Today was really a pretty slow day for us here in Germany. We slept in because I'm still adjusting to the time difference and the postlag (which would be jetlag if I'd flown). I did help Jamie pack up some of her books since she's getting ready to move to an apartment she just bought with her husband. I think later we may also pack up some of the clothes she isn't wearing into her suitcases so we can transport them to the new apartment this weekend. (By the way, Bauhaus on the box below is the name of a home store which is a lot like a Home Depot or a Lowes).
When we did get around we went to the post office to mail a letter to Jamie's health insurance company and to pick up some juice from the store. We found Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice and were really excited. It seems Cranberries are mainly a US product which is imported. We mixed 1/4 glass Cranberry Juice with 1/4 Apple Juice and then 1/2 a glass of sparkling water. This is very popular in Germany and is called a Schorle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schorle) or a Saftschorle (saft means juice). Schorle is pronounced like shore + luh (as in the sea shore and the end of the name Layla). The most popular is of course the Apfelschorle (which is apple juice and sparkling water). This is really healthier than drinking juice straight as it delutes the amount of sugar and calories you intake. It is also better than sodapop because it is all around healthier but you still get the sweetness and the bubbling effect. I have decided this idea needs to be exported to the US. They are really great!!!
Apart from the mail / grocery errands we also stopped by the Apotheke am Rathaus. That means the Chemist / Apothecary / Pharmacist at City Hall (depending on how you translate it into English). Their drugstore/pharmacy concept here is a bit different than in the US. You still have to get a prescription from the doctor on many, many medicines but there are also medicines that you can get with just counsel from your Apotheker (Pharmacist) and still yet some that are over-the-counter like in the US. If you want to try your hand at some German (Jamie translates for me) you can read about the Apothecary here:
http://www.apo-rathaus.de/
Lastly as an afternoon snack we had peaches with Landliebe "Natur Joghurt" and cinnamon sprinkled on top. This is just a plain yogurt without any genetic modifications or any unwanted chemicals. To me it tastes a bit lighter than the yogurt we have back home and is a bit runnier (more like a cream sauce). The interesting thing about dairy products over here is they come in either 1.5% Fettarm (literally poor / lacking in fat or what we would call low fat) or 3.0% Normal (I guess this would be like Vitamin D). It's not like the US where we have everything from Skim Milk to full cream and everything in between. I am posting some pictures of both the yogurt and the peaches and Schorle.
This says "Schmekt jetzt noch cremiger" which means now it tastes even creamier.
While I am at it, I am also going to post a picture of these things called Twistees. This is a snack from Malta (where Simone, Jamie's friend, comes from). They tasted almost exactly like Cheetos except they don't leave your fingers stained technicolor-orange.
I hope you like the photos from today. I'm sorry we haven't had a chance to get to some of the more exciting things yet but I also want to share with you just the everyday things we do here. This way you can see the ways in which things are alike or similar to back home and also how they are different on this side of the world. Say hi to your family from all of us.
***UPDATE***
Tonight when Andy got home we decided to take a walk by the Wiese - just the three of us. The Wiese is a local river that runs through this valley. We were in the city of Riehen which is actually in Switzerland. This river runs through both countries. In fact, Jamie and Andy's new apartment is just a few hundred feet from this river on the German side. The river is more wild, natural on the German side and hasn't been sculpted as it has on the Swiss side. I posted some pictures of our visit to the Wiese.
This is the walking path by the Wiese on the Swiss side.
This is me on the walking path in front of the Wiese.
This is me on one of many bridges that crosses the Wiese. To my back is the city of Basel Switzerland.
I hope you like the pictures. Tomorrow we are going to go to the new apartment in Schopfheim with Andy's aunt and uncle. I should have pictures tomorrow of that adventure.
Talk to you soon.
Sincerely,
Stanley
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