Shopping, Toys, Pizza and My Big Problem

Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013

Today was pretty fun!!  Karen offered to take us out and about after work and she was done in late morning.  Lea suggested the City Galerie which is the big mall.

We walked around and did some shopping (more like looking) and had a piece of pizza for lunch.  Then we found a coffee place because Lainie wanted a milkshake.  Well, "milkshake" either means something different in Germany, or it was just this place.  It contained no ice cream, only milk, ice and flavoring.  It was good, but not a milkshake.

Brad has a work dinner tonight so Karen offered to drop us off at Kuka to get the car since Brad could get a ride with his co-workers.  That was very nice of her :)  She told us about this outlet place right near Kuka that sells bags and purses.  We went by there first but it had moved around the corner.  It used to be a little hole in the wall and now is a fancy outlet store.  They didn't have purses, only backpacks and camping type bags.  It was cool though!  But she said it was much more expensive now.  So we didn't get anything.  She took us to Kuka and Brad met us outside.

The girls and I went to the huge toy store that is in the same complex as Kuka.  It was so cool!  Lea was especially all lit up in there.

And this is just the entrance!

They have Lea's favorite "Top Model" stuff here, the biggest display we have seen yet.  Lea got an accordion folder to keep all of our drawings in.  She has been wanting it for a couple of weeks.  They have everything at this store, it was really fun!!

Paparazzi

Creepy dude following me

The most Playmobil sets I have ever seen in one place!

They also had American stuff like Barbies and Littlest Pet Shop.  We had fun looking around.

We went home and Lea and I played Uno.  She won, as usual.  Lainie had a bath in our giant tub.

We decided to go out to Dragone which is an Italian place near here.  It's really good.  We got pizza.  This is one of many pizza places that cooks it in a big wood oven.  Delicious!  So that was pizza for lunch AND dinner today.  Is that bad?

All of today's food purchases reminds me of my big problem.  Here it is:

Change!

I am getting weary from carrying all this change around in my purse.  Here is how it always goes.  I know I need to spend this change.  I get in line and tell myself to spend this change.  Then the cashier tells me the total, and I have to translate that to English so I know how much it is.  This is more difficult than it sounds, People.  In German, they don't say "twenty-three fifty-six" but "three and twenty six and fifty."  See my problem?  Then I look at this pile of money and realize anew that I don't know Euros very well yet.  I can't quickly tell the difference between the pennies (yes, I said pennies.  There are 1, 2 and 5 cent pieces that are copper colored.)  Then there are the gold coins: 10, 20 and 50 cents.  Then the 1 and 2 Euro pieces.  It's not hard, I am just not used to them all yet!  So back to me in line.  I stare at all this change, see the people behind me in line, and the cashier staring at me thinking, "Is this broad EVER going to pay me?" and I panic.  I hand over the paper money and get MORE CHANGE BACK.  It's a vicious circle.  I only get rid of change when there is no one else in line.  Or at the bathrooms because you have to pay 50 cents each time you go potty.  I currently have about 20 Euros in my wallet.  I gotta break free of this fear of change!!!  Maybe I will just go potty more.