, butter, and jellies. This is a typical German breakfast. I think the idea behind it is to eat as much as possible, then you don’t eat so much for lunch and you have a normal dinner. This could very well be the secret behind the “European” diet. Afterall, Breakfast is the most important meal! Eating sugar for breakfast like pancakes, waffles, and cereal is not allowed here.

…Still smokes in bars/clubs and have cigarette machines on street.
It hasn’t been that long since America stopped smoking in bars and in some places they still do but it’s been long enough that I notice it. Not every bar allows smoking either but many do and it’s so gross. I forgot how gross it was to go home smelling like a giant ashtray! Yuck!! And not to mention there are several cigarette machines in each town. Granted, you need a drivers license to prove your age but it surprises me how many younger kids are smoking. I’m talking 14-16 years old.
May be a little too accessible and a little too accepting if you ask me. People smoke here…the typical European way! When I was younger and I thought about Europeans…I imagined them way posh and smoking cigarettes. Guess that’s kind of true!

So that’s it for part one but part two…and possibly part three will be coming soon!! Stay tuned!!

Until next time, Readers!!! xoxoxoxoxo