random observations

Here are a few random things I have noticed in the first two weeks of living in Deutschland.

1.) People watching (some might call it staring) is a perfectly acceptable past time, which I love. The first few days, it was quite off putting though. I kept thinking I must be doing something super touristy that is making me stand out, but soon realized that no, they just like to stare.  :)

2.) The trees here are super straight. The baby trees are braced up until they reach a point where they are strong enough to withstand the wind. It makes for very tall, beautiful trees everywhere.

3.) Kids are allowed to be kids. I have yet to see a child be hushed in public. In fact, people actually seem to enjoy engaging in conversations with kids, and will try to distract them if they start getting upset.

4.) Sunday is awesome here. Basically everything is closed, so there's not much to do. I see lots of families going for walks, bike rides and even floating down the river. Overall, it's just a pretty chill day.

5.) Bread. Bread is everywhere, served with everything! But oh soooo yummy! ;)

6.) The pace of life is much slower here. It takes at least 2 weeks to get an internet connection set up for example, and anything paperwork related takes ages. The exception is grocery store checkout lines. Those cashiers scan items through at lightening speed, while we frantically try to bag them and pay, before they start scanning the next person's stuff! It's intense to say the least! Haha!

*** edited to add that the above observations are from living in Kleve and may not be true for the rest of Germany. :)***