Week Four: Shopping!

I know, I'm a few hours later than usual, but hey, I was at my first day of work! Don't fear, it shouldn't interfere with too many blog postings!

Oh wow, another week here. I wish I could say it's been filled with fun and excitement but...I can't. Mostly, I've been working on scholarships and filling out paperwork, then waiting on paperwork. We did go somewhere for Memorial Day. I suspect we would have gone to the pool but it's actually opening...today! Hm...

Totally going to try and go there this weekend though.

Fear not, I do have something to talk about. German Shopping!

That's what we did on Monday. We had a shopping trip to Kaiserslautern, which is a city that sprung up around the Holly Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa’s Hunting Lodge. Around here, most people just say Barbarossa, but with the recent Pirates movie, I don't want any confusion.

Right. German Shopping. Did you know those sales associates have to undergo three years of training? Trade School for Salespersons. I do not joke. Excellent Service though at every shop we visited. Most of them spoke some English, enough to help, but one older woman didn't speak more than a few words.

We managed to figure everything out though.

The two family members I was with weren't heavy shoppers, and would have ruined my fun if I had dived into a shop to look around, but I got a glimpse at a lot of German fashions as we went by. They're very, well, unique.

I'm not certain how I feel about them. I wouldn't wear a good majority of the stuff in the shops, and I don't know a single soul who would. But I don't know any Germans yet. I know, I know! I've been here a month, and the only local I've spoken too run the shops. What have I been thinking!

Well, I'm admittedly rather shy off line, and besides, I haven't really seen any Germans, anywhere, unless they were working. Speaking of working!

Shops here close at six pm, on the dot. Heaven help you if you're working late. On Saturdays, they're closed at one, and on Sundays they aren't open at all! Who's idea was that one? They all seem to be doing well enough, but it makes it difficult to get your weekend shopping out of the way.

We did not go to the Japanese Gardens that Kaiserslautern boasts. That's for another trip, I am told. I can't wait to see!

The shopping center was pedestrian only. It's the German version of a mall, and there were about a gazillion small shops there. Some international names of course. We actually ate at McDonald’s. I know, I know. Why am I eating at McDonald’s when I'm in the middle of a foreign country and could eat anything else.

Well, it's not the price tags, which are getting up there. It's the speed. Quick food. I suppose we're paying for the convenience, and not the taste?

Aw well, either way, while shopping, we stepped into an old church, open to the public. The ceiling was practically four stories above us, and I did like it. We looked around a bit, and I oo'd and ah'd over the architecture, as I am prone to doing. Then we found a small room with a sculpture there. One one side was Martin Luther (of 95 Treatises fame) and the other was, oh blast! Another famous protestant figure I had heard of only vaguely. Carved into the giant pedestal were a few faces of equally famous religious people that I also didn't recognize. (If they aren't in the Bible, do I really have to know?) and on top of the pedestal was the Angel of Freedom with all of its symbols of office. How do I know this?

There was a sign on a poster board that said who was who. I have to say, Martin Luther looked like a jolly figure. And if angels really around about 12 feet tall, then I'm glad they don't wander among us visibly, because it's kind of intimidating.

One Final Byte (a week late): Old churches are lots of fun to see.