Today’s German sign quiz:

Fact Check Update: The old stones that we have been noticing all of the place are in fact very old, but they are NOT headstones marking graves. They were used in ancient times to mark borders of private properties, and serve no purpose today (other than confusing non-Germans).

Air Shipment Update: Our shipment left Kentucky and made it to Cologne, then got put on a truck to Frankfurt where it must clear Customs. Unfortunately the Customs team got hit with a COVID outbreak (of course) so it will take “longer than normal” to clear Customs. #sigh.

And on the 39th day, the electrician gave us LIGHT!! I feel like I have a whole new energy level. I am actually looking forward to cooking dinner tonight because I will be able to SEE what I am doing. Y’all. I am happy. 

To kill some time while Ty was at baseball practice, I went to Toom, which is a hardware store somewhat similar to Lowes. It’s so fun to see the inventory and compare to what you would see in the US. For example, there is a whole section of wallpaper here. And toilet seats…..how does anyone choose only one? It’s truly an art piece, a conversation starter, a personal statement on your private throne.

How I did not come home with this “hairy moo” seat is one of life’s great mysteries… If you could choose only one, which would you pick? 

In one store, I learned that Detroit is a State.

I cannot believe I forgot to tell you all about my sauna experience at my last massage. Sauna is apparently a big deal in Europe. I got to my massage about 45 minutes early and thought I would take advantage of the time to experience the sauna. I am very modest, so my plan was to keep my robe on. And I hoped that I would be the only one there. I opened the sauna door, and had a full-on naked lady encounter. #awkward. I shut the door and walked away. Thankfully there was another sauna that was unoccupied. And, I quickly learned that it was a much better fit for me because it was “cooler” than the first one I attempted to go in, which was basically a degree or two cooler than the depths of hell. I could only stand about 10 minutes in the empty sauna. Maybe I could have survived another 3 minutes without my robe, but #notgonnahappen. The picture below is of the sauna area in my gym. This is only half of the room, there are more lounge chairs and a smaller sauna on the other side of the wall. I sat in here after a workout and did a little 8 minute meditation. It wasn’t hot at all, think I need to push a button or something to turn it on. In addition to the sauna, the gym has a Solarium. I opened the door to find out what the heck that was. It’s a tanning bed room. Apparently Germans don’t care about skin cancer.

Speaking of cancer. So many people here smoke. One morning I was walking home from the gym and the high school students were out on a smoke break. Lots of them. The bus stop is disgusting – you can’t walk through without getting lung cancer. 

Lily had a Fasching celebration at school this week. I thought Wikipedia could do a better job of explaining it than me: Germans celebrate carnival in late winter. Depending on the region, carnival is also called “Fasching”. Both terms have their tradition in the exorcism of winter. People in elaborate costumes dance their way through the city.

Check out Jay’s new Anti-Roman-Pickpocket-Purse, err, I mean, satchel. Flight leaves for Rome Saturday morning. Lots of fun things planned for the week!

In other words, NO SPEED LIMIT. The recommended speed limit is 130 KPH (80 MPH). And the rule is to stay as far right as possible unless you are passing another vehicle. This is Jay’s favorite sign. Now that I think about it, they could put this sign on the sauna door. ”End of All Restricted Clothing”.