Strawberry Fields Forever

The title of this post is slightly misleading since only a part of it will be about strawberry fields but I'm slightly obsessed with this song...especially the newer version with the oh-so-attractive Jim Sturgess.  Anyway, before I get too off topic discussing the celebrities I find most attractive, back to the point of this post....I have officially been strawberry picking!  Yes, of course, we have pick-it-yourself fruit fields in the states but I never took full advantage of them.  Germany has so many things you can pick yourself...strawberries, blueberries, white asparagus, and flowers just to name a few.  Not only is it fun (because Patrick and I make a competition out of who can pick the biggest, reddest strawberry) but who doesn't love having a refrigerator full of sweet, delicious strawberries?  This excludes people who are allergic, of course.  I wanted a picture to remember my first strawberry picking experience but when you hand a man a camera this is what you get....:)

 

Some photos I took:

Anddddd as if my taste buds needed to be more satisfied...Patrick bought an ice cream machine.  Fresh strawberries AND homemade ice cream...oh summer, you are so good to me.  Now, topic switch.


I'm convinced that exercise is the source of happiness...at least for Germans.  Normally, when passing a German on the street or in the grocery store or just anywhere for that matter, they have a very...hmm...I guess emotionless would be the right word...yes, an emotionless face.  No glance in your direction, no wave, no smile, nada.  However, the rules of interaction drastically change once you hit the running trails.  Don't be misled though...both you and the other person passing you have to be in motion.  When shopping I can go an entire day without having someone give a friendly hello but my ears are filled with cheerful greetings (such as Servus, Morgen, Hallo, and Grüß Gott) when I pass a fellow exerciser during my runs in the woods.  I have to praise Germans for their commitment to exercise as well.  The other day I saw an older couple, probably in their 70s, walking the trails in the rain with umbrellas in hand and best of all smiles on their faces.  The old man said to me, "Viel Spaß" (have fun) as we continued on our separate adventures and I took comfort in the fact that others were also braving the storm to get their daily dose of endorphins.  Speaking of runs, I should probably head out on one since the weather forecast calls for rain...again.  Tschüß!