Germany was already impressing me with its beautiful scenery and the plastic bottle deposits that result in absolutely no trash alongside the autobahn or randomly in fields of grass...but there is yet another thing to add to the list of reasons why I am falling more in love with this country each day. Food is so cheap! Let me clarify...by food I do not mean french fries, hamburgers containing mystery meat, or pre-packaged food with little to no nutritional value. I mean fresh vegetables and fruit, meat containing no growth hormones, bread without artificial ingredients or preservatives, and milk without antibiotics. Oh and the coolest part is that on milk and eggs...and probably some other food items as well...there is a stamp that tells you which farm the product came from so you can literally get in your car and drive to the farm. Yesterday Patrick and I went to the grocery store to buy things for dinner and for the rest of the week and it only cost TEN EUROS! We bought chicken breasts, salad greens, tomatoes, fresh mozarella, shredded cheese, peaches, multigrain wraps, sour cream, and some dessert. It's crazy how in the US it costs almost $6 for a gallon of organic milk when you can buy it in Germany for less than 2 euros. It blows my mind how the things that are necessary in life like food and toiletries cost so much in the US...we need to hop aboard the smart train and start following in Germany's footsteps because life is a lot less stressful when you can actually afford to buy food!
Aside from buying fresh ingredients to make all of my favorite meals that I was eating in the US, I've also had the opportunity to try some German\Bavarian things! A few days ago Patrick's mom made an Apfelstrudel with vanilla sauce and it was INCREDIBLE.
It's a pastry filled with apples and it is definitely worth trying if you are ever in Germany!!! His mom (Sabine) also made a Schweinebraten for the whole family which is roasted pork in a gravy and she served it with potato dumplings. She was so sweet and made chicken for me to eat with the gravy and dumplings since I'm not a fan of pork.
It's a Bavarian dish and one of Patrick's favorites...he always misses it when he is away from home for a long time. It tasted so good and like most food I've tried so far...fresh!! Some other things I really love here are Apfelschorle or any schorle...it's 100% juice mixed with sparkling water. For the most part I'm finding that Germans always drink sparkling or bubbly water. The yogurt here is delicious and I'm always overwhelmed in the grocery store because there are SO many different kinds...an entire wall devoted to yogurts. It's like a dreamland. This brand is one of my favorites...so many flavors of yogurt and so many toppings to go in it! 
Oh and the cereal! SOOOO many varieties of müsli!! Again, I'm overwhelmed when trying to pick one out...full grain, less sugar, fruit, chocolate...everything you can imagine!
mmm love me some Dr. Oetker! So to summarize on the food...I love having so many fresh and healthy things at my fingertips! Even the not-so-healthy indulgences like apfelstrudel are made from such fresh ingredients that you don't feel guilty splurging every once and a while! I can't wait to continue trying new things!!
So my first week in Germany has been a complete success and I'm really looking forward to the new adventures I will be having. Staying with Patrick has been amazing since I didn't see him for the entire summer but I will be moving in with my au pair family on September 14th. I get to meet them on Thursday morning though which should be great...can't wait to see who I'll be spending a lot of my time with! The only things I am struggling with so far in Germany are the language (which is to be expected) and the computer keyboard. 
So if you are ever talking to me on facebook chat and I am taking ten years to respond it's probably not because I am busy...I probably can't figure out how to make an exclamation point or something.
Until next time...tschüss!
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