*Someone Else's Comparisons*

Check out this post for some American/German comparisons (some are ones I've mentioned before).

*Grapes*

I have only recently seen my first seedless grapes in Germany. Most of the time, they have those hateful seeds and I want to spit them out because they leave a dry, bitter taste in my mouth. Such a disappointment after seeing huge, juicy grapes. However, everyone else eats them, so unless I'm alone, I either avoid grapes or follow the crowd.

*Mini Dogs and Men*

I keep seeing these strong German guys walking teeny, tiny dogs that would fly through the air if you tugged on their leashes. It makes me laugh every time because American guys seem to want to be seen with what non-yappy dogs.

Once I even saw the Gohlis punks with such a dog in tow. Do the dogs belong to their girlfriends?

*Insulation*

It's no wonder I freeze in German houses. Instead of having insulation between 2x4s and sheet rock, there are enormous stacked rock-bricks covered with bumpy wallpaper that just emanate coldness. They may be sturdy, but I miss the warmth. When you knock on a wall here, there's no way anyone on the other side is going to hear it, the knocking just gets absorbed into the rock. Thus the cold walls and the cold floors and the house shoes and sweaters around the house.

*Reformations Brötchen*

Around this time of year, because of the celebration of the Protestant Reformation, bakeries boast rolls called "Reformationsbrötchen." They are sweet rolls with raisins and zitronat in the bread and a dollop of jam in the middle. Some also have glaze or almonds on top.





Their background isn't very clear, but apparently they are supposed to look like Martin Luther's symbol of the rose, which had five points. Another theory is that it represents a bishop's miter (yeah, I had to look it up, it's one of those pointy hats Catholic bishops wear).

But anyway, I love Reformationsbrötchen and on Reformations Day tomorrow I'm going to bake some. You can read more about them here (in German--translate on Google if you can't understand).

*Kastanien Sammeln*

Maybe I was just out of the loop, but I've never seen anyone suggest we go out to gather spiky green things that fall from trees (okay, I found out they're chestnuts) and acorns and leaves and such until I moved to Germany. Not that I mind it--I was always an autumn leaf gatherer anyway. And Jenny made the most beautiful wreath out of everything we found.

*Emergency Vehicles*

This is what a German ambulance sounds/looks like:



This is what a German police car sounds/looks like:



Quite honestly, I don't even remember what they sound like in the U.S. So I looked that up too:

American police car:



American ambulance:



Now that I've heard both of those, I think they have the same siren. Is that true? I never noticed before. Maybe we should take a look at fire trucks? Ah, yes:

American:



German:



I think I'd rather get out of the way of the American fire truck, with that annoying honk.