Good news! My wallet was found and given in to the Burgerburo ( City Hall) and I received a notice in my mailbox from the Burgermeister requesting my presence at said building.
Steven and I walked there together. I showed them my German passport and they returned the wallet. I looked inside and saw all my cards and receipts there. Unfortunately, all the euros were gone, but I expected that. Still, I was relieved.
Steven surprised me with roses from the market and we also had a lovely dinner made by all of us on the terrace balcony surrounded by flowers and now lights which we had just bought after a lengthy talk on which set was best for us at the store. Then, we weren't sure of the colour and wanted to plug them in. Finally found a powerbar with other things plugged in and plugged in various lights til we found the ones we liked, warm white. Wandering Germans in the hardware store looked on us strangely knowing we were 'Americans' because of the English we spoke, but said nothing. At €18 a pop for a 9 metre string of tube lights, we wanted to be sure because we hate to return things...and trust me, we've returned a lot of things already with still more to go!
The good thing about living where we are in Ratingen is that it is close to everything...at least everything that you need in your daily life. Just beside us is a hair salon, but if I don't like that one, simply cross the narrow 1 way street to find another just a few seconds away. In fact, on our street alone, there are probably 10 hair salons if not more! There's also a curtain place 3 doors away, a flower shop 2 doors away and a few more of them as you walk down to their 'S Bahn' (stadt or city transportation system system) and their DB transportation (Deutsches Bahn) which is transportation to other cities in Germany and other countries), 6 bakeries within a 3 min walk, an Apoteke (drugstore) right on the opposite side of the street, a dry cleaner for Steven's shirts, multiple restaurants and cafes and shops for school supplies, clothing, bed linen and mattresses, an upholstery place, multiple banks, a grocery store 2 min away and other grocery stores within walking distance, medical doctors, two hospitals (Catholic and a Protestant one), a fire hall, a huge swimming complex with indoor and outdoor pools, fitness gyms, dentists, massage therapists, and even a castle right down the road and around the corner from us which is now a restaurant. There's a police station, museums, multiple parks and playgrounds and hiking trails through the woods and even a working water mill. A very cool cemetery, city hall, two churches, schools and ALL within a twenty minute walk or less! And most of these places are in the car less centre where pedestrian is king. I am not going to miss a car at all! Steven chose well.
It's puzzling that Toronto still can't get it's act together and create permanent shopping areas like Yonge/Dundas area to start. The pedestrian traffic is incredible. I mean really; having 10 hair salons on one area and they're ALL in business?!?
Now to change the topic, here's an observation that I've seen. At a store, everyone sort of cues to pay for their purchase, and by sort of, I mean, that they're in line, but it's dog eat dog when the next service person becomes available. Oh yes! We've had first hand experience of this. I was in line to pay for a shirt, and had just looked down to get my wallet out, when suddenly, from out of nowhere, a middle-aged frau jumps from behind me and plonks her items on the counter. I was too stunned to react. Wow! Deliberately too! Not used to that in a store...in Toronto, in a line for the bus, maybe, but a store?!?
Anyway, thinking that she was just very rude, I forgot about it, but I've seen this behaviour over and over again. The impatience to be served, the arrogance in thinking they can jump a cue, and so blatantly too. But quite frankly, the clerks are just as guilty for serving these cue jumpers without a blink of the eye. Happened again to Steven yesterday. At the market, Steven had asked in careful German for a fish sandwich when suddenly a cue jumper interrupted him to ask for the same sandwich. The clerk served the cue jumper first, then another who was getting the same thing! We walked away in disgust. Now, of course, not all Germans are like this, but in the space of 6 weeks, we've noticed it a lot.
What's up with that?!!
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