Things I Love about Germany

1. That tax and everything is included in the prices. Shoes cost €49.99? That's what shows up on your credit card statement.

2. The well-paved roads

3. My job, office, coworkers, building (not necessarily in that order).

4. The view from our balcony

5. Walking in the dense forest with friends

6. Castles and monasteries that are a thousand years old

7. Crusty bread for a change

8. Powdered lentil soup packages (just add water)

9. Champagne (Sekt) when you see people again after being gone a while:)

10. The way the faucet water tastes

11. The stronger tea bags (Klassik from Lidl)

12. Starbuck's doesn't have the odd (distasteful) smell that it does in the U.S.

13. Full-fat yogurt in every flavor

14. Michael's open-ended playdates with friends (when we returned, he had a 52-hour playdate!)

15. Having back my own dinner- and silverware

16. The dramatic cloud formations (I almost had a car accident on Highway A66 because I was looking at the sky and hadn't noticed the cars ahead had braked!)

17. Cobblestone streets

18. The S-Bahn ride to Frankfurt and the view from the train coming back to Eppstein

19. Everyone shaking hands when you see them again in the supermarket or wherever

20. The extremely competent technicians and handymen (our artistic tile setter came over today to look at the outdoor tiles that cracked during Germany's extreme winter this year)

21. The thoughtful German news coverage and the lack of commercials

22. Sunday crusty rolls and croissants

23. No-frills education system where parental involvement is not necessary in the schools

Amazing things about Germany:

1. How fast cashiers are at Lidl

2. How cheap food is at Lidl

U.S. things I miss:

1. Family!

2. Gas prices!

3. American libraries with WiFi and DVD's

4. School out at 3:15 (Nick has three days that go to 5 p.m. in Königstein, so he's only home by six, and then he has his homework)

5. School system which requires less parental support in terms of studying

6. Tests that are middle-school and high-school level rather than college-level

7. Fun and exciting school electives

8. Jeffrey's hamburgers would be nice right about now!