We spent the day yesterday in Nuremberg, mostly at the zoo but also grocery shopping and getting stuck in traffic in some of the most beautiful surroundings you could imagine.
Zoo (Tiergarten). It was awesome. They had a dolphin show that was as educational (if you understand German) as Dubai's is flash-bang exciting. In other words, there were no laser lights, fire, or Ukrainians in leotards at the Nuremberg dolphin show.
Grocery store. The thing about grocery shopping here (as compared to at home in Sharjah) is that you have to make it a priority. The store in our village closes early and often - if you realize you're out of milk at 7pm on Saturday night, too bad. So while we were in Nuremberg we decided to seek out a bigger grocery store and stock up on a few things. This decision led to a golden moment at a gas station wherein Jeremy was asking the cashier for directions and told her that we needed a big gift (geschenk) instead of a big store (geschäft). I have missed foreign language gaffes like this one. It's good to be humiliated once in a while.
Stuck in traffic. At the end of the day, we were all tired and ready to be home already. A few minutes into the 40-minute drive, we hit a wall of traffic. Sterling was fussing and could not be consoled. We hit the Detour button on Lady Edith and our new route ended up taking us past a field of U-pick blueberries, raspberries, and cherries. Jackpot! We pulled into the field just in time to have the very stern German man tell us that since it was 6.50 and the picking closed at 7pm, he wouldn't let us in. Miriam, no joke, started crying (you do NOT promise a Palmer raspberries and then go back on your word). And Very Stern German Man, no joke, was unmoved.
However, he very kindly sold us some already picked berries. We let Sterling crawl around in the grass for a while, ate some berries, and drove home, the traffic having cleared itself out during our pit stop at the field.
All in all, a good day.
Grocery store. The thing about grocery shopping here (as compared to at home in Sharjah) is that you have to make it a priority. The store in our village closes early and often - if you realize you're out of milk at 7pm on Saturday night, too bad. So while we were in Nuremberg we decided to seek out a bigger grocery store and stock up on a few things. This decision led to a golden moment at a gas station wherein Jeremy was asking the cashier for directions and told her that we needed a big gift (geschenk) instead of a big store (geschäft). I have missed foreign language gaffes like this one. It's good to be humiliated once in a while.
Stuck in traffic. At the end of the day, we were all tired and ready to be home already. A few minutes into the 40-minute drive, we hit a wall of traffic. Sterling was fussing and could not be consoled. We hit the Detour button on Lady Edith and our new route ended up taking us past a field of U-pick blueberries, raspberries, and cherries. Jackpot! We pulled into the field just in time to have the very stern German man tell us that since it was 6.50 and the picking closed at 7pm, he wouldn't let us in. Miriam, no joke, started crying (you do NOT promise a Palmer raspberries and then go back on your word). And Very Stern German Man, no joke, was unmoved.
However, he very kindly sold us some already picked berries. We let Sterling crawl around in the grass for a while, ate some berries, and drove home, the traffic having cleared itself out during our pit stop at the field.
All in all, a good day.