Out and about ...

Thunder, fork lightening and wet rats – us. Got caught in a storm with very heavy rain which immediately turned into mini bachles running down the streets. It’s been dry and windy so the water didn’t have time to sink into the soil. Luckily we were in a covered café, but missed the tram before the rain started and had to take the next in the downpour. Only a half block from the last stop to the flat but got pretty wet anyway. We had walked earlier to Schaub, a specialty store to look at wheels for Bruce and were lucky again that it hadn’t started yet. Oh well, we don’t melt!

Having said all that, the last few days have been lovely weather wise so we’ve been out and about. Downtown close to the river Dreisam there is a café which, honestly, is an Americanised Milestones or Earl’s, as mentioned before, but it has a fantastic location! The river is running low right now so people were wading and making Inukshuks (or Inuksuks) with river rock. 

One fellow indicated it was pretty cold but others didn’t seem to mind.  It’s a lovely place to be on a warm day, beach like atmosphere under large umbrellas and looking at the trees.

Quite a few!

Saturday at the Munster Markt, is always busy and we like pickles from the “pickle guy” and Bruce likes his particular sausage. Both vendors recognize us now, pickle guy speaks good English and “sausage guy” French so we can communicate and often they will add freebees. Must introduce ourselves properly in those situations, I don’t know why we don’t!

Beautiful eh?! See I'm still Canadian

 There was a somewhat senior lady that had a stall next to where we had a drink to watch the closing of the market. She was packing her van by herself, probably been doing it for years, but she was clearly tired. I wanted so badly to jump up and help, just to pass her things, because they all have their “place” to go in the van. Felt so lazy sitting in a café watching her work but also felt she knew her business and wouldn’t appreciate the intervention of a “tourist”, so didn’t.

Basil, the wonderfully pungent herb! Love it and they sell pots and pots of it here right now. I’ve bought two so far and use it in my salads but can’t keep it alive over about a week. I remember trying to grow it in my herb garden in Burnaby, couldn’t keep it alive there either. But there are so many plants of it in all the grocers here I suppose it’s just meant for one cutting and chuck out. Hmmm I hate that, wasteful, but again, cannot make it grow after harvesting some leaves. Will put these two in the garbage room and hope someone has a better green thumb than I.

A natural mosquito repellant I got off the web I think will smell a lot better than the commercial products out there.

16 oz spray bottle

15 drops of lavender oil

3-4 tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 c lemon juice

fill with water

We don't get many mosquitos here, course we haven't been here in July yet so we'll see but I know most of you get them.

We just had seven storks flying around the field, soaring actually, so graceful.

Heading out in the car on Saturday with our guide. He had his children visiting him last week.

This blog post is “lite”, sorry, I’ll take lots of pictures and have more to write about once we’re out visiting new towns soon.

Lantern outside a jewellery store in a neighbourhood we like very much, downtown.

Cheers Bx2 and Lexi Cat