Retail Amusements

After much delay and a few technical difficulties, I'm finally able to post pictures of a few surprising things I found when shopping in Bavaria that I just couldn't ignore.

Unrefrigerated Milk

Although pasteurized milk is standard fare in the US, we always find it in the refrigerated section, NOT sitting out at room temperature on the shelves. I'm glad someone informed me where I could find my milk before I went to the grocery store, as I would have totally overlooked the pasteurized milk (I can't have unpasteurized milk because of the pregnancy). Also surprising is the expiration date: The expiration date for every liter of milk I've purchased has been at least 2.5 months away. The supermarkets here may be on to something with such long shelf lives. I am able to finish each liter of milk well before it goes bad. Plus, the milk has a lot more fat in it than what I'm used to, which makes it extra delicious. :)

...and if you look carefully in the background of this photo, you'll see a corner of the packaging of one of my VERY favorite German treats, Haribo gummy bears... I could write an entire post on my love for that snack.


Lego Shave-a-Sheep Set

Although I don't have experience with children who love Legos (yet), I'm not sure this would be a really popular choice for American kids. I think this set is really cute, especially the little Lego sheep faces with the googly eyes, but I don't think you'd see this in the US, except for maybe in the Mountain states.

Store-Front GreetersI am not sure if this statue was for a Lego collection inside one of the stores in Bad Tolz, but he didn't appear to be specifically tied to anywhere. And if I could actually read the sign, I might have had a better idea of who he belonged to. Regardless his purpose, I think I like this Lego Man much better than most of the Wal-Mart greeters in the States. And, of course, Justin needed to pose with him to give you perspective. :)

The McDonald's golden arches may be globally recognized, but there's no beacon quite like a golden pretzel outside of a bakery. Imagine my disappointment when I got to this store and found it closed. Sigh.


And finally...

Men's Lingerie
I'm not sure what surprised me more - the style of this pair of underwear or the fact that this mustard yellow mesh panty was just one of MANY different styles of men's underwear in a section of a department store that was dedicated to men's underwear. There are not that many options (or often separate departments!) for men in the US, at least that I'm aware of or care to explore.

Coming up in the next posts...

I just finished a few days of traveling, so I have some great pictures and impressions to share with you later this week. Until then, I need some sleep. I promise to post again soon!





Ciao!