Shopping on Sunday

Last Sunday everyone in Erlangen went shopping. Shopping on Sundays is normal in the US, but not in most parts of Germany. All stores, except bakeries and the quicky-marts of gas stations, are closed on Sundays, so when the stores open one Sunday every season, everyone takes advantage of it. I hate shopping and yet I feel like I have to go on these rare Sundays.

But there is more to do than just shop. The fire department was at Huguenot Square teaching kids how to use fire extinguishers. The Bergwächter (mountain guardians--literal translation) demonstrated how they transport someone who is hurt down a cliff. They climbed down from the tower of the Huguenot church. The church and tower were open to the public, and we walked up to get a view of Erlangen. There were bratwurst and brezen (pretzel) stands, and a medieval market at Neustädter Kirchenplatz (another church square).

So it was more like being at a street fair than just shopping. It had more to do with meeting friends for a beer and sausage than spending money on a new jacket, although I'm sure plenty of jackets were sold that day.

Biergarten Weather

Last Sunday was another beautiful fall day in Erlangen. It was sunny and warm, but not too warm. Sweater Weather! So, we decided to bike to a beer garden in a village, Adlitz, about 7 or 8 kilometers from Erlangen. And so did everyone else in Erlangen. The roads and paths through the forests and fields from Erlangen to Adlitz were packed with bikers and walkers. Everyone from the tiniest babies to the oldest Omas (grandmothers) were out and about, because winter is coming and the beer gardens will all be closing soon.

The ride itself took longer than I expected and there were more hills than I remembered. We made this trip before in 2002 and 2003, with both kids in a Burley bike trailer. This time they rode their own bikes. They tried to make it up as many hills as they could, but often they had to walk their bikes up. This gave me the excuse to get off my bike and walk too.

The struggle was worth it--the bratwurst and roasted wild boar were good and the beer was great.

Unfortunately, the weather also made me nostalgic. I always loved Chicago in October.

Herbst

It's autumn, and the weather has been mixed. We've taken advantage of the sunny days by visiting a reconstructed medieval village in Bad Windsheim, where the boys learned about sheep herding, and by buying pumpkins and gourds at the local farms.

Unfortunately, today is a holiday, German Reunification Day, and it's raining. We were planning to go to a local amusement park before they close for the winter, but I think we'll go swimming to Atlantis instead.


PS Alex lost his first tooth--the exact same tooth Philip lost first when he was six.