Fleas & more

We hope everyone in the USA is having a great holiday weekend. We will be wishing we were with you as we go to work on Monday. No Labor day here - everyday is labor day.

We try to have new adventures as frequently as possible. Sunday brought a partly sunny forecast so Daphne and our friends decided to visit the largest flea market in the city. After a late start (we must have missed all the good stuff), we arrived. Now - the flea market looked the same as every flea market I have ever driven past/visited - but Daph insisted this was new because she has never been to a flea market.

I will say that the age of the average item for sale was much older than in the USA. Makes sense.
Daphne's big score was this "authentic" cow bell. Avid blog readers will appreciate her spectacular excitement juxtaposed to my furrowed brow and questions about what "authentic" means. She was no longer interested in my intellectual curiosity long before I asked why we needed a cow bell. I don't need to tell you that there was a beer garden in the center of the flea market.
Brian's big score was a complete set of 20 European/German trucks. It's Christmas in September.
You should have seen his face when I was negotiating with the guy- trying to lower the price- and said, "...we can't pay that..."
I think he would have been happier if I was selling George to the butcher. Once we secured the trucks - all was OK again.

We left the flea market and went to a local park. Daphne is posing in front of a "creature house" which was built for owls, bats, and small birds. There is also space for frogs and snakes near the bottom. We spend so much more time outside than we ever did in the US.

Finally - we walked along the river and just enjoyed the beautiful day.

Of course, there was a bier garden along the path by the river as well.
After heading home, we discovered that our little square or 'platz' by our apartment had organized a small festival with food, beer/wine, and entertainment. Daph bought the kids some Nutella crepes and we sat to just enjoy the atmosphere. The two man band played mixed German / English songs and the kids loved it.
The boys couldn't believe how many people belted out John Denver's "Country Road" but this is a HUGE hit at Oktoberfest. Our real surprise came when the group all got up to dance to Achy Breaky Heart. I swear - not only was it surreal to have three dozen 60+ year olds dancing to this in Germany, but our kids started discussing the connection to Hannah Montana and the US influence on culture in the world.
Whoa.