Happy Happy Happy

What a great first day in Augsburg!  Our first stop was the City Galerie, the only mall in Augsburg.  

The mall is actually two doors down from the hotel, accessed by a wide, gravel walkway.  Not only did the mall have all the standard clothing stores and shoe shops, but it also had a T-Mobile and a Saturn store (pronounced sa-TURN), where we stocked up on cords for our phones, tablet, and laptop.  Among the restaurants in the mall was a cafe in the middle of the mall with a full-stocked bar, Nordsee (a seafood counter), several bakeries with fresh-baked bread, a butcher, Thai food counters, and a few pizza places.  The mall also had a full stocked grocery store, which we strolled through.  Most surprising was the American shelf in the back of the store - a few jars of peanut butter, American-style catsup, pasteurized process cheese food spray, Betty Crocker cake mix, syrup, and Campbells Tomato Soup.  Nice to know we can find all Kevin's favorites! HA!  Oh, and for my teacher friends - they really know how to take care of the teachers here!  See below-

From the mall, we headed toward downtown on foot.  Throughout the city, a system of walkways meander through greenery and alongside the canals, carrying the pedestrians behind homes and between building, and all marked with arrows to a specific destination.  The pathways were full of pedestrians of all types, old and young alike.  We had no idea if we were going in the right direction, but we kept moving, watching the buildings age before us.  Eventually, we found Maximillianstrasse, the main avenue running north/south in Augsburg. 




Maximillianstrasse is wide and paved with cobblestones.   The sidewalks are wide, allowing the multiple cafes and restaurants ample space for tables and chairs.  We stopped at one of the first cafes we encountered, and enjoyed a cup of coffee as we took it all in.  I loved every minute of it!  From there, we headed north, and found the realtor for the apartment we were scheduled to visit that afternoon.  We stopped in to talk to them about the apartment and were told the owner did not allow cats.  :(  We then cancelled the appointment and called Martin.  He told us to continue to head north on Maximillianstrasse and he would meet us at a cafe towards Rathausplatz within 30 minutes.    

We continued to head north, taking in all the shops and restaurants.  We found many, many pizza places, a Burger King, and lots of Schmuck Hauses (jewelry stores!).   Oh, and did Kevin mention that Tex-Mex is VERY popular here????  
The painted building below is several hundred years old, including the paint job.  Many of the buildings had an illustration of a saint or a warrior-type on the outside.  When I learn more about the meaning of these paintings, I'll clue you in.  

 

 After about 30 minutes, we met up with Martin, and enjoyed a beverage at a wonderful outdoor cafe (the yellow building in the pictures below) in the middle of Rathausplatz, the city hall of Augsburg, originally constructed during the Renaissance.   Rathausplatz is the building on the right, with the double-headed eagle at the top.  

After talking with Martin for almost 2 hours, our stresses were relieved.  Unbeknownst to us, he has been working on our residency paperwork and even registered us with the power company.  He explained that our rent would include the heat, water, trash, and maintenance of the building.  Additional costs consist of electricity (about 50 euro/month) and a recommended liability insurance (about 50 euro per year).  This insurance will cover us if Kevin knocks over a shelf of expensive steins during Oktoberfest or if I hit a pedestrian on a bicycle (or other damages caused by us while in Germany).  I think its worth it.... 

A funny story -- while sitting at the table talking with Martin, a bumblebee kept buzzing around and finally landed on the table.  As any good Southerner would do, Kevin reached over, grabbed the ashtray, and started to place it on the bumblebee, putting him out of our misery.  Just as he squashed the bee, Martin cried out, "NO!", then grabbed the ashtray in an attempt to save the little guy.  He picked him up ever so gently by the wing, and then seeing that he couldn't be saved, carefully placed him on the ground.  Apparently, its inappropriate to kill bees in Germany! Who knew???  

 After a few laughs with Martin, and his reassurance that we would find a place and he would help us get settled, he dropped us off at our hotel.  We put on some warmer clothes and headed back out for dinner. 

Again, we found ourselves on the Maximillianstrasse and settled on a little pub which advertised burgers and pizza.  I know what you are thinking -- you are in Germany, and you are eating BURGERS???    That's what I thought.  We were hungry and it looked good.  'Nough said.  

Kevin ordered a drink and I ordered a Lemon Warsteiner.  We laughed when the drinks arrived because just like home, Kevin had the girly drink, complete with marshmallow and Swedish fish garnish!  That's a better garnish than the usual umbrella!

Anyhow, burgers were decent.  Fries were good.  Kevin asked if it would be served "plain" and was told yes.  Apparently, "plain" in Germany means with lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayonnaise.  For anyone that knows Kevin's aversion to mayo, he ended up eating the burger with a knife and fork!  Lesson learned.  

We enjoyed the people-watching and headed home (or rather the 12' x 15' room with our 7 suitcases) around 8:30pm.  I snapped some pictures of the buildings, alleys, canals, and ancient town wall as we walked (see below).   I gotta say.... so far, I love this place.  Keep your fingers crossed we find a suitable apartment that takes kitties....