The day started out cloudy, then it got sunny and then there were snow flurries!! We decided, since Ted was already ready and I was not, that he would go to the base to get some Euros for our shopping trip and go to the auto repair place and get the transmission fluid installed in the car.
I hurriedly got ready, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, made the bed and generally cleaned up before he got home. We decided to try one last time to find the yarn place in Bernhausen. We talked to Anna again last night about it because we'd gone and looked for it at least four times and still could not find it!
Well, we still didn't find it! I'm going to have to find a telephone book and see if I can find it using the telephone book. I need a physical address and she couldn't give me that.
So off we go to Metzingen. The trip is about 20 to 30 minutes long. We parked in the parking deck. They have six or seven parking areas but we chose the covered parking for obvious reasons.
There were so many stores! Every kind of clothing store you could think of! They were not all housed in the same location but stores that were spread out among the streets of Metzingen. There were cafes and restaurants as well. Where we parked had an escalator (it was outside but covered) to the first level of the shopping area we would visit.
Our first stop was in the Burberry store. Ted loved the super soft scarves but when I looked at the price, I said no way were we going to spend over 100 Euro (about $140-$150) for a scarf that he might lose!! (But it wa fun to look, nonetheless.) We also checked out the Timberline shoe store and the Lindt chocolate store. (We decided a few chocolates were in order.)
It's amazing that there are these waterways right in the town. It makes the shopping area seem to be almost out in the country. I have to wonder what it's like in the summer time when all of the trees are covered in leaves. It will be worth a trip to check it out when the season changes!
This is one plaza where there are stores. In the background is the town's church. We had a Nutella (Italian chocolate spread with hazelnuts) crepe from a sidewalk vendor and then washed it down with a Latte Machiatto (Steamed milk with a splash of coffee) at a nearby Cafe.
I don't know what Joop! is because we didn't go inside but I loved the architecture of the building.
This was interesting in that the above creek photo was taken from this bridge. These two buildings are rounded. The store on the right is called Marc O'Polo. It's a women's store. Because there were a ton of women's under garments, I wanted to spare my husband having to walk through them so we did not go in.
This is a whale for kids to climb on. It even has a blow hole. I wonder if water comes out of it in the summer time? It's adjacent the footbridge from the above photo. As you can see there is still snow on the ground but that does not stop the Germans from having a bit of fun or going shopping!
The air was cold but the sun was warm and walking from store to store was fun even if we did have to cross main roads to get to where we were going. At LaCosta, I had to put my purse in a locker before going up stairs. It was uncomfortable not having my purse with me but that's their policy. We finally ended up buying two short sleeved polo shirts from La Costa for Ted.
We stopped at Puma to look at tennis shoes. I picked up a new pair of gloves and a darling zippered vest for my grandson, Ro. That was the extent of our shopping.
Ted wanted to see what Hugo Boss was all about. They had some spectacular women's spring clothing. Very reminiscent of the 40's and 50's. We looked at belts and shirts for Ted. Most everything in the store was incredibly expensive but it was fun to look, nonetheless. We mostly browsed. There were scads of people! Apparently the Germans spend money just like Americans do!
Our last stop was Ralph Lauren store on the way back to the car. There were some beautiful soft cashmere sweaters which were incredibly expensive compared to the two cashmere sweaters Ted bought a Gottchalks years ago in California. We did, however, find some wonderful 100% cotton, Italian made, shirts. They were gorgeous and we'll probably go back and buy at least one for Ted.
It was around 4pm when we left Metzingen. We needed to stop at Rewe for Ted's Peach tea. I wanted to take the tea home for two reasons: it was heavy and I needed to get the cloth grocery bags I'd forgotten to bring with me that morning.
We went to Netto to do our weekly shopping. I didn't need much, since I've been preparing dinners with what was in the freezer. I only brought two cloth shopping bags with me so it's going to have to be enough. I also need to get some bread at the bakery. We are going directly to dinner after doing our shopping. It's cold enough outside to allow us to still do that. Leaving the frozen and cooler items in the car will not make a difference while we are having dinner.
We went to Ted's now favorite restaurant...Capri in Plattenhardt. I wanted to try the steak he had the last time we were there. We were not disappointed. It was wonderful. I also asked her, the owner, about the olive oil they use to finish the vegetables and the salads. It turns out, her father-in-law orders it from someone who hand makes it in Italy!!! WOW! No wonder it tastes so wonderful. She told me to bring her a bottle the next time I come in and she will fill it for me. How generous that was! I definitely will be doing that, let me tell you.
By the time we were done with dinner, we realized it had been snowing the entire time we were having dinner. The flakes were huge and it almost looked like Christmas, it was falling so hard. I wondered about us driving home in it. It was almost like a white out! We finally got home and spent the rest of the evening watching TV until bed time.
Saturday 02/20/2010
