I spent the last two weeks trying to get things into order for the family’s arrival and doing a little more exploring in Germany.
I had a rainy weekend and didn’t feel like going into any towns so instead I went on a fact-finding mission to the different grocery and retail stores here. I tested out a couple of supermarkets, Rewe and Edeka, and the “Wal-Mart of Germany,” Real.
The supermarkets were interesting; the first thing you will notice is that the wine and chocolate sections are the biggest part of the store. I didn’t really have a shopping list so I just bought wine and candy everywhere I went- like an adult. Checking out was fun, the cashier just throws your items as fast as they can down the belt while you struggle to keep up with the bagging. Then you pay and get the hell out of the way because the German behind you is trying to bag their own items at that point and shoving you out.
Also- you have to pay for parking everywhere here, even at the grocery store or for street parking. The good news is that it’s fairly cheap and only a couple of Euros but it does make you question whether or not you need to drive, or decide to walk instead. You always need to make sure you are carrying a coin purse. €1 and €2 pieces are coins and thats all most garages take.
The following weekend, I met a friend to check out the Sindelfingen Saturday market. Sindelfingen is the town that is connected to our town, Böblingen. My friend had raved about the coffee from one of the stands in the market and it did not disappoint. It was one of the best coffees I’ve had. I did not even need sugar, which says a lot coming from me.
One funny thing that happened in the market- a man dropped his wallet and about forty people all yelled “HALLO!” at the same time and pointed out the wallet to the man. He was definitely not going to get far without someone getting him his wallet!
After the market, we went over the Biergarten in Sindelfingen’s park for a few Aperol Spritz’s and lunch.
I took a nap and when I woke up at 6pm, knowing I had about four hours of daylight left (no joking), I decided I needed to get back out of the hotel.
One of the local Facebook pages has posted about Poppy fields that were coming into bloom about an hour north so I decided to head that way.
I found the fields, no problem. Even though only about a quarter of the field was actually blooming, it was still worth the trip.
Sunday, I intended to stay at the hotel but my anxiety was really ramping up about Matt’s upcoming trip with the kids and the dogs so I decided to check out another close-by city, Esslingen.
Esslingen is a really well-preserved medieval city that used to rival in size to Stuttgart. It is really picturesque with canals, half-timbered buildings, and a castle.
I grabbed a coffee and sat in the square and remembered that there was a tour that everyone raves about on the military facebook pages.
I looked it up really fast, found the guy’s number, and sent him a text. Conveniently, he was starting a tour in 5 minutes that he said I could join and I when I looked up, I was sitting right in front of him.
The tour ended up being one of the best tours I’ve been on. The guide was an American who has lived in Esslingen for the past ten years and you could tell he was so passionate about his city and its history.
The town itself is beautiful. At Christmas, they have a medieval themed Christmas market where everyone dresses up in medieval clothes and the stands sell medieval goods. It is one Christmas markets that is definitely on my list to visit this year.
I definitely plan on bringing the kids back to the city for another tour and to check out the castle. There is also a hiking trail right from the center of the city where you hike through the vineyards and sample or buy wine from the merchants along the trail. I can’t wait to take lots of visitors back!
Gilcrests Abroad 