5 things I learned my first 5 days in Germany

Our first week in Germany was a blur between jet lag, getting oriented, and getting things for work in order but we still managed to go out to dinner a couple of times as well as weekend day trips to Heidelberg and Trier. Having been to Germany before (5 years ago) I knew what to somewhat expect but I still have some fun observations from our first week here.

1. Never leave home without an umbrella
   We had our umbrellas packed for delivery with our early household goods but what we needed was one in our suitcase. Almost every day that first week it would rain and then stop. In Heidelberg, we tried to suffer through the drizzle but eventually had to cave and buy an umbrella for 12 euro.  That thing has not left our car since that day so we always have it on hand!
2. Wear flats
   I almost wore the soles of my lace-up flats off on our trip to Heidelberg we walked so much and I started noticing how all of the women wear tennis shoes or flats, even with outfits I wouldn’t expect to seem them with in the States. I made a great stop at TKMaxx (like TJMaxx…but European) and picked up a couple pairs of solid flats to keep my toes happy until the rest of my shoes get here (I pretty much only packed heels and flip-flops….).
3. The Autobahn is not limitless
   The Autobahn has points that ARE “limitless” in terms of speed but a lot of it actually has speed limits, and there is a ton of construction on it which makes the speed go from “limitless” to 60 kph in 5 seconds. It’s a lot of going super fast then super slow…
4. It’s hard to be gluten free and vegetarian
   In all fairness, I knew this from last time I was here 5 years ago but I really thought it would be easier now. I have been able to get some really great salads but in the sake of nutrition, I have eaten meat more times than usual (considering I may normally only eat meat 1 day a month). Can’t say if its the awful hotel bed that’s making me feel less than great or the sudden reintroduction of meat. I’m going to bet on the bed for now though. As for gluten free…I have not seen a single menu with anything on it annotating gluten free like we are used to in the states.
5. Dogs are always welcome
   We had heard dogs were welcome everywhere before we arrived here but even so we have been surprised every time when we don’t bring our dogs because our American instincts don’t trust that it is true and sure enough, there are dogs! Walking around the castle, walking around the city streets, in a mall, outside every restaurant and cafe you will find dogs! In some places it seems you are more likely to see small dogs than big ones, so I think they almost don’t count at all… Eventually we will finally bring our dogs along though!

How funny that these things seem so simple but I have to say they are the things that really stand out the most to me!

Xx

Kali