Geld (German word for Money)

Being that I am quite frugal, I am always impressed with how inexpensive many things are here. I know I have mentioned this probably several times, but I have recently been quite surprised with a couple of things in particular.... When we went to the Bavarain Forest, we went to a HUGE blown glass market/store. There was a section where children could go up, choose the color of glass that they wanted and then they could blow the glass themselves (with guidance of course) to make a GORGEOUS watering container for plants. Being that I have 3 kids, I am always a little cautious, because that could easily cost a bunch. The planters themselves COULD sell for 30 euro, but on top of that the kids could choose the colors, and then blow the glass themselves, which could range (in my opinion) up to the 40-50 euro range. I was shocked to find out that the cost was only 5 euro per child (it not only included the final product, but also the experience). I LOVE the fact that the owners of this store kept the fee so reasonable - it is not about the all mighty dollar, but instead giving kids an opportunity. My kids LOVED doing it, and the 3 blown glass now sticks into the root of our plants, and feeds them on an as needed basis - the coolest thing! Definitely a keepsake!

The other things that has impressed me recently, is a little private vegetable stand market on our block. One neat thing about Germany is that farming is a very common way of life, and even in the city they have land for farming (yes, right in the middle of the city). Where we live, there is a farmer, and he sells his fresh produce to the locals. I went in for the first time last week - I bought, 7 zuchini, 1 kilogram of green beans, 6 sunflower stems to make a bouquet, 1 eggplant, and 2 huge cucumbers - the cost was less than 5 euro for all of it!!! Again, they could charge so much more, but they want to sell their goods for a fair price, and keep their farm in the city (the way I am programmed to think is that they could sell their land and make a fortune, but I guess it has been in their family for years, so they probably would never dream of it). I love the mentality of the Germans. It is not MORE, MORE , MORE, but instead all about quality of life.