Thursday, April 7, 2011

Market Day

I love living in Germany, and some of the great perks of living in the Eifel are the farms and open spaces. I remember when I learned we were moving here. I was under the impression that everything in Europe is smaller, especially houses and apartments. However, when we got here, we found these amazing towns clustered together in beautiful little communities, and the houses are much larger than I ever dreamed they would be. They may not have closets built into the rooms, but they make up for the lack of space in storage spaces and bedrooms (ours has five bedrooms). The people in Germany are very outdoorsy, so you can spot them in the fields walking with long walking sticks (which reminds me of the travelling Uncle from Fraggle Rock) or just walking with their dogs. Several homes have stunning gardens and many people grow their own fruits and vegetables. I love driving through the towns in spring, when the flower boxes on the houses bring an explosion of color that instantly makes you feel happy and welcomed.

The people here are very friendly, and even though my Deutsch is not by any means perfect, I find that when I try to speak German, they are put at ease, and usually can speak better English than I can speak German. In most cases, people are terrified that their language skills are worse than they really are, so when they see me struggle, it lets them know that I feel exactly the same way about my own skills.


I recently went to a market in Wittlich. I've been really wanting to eat more local fruits and vegetables, so this was the perfect opportunity to find some! Even though there weren't many vendors, we found everything we needed, and I even saw some new foods that I'd never seen or heard of (purple carrots!). I saw some amazing carrots with the green leafy part still attached, so I instantly snagged those. Aren't they gorgeous?
I was amazed at the quality of the foods offered, and even more at the prices. I got a bunch of carrots, a bag of celery, four apples, five lemons, a bundle of cherry tomatoes that smell amazing, and an english cucumber all for eight euros and some change. The bag was pretty heavy when I finished shopping. Since my family eats a ton of veggies and fruit each week, this really makes me happy.

The kind lady who was selling at this stand gave my daughter a free banana. She was really great. Since this was my first experience going to the market, I felt a tad bit awkward with what I needed to do, so I asked if I could use the bag I brought to corral my items while I shopped. She was pretty helpful, and assisted me in getting my goodies into the bag. The market had fruits and veggies, organic fruits and veggies, eggs, baked goods, fresh meat cuts, deli meats, and olives/spices/jars of oil with foods inside. While we waited for our friend to get her donut holes, the lady even gave one to my daughter for free!

6 comments:

  1. I'm so with there on the whole spatial thing. I assumed because we were moving to Europe (although Italy here) that everything was going to be small...and on the most part it is. However, the house that we live in is mansion-like to me - 3 floors, 4 bedrooms, plenty of space. And the markets are definitely a perk of living over here; I love being able to walk down to the "town" and 5 kilos of potatoes, 10 onions, and 2 kilos of tomatoes for little little less than 10 Euro. And then I can walk down the street and get some fresh Buffalo Mozzarella, still warm, for 3 to 4 Euro depening on the ball size.

    Living in Europe is definitely a great experience :)

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  2. That's awesome! I hope to add some pictures of the amazing fabric market that comes around a few times each year. Now THAT is a good time!

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  3. mmmm! Look at the rhubarb! I sooooo loved the farmers markets when we were there! And yes, always bring dd to score free produce! hahaha! germans ADORE children!

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  4. Everything looks wonderful! I think I would like to go for a visit just to see the market place.
    Great photos...gives you that "you are there feeling. Ellen

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  5. Jen, that rhubarb really did look amazing. I think I am going to head back out there this week and get some if there is any. And of course, the purple carrots. My curiousity demands it!

    Ellen, thank you! That is exactly what I was going for! :D I want to add lots of festival pictures during the summer time. It is amazing how many great things you can do in Europe.

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  6. I am so jealous....I love Germany!!!
    I'm hoping #2 son gets stationed in Germany....cause I'm going to live with him. HEHEHE!
    Robin

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